- Prabhakar Christopher Benjamin Balaram
Prabhakar Christopher Benjamin Balaram (
1906-07-10 –1968-01-17 ) was anIndia nBishop ofThe Methodist Church (USA) , elected in 1965.Early life
Benjamin (as he was known) was born 10 July 1906 in
Hyderabad, India . Hisancestors had been of a priestly caste. However, he had a remarkably dedicatedChristian mother. On one occasion, at a special service held soon after his birth, his mother (then only sixteen) made an offering. She put into an envelope all the money she had, writing on the outside: "I offer to the Lord these three rupees and my son." "Balaram was an apt student. He studied
engineering at theUniversity of Edinburgh , with additional study inDenmark . He was chosen by theMethodist Episcopal Church as a Crusade Scholar, going onto further higher education in theU.S.A. Completing hisB.A. degree,Phi Beta Kappa , he went on to complete hisMaster's degree at theUniversity of Pittsburgh .Ministry
Upon the completion of these educational pursuits, Balaram returned to
India . He was enlisted by Bishop Pickett for development work, both urban and villageChristian work. Over the course of his career, Rev. Balaram served in a variety of positions, becoming a widely acknowledgedreligious leader , especially ineducation andsocial work .Rev. Balaram was elected to the
episcopacy by the Central Conference ofSouthern Asia at the Central Conference meeting in January 1965. He was assigned to theLucknow Episcopal Area .Bishop Balaram was known as a highly creative person, full of ideas. Very articulate and winsome, he won many friends for India wherever he went. For instance, he was an intimate friend of Bishop Mathews for over thirty years.
Balaram also personally knew many of the political leaders of the newly independent India. He was able to help offset any damaging effect of the image of that day that the Indian Christian Church and community were in someway "foreign."
Death and burial
Balaram died from a heart attack on 17 January 1968. He was buried in Lucknow.
ee also
*
List of Bishops of the United Methodist Church References
* Short, Roy Hunter, Bp., History of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church 1939-1979, Nashville, Abingdon, 1980.
* The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church [http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=5855]
* InfoServ, the official information service of The United Methodist Church. [http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=1244]
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