Balika Samajam and Bala Samajam are the spiritual organizations for school age girls and boys respectively in our church. The main objectives of the organizations are worship, study, and community living. The goal is to make the young members study the faith and the tradition of our church and grow as true Christians. Balika and Bala Samajams were functional in different dioceses even before the formal induction of these as official spiritual organizations of the Indian Orthodox Church in the early nineteen-eighties. Though these are two independent organizations, it meets and functions together at parish levels.

Balika-Bala Samajam in our parish was started in the early nineties under the guidance of our Vicar, Very Rev. Gheevarghis Aroopala Cor-Episcopa and under the leadership of Molly Kurian and Koshy P. John. All the elementary and middle school students in our parish are members of this organization. In order to increase the effectiveness and to reach out to more students, the group is subdivided into two based on the age of the members. The junior group consists of students from kindergarten through fifth grade and is coordinated by Molly Kurian and Sunil Mani. The senior group consists of students from sixth through eighth grade and is coordinated by Sheena Mani and Binu Lal.

Balika-Bala Samajam meets on Sundays after the Holy Qurbana. The meeting format consists of starting prayer, study/discussion of a particular topic, devotional songs, and concluding prayer. The discussion topics include Gospel readings, bible stories, church faith, and other topics related to church and Christian life. Though the discussions are led and moderated by the adult coordinators, all the members are highly encouraged to participate. In order to develop the habit of praying openly in group settings, the starting and concluding prayers are done by the students. The devotional and worship songs, both English and Malayalam, are also taught in the meeting.

The “Save a Penny, Save a Life” penny collection program is designed to develop almsgiving habit in young hearts. The group organizes other events such as bake sales to raise money for charity works. The money collected from penny collection and bake sales are used to support orphanages and other charity projects here and in India.

Balika-Bala Samajam is a great organization that introduces the young people to the faith and the tradition of our church and encourages them to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at the early stages of their lives.