Joseph Gelson Gregson (1835–1909) was an English Baptist missionary to the Indian sub-continent during the British Raj. As a British Indian Army chaplain, he worked hard to achieve total abstinence from alcohol among British Indian Army soldiers, his major achievement being the Soldiers Total Abstinence Association (STAA) that he founded in 1862 and was recognized for its military value. He played a major role during 1896 in the formation of the Kerala Brethren church in Kerala, South India. Through his preachings at Lonavla in 1895, he brought about the spiritual awakening of the social reformer Pandita Ramabai. He used to preach at major, large-scale Christian spiritual gatherings such as Maramon Convention in Kerala and Keswick Convention in Cumbria, North West England. Early life Gregson was baptized at the now defunct St. Luke's, London, Finsbury (a former Anglican parish). Later, he became a member of Baptist Church, ordained as a minister and chose to become a missionary to India. After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 was concluded, he was sent to India to serve as a missionary of Baptist Missionary Society during 1858 to 1869 and was mainly stationed at Agra. On 26 December 1861, he married Mary Anne, eldest daughter of N Brice, at Dinapore Cantonment while he was based in Monghyr (Munger, Bihar). Early ministry and Indian army chaplaincy Gregson had served in British India as an Army Chaplain and he worked hard to realize total abstinence from alcohol among soldiers of British Indian Army. In 1862, he founded the Soldiers Total Abstinence Association (STAA). Under Gregson's leadership, the STAA grew in importance by absorbing regimental temperance societies. One military admirer described him The Apostle of Temperance in the British Army. He observed, in 1886, that "To such an extent has it prevailed, that the heathen regard the use of intoxicating liquor as a sign of a Christian." In 1873, due to Gregson's hard work during his stay as a missionary at Agra, the Havelock Memorial Chapel at Agra was constructed in memory of Henry Havelock, who had founded the first Baptist Chapel of Agra in 1832. From 1879 to 1886, Gregson served as the pastor of Union Church, Mussoorie (that was officially established in 1869). During this period, he ensured regular Sunday School classes, mid-week Bible reading meetings at homes. He also organized regular meetings at the Soldiers' Institute in nearby cantonment town of Landour and at the