Ministry Update: Evg. P. Stephen, Tamil Nadu, India
Coimbatore
Beloved in Christ Jesus,
Greetings to you in the sweet name of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
The ministry here has been a great blessing. All the members of both Bethel Christian Assembly in Ganapathy and Peniel Brethren Assembly in Madukkarai are doing well, though some are not keeping well. We are praying for their well being.
We had been praying for the past two years for a ministry to be started in Ondipudur about 10 kms away from Ganapathy. We had started a monthly Bible Study between 6.30 and 7.30 pm on Fourth Sundays in Bro. Mohanraj’s house. Bro. Mohanraj and his family are in fellowship with our Bethel Assembly for the past many years. This venture was initiated on January 25, 2015. This Bible Study is being conducted every fourth Sunday of the month and Christians from other denominations and few people of other faith are taking part in the meeting and learn from the word of God. It is our aim and prayer that a new assembly testimony be established in this area. Please do pray for this new venture. The other meetings of Bethel Assembly are a great blessing and a couple of new believers are worshipping with us.
The ministry in Peniel Brethren Assembly, Madukkarai is continuing in a blessed manner. A few new people are coming to the worship meetings regularly. We have started a weekly evening meeting on Sundays. I find it difficult to look after the ministry of both the assemblies because of my deteriorating health conditions. So far the Lord has enabled me to do this. Since I am not keeping too well these days, we are prayerfully seeking for a new full time worker for this assembly. Many colleges and hostels present in this area and a few villages situated nearby make this area a potential place for doing evangelism. One of our brethren, Bro. Thomas Jeyasingh had built a hall, in which about 250 people may be accommodated, for the assembly and the same was dedicated in the year 2010. Please continue to pray for this ministry.
The Lord had done wonderful things in my family and I am grateful to Him for His benevolent blessings. My third daughter S. Priscilla and Nethaniah, an ardent believer in fellowship with Kairos Brethren Assembly, Bangalore have been united in Holy Matrimony on Sep 11, 2014. The wedding was conducted at Miraj, Maharashtra. My son in law has been transferred to Mumbai and so both of them are now in Thane, Mumbai and are in fellowship with Thane Brethren Assembly. My son in law, Nethaniah is a good worker among the youth and hence I appeal to you to please pray that they may be useful vessels to the Lord both among the youth and to the Thane Assembly, Mumbai.
My eldest daughter Stephilla and her husband Gladwyn are in Melbourne, Australia. They have been married for six years and without child. All the believers have been praying for them and in answer to the prayers, the Lord has wonderfully blessed them. My daughter is in her seventh month of family way and the delivery is due in July 2015. Please pray that the Lord may mercifully grant her safe delivery.
My second daughter Beulah had left for Ahu Dhabi on December 05, 2014 to join in a job. Her husband Ashwin is working in Bangalore. Their son is just one and a half years old and we are looking after him in Coimbatore. Please pray that both Ashwin and his son may get family visa and join my daughter in Abu Dhabi.
In 2013, I had a severe cough and was hospitalized for 13 days. It was diagnosed to be Pneumonia, I was given treatment and discharged after recovery. Again this year I had severe cough and suffered for nearly one and half months recently. The doctors told me that this is because of the weak condition of my lungs and I am under medication. Presently I am recovering and I urge you to please uphold me in your prayers.
I would also like to covet your prayers for a specific cause. Many of our believers do not know when was the brethren assembly movement started and who was instrumental in bringing it into India. There are a few books published in English and Malayalam. (Late) Bro. John Christian Arulappan was the pioneer in faith ministry and was instrumental in the first revival in India. He had served along with the foreign missionaries. But only a small reference has been given in the above mentioned books about him. The Lord has laid a burden to know about this servant of God three years ago. With much prayers, I have started to collect information about him and marvellously many great truths about him have been gathered by me. I have prayerfully started to compile about John Christian Arulappan, his ministry, the hardships and oppositions he faced, the assemblies he had founded (a few are still bearing testimony) and his descendants (among whom a few have been met by me personally). I would like to bring this out in a book form. A few brethren encouraged me to do this literature work. In 2014, I had visited the places where John Christian Arulappan had lived and ministered, met a few assemblies he had founded, met his descendants and collected many information from them. I am prayerfully planning to publish this book in Tamil initially and then in Malayalam and English. Please pray for this great ministry.
My mother was ninety years old and she went to be with the Lord on December 01, 2014. She had a brief illness for just a few days. Her body was buried in the same evening with a hope of resurrection. Her demise was a big shock both to the family and the assembly. She used to enquire all the believers lovingly and would pray for them as well.
With Christian love & prayers,
Yours in His Mission,
EVG. P. STEPHEN
7-B1, Nehru Nagar 2nd Street Extn.
Ganapathy, Coimbatore
Tamil Nadu, India – 641 006.
Mobile No: +91-9994624558.
Phone No. +91-422-6524853
www.bethelca.org
E-mail: stephensumathy@gmail.com
[Adelphoi News – May 22, 2015]
