PROTESTANT REFORMED FELLOWSHIP in India

17 April, 2006

Dear saints of the CPRF in N. Ireland,

I’m personally thankful to Rev. Stewart for giving me this opportunity to write a brief introductory letter. This we present to you with the hope and expectation of your regular prayers and spiritual support. To say briefly, it is by God’s grace I had the privilege to be in regular correspondence with Rev. J. Kortering since 1993. With the limited knowledge in the Reformed Faith I tried to introduce this blessed truth locally. Immediately after our wedding in May 2001, we began to do the Reformed Mission work in Vellore, one of the major cities in Tamil Nadu (SE India). During 2002-2003, God provided us an opportunity to obtain theological training from the ministers of PRCA and ERCS with the focus that we be better equipped to witness the Reformed Faith in India.

Beginning from October 2003, Kasthuri (my wife) and I began to minister in few cities of Tamil Nadu under the supervision and support of ERCS, for which we are very grateful. There was a time to evaluate our mission efforts and its fruits in January 2005 (about 16 months of labour). By then the fruits of our mission was so minimal, which troubled me and I was pushed down to doubt even my call for the ministry. This resulted in the stoppage of fulltime mission work. Rather we continued the works of mission as a tent-making missionary couple. Our Sovereign God used our difficulties and doubt to teach us the real need and the effective ways of introducing the Reformed Faith, which is not known to 99% of Indian Christians. God enabled us to establish an informal Bible Study Program, yet with a system under the name, "Sola Gratia Academy," with the focus to identify those Christians who are interested to know the truth. Yes, God blessed this simple, yet sincere effort, which resulted in winning faithful Christians those who have learnt to love and appreciate the Reformed Faith. About ten saints were the fruits of this effort. Now most of them stay with us to head this PR Fellowship here. Our active involvement in the local outreach ministry is blessed of the Lord and so there are about 35+ saints those who join us in our regular worship gatherings and other Bible Study activities. We do have four more Bible Study groups in and around the city of Vellore. Through these Bible Study groups we try to reach out to more people both non Christians and Christians as well.

God has been faithful in blessing our humble efforts of spreading the Biblical Faith for the comfort of our people here in India. We seek your prayers for our present Reformed Mission Activities such as publishing "Manathelivu," a Reformed Newsletter in Tamil, organizing Bible Study groups and promoting the knowledge of the Reformed Faith through systematic Bible Study Program called "Sola Gratia Academy." Besides all these we have our regular House Church Worship gathering, which is the focus behind all our mission activities. The recent visit and stay of the Korterings with us for about ten days was a real blessing for all of us. God has used him to direct the way that we consider so that our house church gathering can be transformed into an official Reformed Church gathering some day, God willing.

We look forward to have Rev. Paul Goh, one of the ministers of ERCS, who will be ministering to us for about three weeks in the month of June 2006, God willing. Presently we have all our gatherings by our simple residence, which is not enough to hold all the participants. Hence we earnestly seek for a bigger place. Indeed there’s a great need for benevolent fund in order to meet certain very basic needs of the poor saints in our Reformed Fellowship. More than ten children in our fellowship are in the state of orphan and semi-orphan—those who need our special care. We hope to establish a childrens’ home so thar that these needy children can be cared for and brought up in Reformed Christian education and discipline. Moreover, there are young men and women who are jobless and some are paid very minimal, less than £10 per month. In order to ease their unemployment problems of our Reformed saints we wish to work out self help projects, which will enable our PR Fellowship to become self supporting. We hope to have our PR Fellowship be transformed into a PR Church, which is the glorious end of all our mission endeavours. Please uphold us through your prayers. We do earnestly anticipate your encouraging mails too. This will encourage our PR Fellowship in India as well. Thank you! May God be glorified! Amen!