India Mission
Following the leading of the Holy Ghost, the founding Apostle of Calvary Life Assemblies was led into India where he spent three months travelling with a young Indian Pastor named Abraham. God led them to start a church in Anna Naga, a poor suburb in Chennai (Madras).
The story of CLA churches in India is really the account of God answering the faithful and fervent prayer of a young woman converted from Hindu some 55 years ago. This is Esther, the mother of Pastor Abraham, who came to know Jesus following the visit of a travelling evangelist. God answered Esther’s desire for children when He granted her an abandoned baby girl, found in an empty train carriage. In her thankfulness and dedication to God, He then honoured her with three sons born after healing her barren womb.
Pastor Abraham is the youngest of these sons. The account of their life is too great to detail here. Esther and her husband, Joseph, who later came to Christ Jesus, went two days every week without food to save sufficient money to give their children a good education.
God has used CLA Churches in Australia to support this dedicated, praying family in their vision for the people of Tamil Nadu. Being put out of rented buildings by Hindu landlords, we were finally successful in building our first sanctuary, living quarters and free medical clinic. Unfortunately, we had to move to Mudichur, a developing area in the south west of Chennai, 35 kilometres from Anna Naga.
Timothy Abraham’s older brother is a neurologist and married a wife, her name being Esther, who is also a doctor. They were responsible for starting the first free medical clinic. Abraham later married another Esther who was also a doctor. We now operate the free clinic out of two centres in Mudichur. No medical treatment is given without first offering a prayer of faith and expectation of a miracle. No patient goes from the clinic without the opportunity to hear of God’s grace and mercy.
Since the humble beginnings in Anna Naga, CLA India now has three churches with a vision for further churches to be opened as God wills. Situated in our own building, there is also a church in Salem under the care of Esther (Abraham’s mother) together with Abraham’s brother and brother-in-law who help in ministry there.
The third church is at Omalur about 15 kilometres from Salem in a small building which was erected in 2002. This church is Pastored by Stephen and his wife Thangamani, who were trained under Abraham for ministry. Their son, David, also helps with Youth work at Omalur.
The missions of CLA in India are a direct result of the church in Australia working in close harmony and unity with the church in India. This is achieved only because God brought the ministries together and joined us in the bonds of love to work together for the extension of His Kingdom. Anyone who has been on a mission trip testifies to the willingness of God to heal and save all people who will come to him in repentance. In Him we will trust.
