The Fellowship of Blessed Hope Churches recently appointed Pastor Jebakodi Muruthuraj as pastor of the church at Kodaikanal, and as an encouragement to him and the members of the church, a teaching seminar was held from August 22 to 24, with Dr Thinakaran Richards from BILD International leading teaching from the Acts of the Apostles – another in the series which he began at Saidapet, in Chennai, a few months ago. A group of ten FBHC pastors travelled to Kodai for the seminar and were joined by Rev Neil Armstrong, an independent pastor who has been assisting with preaching and teaching and visitation whilst the pastorate has been vacant.
Many of those who attended have commented to Mission Manager Immanuel that they benefited greatly from the classes. Good accommodation and good food were provided for all who attended, and one of the local church members, Mr Arockiadoss, took charge of all the arrangements for these practical matters. We are very grateful to him for his willingness to serve the Lord in this way for the seminar.
After the classes the pastors took the opportunity to meet the local believers and explain to them about the new situation and encouraged them to continue their support for the church and its ministries and for the new pastor. Please pray for Pastor Jebakodi and his family, and for Rev Neil Armstrong who will be supporting him in his future ministries for some time.
Mr Arockiadoss, who is a builder, is also doing some repairs to the parsonage before Pastor Jebakodi and his family move in, and he has also contributed generously of his time and materials to repainting the church inside and out, and carrying out other improvements in the church. A new motor has been fitted to the water pump so that there is now a good supply of water available from the bore.
Please pray for this congregation and for their witness for the Lord in the hill town of Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal (Gift of the Forest) town is at an altitude of 2133 meters (7,200 feet) above sea level in the Palani Hills in the Western Ghats of India. It was the site of the former College of Evangelism, operated by the Fellowship of Blessed Hope Churches.