HISTORY OF CFC

“Behold now, there is in the city a man of God and He is honorable”- I Samuel 9:6

What is said of Ps. Benjamin Jaywanthappa also stands true for many members and families of Christian Fellowship Church. The church has been blessed with faithful and upright people who have always upheld the hands of truthful Pastor. “Honor to whom Honor is due “

Ps. Benjamin was born on June 7^th 1933 in an ordinary village preacher’s family to Jayawanthappa and Narsamma in a small city called Bidar in Karnataka state, India and was raised up as a preacher’s son.

Salvation Story

A passion to work for God was in his blood line, as his father was a Methodist pastor and an evangelist who traveled from village to village composing and singing Christian folk songs and preaching Gods Word. All his elder brothers were in the ministry and he was influenced by them too. His eldest brother went for theological college Jabalpur but unfortunately he died with tuberculosis. His Father was depressed yet he sent his another son Thomson to bible seminary Gadag (Karnataka) while other brother Manohar left his job with Deccan airways Hyderabad to do fulltime ministry. At a very young age of 12, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior in one of the revival meetings, at Methodist church, Bidar, on January 28, 1945 were a weeping evangelist Augustine Silence preached the Salvation message

Education and Career and Family:

As a child he grew up going to the Methodist church & school and later passed his higher class form Gulbarga University. He then pursued for Graduation at Allahabad University receiving B.Sc. Honors in Horticulture, exemplifying leadership qualities and excelling in sports as the Badminton Captain from 1959 to 1960

He served as Sunday school teacher in Methodist church and also as boy’s hostel warden and taught science at Methodist high school, Bidar. Here, he met and saw Rathna Mogllapaa and got married to her in 1963. In 1965 he moved to Marathwda University, Aurangabad, with his beautiful wife and first-born son Peter to join his job as Garden Superintendent. Staying with a distant relative Major William and Mary Butt, every morning they enjoyed the fellowship of family prayers. Later being blessed with three daughters, Mary (Beena), Ruth and Tabitha he continued in serving the Lord with his Family.

He superannuated in the 1991 but continued to work developing landscape gardens at primer institute i.e. Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and also did and does freelancing for private NGOs on voluntary basis.

Now, Ps. Benjamin has been married to his wife Ratna for 60 years. Their children being married with three grandchildren (Gladdies, Samuel and Hannah), currently make their home in Amen House, Jubilee Park, Aurangabad, India.

His Spiritual Journey and Life’s challenges:

In his Spiritual journeys he to continue in his quest to know and serve the Lord through all life’s challenges. One summer morning he got a call that his eldest son Peter was vomiting blood and was in the balance of life and death and needed immediate surgical intervention. With no hopes but only hope in the living God, he dedicated his son for the Lords Ministry. His brother Apostle Thomson dedicated him in 1979 which marked a major milestone. Having a family to cater to, his wife stayed back while he travelled alone to CMC Vellore with his son for a major surgery. Praying for Gods will even as the choir in the chapel sang “Have thine own way Lord, Have thine own way; Thou art the potter, I am the clay” written by Adelaide Pollard. Having the assurance hearing this song as this was the song played on Radio Pulpit for son Peter’s first Birthday sponsored by Uncle William Butt.

When all others started sinking after the surgery, God gave life to son Peter who got married to Deliya in 1996 and is blessed with a beautiful daughter. It reminds us that our God is a wonder working God. (Today his son Peter having celebrated his golden jubilee birthday is serving the Lord with the same Passion and Zeal.)

Seeing his urge for evangelism, the general secretary of Gideon’s international gave him an opportunity to start and get involved by becoming the first President of the Aurangabad camp. He and his team visited many schools, hotels and villages in and around Aurangabad, placing the Bible in the hands of the young generation and common man. Opening the gateway for the students and villagers to read the Bible and know the greatest and only savior of the world Jesus Christ. In the year 1978 when the university where he was still working had a great agitation (Namantar andolan) regarding the change of university name, hundreds of police men were deployed in front of Marathwada university gate, that was the time God used him to give hundreds of Gideon’s Bibles to the police men.

He along with Bro.Parmal also started Bethsaida Christian Library, the first of its kind in Aurangabad which motivated the young youths to read the Christian Literature and walk the Biblical Principles in the 80’s.

He and his wife began a small fellowship in their home in the 1990’s, with just one other family. Slowly a small group was formed other local church families would spend time in prayers. He had to extend his setting room to accommodate good number of people. It was named Mount of Olives and a small Sunday worship started. As he was working in the university students from Kenya and Nigeria studying in the university approached him to join the fellowship and he welcomed them. Ps. Soloman Kasera then a Kenyan student was given opportunity to Pastor the church was registered as Christian Fellowship Church in 1992. Later Ps. Benjamin was ordained as senior pastor. The CFC fellowship started growing it was a church for both national and international students. He does miss our pioneer member’s late sister Eva Bakthul, Dr.Prasad and his wife,Bro Mohan Gaius Bakthul, Bro Bhosale who was the strong pillars of CFC and went to be with the Lord.

He suffered with a paralytic stroke twice but God was gracious to him to heal and grant strength and life to serve Him with all loved ones around him to serve especially his daughter Beena. Growing in age and knowing that the leaves will fall off in due season he started the Autumn Leaves Group for all the senior people with a heart to love and serve the Lord on June 17^th 2007.

In 2012 January his wife Ratna had a brain haemorrhage, being in the ICU for two months it’s as if God breathed life into the dry bones. Ezekiel 37:5-6 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” Today, even though one of his daughter Ruth has left to be with the Lord, he makes sure to guide her son, his grandson to know the heart of the Lord. “As for Me and My House, We Will Serve the Lord” Joshua 24:15.

The Lord strengthened him to move in faith and prayer through the testing times. Many people asked, why Pastor so many troubles in your life? His answer is, trials may come because God needs to know something about a faithful servant (Genesis 22:1-12).

Job’s suffering had such intent — to prove whether he would love God in spite of everything.

Trials and suffering provided spiritual enrichment and built a relationship between him and God. Ps.

Benjamin stands firm even today at the age of 91, similar to Job’s affirmation that God was still God no matter what and always worthy of our love, reverence and worship continuing to serve.

-With God’s Grace Dr. Tabita Joy