Pastor Sam Sundaram
I was born in a Hindu family. My parents were Saiva Vellalas and they were not merely religious but were steeped in the rituals of the Saivite worship. Naturally, we children also followed the Salivate pattern of worship and led a disciplined and devout life. However, we did not know the truth.
My father, Mr.Kutralam, was the first one in the family to be saved. His search for the living God began in the year 1940 and continued for seven long years. He was broad minded and magnanimous and therefore he did not compel any of us to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord. But his exemplary life and sincerity in following Jesus encouraged every one of us to know more about Jesus whom he was worshipping as God. But the grace of God soon the entire family was saved one after another. Each one has a distinct testimony about the way the Lord saved him/her.
The Lord graciously saved me in the year 1954. Before my salvation I used to think that there was only one God and therefore the various names by which God was called were superfluous. I also believed that every individual had a right to worship God in his own way. In spite of being a pious Hindu, I had no deliverance from sin. There was always a struggle within myself and I earnestly began to seek the truth. I had a desire to know about Jesus and as I sincerely sought him, I was convicted in my heart. I confessed that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, rose again on the third day and is still alive. I knew that only Jesus could save me from the eternal damnation of my soul.
Then I surrendered my life to Jesus and accepted him as my personal-saviour. It was indeed a wonderful experience. My heart was overwhelmed with Joy and peace and in obedience to the command of Jesus, I took baptism. Soon after I obeyed the Lord, I was baptized in the Spirit. The Lord virtually took control of me and since then I have been led by the Holy Spirit. Although I was a young college student, the Lord gave the courage to witness for him during the years 1954-1959. By the grace of God I took the B.Com (Hons) degree in 1959.
The call for full-time ministry
God’s call for full-time ministry came very clearly to me on the night of 16th May 1960. I heard the still small voice of God saying, “I spoke to Abraham. He obeyed and left Ur. Therefore I blessed him. “On the following morning He gave me the scripture portion in Gen.12:14 and confirmed the call.
Although I was convinced in my heart that the Lord had called me to full-time ministry, I could not convince my parents and others in the family. They were all against the idea. Even the senior servants of God discouraged me. I was very sad when I faced so much of opposition from all quarters. My father did not approve of my decision in the beginning but later relented. I lingered in prayer for a number of days. The Lord graciously opened the way for my entering into full-time ministry. According to God’s will I married sister Leelavathy, a younger sister of sister Beatrice Sundram, wife of Late Pastor G. Sundram, the founder of A.C.A. Soon after marriage the Lord enabled me to do ministry as Assistant Pastor to Pastor G. Sundram.
Ministry at A.C.A.
Being young myself, I had a deep concern for the youth and therefore I resolved to work among college and high school students. In order to win them for Christ, I got my testimony printed in an attractive way and distributed copies of them along with tracts. I found many young people being saved by my ministry.
The Lord also gave me the grace to organize youth fellowship through which I could lead young men to take part in village ministry, open air preaching and outreach programs. The Lord gave me a number of opportunities to meet and get closer to many young men who were bogged down in sin. He gave me the wisdom and grace to help them come out of it by teaching, counseling and warning them with the help of the Word of God.
It was indeed the grace of God that made my ministry among the youth very fruitful. By His grace I arranged retreats through which they were led into deeper truths and also to the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The life of faith
No salary was paid to the servants of God when I came to full-time ministry in 1961. They had to be totally dependent on the Lord for their day-to-day expenses and as a result, their faith was severely tested. Needless to say that my faith was also tested and I had to go through trials and privations for a period of thirteen years. I had to spend days and even months without financial support. I also had difficulties in meeting the expenses for my outreach ministry.
The Word of God says, “Faithful is He that calleth you.” It is not surprising, therefore, that the Lord never forsook me. My faith in God’s power to supply all my need helped me to patiently bear the sufferings and I never once murmured against God. During the thirteen years of privations my wife stood firmly by my side and together we faced the grim situations of our life bravely. Like me, she was also steadfast in faith. The Lord, however, moved the hearts of many people to help me and in this way we met our daily needs. After the period of trial came prosperity in the material sense, too.
The growth of the Church in recent years
I took leadership of the church in May 1989 when Pastor G. Sundram was called to glory. The growth of the church, especially during the last few years, had been phenomenal. This necessitated a spacious place of worship. Therefore, a fairly big piece of land was bought at Purasawalkam in Madras and the work of replacing the thatched tabernacle by a concrete structure was completed. Tens of thousand attend the services and prayer meetings here.
Special Counsels
The number of people coming to the prayer house for prayer and counseling during weekdays keeps increasing day by day. Broken homes are helped to reunite and become happy families. Children are given proper guidance to be disciplined. Backsliders are helped to return to the Lord. Consolation and comfort are offered to people who face loss of life and property. Marriages are arranged according to the will of God.
Training the servants of God
Nowadays more young men are encouraged to take an active part in the ministry. Those who dedicate themselves to full-time ministry are given good training and the trained servants of God are place in different branches of A.C.A.
Kindly uphold me, my co-workers and the various ministries of the church in your individual and family prayers.
May God bless you.
Source:http://www.acaprayerhouse.org/church_test_pas_mks.htm
My father, Mr.Kutralam, was the first one in the family to be saved. His search for the living God began in the year 1940 and continued for seven long years. He was broad minded and magnanimous and therefore he did not compel any of us to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord. But his exemplary life and sincerity in following Jesus encouraged every one of us to know more about Jesus whom he was worshipping as God. But the grace of God soon the entire family was saved one after another. Each one has a distinct testimony about the way the Lord saved him/her.
The Lord graciously saved me in the year 1954. Before my salvation I used to think that there was only one God and therefore the various names by which God was called were superfluous. I also believed that every individual had a right to worship God in his own way. In spite of being a pious Hindu, I had no deliverance from sin. There was always a struggle within myself and I earnestly began to seek the truth. I had a desire to know about Jesus and as I sincerely sought him, I was convicted in my heart. I confessed that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, rose again on the third day and is still alive. I knew that only Jesus could save me from the eternal damnation of my soul.
Then I surrendered my life to Jesus and accepted him as my personal-saviour. It was indeed a wonderful experience. My heart was overwhelmed with Joy and peace and in obedience to the command of Jesus, I took baptism. Soon after I obeyed the Lord, I was baptized in the Spirit. The Lord virtually took control of me and since then I have been led by the Holy Spirit. Although I was a young college student, the Lord gave the courage to witness for him during the years 1954-1959. By the grace of God I took the B.Com (Hons) degree in 1959.
The call for full-time ministry
God’s call for full-time ministry came very clearly to me on the night of 16th May 1960. I heard the still small voice of God saying, “I spoke to Abraham. He obeyed and left Ur. Therefore I blessed him. “On the following morning He gave me the scripture portion in Gen.12:14 and confirmed the call.
Although I was convinced in my heart that the Lord had called me to full-time ministry, I could not convince my parents and others in the family. They were all against the idea. Even the senior servants of God discouraged me. I was very sad when I faced so much of opposition from all quarters. My father did not approve of my decision in the beginning but later relented. I lingered in prayer for a number of days. The Lord graciously opened the way for my entering into full-time ministry. According to God’s will I married sister Leelavathy, a younger sister of sister Beatrice Sundram, wife of Late Pastor G. Sundram, the founder of A.C.A. Soon after marriage the Lord enabled me to do ministry as Assistant Pastor to Pastor G. Sundram.
Ministry at A.C.A.
Being young myself, I had a deep concern for the youth and therefore I resolved to work among college and high school students. In order to win them for Christ, I got my testimony printed in an attractive way and distributed copies of them along with tracts. I found many young people being saved by my ministry.
The Lord also gave me the grace to organize youth fellowship through which I could lead young men to take part in village ministry, open air preaching and outreach programs. The Lord gave me a number of opportunities to meet and get closer to many young men who were bogged down in sin. He gave me the wisdom and grace to help them come out of it by teaching, counseling and warning them with the help of the Word of God.
It was indeed the grace of God that made my ministry among the youth very fruitful. By His grace I arranged retreats through which they were led into deeper truths and also to the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The life of faith
No salary was paid to the servants of God when I came to full-time ministry in 1961. They had to be totally dependent on the Lord for their day-to-day expenses and as a result, their faith was severely tested. Needless to say that my faith was also tested and I had to go through trials and privations for a period of thirteen years. I had to spend days and even months without financial support. I also had difficulties in meeting the expenses for my outreach ministry.
The Word of God says, “Faithful is He that calleth you.” It is not surprising, therefore, that the Lord never forsook me. My faith in God’s power to supply all my need helped me to patiently bear the sufferings and I never once murmured against God. During the thirteen years of privations my wife stood firmly by my side and together we faced the grim situations of our life bravely. Like me, she was also steadfast in faith. The Lord, however, moved the hearts of many people to help me and in this way we met our daily needs. After the period of trial came prosperity in the material sense, too.
The growth of the Church in recent years
I took leadership of the church in May 1989 when Pastor G. Sundram was called to glory. The growth of the church, especially during the last few years, had been phenomenal. This necessitated a spacious place of worship. Therefore, a fairly big piece of land was bought at Purasawalkam in Madras and the work of replacing the thatched tabernacle by a concrete structure was completed. Tens of thousand attend the services and prayer meetings here.
Special Counsels
The number of people coming to the prayer house for prayer and counseling during weekdays keeps increasing day by day. Broken homes are helped to reunite and become happy families. Children are given proper guidance to be disciplined. Backsliders are helped to return to the Lord. Consolation and comfort are offered to people who face loss of life and property. Marriages are arranged according to the will of God.
Training the servants of God
Nowadays more young men are encouraged to take an active part in the ministry. Those who dedicate themselves to full-time ministry are given good training and the trained servants of God are place in different branches of A.C.A.
Kindly uphold me, my co-workers and the various ministries of the church in your individual and family prayers.
May God bless you.
Source:http://www.acaprayerhouse.org/church_test_pas_mks.htm
