He touched and ministered to a great number of communities

Rev. Dr. Verghese

Chandy passed away on January 2 and was laid to rest on January 13 in the presence of his loving family, faithful flock and loyal friends.

Pastor Chandy’s lifelong mission was to give hope to people and help them find a personal relationship with God through Jesus. He knew he was anointed to preach the good news and did it to the best of his ability with all of heart until his last breath. During the course of his illustrious life he touched and ministered to a great many communities. He is considered as a true Apostle among the various Christian denominations and free churches in Sri Lanka and a legendary ambassador of Christ of our times.

His family was known to mine and I remember as a child climbing onto his father’s lap whenever he visited my grandpa, because he always had some toffees in his pockets. Pastor Chandy inherited many of his father’s gentle qualities, including his smile.

I heard Pastor Chandy give the matrimonial blessing at our niece’s wedding on December 23 - the last wedding that he attended, and it was such a beautiful blessing.

Pastor Chandy and his wife Hildegard were instrumental in launching a Protestant Bible seminary which has seen the graduation of many gifted young people in Sri Lanka. As a very caring pastor, he went in search of the poor, the oppressed, the downtrodden and shared with them the love and hope of God. He was there for people when they needed him the most.

As a keen scholar of God’s Word, he spent time studying the Bible and his messages were studded with stories and anecdotes, crowned with his good sense of humour. Even in preparing his last sermon, which happened to be the Christmas message, I gather, he spent many hours in prayer and study. No wonder all of his messages left an indelible impact on the hearers.

With the passing away of Pastor Chandy, heaven has gained another saint. He was fully prepared to join eternity because he knew that he had fought the good fight and to him is kept a crown of much deserved rest and glory.