A Tribute to Rev. Dr. Y. Jeyaraj (1928 - 2013)
R
ev. Dr. Yesudian
Jeyaraj
and
Sister.
“Remember your leaders who
Jeyaraj
was
Rajamma provided for
born as the
their children.
spoke the word of God to you.
eldest child of
At the request of Rev.
Mr. & Mrs. Kurubadham
Edwards Rev. and Mrs.
and
Thangammal
Consider the outcome of their
Jeyaraj returned to help
Yesudian in Nazareth in
in the establishment of
Thoothukudy
District
way of life and imitate their faith. the AG Industrial School
of Tamil Nadu on
in K. P. Valasai. The
September 8, 1928.
school has trained over
His
parents
were
(Hebrews13:7).
5000 students till date
devout Christians of
with technical skills and
the Anglican tradition,
the gospel.
Many of
who raised all their five
the graduates have also entered into the full time
children in the way of the Lord. Young Jeyaraj had a
ministry is another remarkable story of the influence
vision of Christ at the age of 8 and was filled with the
of the Industrial School in Valasai. Pastor and Mrs.
Holy Spirit at the age of 10. By now his family had
Jeyaraj traveled along with the missionaries Robert
become staunch members of the Ceylon Pentecostal
and Doris Edwards the length and breadth of Tamil
Mission in Nazareth.
Nadu, establishing the Assemblies of God in the
state during the 1950s and help build churches in 14
After completing his high school education in
stations throughout the state.
India, he went to Colombo where he worked as an
accountant and also became an active member in
He began to rise up in the leadership of the
the British Foreign Bible Society, offering voluntary
Assemblies of God in Tamil Nadu as his talents were
services. Within a year, he returned to India as he
soon recognized by the nationals and missionaries.
was offered a better job in Jabalpur, MP. It was on
He was ordained in 1957 by the Tamil District
his way to Jabalpur, he came to see his pastor, Rev.
Council of the SIAG and elected to become the
Santhosham Philip, who was the convention speaker
Secretary of the district the following year. He was
at the newly found Assemblies of God church in K.P.
chosen to represent the four districts of the South
Valasai, Sengottai in 1949. The Lord met with young
India Assemblies of God in 1959 to visit the General
Jeyaraj in a miraculous way and filled him with the
Council of the Assemblies of God in the USA where
Holy Spirit again and called him to full time ministry.
he travelled for a whole year, raising funds for the
He began to work along with Rev. Edwards as
various ministries of the SIAG. It was while he was
their translator and assistant Pastor at K.P. Valasai,
in the USA, he was chosen by the Tamil District to
thus becoming one of the early pioneers of the
become its Superintendent, a position he held until
Assemblies of God work in Tamil Nadu.
1998. Under his able administrative oversight, the
He served as a translator to the missionaries while
ministry of the Assemblies of God grew to more than
he was a student at Tamil Bible School in Madurai
800 churches in Tamilnadu. He was also instrumental
and continued in the ministry for some time. He
in the founding of the Trinity Bible College for women
graduated from TBS in 1952 and got married the
in Shencottai, two high schools, five elementary
same year to Sister. Rajamma, a dear woman of
schools and two matriculation schools.
God with a deep commitment, zeal and a gift of
Sis. Rajamma Jeyaraj was called to her heavenly
hospitality. They were blessed with five children
home in 1991. This was a great loss for Pastor
Robert, Stephen, Ebenezer, Earlraj and Helen. That all
Jeyaraj, but he continued his ministry with focus and
their children are involved in active ministry along with
fervency. It was through his untiring efforts and the
their spouses is a reflection of the godly heritage
good will he enjoyed among the constituency, he
and spiritual upbringing and training that Pastor
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