By Mathew Victor
May 16, 2008 | 01:19:29

WELLESLEY Solomon had committed to pay tithe of his time to God right from the day he was saved. He spends not less than 2 ½ hours in a day in prayer. One of the reasons for lack of revival in the country, he says is because of lack of impartation. “Jesus Christ should be reflected in our lives. Sadly, today we just do lip service to Him,” says. “We talk about love but don’t display it in every day life. The second reason for lack of revival is lack of fasting and prayer.” He finds messages taking precedence over prayer in fasting prayer meetings these days. Wellesley Solomon began his ministry pastoring a small church in Avadi near Chennai. Today, he heads the 3100 churches under Church of God in India. The Christian Messenger spoke to him recently. Excerpts from the interview:

 

When did you come to do ministry work? What were you doing before deciding to do God’s work?

 

I was saved on Dec 27, 1966. From 1975 onwards, I got into fulltime ministry. Prior to that, I was working in the Institute of Technical Education in Guindy, Chennai. After sometime, I worked as a teacher in a school in Egmore, Chennai. I took a B.Ed. degree from Meston Teachers’ Training College.

 

How did you get the calling to enter ministry?

 

From the time I was anointed by the Holy Spirit, I had the habit of praying for not less than 3 hours a day. One day, I was praying in a house in a village, when Lord Jesus Christ appeared as a blaze before me. I heard a voice asking me to take His yoke and follow Him. Those days, there weren’t much of evangelical activities going on in Chennai. So, I did not yield myself to the call. Then another day, I heard the voice again. As soon as I shut my eyes, I would see a large fire spinning like a wheel. I saw thousands of people falling into the giant ball of fire and perishing. Immediately, I submitted to the calling. I said: “God for as long as I am alive, I will do your work.” The voice stopped immediately after I made the commitment.

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Where did you begin your ministry in the early days?

 The early days were very tough. I had just enough to eat once a day. I was serving under a pastor in Church of God in Purasawalkkam, Chennai. Two years later, I went to Avadi to serve in another branch church. There the Lord promised me to meet all my needs. He continues to provide for all my needs to this day. The growth of the church has been great since then on. I worked as an assistant pastor for 10 years. God enabled me to be on the Church of God council. Thereafter, He made me become the head of Church of God pastors in Tamil Nadu.

 

How has God lifted you up in your ministry?

 

Four years ago, I was appointed as the overseer of all the Church of God churches in India. We have 3,100 churches all over India. The head office is in Chennai. The branch offices are in Chengannur, Kottayam, Kakinada, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Bangalore.

 

To what do you account the growth of the churches?

 

In 1986, I became the overseer of Church of God in Tamil Nadu. There were only 52 churches in the State then. Today, we have over 300 churches all over Tamil Nadu and hundreds of mission fields. I can only see the grace of God in all these.

 

What’s the strategy you follow in missionary activities?

 

To reach out to north Indians, we feel it is better to train somebody from that region and send him completely equipped rather send someone from Tamil Nadu or Kerala. Sending a totally equipped local back to his village or region has yielded greater results. For instance, last year we trained someone from Orissa and sent him back to his village. The villagers were known for human sacrifices. As a result of this brother’s work among his people, 64 people were saved in a single year.

 

You are not favorably disposed towards people wearing ornaments and jewels for their weddings. Why?

 

If someone were to rule this nation, he can do it only according to the constitution of the country. Likewise, we can run the church only according to Biblical principles. The Bible is against unnecessary ornamentation. These days, jewels are worn to show off the family’s wealth. The church is not the place for showoff. We need to glorify Christ. Yes, Israelites brought a lot of gold and silver when they came out of Egypt, but before they entered Canan, they had to bury all those jewels under ground. Likewise, when the tabernacle was being built, people offered all their jewels. Removing jewels shows a spiritual maturity. Like it is mentioned in 1 Peter and 1 Timothy, we don’t need any outward ornamentation. Rather, we need to reflect Christ in our lives.

 

There are discriminations amongst believers in Tamil Nadu. What do you say about that?

 

Discrimination based on caste, creed and color is wrong. Blood is red for all of us. Caste has divided us all these years. Christians should get above all these things.

 

Are there any measures being taken to prevent the atrocities against minorities especially Christians in India?

 

We convened a few meetings of all Pentecostal churches to form an organization and work along with the Government. But there have not been any constructive measures taken yet. I hope we would be able to do that shortly.

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