Eastern
Rev. Jai Mahtani
216 Thornberry Drive
Pittsburgh PA
15235
Tel: (412)
371-2299
E-mail: jaimahtani@msn.com
New address (effective July 11, 2005)
1047 Florida Lane
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Tel.: (847) 524-4676
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen.” Matt 28:19-20
June 2005
To:
Council & Congregation of
PR congregations, denominational
mission fields &
Dear fellow saints and friends,
Greetings!
… in the love of our
great God and Savior Jesus Christ for whose return we look as the gospel of grace reaches
the nations to the gathering, preservation, and defense of His church.
Last Newsletter
Seeing the Lord has led me to accept the call from Bethel PRC, this will be my last
newsletter as eastern home missionary. I will
miss these labors very much, but the Lord has made it abundantly clear to me and to my
family that I must now serve Bethel PRC as her next pastor. We plan to leave Pittsburgh on
July 11, 2005. The DMC Constitution calls for
a two-month notice before a missionary may leave his field of labor. We are busily finishing up our labors here: writing last reports, making final visits,
fulfilling prior commitments to preach and teach, etc.
Exciting Spring
We have had a very exciting spring here in Pittsburgh. Wesley and Glenda Koops from our Holland, Michigan
congregation were here for three weeks. We had an absolutely wonderful time together. Wes is a jewel, and he would serve well as a
missionary co-laborer in any of our fields. His
wife’s expertise in nursing and music could also be put to very good use. I am thankful for the time they spent here, and I
am sure that Southwest and DMC will benefit greatly from his experiences. I know the saints here were greatly blessed by
their presence.
We also had a very nice visit from eleven students and two teachers from Covenant
Christian High School. They helped catalog my
library, attended an evening study on the subject of evangelism, and also stayed for
Sunday services. What a wonderful group of
young people who sacrificed part of their spring break to do work for Christ’s
kingdom!
Finally, we had the honor of seminarian Andy Lanning and his family visiting with
us and preaching for the Pittsburgh Mission. It
was so good to get to know Andy. The Lord has
blessed our churches with another fine young man who is preparing for the ministry. Let us remember to pray for our seminary students
as well as for those who are considering entrance into the seminary in the years to come.
Busy Summer
We now look forward to a busy summer. By
the time most of you receive this last newsletter, our Memorial Day weekend celebrations
will be over. We are anticipating quite a
crowd this year. Also, by the time you read
this, I will have fulfilled my commitment to speak at the YA’s Retreat organized by
Covenant, Wyckoff.
I am thankful that I was able to make a last visit to Allentown, PA as eastern home
missionary. The Lord continues to gather His
saints not only in Allentown, PA, but also in Fayetteville, NC, Lanham, MD, and other
places. Let us join together to pray that the
Lord will soon provide for these scattered saints another eastern home missionary.
I plan to be present at Synod 2005 as the DMC presents recommendations on
administering the Lord’s Supper on the mission field.
While I am in Grand Rapids, I will have a final meeting with the Council of the
calling church, and also have opportunity to preach a farewell sermon for Southwest. The congregation is planning an open house for us
June 19th and we hope to see some of you there after the evening service.
Also at the end of this month I will be speaking for our YP’s Convention. Three young people from Pittsburgh will be
accompanying me to the convention, and I look forward to chaperoning and speaking to the
young people again.
Farewell Pittsburgh
We will dearly
miss the saints in eastern USA, and especially the mission here in Pittsburgh, but we are
confident that the Lord who gathers, defends, and preserves His church will give our
churches another eastern home missionary in His time.
I plan to preach my farewell sermon(s) in Pittsburgh July 10. The Lord willing, we will depart for N.W. Chicago
July 11. Plans call for installation services
on Friday, July 15, and my inaugural sermon(s) July 17, 2005.
As I look forward to this new charge, I go with the knowledge that “neither is
he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the
increase” (I Cor. 3:7).
Thank you all for reading these newsletters the past seven years, and thank you for
your prayers, and your many words of encouragement in the work of missions. May God be pleased to watch between us and may we
remain faithful to Him and to His Word, both on the mission fields and in the churches.
In His Love,
Rev.
Jai Mahtani