A good number of the ministers in the Protestant Reformed Churches were not born and raised in the churches of that denomination. Only one, however, came out of paganism. That's Rev. Jaikishin Mahtani. Born in Singapore, of Indian parents, Jaikishin was raised a Hindu. His conversion at age 16 left him with a deep appreciation for the grace of God which calls from darkness to light. At 17 he informed his disapproving parents that he felt himself being called to the ministry of the gospel. A three-year stint in the National Service came first, however; and after that, at the urging of his friends and relatives, Jaikishin enrolled in law school at the University of Singapore.
Not able to rest easy with that direction in his life, he switched to a liberal arts program at the university and began studying Greek and dogmatics under then-missionary Rev. Arie denHartog. Two years later he married Esther, a Chinese Singaporean and recent convert to Christianity from Buddhism. The two of them left Singapore shortly thereafter for the States, in order that Jaikishin might study at the Protestant Reformed Seminary to prepare for the ministry of the Word in the Evangelical Reformed Churches of Singapore (ERCS).
Three years later they were back in Singapore, where Jaikishin was ordained as first pastor of Covenant ERCS.
From the beginning, Rev. Mahtani demonstrated a heart for missions. Three times he traveled to India on behalf of the ERCS to investigate possible missionary labors there. The third time he was accompanied by Rev. Jason Kortering, PRC minister-on-loan to the ERCS. The two of them spoke at the Sindhi Conference held in Nagpur in central India. As it turned out, Rev. Mahtani was not able to pursue those contacts. In 1993 he accepted a call to little Trinity Protestant Reformed Church in Houston, Texas. But it didn't take long and Rev. Mahtani was making new contacts with American Sindhis. Under the leadership of their new pastor, Trinity began a work with the Sindhi community in Houston, inviting also Rev. Thomas Miersma, home missionary of the PRC, to participate in some of their activities. In July of 1997 Rev. Mahtani and Rev. Miersma spoke at a SWAMI (Sindhis With A Mission International) Conference in Houston. And, later in the year, Rev. Mahtani traveled again to the land of his forbearers, to speak at the SWAMI Conference held in Pune, India.
Hardly, however, is Rev. Mahtani's evident zeal for missions limited in its focus to Sindhis, Indians, Hindus. Recently Rev. Mahtani received a call from Hull PRC to serve as foreign missionary to Ghana. He and his wife, both of whom know from experience what it means to be snatched out of heathendom, were willing to go ... even if that meant uprooting a family of six sons and two daughters. That "door" was closed, however, when it became clear that Ghanaian government restrictions forbade entering the country without local sponsorship. So the Mahtanis remained at that time in Houston, more than content to continue laboring in Trinity as long as the Lord gave opportunity there to preach the truth ... and to reach out to the lost with the good news, the glorious gospel of grace in Christ Jesus, who calls sinners, efficaciously, to repentance. He finished his labors at Houston in 1998.
In 1998, Rev. Mahtani accepted the call to serve as home-missionary in Pittsburgh and the eastern part of the United States.
In 2005 he accepted the call to serve as pastor of Bethel Protestant Reformed Church, Roselle, Illinois.
Rev. Mahtani, former Hindu--now Christian pastor, urgently seeks to make contact with other Reformed believers in the North Chicago area. Are there any of you, reading this amazing conversion from heathendom to Christianity and the Reformed faith, who can help? Please contact Rev. Mahtani about those who live in this area, committed to the Reformed faith, who have the heart to join in this work of bringing the gospel to the heathen and to those who still love the cause of Sovereign grace but are part of apostate churches. His phone number is: (847) 524-4676 or e-mail: jaimahtani@sbcglobal.net
Do you seek the assistance of the Protestant Reformed Churches in establishing a faithful, Reformed church in your own community? We would ask that you send requests to the secretary of our Mission Committee, Mr. Don Doezema, 4949 Ivanrest S.W., Grandville, MI 49418, call: (616) 531-1490 or e-mail: doezema@prca.org
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Last modified, 13-Sep-2005