Tel: (412) 371-2299; E-mail: jaimahtani@msn.com
October 28, 1999
Council & Congregation, Southwest Protestant Reformed Church
PR congregations, sister churches & denominational mission fields
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Greetings from Your Eastern Home Missionary
Greetings in the name of our Captain Jesus Christ, who commands us to
reach the nations with the gospel of grace. I count it a precious privilege and a great
joy to be involved in that glorious work as your home missionary here in the eastern part
of the USA. Thank you for continuing to pray for us, and for writing to encourage us in
the work.
Quarterly Update
It is time to give you another update on the work being done in eastern home missions.
My last newsletter was in May, and I humbly apologize for the lateness of this newsletter.
I will continue to try and keep you informed on a quarterly basis.
Because this newsletter is late, it will also be a little longer, so that I can keep you
informed of the busy and exciting activities of this past summer. In this quarterly
newsletter, I will first of all focus on the labors being done here in Pittsburgh, and
mention also the fruit God has been pleased to give to us thus far. Secondly, I will want
to acquaint you with the work that is being done in other parts of eastern USA,
particularly in Fayetteville, NC, as well as in the New Jersey and New York area. Finally,
I will apprise you of the well-being of the Mahtani family, both physically &
spiritually.
Protestant Reformed Churches Mission of Pittsburgh
If you have not already noticed, this is the name which the group here has adopted for itself. It is the earnest desire and steadfast hope of the saints here to develop into a Protestant Reformed congregation as the Lord prospers the work.
There is a Steering Committee made up of three men in the group besides
myself. This committee does all the leg-work of the group, meeting at least once a month
to discuss the various needs of the group, and making plans for evangelism and other
activities. The men on the Steering Committee are not officebearers of course, but I labor
closely with them with the definite purpose of grooming them as future officebearers of
the church here, if that be the will of God. I continue to be impressed with these men,
and believe that the presence of potential officebearers makes the hope of establishing a
church here a real possibility.
Supervision of the Calling Church and Domestic Mission Committee
All the work done by the Steering Committee is under the direct supervision of the council of Southwest PRC, the calling church for the home missionary. I send a bi-monthly report to the council as well as to the Domestic Mission Committee.
Besides these reports, arrangements have been made for face to face
meetings on a quarterly basis, two of them in GR and two on the field. These have proven
to be very helpful. In May of this year, Rev. Cammenga and Deacon Kuiper from Southwest
came to Pittsburgh for a visit and met with me and also with the Steering Committee. The
last week of August, I was in Grand Rapids where I preached for the calling church, met
with the council of Southwest, and gave a report of my labors to all who were able to
attend after Southwest's evening worship service. These visits serve to keep the calling
church in touch with the labors here, and hopefully will also keep me and my family in
touch with the calling church. The Lord willing, a delegation from the calling church and
the Mission Committee hope to visit Pittsburgh the middle of November 1999.
Preaching and Witnessing
The preaching of the Word of God continues to be received warmly in Pittsburgh by the members of the nucleus group. At the worship services every Lord's day we usually have visitors. What I am impressed with here in Pittsburgh is that the core group is continually bringing others. In the one year I have been here, almost every one in the group has brought somebody else to the worship services. This is encouraging. This is mission work in the real sense of the word. The Samaritan woman went to town calling her fellow Samaritans to come with her to hear the Messiah. Although the group is small, and the fruit in numerical terms not very great, we are thankful for this particular evidence of grace in the hearts of God's people.
In my preaching and teaching I continue to remind the saints that a
vibrant witness is closely connected to the lively preaching, and that this zeal and
diligence in personal evangelism is crucial for the establishment and life of a Reformed
church. As the Thessalonians were to the early Christians, I pray that the saints in
Pittsburgh may be an inspiration and example for all of us to be more and more active in
our God-given calling in evangelism. May the Word of the Lord sound out from us!
Numerical Growth
The Lord has been pleased to give encouraging fruit, and has added to our number several regular visitors. The Subers have been attending our worship services the last two months. They are an African-American family with seven children. They are sending their children to the catechism classes and have requested baptism for their children. As you can well imagine, the members of the mission group are overjoyed to see this growth.
The increased number of children in the mission group adds a wonderful covenant flavor to the work of missions, a blessed reminder that God calls not only individuals but also families unto the gathering of His precious church. Another regular visitor is Mikhael Nikitin, a Latvian who has been attending our evening services for the last four months at least. He is reluctant to leave his Slavic people, and for that reason attends Russian services in the morning. Finally, a family from Trinity Christian School have shown some interest and have attended various of our activities. The Bucks are Baptist in their conviction, but they continue to study the Reformed faith by reading the literature we have placed in their hands.
We rejoice in hope as we witness these things, praying with the saints
in the nucleus group that God may be pleased to give both spiritual and numerical growth
unto the establishment of a Protestant Reformed congregation here in Pittsburgh.
Summer Studies
During the summer months, when we did not have our regular catechism classes, we met every other week for a discussion based on Professor Engelsma's latest book on marriage.
These studies went very well. The core group clearly understands the
biblical position our churches take on no divorce except for fornication and no remarriage
except for death. During our discussions we expanded and applied the truths we were
studying to our own marriages, and this was especially helpful. After all, a solid
Reformed church is one which is made up of solid Reformed marriages and covenant families
where the grace and love of God is manifest and practiced. While the young people and
adults attended these studies, the kids enjoyed playing in the gym at the school. These
summer studies also helped to keep the group together, since we always began and ended the
meetings with singing, praying, and discussing ongoing activities of the group.
First Annual Retreat
During the summer months we emphasized not only study of the Scriptures but also communion of the saints. The first annual Memorial Day picnic/retreat was a big success. We rented a cabin on a lake in a state park an hour away from Pittsburgh.
The theme was: "The Greatest Is Love." I gave a devotional speech in the morning on that theme, and in the evening we sat around the fire to discuss the 13 characteristics of love given in that passage. Everyone contributed, I just asked questions.
It was a good time, singing, laughing, rejoicing around the fire. The
time spent the next day was relaxing, and was devoted to games for the kids and just
lazing around the cabin, talking and encouraging each other. Several members of the group
stayed overnight at the cabin while the rest of us went back and forth. A sister of Ron
Bauman was present, having come from Ohio for a visit. The family from Trinity School I
mentioned above visited, as did a couple of young adults invited by our young people. A
vote was taken and it was unanimously decided that this should be an annual event for the
mission of Pittsburgh.
Mission Booth at the Station Square
One of the major activities which kept us busy this past summer was the planning and preparation for a mission booth at the downtown Station Square. Three to five thousand people attend this yearly event where various ministries put out their literature for the public to view. Because I will be writing an article about this event in the Standard Bearer, I can be very brief here. Every member of our group was present at the booth to introduce Protestant Reformed literature to the public. We brought out all our pamphlets, tracts, and books, which we either sold or gave away at the booth.
Those who registered at our mission booth were promised a one year free
subscription either to the Standard Bearer or to the Beacon Lights. We were
encouraged to have one hundred and sixty-three people sign up for this. It is our hope and
prayer that as we enter into the homes of the peoples of Pittsburgh via Reformed material,
God will be pleased to draw them into our mission. We have already begun to see fruit upon
these labors, and we are hopeful that through events such as these we might make known the
Reformed faith to many in the Pittsburgh area.
Summer Vacation
As you can see, we indeed had a busy and exciting summer. Instead of taking a vacation together this year, my family and I, with the approval of Southwest's consistory, decided to reserve our leave for a six week visit to the Far East next year.
After recovering from depression earlier in the year, I was ready to
plunge into the work of missions and kept busy this summer. We were, however, able to take
in a refreshing two-day trip to the Niagara Falls, which is about a four-hour drive from
our home. We were also able to look around Pittsburgh during the summer months and enjoyed
the local attractions such as the beautiful Pittsburgh Zoo. Still, we now look forward to
next year when we can use our six weeks leave to visit with family and fellow saints in
Singapore and India.
Reformation Celebration 1999
The next major event is our Reformation Celebration. Because we have had good interest shown in the Reformed Witness Hour being broadcast on the radio in Pittsburgh, we decided to invite Rev. Haak to speak for us this year at our Reformation Celebration.
Our first annual Reformation lecture last year did draw a few visitors,
but we are expecting many more visitors this year. By the time you read this newsletter,
the event will be over. But we are writing this in anticipation of the upcoming
celebration. The theme of this year's celebration is "Being Right With God," and
Rev. Haak has been asked to lecture on "Righteousness in Christ Alone." He will
also be leading the services on Sunday and will be speaking on "Returning To
Scripture Alone" in the morning and "Rejoicing In Christ's Soon Return" in
the evening. We are hoping that several of our past contacts and visitors will join us as
we celebrate the wonderful work of God in restoring to us the grand truths of the
Scriptures through the sixteenth century Reformation.
Advertising Through Many Means
Invitations to the Reformation Celebration as well as to other upcoming events have gone out to about six hundred. Our mailing list has been steadily growing through events such as the mission booth mentioned above. Besides announcing Rev. Haak's arrival before and after the broadcast of the Reformed Witness Hour, we have also been advertising on the same radio station a one-minute broadcast entitled "Reaching the Nations With the Gospel of Grace," which repeatedly in the last three weeks has announced the Reformation Celebration. The radio station has so cooperated with us that they will be giving Rev. Haak and me a one-hour live interview on the day of the Reformation Lecture, which will be October 29, 1999. They had given me a similar one-hour interview in the past, and we are very thankful for this continued exposure.
Besides this, we have also placed an advertisement in a couple of
newspapers, and in the Directory and Year Book of Trinity Christian School. Most recently,
the Progress, a local newspaper covering the east of Pittsburgh, featured an article on
the Protestant Reformed Mission of Pittsburgh with a picture of the missionary in his
study. Through these and other means we are seeking to send the Word out to as many people
as possible in the Pittsburgh area.
New Study Season
Our new study season began October 15 with three catechism classes and one adult study class. We are so happy to have a dozen children now in catechism. There are six children in the beginners class, three in the juniors, and three in the seniors. This is a great joy both to me as I teach, but also to my children as they see other children join together in catechism.
We are also encouraged to see between 12 and 15 at our adults study
class. This includes our teenagers, whom we decided to include this year in our adults
study class. Brian and Carla Suber not only ask good questions, but they are very
receptive. It is evident that they were studying the Reformed faith for a few years before
having come to join with us. Mikhael Nikitin is glowing with joy to see the planting of a
Reformed church in Pittsburgh, although he himself is very much attached to his Russian
church. The Bucks have attended, and are planning to visit again. The meetings so far have
been very inspiring, as members of the nucleus group grow in their understanding and even
seek to defend the faith in the presence of our new visitors. We are using the book
"Saved By Grace"(with the accompanying study guide), written by Rev. Hanko and
Rev. Cammenga to grow in our appreciation of the Canons so that all the adult members of
our group will be grounded in the truths of the Reformed faith.
Excitement in Fayetteville, NC
Besides laboring in Pittsburgh, and in connection with my calling to serve as missionary to eastern United States, I have been laboring with a group of three families in Fayetteville, NC. This group has been meeting for a couple of years now, and has been using PR videos for their worship services. It is their avowed desire and declared intention to develop into a Protestant Reformed Mission and into a Protestant Reformed congregation, the Lord willing. I have been traveling there once every two months to labor with the precious saints there. My next visit is scheduled for the first week of December, and it will be my fourth visit this year. During my visits I usually try to meet with the different families of the group, attempt to make new contacts, lead a Canons class Friday evenings, and meet with the men of the group Saturday mornings.
The Lord's Days are of course devoted to the preaching and teaching of God's Word. The saints there have arranged for interviews on the radio, and the Reformed Witness Hour continues to be broadcast in Fayetteville. My blood-sister Lata, who is as yet an unbeliever, lives in Fayetteville, and it was a great joy to me to see her attend the doctrine class and the afternoon worship service when I was there the last time.
May the Good Shepherd of the sheep call His own to Himself, in His good
time, in His wonderful way.
Prison Ministry
Whenever I go to Fayetteville, I also visit a prison in Graham, North Carolina, which is about a two-hour drive from Fayetteville. I have kept up correspondence with a brother in prison whose name is Gary Tyler. Gary has been in contact with our churches the last couple of years. He has come to an understanding of the Reformed faith and has read various Reformed theologians while in prison, including Herman Hoeksema.
The Lord willing, he will be released the middle of the year 2000. He is
desirous of moving to Pittsburgh or Fayetteville to join one of our mission stations. Gary
has also given me several names of other prisoners and ex-prisoners with whom I am now in
contact. It is a joy to be able to bring the gospel to all men, both bond and free. Pray
for Gary, and others like him, who through the painful way of sin and imprisonment have
come to know the mighty deliverance of God and now seek to live their lives in
thankfulness to Jehovah.
New Jersey/New York
What was originally planned as pulpit exchanges between Rev. VanderWal and me, especially during the time when I was recovering from my depression, has turned out to be an interesting mission development. During the three pulpit exchanges which were made this past year, Rev. VanderWal and I have investigated various mission possibilities in the New York area. We have been able to make contact with a Sindhi family living in Queens, New York. The wife and children in this home are Christian, but the husband and father is still a Hindu. I was able to bring Rev. VanderWal with me during one of these visits, and we continue to labor with Mr. Rajwani, who is open to this contact. Rev. VanderWal has now also begun a Bible study in Harlem, where a group of believers are meeting together for a Bible study on the book of Romans. The head of this house is Keith Archie, who has been attending worship services in Covenant PRC for the last several months and is now taking a membership class. Another Bible study has also been planned for Staten Island, NY. It is my hope and prayer that such activities will not only help our congregation in NJ but will also lead to future mission labors in the area.
New York is a large cosmopolitan state with at least eight million
residents who represent at least one hundred different nationalities.
"Foreign Missions At Home"
In my mind there is a great mission potential for our churches not only in New York but also the other cities which are crowded with new immigrants from different parts of the world. I am hopeful our churches will be able to reach the nations with the gospel of grace right here in the USA. Yes, we must continue to send out missionaries to foreign fields as God leads; yes, we must earnestly pray for our missionaries abroad who faithfully bring the gospel to peoples of other lands. But I believe God has brought the nations to this country so that we might bring the gospel to them right here in this country. Many immigrants who live in cities such as New York have never heard the gospel in their own generations. What a glorious opportunity for missions! Imagine if some of these immigrants come to know and love the Reformed faith! They themselves will desire to bring the gospel of grace back to their kinsmen in their home country.
Are we as churches ready to reach the nations with the gospel of grace?
Right here in the USA?
Fruits Through Broader Contact
While Pittsburgh is the main focus of our present labors, synod 1998 made clear that Pittsburgh was to serve as the base for eastern home missions. As other doors open, the calling church, Mission Committee, and I intend to pursue them and promote eastern home missions. Personally, I am finding that my contacts outside of the nucleus group have served to establish the work in Pittsburgh. There are some individual contacts in other areas who are being encouraged either to move to one of our established churches or to one of our mission groups. For example, a widow lady living in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is seriously considering a move to Pittsburgh so that she can join our mission.
During my travels to South Carolina and New Jersey/New York, I have also been able to meet with other Reformed and Presbyterian men to communicate with them the truths which we hold dear as Protestant Reformed Churches. I find this kind of fellowship not only edifying but also useful for the cause of home missions. People need to get to know us, that is, not only about us, but they need to communicate with us, and we with them.
I believe that as more people come to know us personally, and as they
come to realize who we are and what we truly believe, this will be a mighty means in the
hands of God for home missions. As your home missionary, I have made this one of the
priorities in my work.
Maintaining a Balance in the Work
The struggle of course is to keep a proper balance in the work. The zeal for missions has to be tempered with realism, and the humble recognition of our limitations. We are limited in our manpower and resources. There is so much work to be done.
Probably having one eastern home missionary is going to prove
insufficient as we go along. The field is large, and the open doors are many. Once again,
the calling church, the Mission Committee, and I as missionary, will be working together
to keep a proper balance in the work so that both Pittsburgh and other parts of eastern
USA may continue to receive the gospel of grace. Pray that God may grant wisdom and unity
in the glorious work of missions, so that we may be instruments in the hands of God for
the gathering of His beloved church in this day and hour.
Consulting with the Western Home Missionary
I am thankful that I can do my work also in consultation with our
western home missionary, Rev. Thomas Miersma. He is more experienced in home missions than
I am, and I find discussions with him helpful. He and I talk on the phone regularly to
share notes and inspire each other in the work of missions. The work is not easy, and
oftentimes very demanding. So Rev. Miersma and I, facing similar trials as home
missionaries, remind each other to keep faithfully at the work, just as a farmer who
scatters his seed must wait patiently for fruit. The fruit is oftentimes not immediate,
and much patience is needed. But patience always has a goal, and we know that the diligent
labor of watering and fertilizing must be done in the meantime. We remind each other that
the Lord commands us to reach the nations with the gospel, and He assures us that He will
gather His own by means of the faithful proclamation of His Word. I am very thankful that
we were able to meet recently in Chicago in conjunction with the Officebearer's
Conference, and we hope to meet again in the future. We have asked our calling churches
and the Mission Committee for approval to meet periodically and possibly to engage in
joint ventures in the days to come.
Health of Mahtani Family
We are very thankful for good health in the Mahtani family. Although I am still taking medication, and although I still have my difficult moments, I am very thankful to the Lord for the good health I have experienced the last six months. Esther continues strong, serving not only as a great encouragement to me and to the children, but also a good example to members of the mission group. I am not one for doing accounts, so Esther also manages the financial reports of all the mission activities in eastern home missions. What would I do without my dear wife?
The children are doing well in school, and continue to enjoy their time at Trinity Christian School. We attended the school picnic not too long ago, and were surprised to hear at least a dozen people tell us that they were listening to the Reformed Witness Hour and were hoping to visit our services some time.
They also told us that our children were appreciated in the school for
their good example and Reformed influence. For this we are very thankful. We are much
encouraged in the work, and continue to look to Jehovah for continuing health so that we
might press on in the work of eastern missions.
Welcome to Pittsburgh
Because I am now in better health, I want once again to encourage you to visit us in Pittsburgh. I have always encouraged our people to become part and parcel of mission work. But in my last newsletter I had to ask for a slow down in visitors to Pittsburgh.
Most of you were very kind and understanding when you read my last newsletter and many of you wrote to express your appreciation for my frankness in expressing my distress. But some of you were not very happy, and I apologize if I caused any offense. I honestly did not mean to discourage our people from mission enthusiasm.
Thank you for writing to us, and yes, please feel free to acquaint yourself more and more with home missions by visiting Pittsburgh. We love you in the Lord, and we believe that prosperity in home missions will take place only as we labor with unity and zeal.
Come visit the saints in Pittsburgh and in Fayetteville. Come and
rejoice in the glorious work God is giving us to do in home missions. Come and rejoice
with your eastern home missionary, whom God laid low for a while only to give him recovery
and renewed zeal in missions.
Pray for Us!
Beloved in the Lord, please remember to keep us in your prayers. The
harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few. The Lord commands us therefore to pray
that the Lord of the harvest will send forth laborers into His harvest. This surely means,
first of all, that we pray for more laborers. But it also implies that we pray God may
sustain and equip those who are already in the labor. The harvest is plenteous, there is
much work to be done. But the hands that do the work are few and frail. We need your
prayers. For unless the LORD build the house, we labor in vain. Thank you, brothers and
sisters, for praying for your missionaries both at home and abroad.
Let Your Light Shine!
May the good Lord watch between us as we labor faithfully wherever He has called us.
Let us all be inspired by the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew
5:13-16: "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and
to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an
hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven."
Thank You
Thank you for patiently reading this long newsletter which I hope makes
up for the delay.
In His Love,
Rev. Jai Mahtani,
Eastern Home Missionary