Partners Profiles

P.A. & Santhamma Thomas

P A Thomas who has significant experience as a missionary teacher and a leadership trainer. Thomas has 35 years of experience in this field.

They hail from Kerala and obeyed God’s call to move to a neighbouring country as His servants. PA arrived in Nepal in 1972 in obedience to God’s call to be a teacher. After having worked as a teacher for a few years, he joined IFES and pioneered student ministry in that country. After their marriage in 1980, Santhamma joined him.

For almost three decades now, they have been serving in this country together as God’s workers in different capacities. PA is involved with many different agencies as a trainer and facilitator while Santhamma continues to teach in a school. They have three children: Asish, Anish and Ashley. Asish and Anish have finished their university education in India; Ashley is still in college.

Areas of Expertise:

• Interactive teaching and Communication skills
• Personality development
• Inductive study methods
• Pastoral and Ministry skills etc.

Joseph & Laila Jacob

Joseph Jacob (Jose) is the Director for Development of Interserve India since April 2007. He is responsible to implement strategies to build relationships with the sending churches and supporters of the Indian Partners and the wider donor constituency.  Earlier he served as the Director for Support Services responsible for Administration, Finance, Personnel, Communications and Donor Relations, since 2004.

Jose began his career as a cross cultural tentmaker in 1980, when he worked as a lecturer of English Literature in a college in Punjab. A year later he joined UESI (Union of Evangelical Students of India). God has been using Jose and his wife Laila since 1982, when they began serving together through UESI in discipling many students and graduates.  They were involved, for a brief four year period, in the Transformation Initiatives and Church Relations ministry of World Vision International.

His ministry involves supporting the logistics of 100 plus Partners serving in different parts of India, speaking in churches, conferences & meetings and mobilizing more people to be involved in missions. 

Besides homemaking his wife Laila serves along with him in supporting his ministry in different ways, especially mentoring women in leadership. They minister together as resource persons for Family Life Seminars.  They have three adult childen, Sudeep, Sowmya and Sneha.

John & Jessie Amalraj

John Amalraj is the Executive Director of Interserve India, since January 2004.

He is a qualified lawyer and HRD / Personnel Manager.  John worked briefly as a lawyer, then for a year as a manager with an exports company and later as Personnel Manager with a group of companies in Chennai. He was then invited to be a volunteer with India Missions Association (IMA) as part of the initiative to set management standards for IMA members. Later he joined IMA as Office and Projects Manager in Chennai in 1993. He then proceeded on study to complete his first degree in Theology from Trinity Theological College, Singapore. Returning to IMA, John set up the first regional office of IMA in New Delhi. After four years, he was moved to Hyderabad to set up the IMA Centre there.

During his time with IMA he has been used to envision, set-up, coordinate and teach at the Advanced Mission Leadership training programme, coordinate IMA National Conferences and take the lead in facilitating think-tank meetings in various areas of ministry in India. He has during the last four years been over-seeing the IMA regional offices and also played an active role in the networks of IMA.

John has used his professional experience to provide consultation and training in leadership, management and legal fields to several mission agencies in India. He is a trained facilitator for conducting Team Building Workshops and is training to be a facilitator in Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills workshops.

Several articles written by him were published regularly in Indian Missions - IMA’s quarterly magazine, Christian Manager (Management journal) and also serves in their editorial advisory teams.  He jointly edited the IMA’s National Conference Compendium titled “Where Are the Indian Leaders?” published in September 2000.  He has been invited to speak in several local churches, mission conferences, mission staff devotions, bible study groups etc.,  He has moderated open panel discussions on mission issues, led seminars on Partnership, Seven mind molders, wholistic mission, business as mission concepts, tent making ministry, Contemporary mission challenges in India, Missions in a Globalized context etc.,

”Jessie, has completed her Bachelor's degree in Corporate Secretaryship and also taken a course in Computer Applications. She and John have two sons Jason (13 years) and Joash (4 years). Jessie apart from short stints of part time work in Trinity Theological College and the IMA Delhi office has been a home maker, providing the children with the stability and consequent security they have needed as John traveled extensively. At present she is involved in co-coordinating the ministry of student’s wives in Union Biblical Seminary, Pune.

Rajesh & Renuka Agarwall

Rajesh is a Veterinarian and a Sr. Scientist by profession. He came to Bareilly in 1984 and has lived there since with a vision for the city.  Rashtriya Susamachar Parishad was founded in 1992 by Dr. Rajesh Agarwal a tent-maker. RSP has steadily grown over the years. It excelled in adopting various welfare measures for their missionaries and established a philosophy that the workers are as important as reaching the unreached. They have resisted expansion at the cost of care for their workers and set a model for others to follow. 

He has been overseeing the ministry along with his professional responsibilities and serving the needs of marginalized people in Bareilly, UP.

He got married in 1985 to Renuka who shared his vision to spread the gospel in and around Bareilly. Renuka's dream came true when she was able to start the Grace Public School in 1996. The school provides education to children from the lower strata of the society in Bareilly.

They have three children, Aradhana, Anandita and Akhshay. Aradhana is in college while Anandita and Akhshay are in school.

Eappen & Suja John

Eappen John, who has significant experience in training teachers, is now serving as the training coordinator of Interserve (India). He is the former General Secretary of “Evangelical Teachers’ Fellowship” (ETF), which is a national body of Christian teachers in India. He has made significant contributions in the development of ETF during his tenure of 8½ years. He continues to conduct in-service faculty development training programs for teachers through ‘Destiny Education.’ He is also involved in teaching the MA students through the ‘Development Associates International’ and serves as their adjunct professor.

He is based in Hyderabad and is primarily involved in conducting ‘Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills’ workshops. This is a 5 days interactive workshop designed to enhance the knowledge, attitudes and skills of Christian leaders and missionaries in how they relate to one another, family, co-workers, friends and those from other cultures. The biblical foundation, mission context, skill orientation and adult learning approach are a powerful combination to help people further reflect the kingdom (of God)  in their personal lives as well as extend the kingdom by helping people minister together more effectively. Taken to heart the SYIS workshop is a key feature of the leadership development architecture. He is currently working on to revise this material for the market place professionals as well as getting it translated into Hindi to help the North Indian leaders.

He is also a trained facilitator for the Alpha course, which is a specially designed 15 session program to explore the foundations of Christian faith, meant for Christians as well as non-church goers. He was a tent making missionary for 9 years and has also helped ‘Indian Evangelical Mission’ (IEM) for 3 years in North India as their Area Coordinator. A combination of these experiences enables him to be a good teacher and mentor.  

His wife, Suja is a trained accountant helping him in the ministry. She also helps in organizing and administering workshops and seminars. She is also involved in editing ‘Chalk and Chai’ magazine for teachers.  They have two daughters, Sophia (Inter I) and Sharon (Class II).

Dr. Iris Paul

Dr. Iris Paul is working as a Medical Missionary for Reaching Hand Society.  Iris began her cross cultural medical mission work along with her husband Dr. R.A. C. Paul who had a deep passion for the people group ‘Bondos’ in the remote village ‘Malkangiri’. R.A.C. Paul went to be with the Lord after battling different illnesses for many years in 1986.  Iris his wife has taken the passion for the people of Malaknagiri District and is working hard to transform these people groups. Her first son Ragland Remo Paul joined her full time in 1996.

In more than 33 years that she has worked there, many changes have taken place through her and other RHS (Reaching Hand Society) workers. When Govt. workers calculated the literacy rate in 120 villages that RHS works in, there was an increase from 0.4% to 40%. RHS has also helped eliminate polio in the areas that they serve and whooping cough dropped from 40% to 5%. EFICOR has helped dig wells in 540 villages .

Reji Koshy & Betzy Daniel

Reji Koshy Daniel works as the Asst. General Manager of a leading Private Sector company based in Pune. Along with that, he and his wife Betzy have been involved in ministering to university students. Presently Reji serves as the President of the Pune EGF (Evangelical Graduates Fellowship) and involved in discipling working professionals and students alike.
Betzy serves in the Member Care Committee of Pune EGF, working towards strengthening fellowship and care within the UESI family in Pune. They are equally involved with another ministry bringing about wholistic development of slum dwellers in Pune. Reji serves on their Board while Betzy involves herself in other aspects of that ministry. They are proud parents of two children, Monica (9) and Roshan (4).

Reji is resourceful in training on creative bible study skills for youths, contemporary social issues such as consumerism, credit culture, postmodernism etc.. and topics related to professionals such as ethics in the business world, stewardship of technology etc.

Shantanu & Evangeline Dutta

Shantanu Dutta is a doctor by training and a development professional by vocation. He is an onlooker on events happening in India and the world in the realm of society, politics and the many intangible events that populate our lives. Additionally as a Christian and part of a minority community he tries to view things from the perspective of the underdog.

Shantanu passed out from the prestigious Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and joined the Indian Air Force as a medical doctor and worked with them till 1990.  Evangeline his wife is a veterinary doctor worked with United Nations Development Programme till 1989.  After their marriage in 1990, both of them started working in a slum in Kolkata, engaging themselves in designing and executing an integrated community health programme.  Presently, Shantanu serves as the National Director of VIVA Network, a Christian agency working with children at risk. Evangeline serves with the Christian Medical Association of India (CMAI).

Shantanu’s writing skills has helped him to communicate on various life issues from a Christian perspective for the public through articles in newpapers, blogs, e-groups, magazines etc.  He has edited a book using Gandhi’s teachings and basing it on the Gospel values which is becoming influential in transforming the nation.  They both contribute to the ministry of various Christian and secular developmental agencies.  They have a daughter, Aruna who is in school.