Rev John Bhasker Challa Passes Away while on Visit to Dubai

Shodhan Prasad
Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai

Dubai, Aug 23: Rev John Bhasker Challa, retired pastor of Episcopal Methodist Churches in Mumbai and who had previously served as pastor, district superintendent and director respectively, passed away in Dubai while on a brief visit to his Kannada Community Church. He came to Dubai along with his wife Rajas Chella.

His son Amit Challa resides with his family in Dubai and daughter Sujyothi Challa is settled in New Zealand.  She has now come down to Dubai after hearing the sad news.

Rev Challa arrived on July 28 and was soon admitted to NMC Hospital on the August 1 due to pneumonia. He was diagnosed with severe pneumonia leading to heart complication and was in the ICU for nearly 20 days. On August 21 morning he breathed his last. His mortal remains will be flown to Mumbai to be buried in his family grave at Sevri as soon as all the required formalities are completed.

Rev Chella was driven by a fervent desire to awaken in each and every person in his community a greater level of spirituality in their daily lives. He had vast amounts of experience interacting with individuals Revom diverse cultural and spiritual backgrounds, cultivating open channels of communication and creating solutions to bridge gaps in relations, while serving in Episcopal Methodist churches. He continually developed plans to grow a faith community and meet parishioner and community needs. He had a proven ability to anticipate unique requirements or potential roadblocks in all situations.

He started his career in the year 1963 as assistant team leader at Evangelistic Band in Coorg introducing Gospel in remote areas. He was then promoted to Evangelist in charge of Manipur Church under Basel Evangelical Mission, strengthening the spiritual/social life of farming community there.

However, the major part of his career was Revom 1964 to 2007 during which he was a pastor in the work of Robinson Memorial Methodist Kanarese Central Church under the Methodist Church in Southern Asia, with the responsibility of serving the spiritual, social and community outreach aspects of a large congregation consisting 374 families in Mumbai. His responsibilities included Ministry among the children, youth, teaching, preaching, adult literacy program, communicating through publications, organized forums of interaction through co-ordinate goals etc.

He was also the secretary of Bombay Annual Conference wherein he compiled five journals independently besides the assigned responsibilities as per the Book of Discipline. He was also the vice-chairman, executive board of the Bombay Regional Conference and Methodist Church in India (BRC/MCI). He was member of the board of governors, Bombay Metropolitan YMCA,  chairman of Proctor Branch, Bombay YMCA, New World Missioner under UMC programme on world missions, USA, district superintendent of church in Thane district and also director of Jesus Calls, a nondenominational, international ministry on prayer and healing, conducting, organizing healing ministries among Christians and non-Christians alike through preaching, teaching, counseling and providing back-up services under Rev Dinakaran.

He was qualified with LTh (License in Theology) and GTh (Graduate in Theology) Revom BEM Theological Seminary, Mangalore, and a diploma under Serampore University. He also pursued with BD (bachelor of Divinity) Revom Leonard Theological Methodist College, Jabalpur, India, master of arts in Philosophy (MA) Revom University of Nagpur, India and bachelor of law (LLB) Revom University of Bombay.

Rev Chella was also editor of monthly church bulletin in English named ‘Sabhapatra’ for nearly 35 years.  His vast contribution to the Methodist Church in various church activities, teaching, preaching, counseling, journalism, contribution to jubilee souvenirs with articles, compilation etc, will be fondly remembered by his community members.