Our Story

Pastor Chacko Mani (1922-1999) has left behind nearly six decades of service to the Lord. He was born into a farmers middle class Christian family in Kottayam, Kerala. While he was a teenager, he surrendered his life to Jesus and committed himself to Lord’s service. Further into his study of the Bible, he was ordained in 1949 for pastoral ministry in India. He then did his higher theological education in USA.

In 1962, Pastor Chacko returned to India and began to minister among the natives. In 1964, he spent ten more months in America seeking support from friends and associates and their partnership in bringing his vision for Gospel ministry into reality. On his return from USA, the sphere of Pastor Chacko’s ministry in India broadened.

  • In response to the Lord’s leading, in 1966, he established the Ebenezer Bible Institute in Kumily, Kerala. The goal of the Institute is, “To Plant, Equip, and Build the Church” God has continued to bless this ministry abundantly.
  • After a decade of tireless effort in Kumily, Pastor Chacko felt the pressing need for other structures to undergird the ministry. He wanted a centrally located Bible school accessible to a wider group of people and churches. The Lord enabled him to open such an institution at Kaduthuruthy, Kottayam. God’s provision through friends in USA and India combined with a measure of his own resources provided a 14-acre campus was acquired at Kaduthuruthy, which is suitable for building a strong institution of theological learning.

Another vision of Pastor Chacko was to improve the availability of literacy training so that the downtrodden might improve in the socio-economic sphere. He felt that improvement in this area would in crease their receptiveness to the Gospel.

Pastor Chacko’s dedicated service had a profound effect on many lives in India and abroad. He fought a good fight and promoted to the Glory on November 26, 1999. His son Sam Chacko stepped into the leadership position of his father, and the ministry still continues. Sam has been elected by the Board of Directors to serve as the President of Ebenezer Gospel Mission. Other members of Chacko’s family are also actively involved in the ministry.