In May 1966, in a small living room in Washington state, a faithful group of friends trusted in the Spirit to lead them in the Lord’s work as they set forth in establishing India Evangelical Mission. This group included Mr. G.V. Mathai and Mrs. Mariamma Mathai from Kerala, India, along with a dear group of friends they met while G.V. was studying at Central Washington Bible College.
GV and Mariamma shared their hearts for the millions in their homeland who had yet to hear the Gospel. Their passion was contagious and their new friends quickly became family as they set out to establish an organization that would focus on empowering Indian nationals to share the hope of this transformational Good News.
In step with the desire of many Indian people to read about events and ideas, IEM opened Christian Reading Rooms in Kerala to cultivate education and to provide a welcoming place where people could be introduced to Jesus.
Biblical training and education remained the central focus as the ministry continued to grow. In 1972, the Bible Correspondence course was launched in modern-day Mumbai with the help of Dr. George Verwer, the president of Operation Mobilization. This program would serve as a strong foundation to later establish IEM’s Bible College.
Over the next several years, IEM continued to grow at a rapid pace and a holistic approach to ministry began to take shape. The ministry laid the foundation for a medical clinic and hosted their first Christian Workers’ Conference, which trained local Indian nationals to share their faith. In 1978, IEM was gifted land to build a Children’s Home where they could care for and minister to children with the love of God.