About Us
Our Church History
The first IPC churches established in Chennai were IPC Tambaram, IPC Pattabiram, and IPC Chetput. In April 1975, Pastor Jacob Thomas, a native of Kottayam and former Air Force serviceman, became the new pastor of the IPC Church in Chetput, Chennai. Prior to this, he served as pastor at the IPC Church in Lingarajapuram, Bangalore.
The church in Chetput had been running for several years in a rented property in Jaganathapuram before Pastor Jacob Thomas took over. In early 1977, certain circumstances arose in the Chetput Church that led several families, including Bro. C. George, Bro. Daniel Mathews, Bro. K.K. Thomas, Bro. P.K. Chacko, Bro. T.S. Chacko, Bro. Finny Mathew, Bro. Eliachan, Bro. P.T. Thomas, Bro. P.V. Mathai, Bro. Yohanachan, Bro. A.M. Thomas (known as NanganallurBabychan), Bro. A.M. George (NanganallurKunjukunju), Bro. A.M. Varghese (NanganallurPapachan), Bro. A.M. Abraham (NanganallurThomachan), Bro. Raju, his brother Bro. A.P. Mathai (Anniyan), and Bro. Chackochen (Padi Chackochan), along with Pastor Jacob Thomas, to leave the Chetput Church and establish a new congregation.
For the first eight months, church services were held at the home of Bro. Daniel Mathews, located at 40C, Shanthi Colony, Anna Nagar.Following this period, the church moved to a rented space in Munirathna Colony, Aminjikarai, where worship services were held for the next two years. During this time, a thorough search was conducted to find land for the church. A suitable property was identified in Collectorate Colony, Aminjikarai, and with contributions from church
The Church then
members and well-wishers, the land was purchased in August 1978. The land spanned approximately 3,500 square feet, and construction began on a church building along with a parsonage on the property. Bro. K.P. Abraham (Avarachan) played a key role in assisting with the construction. The church could seat around 75 people, and the parsonage was designed as a one-bedroom, hall, and kitchen setup. In August 1979, the congregation relocated to the newly constructed church. A significant number of members were traveling from the Nanganallur, Madipakkam, and Palavanthangal areas and attending service here in Aminjikarai, and after several years, a request was made to establish a church in the Madipakkam area. With the approval of the IPC Zion Assembly Church, a new church was founded in Madipakkam on August 16, 1992, with members from Nanganallur, Madipakkam, and Palavanthangal joining there. This church is now known as IPC Ebenezer, Madipakkam.
During Pastor George Easow’s tenure, the IPC Zion Assembly Church operated an outreach ministry in Vysarpadi, supported by Bro. P.C. Joshi, a member of the church at that time. Later, under Pastor Joshikutty’s leadership, this outreach developed into a formal church as attendance grew and people sought regular services every sunday. Bro. P.C. Joshi then became the first pastor of the new church
The first renovation of the church took place in 1996 during Pastor P. Joshikutty’s tenure, when the church building was extended, and the parsonage was constructed on the first floor.
During Pastor K.O. Babu’s tenure, the church was further extended by an additional 10 feet.
The Church today
IPC Zion Assembly Family, Aminjikarai, we are committed to teaching and living out the truths of God’s Holy Word, the Bible. Its transformative message empowers us to live victoriously in every area of life. We stand in agreement with the apostle Paul, who declared that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe.
As a church, we uphold the authority of Scripture and strive to create a culture of encouragement, support, and outreach. We aim to build genuine relationships with one another, making ourselves available to anyone seeking a personal relationship with God.
Our church is built on the solid foundation of God’s Word. Our passion is to love people and lead them to Christ. We are dedicated to sharing the Good News with the lost and inspiring others to know Jesus personally. This is our response to the Great Commission, which our Lord has entrusted to us.
To fulfill this mandate, we have established City Mission and Village Mission Stations. While City Mission focuses on urban areas, Village Mission reaches out to rural communities.
We are more than just a church – we are a family. We offer a sense of belonging, a safe space to journey together, and a culture of love and companionship.
About Pastor Jacob Thomas
Pastor Jacob Thomas
About Pastor Jacob Thomas
On completing his Pre-degree studies, he left home on his own accord to join the Indian Air Force (IAF). The primary reason for this was the fact that despite his intelligence he did not fare well in his studies having been distracted as a young man with several other preoccupations. And with an extremely strict father at home, he had no choice but to chart out his path ahead. Thus, in June 1956 he joined the 68th Squadron of the Indian Air Force. He enjoyed the freedom that he found being away from home and he fully availed all the privileges and facilities that were provided for servicemen. A few years into his service in 1961 when he was based in Tambaram station he was travelling by a local train one January evening, well-dressed in all white as a young man on his way to learn dance. Pastor K. P. Philip happened to sit across him on the train and he started a conversation. He asked, if he was saved. This question made him so angry and upset because he thought that it was not a question a Christian had to consider but rather one that should be put to non-Christians.
He said that the task of Pastors was to approach non-Christians and not bother young people from ‘old Christian families’ with such useless queries. The Pastor however persisted with the conversation with much patience and towards the end he got the young man to consider accompanying him to a Bible study in Avadi. The idea seemed interesting and he changed his mind about the dance class and instead choose to follow this Pastor to the Bible study. This detour to the Bible study happened to be a decision of a lifetime. In the course of the Bible study later that night the Spirit of God opened his eyes to realize that he was a sinner in need of a Savior. That night through the ministry of Pastor K. P. Philip he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord and embraced the faith. God saved him in His grace and mercy and the salvation experience was sealed for a lifetime.
It was a new life for him from then on. There was total transformation in his life. It was not just a superficial change but one that could happen only with the intervention of the Spirit of God. There was no turning back and he quit habits like smoking and going to the movies. The change was visible for everyone to see and many of his colleagues made fun of his new faith and commitment. Immediately after his salvation experience, he was consumed by a deep passion to learn the Scripture thoroughly and to share the gospel with everyone around. He was not ashamed of the gospel because he was convinced that it was the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.
Thereafter, his life’s one mission was simply to share the gospel and make Jesus known and win as many souls as possible for the kingdom of God. Despite his limited knowledge of the Bible in the beginning he shared whatever he knew best and God just gave him words and many people committed their lives to Jesus even with his simple message. There was no time to go to Bible school and he was eager to serve the Lord. Many times in the initial months when he was asked to share, he had to entirely depend on God day after day to bring His word to people in need. Every spare time he could find he would go far away from the housing barracks into the bushes in the open to read and study the Bible for hours together, pray and spend time with God. God’s word began to influence his lifestyle and thinking. He soon realized that only one thing mattered and that was to serve God with all that he had.
Two months later when he went home to Kottayam for his annual holidays, he took water baptism on 12th March 1961. Since he had no links with the Pentecostal church in Kerala, it was his good friend Mr. Jacob Thomas from the Air Force who later moved to Canada who suggested that he should go to Philadelphia church in Kottayam and ask Pastor P. M. Philip to give him baptism. It is from here that his association began with some of the leaders of the Indian Pentecostal Church (IPC) like Pastor P. M. Philip who baptized him and Pastor V. M. Chacko in whose church in Kollad he was baptized and Pastor P. K. Chacko began.
Pastor Jacob Thomas & Family
These leaders had significant influence on his life and he spent much time with them which helped him to grow in his faith. As a new believer they were a source of great support and encouragement for him. The leaders and believers embraced him as their own right from the outset. Their bonds of love were so deep that every time he was home for holidays a major portion of his time was spent with them. He had the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit on 23rd March 1961 as he continued to be in prayer with the brothers and sisters in Kollad.
About P.U. Benny
Pastor P.U. Benny
About Pastor P.U. Benny
Pastor P.U. Benny was born and raised in Malabar, Nilambur, in the Malappuram District of Kerala. His maternal grandfather, Pidavoor Kochu Papichan from Pathanapuram, served as an IPC Pastor and was a contemporary of the late Pastor T.G. Omman and other founding fathers of the IPC. Pastor Benny’s parents settled in Malabar in 1958, and the family has been actively involved with IPC Carmel, Vattapadam, under the IPC Nilambur North District, since its establishment in 1968. He comes from a large family with four brothers and two sisters. One of his sisters is involved in God’s ministry in Pazhanji, Thrissur, while the others are married and living in different parts of India. After sensing God’s call to ministry at a young age, He pursued theological education immediately after completing his Pre-Degree. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Theology in 1994 and served in Rajasthan, North India, until 1997, when he returned to South India to pursue a Master in Divinity.
In 1995, Pastor Benny married Jaya, the daughter of Pastor M.V. Mathai, the District Pastor of Palakkad North. From 1999 to 2013, he was actively engaged in pastoral ministry and held leadership roles within the IPC Palakkad North District, while also participating in teaching ministry. Between 2013 and 2016, He pastored IPC Ahmadi Church in Kuwait, followed by stints at IPC Pattabiram and IPC Chembur in Mumbai. Since 2022, he has been pastoring IPC Sharjah in the UAE. Throughout his ministry, Pastor Benny has had opportunities to minister God’s word in several Asian countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the UAE, and Nepal. He is blessed with two children, Noel P. Benny and Jonathan P. Benny.
