On 23rd May 2020, the world lost a man who represented God’s heart in more ways than we can put into words. P. Karl Silva,was the Pastor of GGF- Mumbai since the year 1990 and served the Lord and the Body of Christ for 30 years. His radiant smile, passion for the Lord and compassion for the lost was contagious.
He came to Christ in 1984. Then, in 1988, Pastor Silva and his wife Suzan both attended the Maryland Bible College and Seminary (MBC&S) in Baltimore, U.S.A. There, under the wonderful tutelage of Dr. Carl Stevens, the founding Pastor of Greater Grace World Outreach (GGWO) and other Missionary leaders, he nurtured a love for the Bible and for missions.
P. Karl Silva, was a student of the Word of God since the time of his salvation at the age of 19,until the time of his passing into glory. As a Pastor,he spent hours studying the Word and preparing for His sermons and Bible college classes. His Bible college classes and notes are indeed treasures that he left behind. Pastor Karl Silva, truly lived for the Lord in health and even in affliction.He was a man with faith and a vision to see the Gospel message reach the highways and byways and was not afraid to dream big and creatively with God. He was a man who labored in prayer and trained his ear to be very sensitive to the voice of God.
He established the Bombay College and Seminary in 1992, which has overtime raised up Pastors, leaders, teachers and missionaries who are still serving Jesus across the city, the nation and other parts of the world.
Over the years, Pastor Karl took short faith mission trips with BBC&S students to over 20 states in India as well as Nepal and Bhutan. He held on to the promise of Joshua 1:30 and later lived to see it unfold before his eyes.
In the late 90’s, he began a feeding program for orphaned children, which later with an able Board of trustees became the Karuna Sharan children’s home in the year 2000.
The vision expanded to a school of par excellence and the Ambassador High School came into existence in the year 2006.
He began the Mission Training Center in 2009, to help young men who wanted to learn the Bible and train to be Pastors and missionaries, but had no means for the same. He also helped with the establishment of the Mountain Life training center in Nepal, which has a similar vision.
He started the Praise Marches in the city of Mumbai and under his leadership over a billion gospel tracts were distributed in the city of Mumbai alone.
He was the big visionary and motivator to the Prem Ko Sandesh Radio Program in the country of Nepal, which continues to beam the Finished work message to the otherwise inaccessible mountainous terrain. He also was instrumental in writing scripts for a Radio program in the Dari language.
He mentored, counselled and loved his congregation deeply. He discipled and influenced many men and women with his life and ministry. He truly was a spiritual Father par excellence; beckoning us to follow His faith, as He followed and exemplified the life of Christ.
His wife Suzan continues to live and serve in Mumbai. His son Andrew has followed in his parent’s footsteps and is currently studying in MBC&S Baltimore, USA.