OUR BEGINNINGS
How Far Corners Ministry Began
After growing up in Mumbai (Bombay), India, Rev. Dr. Shant Manuel came to Canada to further his university studies in 1973. Eventually, he was called to pastoral ministry and spent twenty years serving churches in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. This was followed by four years with Partners International, a mission organization that works with nationals in various countries. On one of Shant's last trips to India with PI, a local pastor in the northeast state of Sikkim expressed the urgent need for leadership training and requested help from believers in Canada.
In October 2007, Shant sensed a strong call to return to Sikkim and provide training opportunities to a group of pastors and church leaders. He invited other experienced pastors from Atlantic Canada and, in January 2008 along with several other lay people, spent two weeks in Sikkim and West Bengal teaching and assessing the needs for potential future ministry.
From that trip came additional requests for training from local church leaders in India and, growing interest in this ministry back in Canada. After much prayer and counsel, Shant, along with his wife Ginny, felt called to begin a new ministry, Far Corners Ministry, and work with God's people in Northeast India. Together with a committed Board of Directors in Canada and key leaders in India, they have seen God provide avenues of ministry that are enriching the spiritual lives of all those involved.
"God is doing a new thing in the birthing of Far Corners Ministry. His fingerprints are all over this work! Dr. Shant Manuel brings to this new mission agency a rare combination of experiences and gifts. Twenty years of pastoral ministry have given him a deep love for the local church and insight into how vital the work of missions is to healthy congregational life. Through his academic studies he has forged a clear and relevant theology of mission for the twenty-first century, driven by a particular passion to help the poorest of the poor. Most recently he has worked in forging partnerships between God's people here in Atlantic Canada and God's people in needy corners of the world.
I have been deeply moved and impressed to see Shant step out in faith, heeding God's call to do something new. I believe that a mission born and supported right here in Atlantic Canada will galvanize our churches to a deeper commitment to mission and will deeply encourage our brothers and sisters in Northeast India, Nepal and Bhutan who are doing amazing things for God in the face of harsh challenges. At Grace Chapel we consider supporting Far Corners Ministry to be a vital and strategic investment in the world wide work of the kingdom."
- Rev. Mark Harris Pastor, Grace Chapel, Halifax, NS