From an engineer to a pastor and writer, his journey has been a blessing to many lives across the globe. Having the opportunity to speak with Pastor Victor A Nazareth about his new book, Lessons From My Father: The Legacy of Pastor Susai Joseph was a rewarding experience.
The book will help preserve the life and teachings of Pst Joseph and his ministry. He was not only known as the “Father of Mumbai” but also a true “slumdog millionaire”, touching and restoring the hearts of millions through the love of God.
In a conversation with Pastor Victor, he shared what inspired him to write this book.
Victor completed his B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur and went to the U.S. for higher studies. He encountered the Lord Jesus Christ there and it totally transformed his life and direction.
Q. When did you decide to write this book? What was the first thing that clicked in your mind while writing it down?
Pastor Victor (PV): After my father-in-law, Pastor S Joseph passed away in June 2021, I felt an urgency to pen down the things I had learned from him. He had at least two biographies written on his life but did not like them and ultimately did not approve them for publication.
I felt that I could write not a biography but the things I had learned from his life. The first thing that clicked was to write down what I had learned so that his memory would not be forgotten.
Q. What prompted you to choose this title?
PV: I learned so many things from Pst Joseph that I chose to call the book “Lessons from my Father”. Although he was my father-in-law, he was also my spiritual father and he was a father to many. So the name seemed apt. And the lessons I learned were like an inheritance I received that I wanted to save and pass down as a legacy to future generations.
Q. Pastor Susai Joseph was known as the “Father of Mumbai”. Would you please mention some of his accomplishments?
PV: He cared deeply for the city. Everyone who met him was impacted by his heart. His heart was beating for the salvation of Mumbai, for people to come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus and find the salvation that he did.
He strategised to reach the city with the gospel and mobilised others to do the same. As a result, he became known as the Father of Mumbai and the Father of the house church movement in India.
Q. Pst Joseph has left a legacy behind which is difficult for us to put on paper. But what is the factor which led him to excel in his ministry?
PV: I think the one factor which led him to excel was to never give up. He came from an impoverished background as an orphan and a penniless person living on the streets of Mumbai, but he always dreamt big and had great ambitions. He did not let discouragement keep him down. He always pushed forward and motivated others to join him in his vision. This caused him to attain greatness and leave a legacy.
Q. As you know, youths hold the future generations. What will your suggestions be for the group to achieve their goal?
Pst Joseph talked about being goal-oriented. You need to know where you are and where you want to go. Break down the process into steps or smaller achievable goals and move forward without giving up.
You need to know your gifts and what God has made you for and excel in those. Don’t try to be someone else. Be yourself and be true to what is in your heart, your goal, your vision. You must aspire to do something that will help others and then do it with excellence.
“All should realise that there is a God who made the heavens and the Earth. He is real, a personal God, infinite, without beginning or end and He loves each and every person. No one is beyond his love. This God has demonstrated his love to us by sending his one and only Son into the World to die for us and to give us eternal life.
“Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, can be received easily by just believing in the Lord and receiving him into your life,” Pastor Victor Nazareth.
More about Pst Victor: He pursued PhD in Agricultural Engineering at Colorado State University. After returning to India, he had a burning desire to share the good news of Jesus with his countrymen. After working in Oman as a Hydrogeologist, he married Esther, the daughter of Pst Joseph.
Pastor Victor worked with his father-in-law and was part of the massive New Life movement that continues to shape the Christian landscape in the country to this day.
His book is available on Amazon, Kindle, and Flipkart. Read it and be blessed.