Dr. Pradeep Stephen
Pastor

Dr. Stephen co-founded EL Bethel International Ministries (ELBIM) with his wife, Kiruba in 2011. He serves as the Lead Pastor of El Bethel International Ministries Church in Port Jervis, NY and is the President of the organization. Since the year 2000, Pastor Pradeep has authored various articles on important Biblical topics, which has drawn many to the Heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the host and a speaker of the God of Wonders radio and television program, proclaiming the Word of God to many around the world. Dr. Stephen has preached domestically and internationally in the U.S. from New York to California, as well as in Canada and India in various churches and taught apologetics at Elim Bible Training Institute in India on a visit to the sub-continent in 2000. In addition to this, he has taught weekday anger management classes and preached the Gospel in Sunday chapel services to drug addicts and the incarcerated at Crossroads Inc., a secular rehabilitation center in Connecticut. Pastor Pradeep has ministered at numerous faith-based rehab centers as well, such as Teen Challenge Centers across the states and Rescue Missions from Las Vegas to New York. He has also ministered to the men at the NYC Bowery Mission through teaching the Word of God during their Sunday night chapel services and has seen the Lord work in many lives. Pastor Pradeep and his blessed wife, Kiruba share a deep burden for the lost in their immediate community and as a result, have hosted a lecture series on Biblical History and have also led "Life-Transforming" Bible studies at their local YMCA.

Dr. Stephen was born in a traditional Christian home and was baptized as an infant. He was afflicted with severe, chronic asthma at the age of 8, which led him to read the book of Proverbs. The Word of God enabled him to see his own sinful condition and his need for God. This prompted a serious inquiry into the things of God concerning salvation. Due to worldly distractions, this process, however, went on for some time. In the meantime, the asthmatic condition worsened, which caused him to miss many months of school.

Growing up with a fear of the future due to the debilitating illness, he began to read books on managing the disease, including the use of self-hypnosis. Pastor Pradeep also tried prescribed breathing exercises from his doctor as well as swimming and other activities, but to no avail. After reading the Bible and realizing his traditional infant baptism was unscriptural, he obeyed the Lord in the waters of baptism in an apostolic church in Brooklyn at the age of 18 in 1989. Dr. Stephen began to evangelize very actively after his salvation to whomever the Lord would have cross his path, whether next door or on the bus, train, park, store, job, school, etc.

Engaging in youth ministries and teaching Sunday school spurred his desire to learn as much as he could about the Lord from the Bible and spiritual books. Salvation through Jesus Christ made him aware of eternity and the hunger and thirst for His Righteousness increased all the more. Pastor Pradeep also began to actively support ministries and missions as the Lord gave him a burden for the lost. He was mentored by seasoned ministers during his adolescence and partook in the NYC Billy Graham Crusade in 1990 as an usher through his home church in Brooklyn, NY.

Although, he desired to be a missionary, Pastor Pradeep was still apprehensive about the asthma potentially becoming fatal if one of his two potent medications should become unavailable while on the mission field. At this time, undergoing great anxiety over this condition, he was introduced to the Divine healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ by an older brother in Christ named Wally, who had previously been his piano instructor during his childhood. Following a brief session of exhortation to trust the Word of the Lord in Matthew 18:19 and a simple, faith-filled prayer, Dr. Stephen was assured of his healing, although it was yet to be manifest physically. While he felt the sickness still present in his body, he faithfully followed brother Wally’s counsel to read the portions of Scriptures on healing to strengthen his faith as well to praise God for the healing even before feeling it in his own body. Dr. Stephen was miraculously healed of the 11-year scourge of asthma in May of 1990!

Pastor Pradeep sought the Baptism of the Holy Spirit following this great deliverance and was blessed with the power to witness more effectively for the Lord and believe God for the supernatural. While ministering in college and on his job, the Lord gloriously saved a number of young men. During this time, the parents of the young men (mothers and fathers who ranged from heart surgeon and engineer to former mafia gang member and hailing from various cultural backgrounds), requested him to help their sons to get closer to the Lord. This led to weekly Bible studies in the local community center and in various homes. For a season, he also helped local homeless missions and church planters in NYC.

Dr. Stephen received his Bachelor of Science from Brooklyn College, NY and received his Master of Science Degree in Childhood Education (MSEd) from Metropolitan College of New York. He served as a teacher at Calvary Christian Academy in NJ, where he had the joy and privilege of not only teaching his students their academic subjects, but also in leading them to the Lord Jesus Christ. He received his post-master's degree as an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) from Liberty University, Virginia in 2010. By the grace of God, he also earned his Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree in Educational Leadership from Liberty University in 2017. He has also completed theology studies for the Certified Minister's credential at Berean School of the Bible, Global University (Assemblies of God) in 2003 and is an ordained minister credentialed by the Association of Evangelical Gospel Assemblies (AEGA International). He is currently studying for the M.Div. degree as well for the glory of His Savior.

Dr. Stephen is forever grateful to the Lord for bestowing His wonderful mercy upon him in giving him salvation, healing, and the calling to shepherd and strengthen the local body of believers as well as to reach the world for Christ. Sound exposition of the Word is a great concern for him, as many have sadly, “turned away from the truth” in our generation. His prayer and vision is to see many desire and flourish under true Spirit-led preaching manifested in the, “demonstration of the Spirit and power” in these last days before the Lord’s return. By the grace of God, he continues to minister through preaching, teaching and writing for the glory of his Lord.

 

Pastor Kiruba Stephen
Servant of the Lord

Pastor Kiruba Stephen is an ordained minister whose earnest desire is for the people of her generation to know the awesome love and power of the Resurrected Christ. She is the founder and executive director of EL BETHEL INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES and co-pastors, ELBIM church in Port Jervis, NY along with her husband, Pastor Pradeep Stephen. She has witnessed the mighty move of the Lord in bringing conviction, repentance, deliverance, salvation, healing, and anointing to many men, women and children of all ages in her ministry travels to over 32 states in the U.S., in Canada and in India.

Pastor Kiruba was born and raised in a godly home. In her early years, she was very close to her spiritually gifted grandmother. Her grandmother went to be with the Lord on January 26, 1985. After this, Pastor Kiruba underwent a year of torment in which she could not sleep properly, because of the fear of death.

She was led to salvation by her mother on the night of January 26, 1986, at the age of ten as she received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. The Lord removed the fear of death that had been tormenting her and replaced it instead with great joy and peace. The following May as she attended Vacation Bible School, the Lord blessed her with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Since then, the Lord began to use her over the years in grade school and college to bring many students from various religious backgrounds to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Kiruba obeyed the Lord in waters of baptism on August 18, 1991. She received a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Suny Purchase, NY, and a Masters in Childhood Education and Special Education from Long Island University, NY. She is an ordained minister credentialed by the Association of Evangelical Gospel Assemblies (AEGA International). Her greatest joy comes from worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth. She happily shares the ministry calling with her husband in reaching out to hurting souls.

She has ministered in faith-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation including over 35 Teen Challenge centers from NY to California and the Walter Hoving Home in NY, CA and Las Vegas, NV. Pastor Kiruba also ministers at secular drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, homeless missions, nursing homes, state universities and has seen many come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

As a gifted and anointed singer/songwriter who operates in the prophetic call, she has a great passion for churches to be strengthened and to fulfill their God-ordained destiny as well. Aside from a great love for the Body of Christ at large, Pastor Kiruba has a special heart to train girls and women to serve the Lord in their unique, God-given role as Spirit-empowered vessels of honor to bring down His Presence and His Kingdom at home and wherever they are situated. 

For Pastor Kiruba, an effective personal prayer life is the key to transforming one to a, “Proverbs 31-kind of woman.” True spirituality for a daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords means that the routine, domestic duties in caring for one’s family as well as the extraordinary manifestations of God’s glory in ministry while caring for the Church of Jesus Christ, are both befitting for a dignified woman as experiences of godly fulfillment. This wonderful Life in Jesus can genuinely show forth in the daily life of a servant of the Lord, provided our understanding, loving and sacrificial attitude, and faithful diligence all draw on the generous and powerful Presence of God through seeking Him with all the heart, with all the soul, with all the mind, and with all the strength.

“I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), must be the true and continuous confession, day and night, of the one who trusts Christ to empower her, just He has promised. Such a person will have a, “performance of those things that were told her.” - Luke 1:45.

Pastor Kiruba is blessed to be a wife and a mother of five precious children and is a firm believer that a woman’s first ministry is to her own family in the home. She cheerfully takes on the privilege of meeting the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of her husband and children. Thus, as a family they share the overflowing joy of serving the Lord together in these exciting end times before our Lord’s triumphant return!

 

Gincy Thomas
ELBIM Church Secretary

At a young age, Gincy came to know the reality of God's existence after listening to a sermon at church. She gave her heart to the Lord, was baptized in water on Dec 5, 1999 and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. She had a hunger and thirst for the living God and to truly see His power and glory. She shared God’s Word with students in high school and college, being privileged to see them come to Christ to the glory of God. Gincy encouraged people to trust in the living God for all of life's situations.

She did her baccalaureate studies in Physical Therapy at MGM Medical College in Indore, MP, India and received her Masters degree in Kinesiology at Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas. She currently resides in Port Jervis, NY with her husband and three blessed children. She is grateful for her present vocation in a medical setting, as a witness to her patients, of the Greatest Physician, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who created all things and ultimately knows how to heal our bodies, minds and most importantly, our souls!

She is blessed to be part of El Bethel International Ministries since 2011. She helps in church activities and along with her husband, ministers among the seniors in local nursing homes. Her passion is to continue to grow in the Lord and serve the Lord along with her family and to see many people come to know the power of Christ in these last days!

 

Stanley Abraham
ELBIM Church Treasurer

Stanley was born and raised in a Christian home, where both his parents served the Lord. His father continues to minister as a pastor in India. Though raised with Christian values and virtues, he had his true conversion and experience of the infilling of the Holy Spirit when he was 18 years old. After receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, almost a month later, he received water baptism on Dec. 5, 1999.

Stanley has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering (BE) from Rajiv Gandhi University, Bhopal, India and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Scranton, Scranton, PA (USA). He worked in the IT field for 5 years in Mumbai. During his stay in Mumbai, he served for 3 years as a Sunday School teacher for 10 to 13 year-old children at the local church he attended. He moved to the US in 2011 to be with his wife. He and his wife Gincy are blessed with three children. While in Mumbai, Stanley used to pray earnestly for spiritual fellowship that would lead him to closer walk with God. As an answer to that prayer, through Divine Providence, he and his wife crossed paths in the US with Pastor Pradeep and Pastor Kiruba in 2011. Since then, he and his family are blessed to be part of ELBIM Church and are grateful to God for the spiritual blessings they have received through the spiritual leadership of Pastor Pradeep and Pastor Kiruba by God’s Gracious Hand.

Serving with ELBIM, Stanley assisted in the livestreaming of the Friday meetings and also helped in the creation of YouTube song videos for the ministry. Together with his wife, Stanley currently holds praise and worship sessions among the seniors at the nursing homes every Thursday, alternating between St. Joseph’s Place in Port Jervis and Schervier Pavillion in Warwick, NY. He counts it a great privilege to be able share the Truth of the Gospel and the Love of Christ among the seniors every week. His desire is to grow in the riches that are found in Christ every day and to see Christ Jesus magnified through ELBIM Church in Port Jervis, the surrounding regions and throughout the world.

All Glory to God!