Pastor VJ and Bimla Patel planted Mission Christian Centre in 2001.

VJ was born in India, came to NZ at the age of 3 and was saved at 4 years old at Stratford Baptist church. During his Auckland University years, he experienced a miraculous encounter with God, which established his call to missions especially in India.

In 1976, while working with the Assemblies of God in Fiji, he met his wife Bimla. After 6 years of teaching Maths/Computing at Mt Roskill Grammar and 21 years of project leading in Computer software, VJ and Bimla planted and began pastoring the church. VJ also continued working part time as a Maths/ Computing teacher at Odyssey House Rehabilitation Centre in Mt Albert. Bimla worked for over 20 years in Cadburys, while involved in church Pastoring, and leading the children’s and women’s groups. VJ and Bimla led the AGNZ Indian Ethnic Senior Pastor’s group for 4 years.

VJ and Bimla have one son and one daughter, both married with children. They have been involved in six mission’s trips to India, ministering in over 20 churches and have taken two teams for missions there, seeing many wonderful miracles of healing/deliverance and moves of God. Their heart is to “prepare people for missions and ministry”. They have a strong emphasis on getting to know the Word of God and the Spirit of God and believing for the miraculous. VJ has an MA degree (Christian Studies and Leadership), a BE(Mech) and a diploma in Teaching.