Pastor Thomas John was born on June 21st, 1930, in Meenadom, Kerala, India. He was raised in the traditions of the Syrian Orthodox Church. In the year 1949 he was married to the late Mrs Annamma John, who also hailed from the similar Syrian Orthodox background. During the spiritual revival times in Kerala he embraced the Pentecostal experience. He received the call of God upon his life to be an evangelist and dedicated his life to serve the Lord. He took every opportunity in life to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people around him. Subsequent to Bible college training Pastor Thomas John along with his wife was deeply immersed in evangelization and pioneer church planting in Kerala India. God blessed them with six children, and through their own lives, they instilled in each one of them, the love of God and the passion to serve the Lord above everything else.
They came to Calgary, Alberta in 1986 along with two of their younger daughters to live with their oldest son. The John family was one of the founding families of the first Malayalee Christian Fellowship that met every Saturday night to pray and study the Word of God. This group comprising of many other Malayalee families continues to meet till today. Later, they moved to Vancouver and were an integral part of the Kerala Christian Fellowship for over fifteen years. In January 2012, they came to Calgary for a short visit during which time his wife sadly passed away. Subsequently he remained in Calgary until his demise on January 06th, 2013.
Thomas was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and the memories he has left behind will last forever. He is survived by his children Thomas John (Grace), Mariamma Peter (Rev Peter Kuruvilla), Joy John (Lizzy), Varghese John (Mary), Mercy Chacko (Sam), and Jessy Philip (Sydney), eleven grandchildren: Reena, Reni, Stanley, Stacey,Sheril, Shawn, Abel, Nathan, Jehosh, Zinnia and Jonathan; four great grandchildren: Shifa, Chris, Jayden and Daniella.
Thomas John will be remembered by family and friends for his prayer life, and his deep desire to evangelize and reach the lost souls with the love of Jesus Christ. He spent his time, immersed in the Word of God and seeking revelation that he used every opportunity to share with those around him.
A celebration of Pastor Thomas John's life and a reception will be held on Saturday January 12 at 11:00, Full Gospel Tabernacle, 155 Falconridge Crescent NE, Calgary, followed by graveside service at Mountainview Memorial Gardens.