Sunny’s call to service

Posted Feb 13, 2018 in Leadership

When Rev Sunil “Sunny” Kadaparambil first heard God calling him to ministry in India, the idea of serving in remote Australia was something that had never occurred to him. Now, many years later, Sunny finds himself about to begin his second remote area ministry placement as Patrol Minister in the Parkin-Sturt Patrol.

Born in India, Sunny dedicated years of his life to studying philosophy, theology and diaconate ministry, and was ordained into the Catholic Church in 2000. He worked at schools, churches and nursing homes in Mumbai before moving to Australia where he started working in prison ministry in 2008.

Sunny completed ministry training through Trinity College in Queensland, and was inducted into the Uniting Church in 2014. He became the Remote Patrol Minister for the Cunnamulla – Burke and Wills Patrol that year, serving communities across 450,000 square kilometres in the south-west of Queensland.

“It was my childhood dream to become a missionary, and this was the reason I joined Frontier Services as a Patrol Minister in 2014,” Sunny recalls.

“Jesus was always reaching out to people, and I felt a call to follow his example by reaching out to those families and communities that are often hardest to physically reach.”

Sunny has followed this call from Queensland to South Australia where he will serve as the Patrol Minister for the combined Parkin-Sturt Patrol from April 2018.

The Parkin-Sturt Patrol covers a large area stretching north to the Queensland and Northern Territory borders, and east of the Stuart Highway, from Port Augusta to Marla in the Far North. Sunny will be taking over this position from Pastor Paul Glazbrook, who concluded his placement in December 2017.

“Although I had already been working for three and a half years in the Cunnamulla Patrol, I heard God telling me it was time to move on to ministry in a new location,” Sunny explains.

Sunny’s background in patrol ministry will serve him well as moves to South Australia as he is already aware of the many issues facing those in remote communities – particularly their struggles with drought, isolation and loneliness.

“I aim to offer support to the individuals and families living in remote South Australia – pastoral, moral and practical support. I try to become part of the lives of the people I visit, to truly listen to them and to offer comfort where possible. I have a heart for the outback, an ear to listen to stories, and a mind to comfort others in their struggles,” he says.

“In the Cunnamulla Patrol, I had several opportunities to witness people who had once moved away from God’s love seek a return to God. The Lord has used this time again and again to strengthen and empower my calling to ministry and to enhance my ability to minister effectively in outback communities.

“I hope to continue in this path by serving in the Parkin-Sturt Patrol and am excited to begin forming relationships with people in remote South Australia in 2018. It is my dream to be a patrol minister for a long period of time.”

For more information about remote ministry and Frontier Services, please visit frontierservices.org or call 1300 787 247.

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