Our friend and Bishop, the recently retired Bishop Sanjay Arvind Gorde passed away on Monday, 18 September 2017. After having health issues for quite some time, he stepped into eternity at the early age of 53. The Funeral service and burial took place on Tuesday, 19 September at his hometown Kolhapur, Maharashtra, and was conducted by the Apostles Sanjay Shastri and Pravin Gajbhiv.
Born on 25 April 1964, Bishop Sanjay Gorde was ordained as Bishop on 23 March 2002 by Chief Apostle Richard Fehr. He served for more than 15 years as a Bishop during which he worked mainly in the state of Maharashtra in the districts of Kolhapur, Solhapur, and Pune. Before getting into full-time ministry he was involved in the construction of our church buildings, and for many years he was also a zealous teaching faculty. Due to serious health issues, Bishop Gorde was relieved from active ministry on 2 September 2017.
Many Apostles, Bishops, and brothers with whom he worked were also present at his funeral to bid their friend and Bishop a tearful goodbye. He leaves behind his wife Neha Sanjay Gorde and his four children (three girls and one boy).