God of All: Abhimanue Reddy Vonteddu’s Story

Finding His Way to the Lord

Abhimanue (Aby) Reddy Vonteddu was born into a Hindu family in India. He feels his overall upbringing was “normal,” but his family was not overly religious.

That all began to change in 1997, when he and some friends were walking through his hometown and passed by a Christian church. Aby recalls being drawn in by the music coming from within its walls. He walked inside, where he encountered a youth fellowship session. The people there were very welcoming, so Aby remained there for the rest of the night.

“The worship attracted me, and I wanted that in my life,” Aby says.

Aby went back to the church week after week. One night, a young woman gave him a copy of the Bible. In reading its pages, Aby found a newfound joy for the spiritual journey he had started. Yet he remained secular like his family before him, and desired to learn more about all religions and how they work.

In December 1998, Aby distinctly remembers reading the Gospel in which Jesus talks about being the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him.

“When I read that, I took offense,” Aby says. “It threatened my secular foundation, because I had firmly believed all gods were the same, and there was no room for any monotheistic thinking. Here, I was facing Jesus, who was begging to differ. I could not come to terms with that.”

Because his secular beliefs were being challenged, Aby became curious about what other religions had to say on the topic. In reading the Quran, he learned they believe in only one God, Allah. Buddhists say there is no God: instead, the power is within the believer.

At the end of all his research, Aby felt “thoroughly confused.” He did not know where to go from there.

Throughout this journey, though, Aby continued attending the church, as he enjoyed the youth fellowship sessions and the people there. He noticed that all their prayers ended with “In Jesus’s name, amen.”

A below-average student until that point, Aby began to sense God’s unprecedented goodness and grace in his life whenever he prayed in Jesus’s name. That very year, he won a debate competition, won a gold medal in the Youth Wing of the Indian Army, got nominated to represent his country for a youth exchange program, and more — all in a span of one year.

“With every passing day, I was more and more convinced that Jesus alone was God,” Aby says.

While he was reacquainting himself with the Lord, he decided to take up full-time ministry. Yet, in order to do good ministry, Aby learned he first needed to attend seminary school.

The reality, though, was that Aby could not afford it, so he entered the corporate banking world instead. He took a job at General Electric Consumer Finance Corporation in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, followed by a role as an executive management assistant at Union Bank of Switzerland.

“Then the Lord opened a door for me to join a Christian ministry called The Gideons International in India,” Aby says. “All the experience I had in the corporate sector came in handy, helping me work for that ministry and watch it grow.”

In January 2021, after 12 years with The Gideons International, Aby began to pray to God for what was next. The year also marked the death of his mother.

“It was heavy on my heart to seek a change in terms of what God had in store for me,” Aby says. “That is when the Lord impressed upon my heart again about the desire that was almost two decades old — to join the seminary.”

Aby applied to the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and was accepted. When he and his family arrived in Chicago, they met some good friends who told them that in order to enroll their kids in a better school district, they might want to look in the suburbs instead of downtown. With the move out of the city, Aby realized it was not practical to travel downtown every day for his studies at Moody.

He learned about the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), applied for a transfer, and began classes within a week.

“What an excellent decision that was, in hindsight, to come to TEDS,” Aby says. “It was here that I learned about several aspects of Christian ministry and thoroughly enjoyed being taught by renowned faculty.”

He adds, “It was a beautiful time of learning — something I cherish. What also humbled me was how the faculty themselves were lovers of God, the Gospel, and what they were doing. This only further encouraged those who were in pursuit of the word of God.”

What was particularly memorable about Aby’s experience was fellowship with his peers from places like Asia and Africa. The experience equipped him for his current role as senior international representative for national associations with The Gideons International. As he travels across the globe, Aby is able to understand different cultures and exhibit cultural sensitivity.

“It is such a joy to have found my calling,” Aby says. “I am thankful to God, especially for my time at Trinity, which was very fruitful for me.”

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