The Gospel Association of India was founded on the southeastern costal plains of Andhra Pradesh, in India by Rev.Rajaratnam Bandela father of Rev.Yesu Bandela.

Rev.Rajaratnam was saved on September 10, 1944. On October 16, 1944, he felt the call of the Lord for full-time ministry and resigned his position as the headmaster of a school. GAI recognizes this day as the day of his birth. Ever since then, there was no turning back for Rev. Rajaratnam. One passion became his life's goal - to preach the Gospel in season and out of season. The days were tough and the weather was rough. But the founding father trod on. The Lord honored His humble servant's labor. By 1967, GAI had grown to 22 full-time pastors and 50 churches. It was a stupendous fruit God gave to GAI.

As the Lord was building His kingdom, the enemy too was digging graves for the Lord's faithfulness. The saintly servant was martyred on June 22, 1967, when he fell a prey to the fury of a religious fanatic. But as the Lord told that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it would not bring forth life, so was this martyrdom, to see many more saved and come to the Lord.

The dying words of his father Rev. Rajaratnam became the clarion call when he took his son to himself and said to young Yesu, 'Son forgive the murderer take over the Lord's ministry of GAI'. Ever since then, what had been his father's passion became the undying passion of young Yesu to reach out and stretch out to the lost and the lonely souls of the great land of India.

Under Yesu Bandela's leadership, GAI has grown to be a significant mission outreach to all of India, and a local ministry with more than 167 pastors in 200 churches and with an outreach network in 450 villages and towns. Gospel Hall in Vijayawada, India, is the headquarters for the Indian ministry.