Covenant Pastor Amos Shakya died May 15, 2025, in Geneva, Illinois. He was 40.
Amos Sakya was born on July 25, 1984, in Dhading, Nepal, the only son of parents Sukhmaya Sakya and Bakhat Bahadur Sakya. He was born and brought up in an orthodox Buddhist family. He came to faith in Christ at the age of 17 after a school friend shared a tract with him.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Tribhuvan University in 2002. He attended Nehemiah Bible Institute in 2004 and the Discipleship Training School under Youth With A Mission in Nepal in 2005. He served as campus ministry staff for Campus Crusade for Christ Nepal from 2002 to 2005 and as youth ministry leader at Parsun Church in Lalitpur, Nepal, from 2003 to 2008.
Amos came to the United States in 2008. He met Roma Tamang in Nepal, and they married on January 15, 2011. Amos served in campus ministry with Youth With A Mission, then as Bhutanese/Nepali ministry leader and co-pastor at Living Water Community Church in Chicago. He received his pastoral license in 2012 from the Illinois Mennonite Conference, and attended Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, earning a master of divinity degree in 2018. He also helped to plant a Nepali-speaking church in Madison, Wisconsin.
Amos was ordained into ministry with the Evangelical Covenant Church in 2018. Following his ordination, he served as a bivocational pastor at Batavia (Illinois) Covenant Church, serving a congregation of Bhutanese and Nepali people called Transformation Christiya Nepali.
Amos preached the gospel, living as a light for Christ. He carried burdens, walked with others in their pain, celebrated joys, and pointed hearts to Christ. He lived his calling with humility and faithfulness. He was firm in the midst of challenges, kept his faith, and helped others. He served not for recognition or reward, but out of love for the Lord and the people God gave him to shepherd. His goal was to see God’s will done on earth as in heaven.
Amos is survived by his wife of 14 years, Roma Shakya, and their children, daughter Yarona Jyoti Shakya and son Yabes Sakya. He is also survived by his parents, Sukhmaya Sakya and Bakhat Bahadur Sakya, a sister and brother-in-law, his extended family, community, and church family.
A service in his honor was held at Batavia Covenant Church on May 21, 2025.
Peace be to his memory.
