New Milestones in India
- Russell Board, Regional Director of Continental Asia
INDIA — In late January, World Missions Ministries Executive Director Talmadge Gardner led a special team to minister in three strategic meetings in different regions of India. The team included Russell Board, WMM Regional Director for Continental Asia; Bishop Stan Reynolds of IPHC Pacific Western Network Ministries; Steven Olsgard, Missions Director of Word of Life PH Church in Marysville, California; and Gabriel Tuten, short-term IPHC missionary.”
North India General Conference
In the city of Siliguri, located in the northeast region which shares borders with China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, was the North India General Conference which focused on electing officials and credentialing new ministers. This General Conference had the largest attendance to date, with over 500 ministers present.
The worship sessions were extraordinary, led by gifted and talented pastors with a passion to praise the Lord. As various tribal groups were represented at the conference, some chose to sing and dance in their native language and dress.
Recent years have brought an explosion of growth to the North India work that has not before been seen in its 100+ years of existence. The expansion has been so rapid that the three district conferences had to be doubled to six conferences in order for the structure to keep up with the growth. At the General Conference, elections were held to choose leadership for each of the six conferences, and an Executive Committee was elected to oversee the whole of North India.
It was clearly God's providential timing to bring the General Conference to Siliguri, as only six months earlier a new IPHC missionary couple had arrived to begin a new work there. This national missionary unit has been called and equipped to set up a training center in Siliguri, which aims to train and send out workers into unreached areas all around the region. All the attendees joined Bishop Gardner in praying for this couple and pledged to support this strategic project.
Perhaps the most moving moment of the meetings came when over 200 men and women were welcomed as newly credentialed ministers in the conferences of North India! Most of these servants of God have already planted a church, and many have planted multiple churches! It is clear that God is answering prayers for more laborers in the harvest!
Kerala Silver Jubilee
The second stop for the team was the southern state of Kerala, to join the Silver Jubilee celebration for Father's House International. Rev. Sabu Abraham and his wife Rachel left America 25 years ago to pioneer a new work in Kerala state. They founded a seminary which has trained 500 workers and sent them out to plant churches throughout India.
The team had the privilege of dedicating the new library at the seminary, and to address the new graduates, and pray for their work for the Lord. A number of the alumni came to the celebration to share testimonies of what God has been doing in their ministries. The seed of the Word sown into their lives has brought forth abundant, lasting fruit.
South India General Conference
The third stop on the ministry tour was the city of Hyderabad in central India. There, the General Conference was held to elect leaders for the next four-year term and to set vision and direction for the future. In keeping with the vision for expansion, leadership teams were appointed and prayed for to spearhead outreach into the states of Maharashtra and Orissa.
The credentialing service was especially encouraging, as the team was thrilled to award minister's licenses to dozens of men and women. The special prayers for those who were being ordained brought new levels of anointing and empowerment for greater ministry ahead.
As always, many women were active in support roles behind the scenes to make sure everything ran smoothly. While the ranks of ministers are still predominantly filled by men, it was encouraging to see more women receiving ordination and licenses to preach. We are confident that the best is yet to come for South India!
Prayer and Partnership
- Pray for the leadership in South India, the Bible School there, and the outreach teams working in new areas.
- Pray for the work of IPHC Father's House International, and the seminary teachers who are equipping more laborers for the harvest. Pray for expansion of the library and financial support for the seminary.
- Pray for the national missionaries as they set up the Beyond Borders Training Center to equip and send workers across political, cultural, and linguistic borders.
- Radical Hindus in many states are hostile to Christians. Pray for the churches to be protected from violence, and for the evangelists to be able to preach freely in unreached villages.