1. We praise God for 34 new believers (from 3 clusters) who came to know about Christ last month. Kindly pray for our GOSPEL workers as they guide these new believers into a life of discipleship.
2. More training for evangelists was held in our Northern region last month. 42 GOSPEL workers from the clusters spend an intensive few days considering various aspects of doctrine and on preparing and delivering sermons.
3. Please pray for the special programmes and events planned in our mission fields for celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We request you kindly pray for the non-believers participating in the programmes to receive Jesus Christ and that their hearts and minds would be open to understanding that God came to the earth to save and give us eternal life through Christ.
4. Unrest, Opposition and Persecution
- Kindly pray for the Alirajpur cluster of Madhya Pradesh as the district Superintendent of Police gave instructions to all police stations that: “Special events, prayer meeting, new programs and healing meetings are not allowed without their permission. Christmas and New Year services should happen only inside the Church”. This is a precaution taken to prevent unrest during Christmas celebrations which has happened in the past. Please pray that the Lord will protect GOSPEL workers and gospel work during the Christmas times.
- Pray also for the government of India in its anti-Christian stand. A major ‘Christian’ development agency from outside of India has had its license to receive funds from abroad cancelled. Many charitable organizations are afraid that this will happen to them soon.
- Please pray for the state elections in Gujarat. These will be held on the 1st and 5th of December 2022. Politicians often stir up anti-Christian sentiments during elections times. Pray for a peaceful atmosphere
during the election period in our Gujarat mission fields.
5. Another annual seminar will be held for all on 14th and 15th December 2022. As well as good teaching, these annual events are important for encouragement and team building. May God continue to bless these times
of refreshment in his grace.
6. Please praise God for this wonderful 20 year partnership where believers in Australia and New Zealand are able to stand together with evangelists in India, fulfilling the great commission in amongst marginalized and poor tribal
people.
To God be the glory.
Lots to give thanks for and lots to plead before the throne of grace.
1. In January, twelve men and women from South Gujarat and the Saputara cluster received baptism and received Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Praise be to God.
2. “Compassionate Catalogue’s” Nutrition Program enhances the ministry of G.O.S.P.E.L. Thirty anaemic pregnant women received nutritious food supplements in Gujarat and Rajasthan. (Please continue to remember the rural poor women in India who never get to see any health professionals.)
3. On Friday 16th of February, we are planning to have a special ‘Ladies rally” at the Narmada mission field. Please pray for the fellowship of these women, so they can be encouraged and in return, be a great blessing to others.
4. a. Pray for two families from Barwani Cluster as they are being pressured by the RSS (Hind militant group) to renounce their faith. RSS members threatened them to stop going to church. Please pray that they may receive strength from the Lord and continue to have trust in Jesus.
b. There is an increase of persecution to Christians in different fields in our ministry. There is a growing insecurity among our people and our leaders and pastors find it difficult to gather together for baptisms or other Christian activities. (Some believers have stopped going to church altogether.
5. There are people coming to the Lord from the “high” Rajput (son of King) caste in Udaipur cluster. Often people from higher castes reject those from the lower castes in India, but the Lord is changing hearts and minds and few families from the Rajput background accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and King.
1. Christmas 2020 was a wonderful opportunity to share gospel message amongst the many villages. We thank God for his protection of all our teams.
2. By the grace of God, our workers could distribute 1000 bibles to new believers in the month of December and January.
3. Prayer meetings were conducted all over our mission fields. We “waited upon the Lord” to lead and guide us in the New Year in the ministry of GOSPEL.
4. In many places in the mission field, where GOSPEL workers are involved in church planting, anti-Christians groups agitate and demand that those who become Christians must no longer be eligible for government benefits; which are only available for tribals under Tribal Welfare Programs. So, they try to hinder people from turning to Christ.
1. Praise God for the wonderful harvest in 2019. God was pleased to add 1104 new converts to his fold in 2019. The team of evangelists were richly blessed for their efforts in proclaiming Jesus in the field. They are encouraged to go on with zeal in 2020. At the January day of prayer and planning (held in every cluster), they asked God to enable them to harvest 1500 more souls this year.
2. We thank God for the wonderful Christmas programs conducted in different clusters last year. Many Hindus attended. The Gospel was presented and all programs were presented without any hindrance.
3. Although there was no persecution at Christmas time, there have been some threats from Hindu fanatics. Missionaries have been told not to conduct meetings in certain villages. As well some of our team have had various illnesses. Please uphold the team in prayer.
1. Our GOSPEL workers and team leaders praise God for the good harvest in the year 2021. Despite the pandemic and lockdown situation in India, our Lord has been faithful in the GOSPEL ministry to get a good harvest and added 1214 new souls, 22 worship groups and 54 prayer cells in the year 2021. We praise and thank our Sovereign Lord for His eternal plan to bring his chosen people into his fold. (We did not administer baptism due to Covid.)
2. In January all our GOSPEL workers spent a whole day thanking the Lord for His gracious presence in the difficult times and were praying and seeking guidance for 2022 to reach more and more new souls for Christ through preaching the gospel.
3. There has been rapid rise of Covid cases in India. We need your special prayers for our GOSPEL workers to conduct Sunday worship and other mission activities as we are only allowed to gather with a few people at a time.
4. Our GOSPEL workers in the mission field of Central Gujarat cluster praise God for 36 new believers who accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. They also thank God for two more new congregations at Pipliya and Kasala villages, which came to existence in the month of January. Our GOSPEL worker, Ramlal Kharady working in Udaipur Mission Field gives thanks to God for ten new families at Pipalbara village. Kindly uphold Ramlal Kharady and new believers in your prayer. Mohansingh Thomas and Chandu Bathya Parmar from Alirajpur mission field praise our Lord for eight new families from Ajanda and Sandha villages. Kindly remember these new believers to be nurtured in Christ.
5. Persecution. Many thousands of Christian (and Muslim) ministries have been told that they may no longer receive funding from overseas. The Indian government is seeking to actively resist the spread of the Gospel. Many states of India have now passed anti-conversion laws. Christians are being discriminated against and often face acts of violence against them.
From “Open Doors”:
The persecution of Christians in India is intensifying as Hindu extremists aim to cleanse the country of their presence and influence. The driving force behind this is Hindutva, an ideology that disregards Indian Christians and other religious minorities as true Indians because they have allegiances that lie outside India, and asserts the country should be purified of their presence. This is leading to a systemic, and often violent and carefully orchestrated, targeting of Christians and other religious minorities, including use of social media to spread disinformation and stir up hatred.