Report on a church dedication

Written by our Southern India Regional Directors

God gave us the opportunity to dedicate the church in a remote village during June, 2008. This church was left unfinished for more than a decade due to lack of resources. They used to worship the Lord in a believer’s house. God enabled us to finish the work for His glory and this church is a monument proving God’s faithfulness.

A festive atmosphere prevailed in the entire village especially the believers inviting their near and dear from far off places. A day before the dedication, they prepared sweet meats wearing new apparel. Special meetings were held for three days. On the day of dedication, all the villagers (non-Christians and the village heads) sat through the entire programme and heard the God’s message with rapt attention. Everyone had a love-feast after the dedication.

There are many stories of how the people in this village are born-again and now they are the members of this church. The village was full of idol worshippers and when there was not a single Christian, the work started here more than a decade back. Bro. I., who is now the church elder, narrated how he was paralyzed in his body one morning. He was a follower of another religion and a  disciplined idol worshipper. During one of those days, the pastor visited him sharing the gospel telling him that only Jesus can do the miracle. He challenged the pastor and set him a time limit for his healing. As the pastor faithfully prayed for him, he was restored back to his health. Later he was led to salvation and now his families are the only believers among their relatives.

Bro. J. has a touching testimony to share with us. While working as a laborer in Mumbai city, he came across a pastor who shared the gospel and he responded positively to the message. But at the same time, his teenaged son met with an accident, and both his legs were amputated. This incident was exploited by his relatives, accusing him of believing a strange god who is behind this depressing incident. But this made him all the stronger spiritually, and today as one of the church elders, he is a happy man with his family. (Incidentally his son moves about in a three—wheeler rickshaw) using his hands to pedal it, and he also is born-again.