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Brief Report On the Fall 2013 Seminars

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by Ryder Kumar, International Director.

Hyderabad

As the participants gathered in South India the scenario was a clear display of the accomplishment of our purpose of equipping and training. Vara Prasad, who had been attending the seminars regularly and shown diligence in study, said, “I am so blessed by the training received during the seminars that whenever I minister the Word, there is a greater interest in the congregation and there are new people joining the church. The course on Church history has been a very helpful subject. We have studied about Roman Catholics which motivated me to teach in my village. As a result of this, some Roman Catholic people came to know truth and two families have started to attend the Church services. Please pray as they desire to witness in the waters of baptism.” It was an honor for me to co-teach this seminar with Casey Danley.

Casey Danley co-teaches in Hyderabad

Casey Danley co-teaches in Hyderabad

Vijayawada

Following the Hyderabad seminar, two special events took place in Vijayawada. The first was a dedication of the first baby (Ruhamah) of our first STN India pastor, Isaac, and his wife, Usha. The other event was the baptism of Stephy.

baptism-2013Vijayawada Baby-dedication

Lucknow

Our final seminar was in Lucknow where we had 31 participants gathered to study Church history. Here is what Jose Simon, the principal of village school said, “It was interesting to know how God brought the gospel through the ages. In history God has made known His manifold wisdom through His Church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly realms. God warned me to love the people of other faiths as we studied about the Crusades, which failed to demonstrate the love of Christ. I was challenged by Martin Luther who responded by being motivated by the Word Of God, to bring reformation ….” It was a blessing to co-teach this seminar with Kishore Mathews.

Kishore Mathews co-teaches in Lucknow

Kishore Mathews co-teaches in Lucknow

Funding Advisory Board

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give-receiveGod has blessed Shepherding the Nations with many donors and resources. He is working in this ministry in many ways. We can never have enough prayer, funds or support for such a wonderful ministry that evangelizes and teaches the truth of God’s Word. Our desire to serve Him and grow this ministry for God’s glory has lead us to form a new Fundraising Advisory Board (FAB) for the sole purpose to raise funds, recruit new donors and increase awareness for the ministry of STN.

This September our new board will have its first meeting. We will be planning and executing programs such as shopping at stores who donate to STN everytime you purchase, applying for grants, providing instruction on making STN a beneficiary to wills and much more. We will also plan fun events to help raise funds and expose more people to the STN ministry.

If you are interested in helping on this new Fundraising Advisory Board (even in a limited way), or if you’d like to learn more, please contact Mike Vos at 805-889-7220 or michaellvos@gmail.com.

Most of all we know God is the one who provides. He loves it when we humble ourselves and ask Him for wisdom, guidance and blessing on ministries such as STN that exalts and magnifies Him; therefore we thank you for your continued prayers and support and may God be glorified in all we do.

A Testimony of Being Equipped

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We were pleased to receive the following testimony from one of our Bible Conference pastors:

“The Lord worked in an amazing way when He led us to Rev. Kumar through my brother and Pastor Paul Brown.

As a result, both my brother and I were able to attend STN training seminars in Hyderabad that were of great help to me as I had no knowledge of preaching or teaching and a great need of being equipped as a pastor.

The course material of BTCP and the other tools like the Concordance, the Study Bible and Dictionary have been of great help to me in my studies and in preparing for my sermons with the interaction with the teachers influenced me and left an indelible impression on me to grow into a spirited pastor and preacher.

Due to such effective training, by the grace of God, two churches have been planted in Andhra Pradesh with one having 70 people in attendance, the other 50, all of whom regularly attend the worship every Sunday with their families.

Every Sunday, I teach the Bible and, as of now, have completed the Books of Malachi and Nahum. My brother and I also started the BTCP Training Centre for 35 pastors in Vijayawada, my home-town, where I am also teaching as a member of the faculty.

Thanks to the help of STN, I am now in a position to preach sound doctrine at my church. I profoundly believe that God Himself has given me this rare and wonderful opportunity to grow in Christ spiritually through STN.

I witness His blessing in every family that attends our church. The church attendees also often express their gratitude and gratefulness to the STN for being instrumental in thus fortifying their lives and families spiritually.

Presently, STN is supporting me financially since in each of my churches the monthly offerings are as low as 600 to 1000 rupees (USD $10 to $17). At times, one loses sleep thinking about making both ends meet as such scanty creature comforts often pose a threat even to one’s spiritual growth.

But, by God’s grace, manifest through STN financial aid, I am living a better life than in the past.

I wholeheartedly acknowledge with thankfulness that STN has changed my life’s destiny and helped mold me into an unworthy servant of Christ.

Please know that I am forever grateful to STN for enriching me through sound teaching and for giving me the enviable mission of bringing about a multi-dimensional transformation in our community.”

Pastor I. K.

Did You Think I Was Immortal?

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Recent developments in medical science have given people the hope that they will live longer, healthier lives. Unfortunately, no matter how long and how healthy our lives turn out to be, we will all ultimately die. Last week Emmy Award winning actor James Gandolfini died at the age of 51. Whitney Houston, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Michael Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln all died relatively young. Other famous people (Betty White, Bob Hope) live to be 90 or older. The key to life is not its length but its depth. It’s not how many days we live, but how we live our days.

Consider the last words of some famous people just before they died: Winston Churchill said, “I’m bored with it all.” Queen Elizabeth I announced, “All my possessions for a moment of time.” By contrast, John Quincy Adams testified, “This is the last of earth! I am content.”

502px-Louis-xiv-lebrunl

Charles Le Brun [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Louis XIV, King of France, asked onlookers, “Why do you weep? Did you think I was immortal?” Actually, we are. We will each spend eternity in heaven or in hell—the choice is ours.

At STN we are laboring to be obedient to the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20). Since none of us knows how many days we have left we are laboring to fully train men who will fully train men who will fully train men long after we are gone (2 Tim. 2:2). We know it’s not the length but the depth! That is why we are investing in the lives and ministries of church-planting pastors in India & Nepal. We have about 80 men who will graduate from our 5-year training program in March 2014. They are already active in full-time ministry but more than half of them still need financial support to be freed up to reach more people with the Gospel and plant more healthy churches. For $2 per day you could support one of these men so they can take the Gospel to unreached people.

Now that the training of these men is almost completed, STN is at a crossroads. We are getting requests from all over India & Nepal to train hundreds of other men. The STN International Board will be meeting on Saturday, July 6th to seek the Lord regarding the future of our ministry and where to invest our time and resources. Thank you for praying for the men who have been in training. Thank you for praying for each of the training conferences. Thank you for praying for the leadership of STN India. Thank you for praying for the leadership of STN International. Thank you for praying for God to abundantly supply the resources needed to equip and support more men. There is a combined population of 1.3 billion people in India & Nepal and most of them do not know our Savior. It is a privilege to work with you to reach them. It’s not how many days we live, but how we live our days. Thank you for living yours for eternity!

Thank you for Filling the Truck

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by Jeff Forbes

There are hero’s who walk among us who quietly live their lives without fan fare or spectacle. Who are not desirous of the attention due them, for the mercies they bestow. They are vessels of honor, filled to the brim for the sole purpose of being poured out.

To some their actions may seem trivial, but their impact like the ripples of a stone once cast into the water, can reach nations with God’s love. Such are those who gave so abundantly during our recent clothes drive to benefit the homeless, while, at the same time, raising much-needed funds for “Saving the Nations.”

On behalf of all of those you have blessed and will never know your name or your face, but who will stand in awe at the miraculous way God has fulfilled their need, I say thank you.

Thank you for giving of yourself, and know that because of your generosity, a child could go to school not embarrassed for the first time because of what he or she was wearing or that a woman in her first new dress could look in the mirror and, as never before, see that she has value beyond her circumstance.

You have made it possible for pastors on the other side of the world to be trained and strengthened in God’s Word.

Imagine that a pair of pants or shoes, a shirt or a dress given by you, not only clothed the needy, but assisted in training a pastor and quite possibly helped to usher a lost soul into the arms of Christ.

Thank you for participating in God’s plan and economy and may our Lord and Savior richly bless you with the unshakable joy of serving Him!

Hyderabad Seminar

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From Ryder:

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This is our Hyderabad seminar on the first day. People were awake, diligent and in the spirit of learning. Thanks for praying.

Both Sean and I have poured out our hearts to reach the hearts of the pastors at the Hyderabad Seminar. We had wonderful time. It’s good to observe the diligence, desire and determination in these pastors to study and reach out to others.  The hall in which these pastors sat has air conditioning.

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unao-pastorK.B. and S. are a great source of encouragement with their consistent ministry over three decades that has brought several hundreds to the Lord. Many of them were under demonic oppression, possession and influence, but they turned away from their idol worship and turned to the Lord. Struggles and persecution have not disturbed their ministry and, as a result, many people have joined their congregation and the whole sanctuary at Unnao is filled on Sundays. They are dedicated to reaching their entire region for the Lord. “People having no room sit close to the pulpit,” says K.B. Persecution is a reality in the area as one of the churches that K.B. and S. planted has been attacked with the worship services halted by force. Please pray for the pastor of the church (above), his congregation, and both K.B. and S., who seek your support to spread the Gospel in India and Nepal.

Amazing Growth and Worship

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Ryder Kumar reports:

Sunday Worship

The Lord blessed our time of worship and ministry of the Word at Ravi’s assembly in Hyderabad.

hyderabad-worship

Over 50 were present with songs of worship inspiring all there to fall at the feet of Jesus Christ.

Lucknow Seminar Conclusion:

The seminar at Lucknow ended giving all of us a true blessing.

lucknow-conference

Unfortunately, only a few testimonies were allowed at the closing session because of time constraints. A pastor from the state of Jharkhand in the north of India told us with tears in his eyes that, “We are so grateful for the equipping ministry we have been receiving. The lessons learnt through these courses have been source of blessing and we were teaching our churches. As a result our church from 30 to 40 members grew to 120 members.”

Sean Ransom – My First Impressions

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Sunday I had my first exposure to believers in India at Bethel Church.  It reminded me of Filipino churches with its modest facilities and humble members.  While the young people sat on the floor, (I think I can say this here – Indian style), us older folks sat on chairs in the back.  I enjoyed how they worshipped in song and it caused me to reflect on how some of the “experts” in the U.S. would be frowning on it.  Making the case for excellence, these “experts” teach that when worship God we have to have the best.  Yet this humble church doesn’t have world-class musicians or the best and costliest instruments as some pastors insist is the correct way to worship in song.  They simply had dear, godly people singing from the heart to the best of their ability with what they had.  An accordion like squeeze box, an old acoustic guitar, some congas and a few tambourines were accompanied by enthusiastic clapping and their loudest instruments of all…their voices.  The music simply accompanied the singing as they worshipped God.

They were receptive and appreciative of my preaching from 2 Cor. 5:15-17, which pastor Suresh Mathews passionately translated.  I could tell that he had done this before as we developed a rhythm and moved through the text together.  My favorite lessons that I have learned from traveling, teaching and meeting many people in various countries and cultures are that at our core, we are basically the same.  We all were made to worship and relate with others, which is hindered by sin.  And second, it is not just America and Americans that are God’s country and people, but the whole world is His and He has children in every nation that are His or will be His.