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Archives for April 2013

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.

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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.

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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.

Updates from the On-going Conference in India

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from Ryder,

The STN board  [STN-India board] had a  meaningful five-hour meeting on Saturday the April 6th. They are not only excited about the achievements of STN International’s efforts but expectantly looking forward for graduation next year. There is also a great anticipation for an onward program of teaching BTCP. A new batch of participants in India would be ready for such a program.

On Sunday, my day began at 6 a.m. and ended at 9 p.m. There was six hour road journey (both ways) to reach an interior village. Cattle, cow dung, and dirty roads were the environments while the exuberant believers (30 in number) gathered in a small room where there is no air conditioning. The heat was 95 degrees but not be compared with warmth of fellowship, and worship. The worship songs had no tunes and hardly any music but the voices of people were very loud indicating the worship coming from the depth of their hearts. I ministered the Word and there was the Lord’s Table too.

Following the Sunday service, there was a school building inauguration. J. S., one of our participants, is the owner along with his wife. Both are committed to the Lord with a vision to serve Him in North India. This couple hail from South India but God brought them to North with a special purpose. The inheritance they received from their parents is being used for a school building where Christian witness would be the main thrust. Please pray for them.

Spring Conference Starting Tomorrow

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Ryder and Sean have arrived safely and are starting the Bible conference in Lucknow on Monday. Please be in prayer for their ministry.

Ryder writes: “I am so blessed to be here at my son’s apartment. Had five hours good sleep and now getting ready to leave for Lucknow. I will meet Suresh on the flight as providentially he too is travelling by same flight to Lucknow. Please pray for our fellowship and discussions. My day on Saturday is going to be long and hectic. I will be attending a board meeting for the entire day and will follow this with travel for four hours to Basti where several of the participants of our seminars live and worship.  I am able to carry few clothes for people in Basti. These are dear believers living in a remote village under difficult circumstances. This group has already started BTCP classes for the church and two men from here visit another state to teach 16 men.Kindly pray for the ministry of the word.”

STN Spring Conferences Planned

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by Ryder Kumar

Please keep the upcoming Spring Conferences in India in your prayers. About 40 participants are expected in Lucknow, April 8-12, while 45 are enrolled to attend the conference in Hyderabad, April 14-19.

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Recent Bible Conference in Lucknow, India. David Nelson teaches while S. M. translates into Hindi.

The “BTCP Lesson No. 8: Teaching Principles and Methods” course will be taught at both conferences by Sean Ransom, the Dean of The Master’s Academy International, and myself. We will each teach eight sessions at each seminar.

It is exciting that those attending are diligent, God fearing and committed Pastors who will spend several hours each day at class followed by assignments.

The other programs included during our upcoming mission trip to India include a meeting of the board of STN India; the opportunity to visit a remote village on the first Sunday where I will preach and conduct the dedication of a new building at a Christian school; and the opportunity for Sean and I to preach the Word on several occasions, including an assembly of 400 believers before Sean returns to the Philippines.