Answered Prayer for Rehoboth
For over 10 years there has been a legal battle over the property where Reheboth church meets in Hyderabad, India. This little church, led by Pastor Ravi Kumar, has been a bright light in Hyderabad for many years. For a while it looked like they might have to find a different place to meet. But praise the Lord that the battle is over! The property, which contains a church and a home, is now fully owned by Reheboth church. This is a tremendous answer to prayer. Thank you to the many people who prayed on their behalf for so many years. May the Lord continue to bless this congregation for His glory.
Today as I was getting ready to post this, I came across Genesis 26:22 in my daily Bible reading about how the Philistines were quarreling with Issac over the wells that he was digging. He dug a third well and the story reads,
“He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”
The name, “Rehoboth” means “enough room,” and what a blessing to see how just as the Lord gave Issac this well, so he gave Ravi and His church in Hyderabad the provision of this church property so that they will “flourish in the land.”
A Testimony of Being Equipped
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.
Savara Tribe Update: Baptisms, Building and Beauty
Shanthi and Ravi Report on a Field Visit in January of 2013
Day One – Eguva Seedi Church with Pastor S. K.
Our January visit to Srikakulam was a very special one as we were joined by some of the sisters from our Rehoboth church in Hyderabad. After an 18 hour train journey and some time to refresh ourselves, we traveled by Jeep to the interior to visit Eguva Seedi, where members of the church there welcomed us in their traditional way by washing our feet and serving us coconut water to drink.
Pastor S. K. ministers to the Savara tribe in the village, about 150 believers, as well as those Savara Christians in surrounding villages. The people there speak Telagu and work mostly in agriculture with the whole area full of cashew nut trees. A very beautiful place in God’s creation!
The church at Eguva Seedi has been under construction for the past three years as the work has been slowed by the difficulty in raising funds. We pray for God’s provision to complete the work.
The believers currently worship in a thatched hut and praise God with music produced on instruments made from bamboo.
Day Two – Venkatapuram Village Pastor N.S.
On the second day, we traveled to Paata Barna and stopped for a time to see the church construction at Venkatapuram village. We received a warm welcome there and were very happy to participate in the dedication of the beautiful church there that stands as a testament to God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. Pastor N. S. led the dedication service, which included several baptisms, and all present expressed their joy and gratitude to the Lord for his gracious blessings.
Maliveeduguda, Kotha Barna, and Eetamanuguda
Following the baptisms, we visited Maliveeduguda, another Savara tribal village, where the church building is also under construction. We then traveled on to Kotha Barna, where we participated in an evening service at their church before driving to Eetamanuguda, where three new converts testified in baptism in a beautiful nearby waterfall and spent some time in prayer.
Ministry in Puligummi
From Eetamanudguda, we left for Puligummi, where we conducted a service for the believers there (IMAGE 7) before returning by train to Hyderabad.
Thank you for your faithfulness in continuing to pray and contribute so much to the Lord’s work here. Much remains to be done, but God be praised for all that He has done and promises to do I the future through you!
Field Updates – B. Laxman
Gospel outreach is done in seven different villages and includes distribution of tracts, street preaching and door to door ministry. There are also evening Gospel meetings. Because most of these people are less educated and have only a tribal background, it is important to make regular visits to counsel them. It is very hard for them to come out of their deep-rooted beliefs and false religions. Praise God for a couple who are new converts and are attending church. Praise, too, that we could dedicate the newly built church. Please pray for the remaining finishing work to be completed, especially the toilets and a bore-well for water. Please also pray for a woman and her daughter infected with AIDS. Her husband has deserted her. She is a born again believer. Please also pray for this pastor as he visits believers and tries to reach unbeliev-ers with the Gospel.
Field Updates – M. Balasundaram
Praise for a Gospel outreach program where the response was good. Approximately 600 tracts were distributed. As a result of “cottage meetings” conducted recently, 10 people came to saving faith! Please pray for Bro. Dayakar suffering from epilepsy. He encountered opposition from Hindu fanatics when he was doing open air preaching. Pray, too, for the spiritual growth of the new believers. There are many more open air meetings planned for the coming weeks.