89th Anniversary Report Book (July 2024)
Shepherded – 89 years
PREFACE
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
Now our great God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus, is looking for abundant life in His children in the midst of His abounding grace. Yes, when He has purchased us with His own Blood, does He not deserve to be loved and served in an ever-abounding manner?
In the world around us we can see much unrest and discontent in the hearts of people accompanied with vast increase in tears and suffering. Whenever people and nations distance themselves from the knowledge of Jesus Christ, there will be much suffering.
Somehow, we cannot help feeling that we are both directly and indirectly, in fact, more directly than indirectly, responsible for so much of this suffering. Wherever sin is sown, there will be an eventual outbreak of suffering. Whenever a father or mother, leader or administrative head breaks the laws of God and hides sin and deceit, there will be a harvest of sorrows, suffering and disruptions. While our Master calls us ‘the salt of the earth’, why have we failed so glaringly, openly and unashamedly in sowing the truth around us and thus salting society and the nations at large? We do not even seem to recognize this failure, nor do we repent for it. We must “rend our hearts and not our garments” for these lapses and failures in our Christian effectiveness and fruitfulness.
Thus while some of us, ‘good’ Christians are busier than ever with our small goals, ‘fiefdoms’ and kingdoms, the world around us is dying for the knowledge of Jesus. It grieves us much that even those who serve the Lord do not have the passion and zeal for His glory which little David, the shepherd boy, had when he went forth armed only with a sling and a few smooth stones to confront the seasoned warrior, Goliath. Yet we are meant to be abounding in every good work and steadily advancing, overthrowing the giants of greed, vice and uncleanness around us.
Have the resources of God come to be depleted of late? Can’t our all-sufficient Saviour turn us yet into men and women who show forth the abundant life that He promised to His children? One thing is clear—it is only those who are hungry for Jesus who will experience this abundant life which overcomes the world, sin and the devil.
As we enter the 90th year of the Fellowship, above all else, let us seek from God a broken and contrite spirit so that we can experience this abundant life. Most Christian work today appears to be listless, half-hearted and more directed towards money and material well-being than anything else. We can see even preachers losing this contriteness of heart and that is very serious. What a tragedy has overtaken our pulpits and the souls and spirits of our preachers!
Where are we headed? Let us wake up. Looking unto Jesus, let us “freely give” seeing that we have “freely received” so much of His abounding grace in our lives. Let us sound the trumpet and lift Jesus up. When we fail to awaken others, we are greatly failing in our duty before God.
ADVANCES IN THE MINISTRY
GNFA Radio Network
In order to reach the unreached masses around the world with the Good News of the Gospel, the GNFA Radio Network, broadcasting the message of hope when one turns to Christ is aired 24 hours/7days a week. One can install the app in one’s mobile and can hear deep and powerful messages, the reading of God’s word and listen to meaningful gospel songs. Please pray for this effort and introduce it to your friends and neighbours so that they may hear God’s word and be blessed as the need is great around the world.
Our Spanish Broadcast
After much prayer, the Lord made a way for our radio program to be aired in Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela. The owner of the radio station, Radio Unik 92.1 FM la Cristiana de Caracas, was very glad to have our program in his schedule, as he sincerely wanted the people to receive the Word and God to be glorified. This is a 30-minute bilingual broadcast in English/Spanish. This FM station reaches the 2 million people of Caracas through radio and more globally through online streaming. Let us pray that God will use this means to send His Word and transform Venezuela.
Let us also pray for the Spanish TV programme which takes God’s word into Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. People on visiting cruise ships write to us, after hearing the message out on the ocean. We pray that the message will reach the Spanish speaking population of this world.
‘Beautiful Books’
Our bookstall ministry under the name, “Beautiful Books” is growing and reaching new places with precious and edifying books and Bibles in various languages. Seeing the great need, the Lord burdened Bro. John Daniel to put up bookstalls in more and more needy places to reach the outsiders for Christ.
On his way back to the headquarters from the meetings in Andhra Pradesh in January, Bro. John prayed and opened the new bookstall in our centre in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, right on the main road. We praise God for our retired brothers who take turns to man the bookstall here and do something for the Lord instead of just sitting at home and degenerating.
Right opposite to our headquarters in Chennai, the Lord has given us a beautiful bookstall on the main road, where many young people pass by daily going to their offices. Bro. John prayed and opened the bookstall which is now reaching many who step in to avail themselves of the Bibles and books including people from the nearby hospitals. We praise God for the new ‘Beautiful Books’ bookshop in our centre in Mumbai right on street level, and pray that people will step in and avail themselves of Bibles and good Christian literature.
Daman (Gujarat)
In spite of the hostile atmosphere and threats, the Lord guided Bro. John to conduct the first series of revival meetings in Daman, a union territory on the west coast of India. Around 200 people gathered in our new prayer hall, which was once a plastics manufacturing plant. These meetings came at the right time during January and proved to be a great blessing to all. Many were revived and strengthened greatly in the Lord. Let us pray that people will learn to overcome persecution and see God’s name glorified.
Jeypore, Odisha
One mother prayed that her sons would have the word of God as they grew up. The Lord transferred one of our brothers to Jeypore and the meetings started on the terrace of her house. As the Hindu house owner asked her to vacate, just at this time the Lord has helped us to build a prayer hall in spite of much opposition. The people who destroyed the compound walls were made to rebuild the walls. God’s name was greatly glorified when Bro. John cut the ribbon and stepped into the hall to address the revival meetings here while people sang the chorus “In the name of Jesus, we will have the victory”. The hall was full as people sat and listened to the messages with earnest hearts. We were happy to see some of those troublemakers also at the meetings quietly listening to the word of God. Let us pray that a mighty work of God may come up in this needy place and that many souls will be transformed.
Guwahati, Assam
The ministry in Guwahati, which is known as the gateway of North East India, began about 31 years ago. Bro. Joe visited this city quite a few times to conduct revival meetings for the people here, as he had a special love and burden for this place. God’s word has been going out every week on TV also through a popular Assamese channel. The work of the Lord has been growing steadily over the years and the Lord has touched and transformed the lives of many individuals and families, most of them from heathen backgrounds.
After conducting our Sunday services in rented halls all these years, the Lord has given us a new prayer hall, which was completed after many delays and hindrances. More than 250 gathered to worship God in this new hall on June 16. Let us pray for the ministry in Guwahati that many more lives will be touched and transformed by God and that a deep work may be built.
Gospel Clinic, Triplicane, Chennai
The Lord enabled us to open a Gospel clinic in Triplicane, near the well-known Marina beach of Chennai. One of our retired sisters is taking care of this Gospel clinic. Let us pray for the Lord’s touch upon the patients in body, soul and spirit as they come in for help with their ailments and problems, that they will meet the Lord and experience His touch on their lives and families.
Ambattur, Chennai
The Lord’s work has been going on in Ambattur, a suburb of Chennai and an industrial hub, for several years in rented places like schools and wedding halls. Now the Lord in His mercy has given us a prayer hall where many can gather and worship God. Bro. John Daniel dedicated this hall and addressed the special evening meeting in January.
Sheela Nagar, Chennai
This place is about 18 km from the headquarters. Mother Daniel used to spend much time in prayer during the month of prayer in this place. Recently a small prayer shed was built and Bro. John Daniel dedicated this hall and addressed the revival meetings in May. About 150 people attended the meeting, including some of the local residents in this predominantly Hindu locality. Let us pray for the light of the Gospel to penetrate into the darkened souls of the people in this area.
Jonnapadu & Tanuku, Andhra Pradesh
In the midst of his continual and tiresome labours in Andhra Pradesh, the Lord helped Bro. John to travel to Jonnapadu, in the midst of the meetings in Machilipatnam, to open and dedicate the new prayer hall with prayer and thanks to the Lord. We praise God for Bro. Sugunarao, who laboured for the Lord faithfully until the end. Let us pray for the word of God to multiply and reach many souls and many may rise up to serve the Lord.
Tanuku is an educational centre with many schools and colleges. It is also a major commercial centre with its constantly improving agricultural and industrial sectors. After using rented halls for about 25 years for our worship, the dear Lord has given us our own hall, right on the highway. Let us pray for a rich harvest of souls in this needy place.
WORLDWIDE LABOURS
Summer Retreat in the US
Many came to the retreat from all parts of the country and Canada, travelling long distances. The Lord granted His presence as we sat at the feet of Jesus, hearing God’s word and learning at His feet for six days. The Lord used Bro. John and Bro. David Campbell and many went out into the grounds to pray and seek the Lord. The prayer sessions were blessed of the Lord as many called on His name. Let us pray that God will write His word on people’s hearts and transform their lives into His image.
Thanksgiving Retreat in the US
The Lord blessed the retreat and gave us His presence as many people from various parts of the country came to hear God’s word. The Lord granted us seasons of prayer where one could pray and call on the Lord, as the word of God searched one’s heart. It is a humble walk with God which protects and keeps one from the surrounding evil and emptiness of the world. Let us pray for the nation that people will turn back to God.
Easter Retreat in the US
The Lord blessed the Easter retreat and brought people from many places to hear God’s word as we searched our hearts in the light of what the Lord has done for us on the Cross. The seasons of prayer are a precious time as one called on the Lord for the need in one’s heart and life. Let us pray much for the great need of the nation.
Guyana, South America
Many new souls came out to hear God’s word from the university, the neighbourhood and the Teachers’ Training School. The warden who looks after young people from the hinterland dorms allowed the young people to come out to hear God’s word, after witnessing the manifestations of the devil in the dorms. We pray that as the word of God goes out, that many will be freed at the foot of the Cross.
The meeting at Bamboo landing, a lumber mill operation in a clearing in the Amazon Forest, was blessed of the Lord as all the workers there heard God’s word, in addition to the neighbouring people from the villages who got into a boat to cross the river to attend the meeting. Let us pray that many will come through to the Lord and be transformed at the Cross as we pray for all the nations of South America.
In Myanmar (Burma)
It gives us great joy to see our team moving forward with faith, in spite of the political turmoil and the civil war in the country. In order to reach the outsiders, the Lord helped us to print the 2024 calendars in the Burmese language for the first time and we could send them to Myanmar. Our team was overjoyed to see the calendars in their own language. They distributed these calendars in Mandalay, Yangon and Kalaymyo regions.
The young people in our students’ hostel are benefited greatly by the online classes conducted for them covering various subjects and learning of the scriptures. Let us pray much for the ministry in Burma, as young people are taught God’s word. Let us pray that these young people will prepare to take God’s word out throughout Burma and support them in prayer.
Melbourne, Australia
It was a spiritually enriching weekend in October that brought together around 35 individuals and families from the States of Western Australia, New South Wales, Canberra, and Victoria. The messages and the prayer sessions were greatly blessed and owned of God. A powerful and challenging message of Bro. Joe, played on the screen, touched and stirred many and it was followed by an extended season of prayer as a response to the message. Please pray that the Spirit of God will work and that souls will be touched of God and will rise up with a deep burden and commitment to do something for the Lord.
LABOURS IN FAR-FLUNG REGIONS
Bansi, Uttar Pradesh
Our dear Lord has been so good to our team in Bansi in preserving them and causing the ministry to go forward in the midst of mindless opposition and false accusations of religious conversion. It is the good Lord who leads people to repent for their sins and get through to Him. The team of our brothers and sisters continue to labour selflessly and faithfully and serve the people with love, come what may. Let us pray much that the Lord may touch and speak to all the people who are prejudiced against the gospel. It is God who is our shield and our defender.
When two of our brothers had been falsely accused and sent to jail, the Lord heard our prayers and they were released. We praise God that our brothers were able to testify to the jailor and the prisoners and tell them about Jesus. Let us pray that the word of God will increase more and more and spread throughout the whole state of Uttar Pradesh.
Jammu & Samba, Kashmir
The Lord gave us the use of a marriage hall for the revival meetings in Jammu in February. Around 120 people gathered, most of them were from Jammu. The Lord used the North India team mightily. We need much prayer to go up for Jammu that God must touch and raise up many witnesses for Him.
God blessed the one-day retreat at Samba, a small town which is about 50 km from Jammu and close to the Pakistan border, on December 3. About 150 people gathered in God’s presence and heard the Word. Much prayer must go up for Samba and Jammu that the Lord may touch souls and raise up many faithful witnesses for the Lord.
Roorkee, Uttarakhand
Roorkee, a border town of Uttarakhand, is full of temples and ashrams and millions of pilgrims pass by it every year. Regular Sunday services are held at the home of one of our brothers. On March 10, the Lord helped our team to conduct a one-day retreat in a rented hall. Some students from IIT Roorkee and Methodist Degree College also were present. Let us pray much for this heathen place.
Darjeeling, West Bengal
The work of the Lord has been going forward steadily in this place. At the revival meetings, several local people from Darjeeling and nearby villages were present, some of whom were from non-Christian backgrounds. Many joined from our nearby centres like Siliguri, Kalimpong, Gangtok, Jaigaon and Bhutan.
Galonte, West Bengal
The Lord blessed the meetings at the tea gardens of Galonte, in Ging tea estate, which is just below Darjeeling in West Bengal. It gives us great joy to see all those simple people hearing the word of God with such attention. Let us pray that the Spirit of God will transform each of their lives and that revival will start among the dear people in the tea estates.
Tikdah, West Bengal
The meetings in Tikdah, which is about 30 km from Darjeeling, were blessed of God. Around 180 people gathered from seven nearby villages. As the Lord granted His Word and His presence, many were crying to God with broken hearts during the prayer sessions. Let us pray for a host of witnesses to rise up to live and glorify God.
Anantnag, Kashmir
We praise God for the team of our brothers and sisters who are labouring for the Lord faithfully in the hospital here. Many people are attending our worship on Sundays. At the revival meetings in August, around 300 people gathered to hear God’s word. The Lord blessed the meetings greatly and many were touched deeply.
Jamnagar, Gujarat
The Lord helped our team in Jamnagar, Gujarat, to conduct special meetings in August for the migrant workers and the local people. Around 250 people gathered to hear God’s word. The Lord in His mercy blessed the meetings with His rich presence and granted His Word to the hungry people. The meetings proved to be a great blessing to all. At Christmas season many heard the Word at our carol services in several places. Our team here needs our prayer support and a deepening of one’s walk with God.
Guwahati, Assam
At the revival meetings in a rented hall in Guwahati in August, more than 200 people gathered to hear God’s Word with great hunger and thirst. During the prayer session, the Lord poured out His Spirit and many cried to the Lord with broken hearts. Many young people came forward confessing their sins and a few families sought counsel and prayer. Let us pray for greater depth in the ministry.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
We praise God for blessing the youth camp in Ahmedabad by granting His word and His presence. Many students joined from institutions like CIPET, IIT of Gandhinagar, SVNIT of Surat and Indus University. Let us pray for the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts so that they may rise up to glorify God.
Durgapur, West Bengal
In our small ministry in Durgapur, about fifteen students from NIT attend our Sunday worship service. With a burden to reach out to these precious souls, a retreat was arranged on Sept. 17. Around sixty gathered to hear God’s word, including two students from Africa. God gave His abundant presence and His Word. We must pray much for these precious souls to rise up as true witnesses for the Lord.
Mumbai, Maharashtra
At the revival meetings in Mumbai, which took place at our centre in January, the Lord used Bro. John Daniel mightily and many hundreds of thirsty people listened to God’s word with earnest hearts. There were many non-Christians present in the midst. The hall was packed and many sat outside and heard God’s word.
The need is so great in this big city and our faith and prayer must grow accordingly to build a deep work for God here. Let us pray that many will rise up from Maharashtra to serve the Lord across the state.
Pune, Maharashtra
The revival meetings in Pune in November were greatly blessed of the Lord. Many came from surrounding areas, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad, and stayed all the five days and heard the Word of God. As the Lord spoke to them, people poured out their hearts during the prayer time and received the touch of God. We must continue to pray for the souls who were touched by God, that many will rise up to serve the Lord.
Makthapur, Maharashtra
At Makthapur, a town about 180 km from Pune, the Lord blessed the revival meetings in February. Around 400 people gathered in our hall to hear God’s word with great hunger and thirst. Indeed, the Lord stood with the team, and granted the Word and the testimonies were very challenging. The spirit of prayer swept over the needy people during the prayer session. Let us pray for the expansion of the work in this region.
Jaigaon, West Bengal
Our ministry in Jaigaon, a small town at the Indo-Bhutan border, is slowly taking root and many needy people are hearing God’s word in our centre here. At the revival meetings in February, many souls were touched. We must pray that many faithful witnesses will rise up to glorify the Lord.
Ranchi, Jharkhand
After a gap of a few long years, the dear Lord helped us to conduct revival meetings in Ranchi, the capital of the state of Jharkhand, in a rented hall in March. This town is rampant with occult practices and witchcraft, as people are getting more and more steeped in idolatry. The Lord used our brothers mightily at these meetings and many were touched.
Patna, Bihar
It is the sheer mercy of God that we could hold three days of meetings in Patna, Bihar in April. The dear Lord graciously blessed the meetings with His Word and His presence. People came in from several towns of Bihar. Though many of them were first-timers at the meetIngs, they heard the Word earnestly. Please pray for the ministry to grow and spread to many new areas.
Port Blair, Andaman Islands
We praise God for the growing ministry in Port Blair, Andaman Islands. At present the Sunday service and prayer meetings take place in the house of one of our brothers who takes care of the work. Some needy people who value the truths preached in the Fellowship are attending regularly. Every year we have been conducting revival meetings in Port Blair to reach the outsiders. Many came and heard the Word at our meetings in November which took place in a rented hall. We need much prayer for the ministry in the Andaman Islands to see a real breakthrough over the powers of darkness on these islands given to idolatry through the years.
Mysore, Karnataka
We praise God for granting revival meetings in Mysore. The Lord blessed the meetings and granted His Word to the needy people who gathered with much expectation. We need to pray much to see a breakthrough in the ministry, as the needs in and around the city are so great. Let us pray much for our brother and sister who labour here for the Lord.
IN NORTH-EAST INDIA
Imphal & Churachandpur, Manipur
During the violence unleashed in Manipur in May 2023, many houses were burnt just behind our church and in other parts of the state. Around 360 churches were gutted. Yet, the Lord in His mercy protected our centre. It is the sheer grace of God that not even one Sunday service or a prayer meeting was cancelled in spite of the dangerous situation all around. The good Lord helped our team to conduct revival meetings for three days in April 2024 when several needy people heard God’s Word.
We praise God for protecting our people in Churachandpur, 60 km from Imphal, which bore the brunt of the mindless violence. Rifles and money were demanded by the terrorists; however, we did not comply to their demands. Recently the Lord helped our Aizawl team to visit Churachandpur, Manipur to encourage and strengthen the people. Around 300 gathered in our centre here for the Thanksgiving meeting. Many who had lost their homes and escaped with only the clothes on their backs were present in the congregation. It was so heartening to see them happy in the Lord.
Bangladesh & Burmese Refugees in Aizawl
During the past six months, the Lord has created openings for us to labour among the Bangladesh refugees to help them by giving them God’s word and the needed food and medicine. God enabled us to open a tuition centre recently and one of our sisters is voluntarily working as a teacher among these Bangladesh children.
Due to the unrest in Myanmar, many Christian Burmese refugees have taken shelter in Mizoram. The Lord in His mercy has granted us openings for the word of God to be preached in four refugee camps and also help with teaching various school subjects to the young people. We have regular Sunday School as well as Sunday evening services for them. Our Burmese calendars are a blessing to the people and the children learn by heart the daily verses in the calendar.
Nirjuli, Arunachal Pradesh
The Lord made it possible for our team to arrange revival meetings for three days at our Centre at Nirjuli, in February, which is about 15 km from the capital city of Itanagar. These meetings were arranged with the focus on reaching the students of the university, where one of our sisters is teaching. Hungry and earnest students filled the rented hall and heard God’s word with rapt attention.
YOUTH & CHILDREN’S CAMPS
International Students’ Camp
The dear Lord blessed the International Students’ Camp as around 8500 young people poured into Beulah Gardens with great expectation for the Lord’s touch in their lives. We had students from several countries at the retreat: Bangladesh, Nepal, Germany, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Gambia, to name a few. Though the large hall in Beulah Gardens was tightly packed with young people, they paid close attention to God’s word.
The Lord used Bro. John Daniel mightily and the Word went out with power. We were glad to see the young people participating actively in the discussion groups. Let us continue to pray for these precious young students to rise up as mighty witnesses for the Lord and take the Gospel to their homes, schools and university campuses.
Georgetown, Guyana
The youth camp took place in a quiet idyllic camp site in the jungles of Guyana in October. Though we were not large in number, the Spirit of God began to work in the students from the very first day. Some of the young people were weeping and turning to the Lord. Let us pray for the Spirit of God to continue to work in them that they may become true witnesses for the Lord in South America.
Stuartpuram, Andhra Pradesh
The youth camp in Stuartpuram was attended by 7000 young people who came from all over the State. The messages, Bible classes and testimonies were really challenging. The prayer sessions saw many crying to God with tears of repentance. We need to pray much for these precious young people to rise up to serve the Lord.
Silchar, Assam
The three-day youth camp conducted in Silchar in September was greatly blessed and owned of God. It was a refreshing moment for everyone, as students from the Assam University, NIT of Silchar and from the surrounding colleges gathered to hear God’s word. Many sought counsel and prayer for their various needs.
Youth Easter Retreat, Aizawl, Mizoram
Around 400 young people, including many Burmese and Manipuri refugees, gathered for the youth retreat in Aizawl. The Lord fed the hungry souls richly with His word. Every session of the retreat was blessed and owned of God. The prayer and counselling sessions went on beyond midnight. Please pray for these young people to rise up as the Lord’s army to fight the battles of the Lord.
Children’s Retreats
We have been conducting children’s retreats in several of our centres every year throughout India. It has always been a time of great blessing to our children and teenagers. Many of them were touched deeply at these camps. We must pray that the Spirit’s work must continue in their hearts and make them mighty men and women of God.
IN ANDHRA PRADESH & TELANGANA
Stuartpuram, Andhra Pradesh
As our people fast and pray for months for the meetings, the presence of God and the power of prayer is always deeply felt at Stuartpuram meetings. Many received the touch of the Lord in their body, soul and spirit at our meetings here as the crowd grew to over 100,000 people.
The Lord used Bro. John Daniel mightily as the crowds swelled and filled up the galleries also. The testimonies, Bible classes and the youth meetings were a great blessing to all. During the prayer sessions, the spirit of prayer fell upon people and many cried out to God with contrition of heart. Let us continue to pray for these precious souls.
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
A large crowd of people gathered in our big compound at Vijayawada with hunger and thirst to hear God’s word. As Bro. John Daniel preached, the Word went forth with power and touched hearts. We had a special youth meeting at 7.00 AM and a general meeting at 10.00 AM also. It is very touching to see the hunger and thirst in the hearts of the people. Let us pray for a rich harvest of souls in this needy city.
Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Many hundreds of people gathered and packed our hall with great expectation and hunger to hear God’s word. A few hundreds sat outside the hall on the street which was cordoned off to accommodate the crowds. The Word of God went forth with power. The Lord blessed the meetings in a special way. Let us pray that many will rise up to serve the Lord from this place.
Meetings in Other Centres
It is the Lord’s mercy that several teams of our brothers could conduct revival meetings in so many of our centres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from January onwards. Thus we had meetings in Bhimavaram, Rajahmundry, Kaikalur, Narasaraopet, Tadepalligudem, Warangal, Gudivada, Sattenapalli, Addanki, Khammam, Amalapuram, Malikipuram and a few other places.
It is a moving sight to see the hungry crowds filling our prayer halls, with many more sitting around the hall, listening to God’s word earnestly. As the word of God went out with power, people were greatly stirred and blessed. The Lord poured out His Spirit upon the crowds as many cried out to God during prayer sessions with tears. The Bible Classes and the testimonies were an added blessing to people at these meetings. Let us pray for a rich harvest of souls.
in Tamil Nadu
We praise God for the revival meetings that took place in several of our centres in Tamil Nadu like Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai, Erode, Salem, Panruti, Tirupur, Annamalainagar, Karamadai, Arupukottai, Cuddalore, Melakottaiyur, Ponneri, Villupuram, Tambaram, Nethajinagar in Chennai.
These meetings came like a fresh breath of heaven for the needy and hungry people, as they drew nigh unto God with great expectation and faith and were thus blessed and quickened by God. Much prayer went up for these meetings and our brothers and sisters worked hard as a team to prepare the places for the meetings. Many new people from non-Christian backgrounds heard the Word of God at these meetings. The prayer sessions were owned of God. Let us pray that many young people may catch a vision and rise up to serve the Lord from these centres in Tamil Nadu.
Perumbakkam, Chennai
Perumbakkam, a suburb of Chennai, is a fast-developing area with several schools, colleges, hospitals and IT companies. A small work has been taking place in this area for the past few years. Around 100 people gather for the Sunday worship and a few needy people attend the prayer meetings. Bro. John addressed a special evening meeting in the rented hall here on June 2 and around 250 people gathered to hear God’s word. Some had to be seated in the parking lot. Let us pray for a deep work to be built in this area, and that God will reunite broken homes and transform lives.
MAY RETREAT
More than 12,600 people poured into Beulah Gardens in addition to the many who attended from the city with much anticipation. The Lord enables us to increase the capacity of Beulah Gardens each year; however, this too is not enough to contain the many who want to attend the retreat. Brothers and sisters from several countries, from Australia to the USA and South America, joined us with earnest hearts while well over 300,000 people heard God’s word online around the world. It is in answer to prayer, the dear Lord sent some rain showers just before the Retreat and cooled down Beulah Gardens campgrounds by 10° Celsius during the Retreat. The temperatures went back up the day after the retreat ended.
As the main hall with its many galleries got filled up right from the first meeting, the overflow crowd had to be seated in the large temporary structure put up outside the prayer hall, with a large LED screen. There were still many who were sitting under the trees and participated in the Retreat as the loudspeakers carried the messages and the gospel songs across the grounds and into the surrounding neighbourhood.
The prayer sessions saw a mighty outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the crowds, as many cried to God. The awesome presence of God pervaded all over Beulah Gardens. In the evenings, people were found praying on the lawns, around the prayer hall, under the trees and in the open cricket grounds. Several people were found praying in the vast open ground, pouring their hearts before God, even late into the night.
We pray that God’s word will be written on people’s hearts and that the Saviour is glorified through each one’s life of obedience. Let us pray that the blessing of the Retreat will reach every corner of the globe!
ON THE LITERATURE FRONT
As the demand for books keeps increasing, our press team was kept on their toes to produce more and more books in various languages like English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Punjabi, Odia, Bengali and Guajarati. The spacious warehouse for books in Beulah Gardens is getting filled with these beautiful books to be sent to many different locations.
Five new Telugu books and two in Odia and two in Punjabi language were printed and published. Eight books had to be reprinted in English and several Telugu books had to be reprinted to meet the demands at the special meetings. Let us pray that many will be touched and pointed to Christ as they read these inspiring lives of those who walked with God.
BOOK FAIRS
It is God’s mercy and goodness that our book fair team travelled all over the state of Arunachal Pradesh through the twelve districts conducting book fairs in eleven places. Everywhere the response was awesome, as people were so thrilled to see so many Bibles and Christian books in our book fairs. Apart from Christians, many non-Christians also visited our fairs.
Another team of brothers conducted book fairs in several towns and cities of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. One common thread in all these book fairs is the willing and whole-hearted help, support and oneness the bookfair team receives from the local team of our brothers and sisters. They pitch in and do a lot of preparatory work before the fair with much prayer, and getting the word out with advertisement among the local community and churches, in addition to their help in setting up of the tents, tables and unloading and unpacking of the books.
In every place, our book fair was kept busy with a steady flow of visitors all through the day. A lot of people from all kinds of religious backgrounds and many local churches flocked in and made use of the opportunity to buy many books and Bibles. It is not uncommon to see pastors and lay workers at our fairs. They appreciate our efforts and thank our team for bringing such precious literature to their towns and cities.
OUR SCHOOLS
Our schools are run with the purpose of giving the Gospel to the students and imparting Biblical values and priorities into the lives of the students and their families. When our students have the fear of God implanted in their hearts and lives, God will bless them greatly. Many parents want to send their children to the Fellowship schools for the environment of Christian discipline and diligence.
Once again, the Lord granted us to see good results in the Matriculation exams this year. We praise God for the hard work of our dedicated teachers. As the children watch the teachers and staff closely, let our walk and talk reflect Jesus.
We are in need of teachers for some of our schools in Tamil Nadu and Bansi, Uttar Pradesh, those who will labour for the Lord and build great lives through prayer, exemplary conduct and excellent teaching.
ON THE MEDICAL FRONT
We praise God for our doctors and nurses who minister to the poor and needy people through our Gospel clinics. It requires hard work and dedication to serve in our clinics. Our Gospel clinics serve many needy people in the hospital in Anantnag in Kashmir, and clinics in the Sundarbans in West Bengal, Shillong in Meghalaya, Coonoor, Velliankadu, Masinagudi, Gummidipundi, and Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Jonnapadu in Andhra Pradesh and in Sonauli, on the Indo-Nepal border, in Uttar Pradesh. In Chennai, our Gospel clinics in Ashok Nagar, Royapuram, Triplicane and Beulah Gardens continue to serve the needy people.
Recently the Lord helped our team from Aizawl, Mizoram, to conduct free medical camps for the internally displaced people of Manipur and for the refugees from Burma. Many came in and received free medicine and treatment and the Gospel was also shared with them. A team of medical doctors and nurses conducted medical camps in some of the needy places near Chennai and many hundreds of people were benefitted.
At the special gathering of people from the medical field at Beulah Gardens during the May Retreat, Bro. John emphasized the need for a greater vision and burden to reach the unreached through our Gospel clinics, which must be established throughout India.
RADIO & TELEVISION MINISTRY
We praise God that our telecasts are sounding out God’s Word covering a greater part of the subcontinent of India in 15 languages on 19 TV channels, and on four TV channels in Nepal in the Nepali language. Our telecasts are reaching Bangladesh, Pakistan and Myanmar (Burma) also. The feedback is always very encouraging.
Our telecasts in the UK, Germany, Guyana, Jamaica and the satellite transmission covering many parts of the world are well received with much hunger and expectation. The television message is going out over the whole nation of Guyana and also in neighbouring Suriname and Venezuela.
The dear Lord continues to add His blessing upon our radio broadcasts that go out over many stations in America and Canada and 35 radio stations around Australia each week. Our radio broadcasts cover Papua New Guinea and reach Southeast Asia too. Our TV and radio broadcast go out into North-Western Africa. Please pray for this unseen audience that the Spirit of God would awaken many to their need of a Saviour.
In addition to these radio broadcasts, the message of God’s love and power goes out via shortwave covering the US, Europe, China, and Africa. Let us pray much for the unseen congregation around the world who hear God’s word each week. We hear from strangers around the world speaking of God’s touch in their lives.
CONCLUSION
With such a great heritage of faith which we have received from those who have walked in obedience with God as my grandfather and father, let us take hold of the great promises which God has given us in the Fellowship, to see a great renewal of our mind to conform to God’s word so that we walk before God with a humble and broken spirit, glorifying the Saviour.
Let us rise in faith, love, sacrifice and prayer to take hold of God on our knees to see great things from God’s hand and to see many souls be prepared to meet the Lord who is coming back soon. Let us strive for the great welcoming greetings from the Master, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much
required:
and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke
12:48