India (MNN) — Partner: "(noun) a person associated with
another or others as a principal or a contributor of capital in a business or a
joint venture, usually sharing its risks and profits."
That's an accurate summation of what makes India Partners ‘tick.' Their team cultivates
relationships, shares resources, and encourages self-sufficiency among the
people of India, all the while showing the compassion and wisdom of Jesus
Christ.
India Partners just received a $10,000 grant
from the Tyndale House Foundation to support a discipleship-training
program. How far can $10,000 go? It
costs roughly $48 to train three pastors and leaders in this
program.
We spoke with Pastor Parishudha Babu, who's heading up the
training conferences. His excitement
bubbles over as he explains, "I'm very thankful for the grant for the
discipleship program. This is a great asset. For those pastors who have very little learned knowledge of the Bible,
they can receive more knowledge from the Bible and be more effective in
their ministries."
Babu's history with India Partners is so tightly interwoven, it is hard to see a
time when he was not doing the work of the ministry, even before it began. His vision carried over into an orphan
sponsorship program (Orphan Faith Home) which led to church support in 1985 and
the beginning of a school under the Central Lutheran Church India Mission
program.
Along the way, community medical centers and water projects
were added. Between 1990 and 1992, OFH
built and began administering a self-sustaining fishery.
By 1994, it was obvious that CLC India Mission was ready to
become its own mission agency. Three
years later, India Partners got behind the construction of small churches in
local villages around the OFH area. The entire plan called for churches with
adjacent self-sufficiency projects such as gardens or fisheries to be built in
ten villages.
That led to more partnerships, and the need for
biblically-grounded church leaders was becoming more and more evident. Poverty kept many from getting the
training they needed. Distance played another role in preventing
pastors from getting the tools they needed to firmly ground new church bodies
that were being established.
India Partners decided to embark on a discipleship training
program. With it, village pastors dig
deep into the Bible in one year using "Life Journals" materials.
Babu says the grant will leave deep footprints for the
church. "We want to train 250 to
500 people. That's our goal this year." The goal of the discipleship training is not only to provide church
leaders with tools to better lead, but also to see more people introduced
to Christ.
Babu says with the open hearts in India, it's urgent that they
respond. "This program really
helps them to pursue more knowledge from the Bible–how to prepare a sermon,
and how to understand the Word and how to present the Word." It's
both risk and gain in the Kingdom of God. Click here if you can help.
