Bangladesh (MNN) — Recently FMI’s Bruce Allen was in Bangladesh conducting field visits with FMI-supported church planters. And though what Allen discovered was somber, it was also encouraging.
The Bengali People
A pastor and a church member role-playing during the conference in Bangladesh to practice using their Snapshot packets. (Photo courtesy of FMI)
Geographically, Bangladesh is not a very large country. However, it is the eighth most populous country on the planet. It is also the third largest Muslim dominate nation. And believe it or not, the Bengali people tend to be very open to deep conversations.
For example, one day when Allen was on a walk with FMI’s national director, the two men encountered some local teenagers. One of these teenagers requested for Allen to come and meet his family. Later, over a cup of tea and a biscuit, Allen was able to share the Gospel with the hospitable family.
“So it’s, I’ll say, easy to share the Gospel, but it is not without risks. Some of the folks that I have been meeting with, especially those who have become Christians out of Muslim backgrounds, they have been attacked by members of their communities and by members of their own family who’ve tried to kill them,” Allen explains.
“But they’re saying, ‘We’ve counted the costs to follow Jesus. I’ve survived a machete attack. And yet, I want to share the Gospel. In fact, I don’t want to only share the Gospel, I think God is calling me to be a church planter.’”
A Need From Church Planters
More and more Bengali Christians want to plant churches across Bangladesh. However, when FMI’s national director in Bangladesh begged Allen if FMI could support a few more church planters, the answer to the question was no. FMI simply isn’t funded enough at the current time.
A Bengali pastor poses for a portrait. (Photo courtesy FMI)
“They [the Bengali Christians] don’t have a lot of resources. They don’t have a lot of the theological training that we are so rich in. And in order to keep somebody in ministry, it only takes the equivalent of a cup of coffee from one of your favorite cafés every day,” Allen shares.
For $100 a month, national church planters are given an income, opportunity for training, and money for emergency medical expenses. This funding allows pastors and church planters to focus on evangelism, discipleship, and guiding churches as they mature.
And the $100 doesn’t have to be given by a single individual. Smaller monthly donations by multiple people can be used to meet the needs of Bengali church planters and pastors.
Will You Help?
So please, will you consider giving to help Bengali Christians, who are on fire for Jesus, to spread the Gospel in this Muslim dominate country? If so, click here!
And if you would, pray for the Bengali Christians. Pray for God’s provision to meet both the personal and ministry needs of pastors and church planters as well as the educational needs regarding the Bible.
Pray also for the Bengali Christians’ protection as they go and share the Gospel in their hometowns.
For more ways to pray, click here!
To donate, click here!
*In a series of events, Allen is down to one pair of pants for the remaining weeks of his travels. Please pray for God to provide for his needs and supply him with more pants so that he may spend more time with the people and less time waiting for his pants to dry after being washed.
