———————————————————————– Missions Insider Report by Christian Aid

November 6, 2002 Vol. 3 No. 44

Visit our website at http://www.christianaid.org

———————————————————————– John Lindner, Editor ———————————————————————–

Feature Story: 1. India’s Dalits Plan Mass Conversion to Christianity News Bites: 2. India’s Churches Show Phenomenal Growth 3. Testimony: Man Awakes from the Dead in India 4. Quote of the Week: Kingdom Opportunity 5. Photos of the Week: Missionary Convention

Note: This week’s issue has fewer items because the feature article is longer than usual. It is the policy of Missions Insider to refrain from mentioning names that could make the subjects targets of anti-Christian activity. Names are mentioned of ministries in more secure areas or conducting work commended by authorities.

———————————————————————– 1. India’s Dalits Plan Mass Conversion to Christianity

Thousands of India’s Dalits, upset over India’s Hindu caste system and recent anti-conversion laws, are pledging to convert to Christianity in December.

The Dalits are angered that their humanity is being denied, and to escape from the clutches of the Hindu caste system tens of thousands of them are pledging to embrace Christianity on December 6th, the anniversary of the death of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.

A Dalit himself, Dr. Ambedkar earned doctor’s degrees at Columbia University and London School of Economics and was chiefly responsible for the drafting of India’s constitution. He is much beloved by the Dalits as a human rights advocate who fought for their emancipation in the first half of the 20th century. He left Hinduism and embraced Buddhism two months before he died in 1956.

Dr. Joseph D’souza, president of the All India Christian Council, told Christian Aid that this conversion event will be unlike the one a year ago. Whereas last year most of the Dalits who left Hinduism switched to Buddhism, this time their first profession of choice is Christianity, although some of them will switch to other religions. D’souza said the member churches of the AICC “will always keep the doors open to the Dalits–no matter what the price.”

The mass conversion will be a public ceremony. Thousands of Christian pastors and leaders plan to be on hand to witness the conversion, as also will be members of the media, political leaders and international observers.

The proposed mass conversion is a reaction to the anti-conversion laws now in effect in four states, including Tamil Nadu’s ordinance that went into effect on October 31. Tamil Nadu’s chief minister, Miss J. Jayalalitha, has done her best to cultivate the patronage of the right-wing Hindu political and social elements, and her execution of the anti-conversion ordinance brought a new wave of persecution against Dalit Christians.

In the state of Haryana five Dalit youths were skinning a dead cow on October 15, which they had legal license to do; it is the trade of their caste. Suddenly they were attacked by a mob of several thousand people and lynched while the police reportedly stood by and supported the killings. While the AICC and many human rights groups condemned the barbaric killings, Mr. Giriraj Kishore, leader of the VHP (World Hindu Council), reportedly celebrated the killings by saying that the cow was more valuable than a human being (i.e. Dalit).

The Dalits in Haryana protested publicly and announced that they were revolting from the Hindu socio-religious system and would embrace other faiths on Sunday, October 27. On that date 500 leaders of various Dalit groups gathered at Gurgaon, Haryana. Some embraced Christianity, some Buddhism, and some Islam.

One couple, both bank officers, was publicly welcomed into the Christian faith as representing others in the area who wanted to embrace Christianity. When questioned by the media, one of them replied, “I do not want to be treated less than an animal any more. I am sick of the caste system. I have read about Jesus Christ and know that He offers equality, dignity and salvation. I want to follow Him as my Lord.”

“The anti-conversion ordinance…is anti-Dalit, anti-Christian and anti-minority,” said Dr. D’souza. “Its agenda is to carry forward the extremist Hindu agendas of the BJP government and extremist Hindu groups who want to create a Hindu India and impose Brahminism on all its citizens.” The BJP is the current political party in power.

Christian Aid assists 130 indigenous ministries in India. All of them are reaching out to the Dalits, and some of them have major programs in place to disciple and train Dalit leaders. Contributions to help supply literature and training for the new wave of Dalit converts are welcome. For more information, consult our website http://www.christianaid.org or write and put MI-344 640-OFU on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 2. India’s Churches Show Phenomenal Growth

The churches of India are growing faster than the churches of South Korea, according to a mission leader from India.

P.G. Vargis, founder and leader of Indian Evangelical Team, told Christian Aid Monday that India has 10 churches with 10,000 or more members and 30 churches with 3,000 or more members. As an example of the readiness of India’s people to accept Christ, he mentioned that Ezra Sargunam, Bishop of the Evangelical Church of India (OMS), baptized 2231 people on a single day in 1999.

Citing growth in his own organization, he said that IET missionaries baptized 11,700 people in 2001, and that this did not include the 10,000 who made a profession of faith in crusades conducted by Vargis personally. This meant that through the outreach of his workers, someone comes to Christ every 10 minutes, and someone else is baptized every 42 minutes.

An average of one church is planted every day through IET missionaries. When Christian Aid started assisting his work back in 1977, he had only about 60 workers. IET, which Vargis began shortly after he came to the Lord in 1971, today has 2088 missionaries and a total of 3250 churches.

Vargis told Christian Aid that in 2000 the Lord gave him a vision to plant 7777 churches by 2010. If each church starts another, he will essentially reach that goal next year.

But the burden is taxing. In 2001 IET ran 22 regional one-year Bible institutes but that due to shortage of funds, this year only two are open.

To send support for IET’s missionary endeavor, gifts can be given via credit card at Christian Aid’s website http://www.christianaid.org or by calling 434-977-5650. For more information, write and put MI-344 652-IET on the subject line.

———————————————————————– Native missionaries brave “dangerous places” to bring the gospel to “unreached” people in mountains, cities, jungles and “closed” lands. You can support your own missionary by sending $50 per month and receive the name, photo and biographical sketch of the one you support, plus a description of the indigenous mission with which he/she serves. Call (434)977-5650 or contact today.

———————————————————————– 3. Testimony: Man Awakes from the Dead in India

In its October “Friends Focus” magazine, the Friends Missionary Prayer Band of India circulated this story which it titled, “A True Story.”

A Santhal tribal man from Jharkand State became a believer and adopted the Christian name Solomon. Though a man of poor means and not well educated, he took charge of the local worship meeting whenever the local elder was absent. His wife also became a strong believer and assisted her husband.

In September, Solomon fell ill with malaria coupled with an attack of Kala-zar, a deadly disease caused by the sand flies. He went to the doctors, but they were not helpful. Gradually Solomon became bed-ridden and struggled for his very breath.

His relatives heard of his plight and came to the house. Not being believers, they told the wife it was her fault her husband was sick because both of them had become Christians. “Throw away the Bible and all things relating to it. We will bring a Bhagat (witch doctor) and perform puja, and he (Solomon) will be all right,” they said.

The wife refused. “Even if my husband dies, I will not allow a Bhagat in my house,” she said. “Jesus will surely heal my husband. No one else can help us in this matter.”

Suddenly, in the midst of the argument, Solomon recovered his breathing, and the relatives left the house.

A week later Solomon had another attack of breathlessness and soon breathed his last. Arrangements for his funeral were in progress when Solomon’s relatives again arrived on the scene, angry and weeping. “You have killed Solomon by not allowing the witch doctors to come,” one of them said. “Kill her also,” said another.

They surrounded her and began to beat her. Some friends rushed in to break up the fight, and the wife escaped to another room and bolted the door. Then she knelt down on the floor and prayed, “Lord, look upon me. Let not Your name be despised. Give my husband back his life.” While the people outside were knocking on her door and raising a fuss, she was knocking on heaven’s door.

Suddenly it grew totally quiet. The wife opened the door to see what had happened, and saw her husband sitting alive and well on the cot. Arguing about whose God was real was no longer necessary.

By the beginning of this year, Friends Missionary Prayer Band had 700 cross-cultural missionaries working with 700 local evangelists in 19 states of India. These are reaching out among 146 people groups, but mainly among the Maltos and Santhali in Bihar State, the Kuknas, Varlies, Choudri and Vasavi in Gujjarat, the Gounder, Kathodi and Oravan in Tamil Nadu, and the Chamars in Maharashtra.

FMPB workers led 1,254 people to the Lord in September, and now gather 174,698 believers into 2726 worshiping groups. Their goal for 2002 is to lead 39,950 persons to Christ and establish 836 new worshiping groups. FMPB raises support for its national workers within India, but accepts supplementary support for special projects and needs. To learn how you can help, write and put MI-344 610-FMPB on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 4. Quote of the Week: Prayers Bring Rain

“At [a certain place] the opposition challenged the Christians to prove that Jesus was the true God by bringing rain through prayer. The children in the children’s home prayed and God did answer by bringing rain! Through Him all things are possible!” – Friends Missionary Prayer Band. See story #3 above.

———————————————————————– 4. Photo of the Week: Missionary Convention

http://www.christianaid.org/pow/pow-3-44.asp

Missionaries of Indian Evangelical Team gather for a regional workers convention in India in October, 2001. The work has become so large that regional meetings for 500 or 600 workers are more practical than one large central meeting for all 2088 missionaries. See story #2, “India Churches Show Phenomenal Growth.” Monthly gifts of $50 will support a missionary in India. For more information, write and put MI-344 Sponsorship on the subject line.

———————————————————————– Mission Statement:

Missions Insider is a free weekly email report from Christian Aid Mission, your link to the world of indigenous missions. We seek to establish a witness for our Lord in every tribe and nation (Matthew 24:14) by supporting highly effective native missionary ministries based in poorer countries overseas, or where believers are persecuted. Christian Aid has contact with more than 6000 indigenous ministries that have a total of 300,000 missionaries on the field or ready to go when support is available.

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