Development of children's ministry
Development of team
Pastor H received our materials for children's ministry and immediately studied them and started to share the ideas as he went from church to church. He found that several others also became excited and wanted to study for children's ministry. In faith, he planned a month long detailed study with a group of five others, several of whom came from remote villages. They all stayed together in Pastor H's small rented home and had to believe for the funds to make copies of the teaching resources, as well as for food to live on during that time! At the end of the month (consisting of studying in the mornings and then going out in the afternoons to immediately put into action what they had learned) they reported that their lives had been changed! Since then many have become active as children's ministers in several states, and two men in particular have committed to full-time ministry working together with Pastor H as a team to both minister to children, and also to train and develop new children's ministries.
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More trained children's ministers
Pastor H holds intensive seminars to train new children's ministers several times each year and travels occasionally to other areas as this ministry is rarely understood in most parts of India. This group had to meet outdoors in the cold when Pastor H visited the Punjab area of Northern India at the end of 2008. The main team continues to work with and encourage new workers as they minister in local churches, villages and clubs for children. Pastor H has already translated both our Promise Book and a book for children's ministry into Hindi and Telugu so that more people can begin to use them as important ministry tools.
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Children's ministry in action
You can see from this photo that children's ministry quickly attracts a lot of excitement even when nowhere can be found except a small room in someone's home! The games, visuals and other teaching resources developed by the team are of necessity only produced from simple, easily available materials - though they often involve hours of preparation! The team has already, in only a short time, ministered to hundreds of children in jungle villages, and both town and rural churches. Sadly there are MANY homeless children in that area and already the team has a vision to one day start a children's home to be able to help at least SOME of those who are in so desperate need of a loving family life.
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Children's rally and clubs
In December 2007 over 800 children in the area around Jagdalpur experienced their first huge children's rally! Pastor H and his team presented a special Christmas program to three different groups of children - sharing the Christmas Story and handing out little gifts of stickers and balloons that we were able to send him. Since then his team has continued to minister to these children through about ten weekly kids clubs they have started around the area. Just recently the children at some of these clubs asked to start a prayer chain so that they can pray for one another and also for the needs of the ministry! Through the months that followed, more and more such clubs have been developed in several areas of the country and many children are now not only learning about the Bible but growing in their faith as they meet together each week.
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Help for orphans
As Pastor H and his team minister they are frequently moved to tears to see so many young children orphaned or abandoned - sometimes living on the streets, other times in the jungle, where tigers and other wild animals still roam. They have helped a few children by arranging for them to live with Christian families, and are praying to be able to obtain some land and build a home where they can start an orphanage. Unfortunately with the ongoing violence and persecution, along with abject poverty in many of these tribal villages, there are very many such orphaned children. We pray that God will soon send in the funds so that Pastor H can go ahead with his plans to help them. We praise God that in July 2009 Pastor H was able to arrange for SIX orphaned children from Orissa to go to live in Dr Job's orphanage in Coimbatore in Southern India!
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Evangelical and Compassion Mission
Pastor H's vision includes training and developing children's ministries in many areas, but especially in the very difficult and mountainous areas of Eastern India. Because of threats and other problems from those who are against the spread of Christianity in that area, Pastor H has already had to move the ministry base on several occasions. He continues to receive many invitations to train others and develop children's ministries all over India and so in mid-2009 he decided to move to New Delhi in order to be able to register his ministry officially. This will enable him to work in all areas of the country. He has chosen the name Evangelical and Compassion Mission, and he is already hard at work to establish the main ministry base there in the capital city.
To see more photos of his ministry, follow this link to his album Pastor H's photos
You can contact Pastor H at his ministry base via e-mail: Pastor H
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