The Church Without a Roof
Before...
Imagine if your church had no roof. It might be quite lovely on a beautiful fall day like we have been having here in Tennessee. But in the middle of summer or during a rainstorm? Yikes!
When we learned about this old, worn-down church in India with no roof, God convicted us. We had to help.
A Little Background
In the early 1900s, a missionary from an unknown denomination traveled on a ship to India to preach the Gospel. He landed on the western coast in the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) in the state of Maharashtra.
He was a sincere man who started his work by learning the local language fluently. During his time in language study, he came across some tracts explaining the Sabbath truth and accepted it wholeheartedly.
When his language study was complete, he felt the call to the unreached in the interior parts of Maharashtra. He traveled inland to a place near the city of Aurangabad, and on a street corner in the bustling town, he stood up and began to preach. There was no church, no congregation, no believer, nothing—just this man and his faith in God.
They say he preached with all his might and soul. No one listened–no one stopped to hear what he had to say except one man, a poor, lame man. They say he preached as if he was preaching to a thousand people, and at the end, he made an impassioned, heartfelt appeal.
In response, the lame man came forward and said, "Am I allowed to be saved, even though I'm lame?" The preacher received him and started Bible studies with him. He was baptized in that place as the first Seventh-day Adventist in the interior of the whole state.
This lame man's acceptance of Jesus eventually led to the start of this church, which thrived for many years before closing seven years ago.
By God's grace, through the generous donors to our Church Buildings fund, we were able to help repair this church and bring it back to its former beauty.
One of our team members was able to visit the church ahead of its official re-dedication and showed us the restored building. It was a beautiful testimony of God's provision!
After!
Even more incredible than the building's completion was the fact that over 40 people are now attending!
Janthi*, the Bible Worker assigned to the area, started working to rebuild the congregation long before she knew anyone would repair the church. God guided her to find some of the previous church members. She faithfully shared God's love with them, and many decided to return to the church. They met in various homes until their newly renovated church was completed.
This is a powerful example of why we are so passionate about rebuilding churches. Witnessing a rundown old building transformed into something new is wonderful, but the true beauty lies in the rebuilding and growth of the congregation. This is especially significant in a country where many people are unfamiliar with Jesus. Now, this church and its congregation can serve as beacons of light, sharing the Gospel with those around them.
Please keep Janthi * and the church members here in your prayers.
You can help closed churches shine again for Christ in three ways:
Prayer! God moves in answer to His people's requests, especially when it involves introducing more people to Jesus.Donate: Churches with minor damages cost an average of $1,600 to repair, while churches in this condition may cost an average of $5,000. Gifts of any size can help.Come with us to India! We are planning two upcoming trips to help reopen churches in January/February 2025. We will be leading revival series to help boost our Bible Workers' efforts to rebuild the churches' congregations. Click here for more details.