B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #236
B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #236
I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
March 14, 2013
Representatives of the BELC and the CLCI are planning a trip to Odisha State in India to explore fellowship with some Lutherans there. We ask your prayers for the trip and our men who are going: Pastors Jyothi Benjamin, D. Paul Bakthavachalam, Deepak Immanuel. We cannot at this time give out any more information as the radical Hindus could cause trouble.
Yangon, Myanmar Pastor Charles Edwards and his National Lutheran Church has been familiar to us for several years. He is now requesting from the CLC the establishment of fellowship. Pray that there is agreement on God’s Word and that we may link hands to serve Him together to reach out with the Gospel proclamation.
———————–
A Report on the Joint Asia English Pastoral Conference in Guntur, India in October 2012.
B.E.L.C. & C.L.C.I. NELLORE & RENIGUNTA
NELLORE DISTICT –
a. I conduct Training class every month in Nellore.
b. Total pastors = 40+10+50
Total children = 1835
Total adult = 2392
Total souls = 4227
c. We are conducting special Youth Class, VBS classes, Sunday classes in local
churches.
d. We have completed eight church buildings and have bought two church lands.
e. We are conducting film ministry programs with our church members.
RENIGUNTA DISTRICT
a. I conduct Training class every month in Renigunta
b. Total pastors = 34+10 =44
Total children = 1533
Total adults = 2143
Total souls = 3676
c. We are conducting Gospel meetings in our local churches.
Development works are going on at BANGALORE. Pastor Ude will be planning to visit our new establishing district of Bangalore.
We request you to pray for us and our future activities.
Pastor Moses Raghu
Nellore
—————————————-
B.E.L.C. DISTRICTS OF UTHOKOTTAI, CHENNAI, VANIYAMPADI, TIRUVALURE, TIRUTTANI OF TAMIL NADU STATE AND SHRIKALAKHASTI, CHITTOOR AND KOPPEDU OF ANDHRA PRADESH STATE.
“I will bless those who bless you; and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all families of the earth shall be blessed”. Gen. 12:3
It is to be carried out by the BELC. Our BELC must take this commission most seriously. We should regularly research the entire area we serve to find those groups of people who do not yet have a church among them and make every effort to plant a spiritual house for Jesus Christ among them. This must be the passion, the goal, the longing of every BELC congregation, only when the task is completed will our Savior return.
OUR MISSION AND PURPOSE;
Our BELC’s primary purpose is centered on God. The BELC is an instrument of praise and worship to the creater and the Redeemer of the Universe.
It’s second purpose is to build up the believers to this task.
And it’s third purpose is to proclaim the Gospel.
Our BELC has a clear understanding of areas in which they are located, identifying the people groups that do not yet have a church planted among them. We study the scripture prayerfully in dependence on the Holy Spirit, we read God’s words, we fill our hearts with these words and God is speaking to us through His words. We also are charged to proclaim the good news about salvation in Jesus Christ.
BAPTISM SERVICES;
By 2011–2012–there were 79 people baptized under Koppedu district, 37 people were baptized under Uthokottai district, 8 people under Chittor district, 17 people under Vaniyambadi district, 55 people under Tiruttani district, 7 people under Chennai district and 13 people under Tiruvallure district.
MARTIN LUTHER’S SMALL CATECHISM CLASSES
Every pastor is regularly conducting services on week days, Wednesday or some on Thursday evening 6 to 7:30pm. Bible Study, especially Martin Luther’s small catechism takes place, as part and parcel of these programes. All pastors and all congregations have Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. The catechism “The little Bible” should be learned by our BELC believers.
We have conducted question and answer competitions on the Small catechism and we have conducted a Small catechism competition each and every year. Each and every congregations children and youth have participated to compete in the recitation of memorization of the Small catechism. The winners list would be sent to our District Chairmen, the winners, that is–those who did the best in memorization and recitation-were awarded gifts of steel plates, utensils, note book and pens at the time of Christmas festival. Many boys and girls memorized and recited the main six chief parts of the small catechism and also some believers participated in the written test.
HOLY COMMUNION, WORSHIP AND PRAYER
God is to be the center of attention, not the audience.
FUTURE OF RURAL CONGREGATIONS
The Revenue officials have entered each families name in Gov’t records under the designated caste column. The church shall do well to acknowledge their reality, that a well defined cast system prevails, especially in rural India. And that Christian members of Dalit origin suffer, even today in many pockets, social discrimination and untouchability…the pastors and the church continue to remain silent spectators to this depreciable and inhuman social evil.
We have served the rural church in A.P. and T.N.. Most of our congregations are of Dalit origin and suffer indignities like untouchability, social segregation and poverty.
To be continued……….
Submitted by Rev. Rejamani, Rev. Sampath, Re. B.Bhasker, and Rev. D.Paul
———————————-
Pastor David Koenig