Day 1 of Seminar, India Team (Ben)

While our medical and dental types were in Kansa conducting a medical clinic for nomadic people from the villages, the rest of our team had the high honor of leading a Church Leadership Seminar. It’s hard to create the right picture in your mind of the eager desire and awe-inspiring conviction of these pastors and church leaders as they pack into the chapel for 8 hours of teaching and feeding. They drink up every word – through a translator – and happily greet us with appreciation and have made us very happy by telling us we are helping them That’s the whole point of course. We’re to encourage these heroes of the faith, and to come alongside these leaders who are in the trenches all over India. We have all learned so much from them, though we are the ones supposedly here to teach.

Today more than 400 church leaders from all over Central India are here, coming by bus, train, bike and who knows what else. A cooks quarters is out back, with huge pots of rice and veggies and other meaty things cooked up over open fire in pots as big around as garbage cans. We have talked with a good many of them – about 30% seem to know enough English to converse. Some of them traveled more than 3 days and 3 nights to get here. Many are serving in village churches. CICM has started more than 720 churches in 25 years – all of them still “open and doing business.”

Sanjay is a minister who serves 4 rural churches among fairly primitive people. Others from Bhopal were also here, and we will get to visit more with them this weekend.

Ben began the morning by encouraging them to see that whatever they have in their hand, God can use it. Tom Moen shared from scripture and Brazil-missionary experience to remind us all of the importance of right thinking and practice to be the victorious conquerors we are in the midst of spiritual warfare. This whole topic of the weakness of Satan next to the greatness of Jesus Christ is something that is seen so starkly here. Rob spoke about the importance of giving ministry away, sharing it with the Body, not only to get more done and to save ministers from burning out, but to function how God made the Body to function, with every member doing its part. Phil Smith, on staff with Countryside Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, taught from Ephesians 3 and 4 about the importance of keeping unity, living holy lives, and the importance of prayer. Chris Allen, also from Countryside, reminded us we are ambassadors for Christ and Greg Tutino closed out the day with clear teaching about stewardship – God’s ownership and our management. It was as long day, but everyone is hungry for more – and so tomorrow, we’ll go at it again, with six more sessions.

Other highlights include Paul, Fred, and Julie milking a water buffalo. Paul apparently hasn’t lost his touch. It was udderly enjoyable for him.

Chris and Ben played more football (soccer) with the kids before dinner. The kids are so beautiful and each one has a story – formerly horrific – but now, they are full of life and joy, the light in their eyes a reflection of the love of Jesus they have received through so many. Rescued. Redeemed. Alive. In fact, that’s how all the preachers strike us, too. Rescued, redeemed, and so happy to be alive in Christ. So much so, that they would devote their lives to a diffiult task of preaching the good news of liberation. They have beautiful feet.

We hope our words will encourage more to see how the power of the gospel breaks down the dividing wall of hostility that has kept the effects of caste system in place for so long. Christians are one, but the lingering influence of the caste system distinctions are very difficult to overcome. So we can be encouraging and praying for this, even as we think about the many ways we need to see the good news of Jesus take our own fellowship BEYOND racial and socio-economic zones in America.

Join us in praying that we will be an encouragement to these brothers and sisters. They are precious to us. As are all ya’ll who would take the time to read this and attempt to experience some of this with us.

Ben for the India team, 9/23/09