Mission Visit Report:

INDIA FULL GOSPEL MISSIONARY INSTITUTE Bhopal

God Almighty is to be praised, for He recently provided us the opportunity which we had desired, to visit India Full Gospel Missionary Institute (IFGMI) in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, North India (November/December 1997). This institute in Govindpura, Bhopal is the headquarters of India Full Gospel Mission (IFGM), which was founded nearly 25 years ago and now has numerous mission centers and churches in different parts of India. While visiting there, we identified some current needs of the ministry, which we are eager to share in this newsletter. Moreover, we are happy to report the good things we saw being accomplished through this ministry center.

We could see that IFGMI is a very good Bible school, running efficiently under the leadership of Dr. John P. Samuel. Serving in cooperation with the mission are many able and dedicated staff members. We stayed with Pastor Sabu T. John and Pretty John who are residing at the Bible institute. IFGMI ministers residing elsewhere in Bhopal are also to be commended for their service, as is the vice principal, Rev. C.O. Jacob, who resides in Mumbai (Bombay). We were happy to meet local Pastor George Matthew, and the family of Pastor Jacob Thomas who was unfortunately gone to Kerala during our visit. As we met IFGM ministers in different parts of India, we were highly impressed with the fervency and commitment which was typically demonstrated while they conducted the busy work of their respective duties.

The purpose for which these men labor is to bring many to Christ and to train more able field workers (ministers). The philosophy which we heard expressed by both Rev. Samuel and Pastor Sabu was that the emphasis of this ministry should be qualitative rather than quantitative. Since they are "not after numbers," so to speak, they do not bother with the complicated task of proving the ministry by the use of impressive statistics. If only they are able to train very well the students that come, they are satisfied to produce such qualified ministers. Well trained students are defined as spiritually minded men who faithfully, and with integrity, carry out the work of the ministry--reaching the unreached, and ministering to the needs of believers.

If financial support were generated via a typical mission agency, there would likely be the expectation of supporters to hear fabulous reports of quantitative indicators of success (i.e., increased student body, great numbers of converts, and spectacular events such as crusades). They realize that because the financial support is received mostly from friends and well-wishers, they have not been encumbered by such expectations.

The liberty to focus on quality is very important to the leading ministers of IFGM.

Vital to the ministry is not only the financial support but also the prayer support, which is generated not only in Bhopal, but in our local IFGM churches at various places. Several sisters living near the institute are involved much in prayer ministry. They live in a home affectionately called Bethel Bhavan. Sister Alice functions as the head of this special household. At present, there are four women staying with her. While their primary focus is prayer, they also put their faith to practice by actively evangelizing in their realm of influence, primarily among women and families in the nearby neighborhoods.

While in Bhopal, we caught several glimpses of the quality of work being accomplished by IFGM ministers--both men and women. The week that we visited Bhopal, the Bible School students were returning from their one month of field service (practical training) at various ministry sites. Students worked together in small groups with experienced ministers in each respective ministry site. During the Sunday church service, students exuberantly told of their ministry experiences and requested prayer for their future ministries. They report that some of their efforts resulted in the curious response of several Hindu and Buddhist persons who were receptive of the Gospel message, and they likewise request prayer for these individuals to continue growing in the faith.

We got to visit one family of first generation believers who are eagerly sharing their new faith with others, and host a Sunday School for children in their home. Another family recently came to faith in the midst of personal tragedy, due to the loving ministry of the sisters from Bethel Bhavan. After suffering a debilitating motor vehicle accident, the daughter of this family and her mother have begun to call upon the name of the LORD. We pray that this family may be comforted and healed as they practice their newfound faith in Christ.

On a very practical note, we would like to mention that the recent purchase of a Tata Sumo van has been a great blessing to the ministry. The van easily seats at least 10 people, or more than 10 if it is filled to capacity in the Indian style. It is equipped with safety belts and security devices. However, we note that on the chaotic Indian roadways, only God’s strong arm is able to preserve both vehicle and passengers. So we recommend prayer to this effect!

This leads us to our next point, which is to report the prayer needs which we identified, and some related projects which we would like to recommend for the ministry. To accomplish these, it will require more than what we have got to offer. So we want to solicit both prayer support and some financial support with which to accomplish these things.

One of the hardships faced on a regular basis at the Bible institute is getting the laundry done. (Does that sound like a familiar hardship?!) Besides being a very time consuming effort, handwashing the laundry also causes some "pain." Especially when the weather is cold in winter, handwashing causes severe dryness of skin on the hands (causing cracking of the skin and bleeding). We believe it would be very appropriate to offer the ministry a luxury which so many of us enjoy--a washing machine.

In this age of rapid technological development, we notice that some of that technology can be effectively harnessed for the benefit of ministry work. We have thought for some time now (even before our visit to Bhopal) that the ministry could benefit from the use of a computer. While in Bhopal, we discovered that one of the church members there is a computer expert. We would like to send enough money to Bhopal so that a computer could be purchased for the ministry. Word-processing tasks such as preparing semester schedules could be accomplished with much greater ease. Another useful purpose for the computer is to communicate internationally through E-mail.

Additionally, we inquired around in Bhopal about the accessibility of E-mail, which is a worldwide electronic mail system available to computer users. The benefits of E-mail include rapid communication without costly phone or postage charges. We particularly have an interest in publishing an IFGM newsletter similar to this one with current ministry updates on a regular basis (four times a year). E-mail would provide the cheapest and quickest way to obtain information from Bhopal about the mission efforts in India. Other friends and well-wishers who use E-mail would also benefit from this opportunity to communicate with those in Bhopal.

The cost of these projects is as follows: Rs. 17,000 for the washing machine, Rs. 40,000 for the computer, and Rs. 6,000 in startup fees for Email. That is a total of Rs. 63,000, which translates to a cost of approximately $1,800. at the current exchange rate ($1=Rs. 35). We have decided to contribute $300. towards these projects. That leaves $1,500. to be gathered in financial support from friends and well-wishers.

Here we wish to put forth a challenging question--and a challenging recommendation.

The question is this: How do you and your family decide or determine how much financial support to offer the ministry? This was a question we had to discuss repeatedly, early in our marriage--and several times since.

What does the LORD require of us? We have become firm believers in the value of tithing. Why? "Why give 10% of our hard earned dollars??"

While some believers preach that the tithe is a requirement of the LORD, others preach that the obligation to tithe "expired" under the new covenant of grace. They say "we are no longer under law but under grace." True indeed--thanks be to Jesus.

So again we ask "why tithe?"

We are not making any theological statement as to whether or not tithing is "the law." We do make the recommendation, however, that you take on the challenging commitment to tithe. There is great satisfaction, we have discovered, in doing so. The commitment to tithing liberates us greatly in our financial planning. "Liberates?!" you may exclaim. What we have discovered is the joy of realizing that we can live very well on 90% of our income (something we could not believe previously)--and truly be content with this new lifestyle--while simultaneously enjoying the satisfaction of our "big bucks" accomplishing big things--in the Kingdom of God.

We like to believe that some of our readers already practice tithing, and trust that you enjoy similar joy in doing so. Also, we must clarify that although we advocate tithing, we do not expect that all of our readers would give their entire tithe to this particular ministry. We believe that it is also important to give money in the offering at your local church as well as to donate to other ministries which the LORD impresses upon your heart. We are praying that there would be at least ten families who commit to tithe to this ministry on a regular basis.

"Finally brethren," we wish to reiterate how happy we are about the visit we made to Bhopal, and to encourage more friends and well-wishers to do likewise. As the capital of India’s largest state in the "center stage" location of the nation, Bhopal is a important city and serves as a strategic site for the headquarters of IFGM. It was well worth the extra effort to take that extra flight while in India. Incidentally, we discovered that the Bhopal airport is a relatively new construction, and one of the nicest airports we have seen in India. At the institute, we found our accommodations to be remarkably comfortable and clean. (The only challenge is how to evade those persistent mosquitoes--especially when they discover that they can prey upon a captive audience during church services!) The fellowship we shared with those in Bhopal was very much rewarding and enjoyable. It is a good feeling to know what sort of work is supported by our donations collected here in the States. Indeed, we feel a sort of partnership together with those who are on the field. Both they and we need each other! We highly recommend that many more friends and well-wishers of the ministry should also visit Bhopal as they have opportunity, to see what the Lord is doing, and how we can serve as better facilitators of the Gospel work. As others go and return, we anticipate more insight and ideas for enhancing the work.

by Tom & Rhonda Yohanan

December/January 1998