Pastor Parishudha Babu
India (MNN) ― Partner: "(noun) a person associated with another or others as a principal or a contributor of capital in a business or a joint venture, usually sharing its risks and profits."
That's an accurate summation of what makes India Partners ‘tick.' Their team cultivates relationships, shares resources, and encourages self-sufficiency among the people of India, all the while showing the compassion and wisdom of Jesus Christ.
India Partners just received a $10,000 grant from the Tyndale House Foundation to support a discipleship-training program. How far can $10,000 go? It costs roughly $48 to train three pastors and leaders in this program.
We spoke with Pastor Parishudha Babu, who's heading up the training conferences. His excitement bubbles over as he explains, "I'm very thankful for the grant for the discipleship program. This is a great asset. For those pastors who have very little learned knowledge of the Bible, they can receive more knowledge from the Bible and be more effective in their ministries."
Babu's history with India Partners is so tightly interwoven, it is hard to see a time when he was not doing the work of the ministry, even before it began. His vision carried over into an orphan sponsorship program (Orphan Faith Home) which led to church support in 1985 and the beginning of a school under the Central Lutheran Church India Mission program.
Along the way, community medical centers and water projects were added. Between 1990 and 1992, OFH built and began administering a self-sustaining fishery.
By 1994, it was obvious that CLC India Mission was ready to become its own mission agency. Three years later, India Partners got behind the construction of small churches in local villages around the OFH area. The entire plan called for churches with adjacent self-sufficiency projects such as gardens or fisheries to be built in ten villages.
That led to more partnerships, and the need for biblically-grounded church leaders was becoming more and more evident. Poverty kept many from getting the training they needed. Distance played another role in preventing pastors from getting the tools they needed to firmly ground new church bodies that were being established.
India Partners decided to embark on a discipleship training program. With it, village pastors dig deep into the Bible in one year using "Life Journals" materials.
Babu says the grant will leave deep footprints for the church. "We want to train 250 to 500 people. That's our goal this year." The goal of the discipleship training is not only to provide church leaders with tools to better lead, but also to see more people introduced to Christ.
Babu says with the open hearts in India, it's urgent that they respond. "This program really helps them to pursue more knowledge from the Bible--how to prepare a sermon, and how to understand the Word and how to present the Word." It's both risk and gain in the Kingdom of God. Click here if you can help.
