(Photo credit Mohammad Moniruzzaman via Flickr)

Bangladesh (MNN) — You’ve heard a lot about the Living Water Center this week. Today, we’re concluding our mini-series featuring God’s Kingdom expansion in Bangladesh with three easy ways you can get involved.

To start, Joe Handley of Asian Access (A2) explains why we’ve spent so much time highlighting the Living Water Center.

“The work of the Lord in Bangladesh is critical,” Handley states. “They’re facing significant pressure, being a Muslim-dominant society, but in that pressure we’re seeing the Church grow rapidly.”

Persecution’s role in Kingdom expansion

Bangladesh may not get into the persecution headlines as often as Afghanistan, perhaps, but the fact remains it’s #48 on the Open Doors World Watch List. Of the country’s 156 million people, only about 800,000 follow Christ.

“The time has come,” says Peter Mazumder, the visionary behind this Living Water Center and general secretary of InterVarsity Bangladesh.

“89% [of] persons need to hear the Gospel, so more laborers are needed who will commit their life to the Lord.”

Kingdom expansion: Living Water Center

(Screenshot taken from BSFB.org)

When it’s finished, the $600,000 USD Living Water Center will advance God’s Kingdom in multiple ways: pastoral training, Bible translation, college ministry, community outreach, and more.

Even though there’s little more than foundations in-place right now, believers are already using the training center for Gospel work.

“Wycliffe has already held training there; it’s really quite amazing to see what God’s doing, even though the buildings aren’t built in [their] entirety,” says Handley.

“What’s happening through this is powerful. Lives are being changed, churches are being planted…and the Kingdom is impacting communities.”

It’s hard to put the impact this training center will have into words. One thing is certain though: it is expanding the Kingdom.

“Whether it’s InterVarsity and student ministry, Asian Access and pastors, [or] Wycliffe Bible Translators for getting the Word of God into the mother tongues of these languages: having a training center like the Living Water Center is crucial for the work of the Kingdom,” Handley says.

Handley then shares three easy ways you can help A2 and InterVarsity finish the Living Water Center:

1. Pray
2. Give
3. Go

(Screenshot taken from BSFB.org)

“This is a crucial season for the Gospel’s advance, and as it grows, they need leadership training. So, pray for Asian Access,” asks Handley.

“[Secondly,] we need to raise a lot of money [as] this Living Water Center is so crucial for the needs of the country.”

You can contact A2 here for specifics on each of the action points listed above.

To read each story in the “Kingdom expansion” series, click the titles below:

• Kingdom expansion: Part One
• Kingdom expansion: Part Two
• Kingdom expansion: Part Three

(Screenshot taken from BSFB.org)

Bangladesh (MNN) — We’ve been talking about God’s Kingdom expansion in Bangladesh. Today we’ll continue that discussion to learn about how the Living Water Center will impact student outreach on college campuses.

Peter Mazumder grew up in a Christian home but accepted Christ later in life.  He soon began working for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) in Bangladesh — Bible Students Fellowship of Bangladesh (BSFB)

When Mazumder began to do ministry in Bangladesh in 1986, there were nine chapters of BSFB on campuses. He says, “By the grace of God now, 76 chapters are functioning, with [1400] students having regular weekly Bible Studies.”

Kingdom Expansion: Bible Students Fellowship of Bangladesh

Sharing the Gospel looks a bit different than it does in the United States. Nobody has been able to see that better than Mazumder. Asian Access is partnering with BSFB to fulfill a need that has burdened his heart.

Mazumder explains, “Bangladesh is a Muslim country, but we are free to propagate the Gospel all over the country. So as a Muslim country, we are not able to sit in the University Campuses, but we call this ‘friendship evangelism.'”

This is a different way of engaging the student population, by having discussions about Jesus with friends and peers rather than having a presence as an organization on campus.

“Through that dialogue we share the Gospel, and it’s really going well. We reach them one-by-one like students reaching the students through friendship evangelism,” Mazumder says.

The Living Water Center will serve many purposes (read more here). One of these will be to provide a place for leadership or ministry training for students and a place for them to hold BSFB meetings.

Mazumder continues, “This Living Water Center will be for the students’ training and all different kinds of conferences for [BSFB]. At the same time, it will be available for different churches.”

Churches will also be able to meet here for Bible school and discipleship training.

You can give to Asian Access, who is partnering with BSFB, to help this project to completion.

IFES works internationally to train students to engage their peers with the message of Jesus and to become effective leaders beyond college.

Pray that the Living Water Center would be a great resource to expand God’s Kingdom in Bangladesh.

(Screenshot taken from 2013 progress video)

Bangladesh (MNN) — Our series on God’s Kingdom expansion in Bangladesh continues today with a focus on Bible translation.

Peter Mazumder, visionary behind the Living Water Center, says Wycliffe Bible Translators has already started using it for ministry.

“Thirty pastors are coming every year, 30 days each time, and they are assigned to complete some portions of the Bible; also, they are getting training,” says Mazumder.

Kingdom expansion: Wycliffe

Wycliffe Australia and Wycliffe Singapore are members of the global Wycliffe Bible Translators family. They’re teaming up with other ministries in Bangladesh to get God’s Word into the hands of more than 300 unreached ethnic people groups.

See a complete list of Bangladesh’s unreached people groups here.

(Photo cred: Wycliffe USA)

The Living Water Center plays a key role in that effort, since it allows Bible translators to combine theory with application. Bible students travel from India to teach translation methods to the group of pastors mentioned above.

“They’re doing ‘diploma’ Bible translation at the same time they’re doing [practical] Bible translation, 100 days a year,” Mazumder explains.

Years ago when the Bible Students Fellowship of Bangladesh (BSFB)–the in-country branch of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship–first connected with Wycliffe, they agreed to take on three language translation projects.

“We are hoping, within 10 to 15 years’ time, we could finish New Testament translation for these three ethnic people groups,” says Mazumder.

When it’s finished, the Living Water Center will speed up translation efforts and training in Muslim-dominated Bangladesh.

Donate here through Asian Access to help the Living Water Center reach completion.

Kingdom expansion and Scripture translation

(Photo cred: Wycliffe USA)

Earlier this year, Bible translators completed a booklet and short videos from the book of Mark for the Marma people group. According to The Joshua Project, the Marmas mostly follow Buddhist teachings, though many also practice animism. Oral Bible storying projects for the Usoi Tripura and Mru language communities also progressed.

Pray for the completion of the Living Water Center. Pray that the needed people and resources are provided for Bible translation efforts in Bangladesh.

Tomorrow, we’ll explore the impact the Living Water Center will have on college campus ministries.

God on Throne — Anonymous painter from Westphalia, late 15th century
(Image credit Wikimedia Commons)

Bangladesh (MNN) — The Kingdom of God is growing in Bangladesh, despite growing restrictions on missionaries.

Over the next few days, we’ll be highlighting this Kingdom expansion in a 4-part series.

“There’s a huge need in [Bangladesh] today for training, and they have a facility they’re trying to build that will service all these training groups, including Asian Access, Wycliffe Bible Translators, many others,” shares Asian Access (A2) President Joe Handley.

“Several of us are rallying to help Peter in raising the funds for this center.”

Peter Mazumder, co-national director for A2 Bangladesh and general secretary of InterVarsity Bangladesh, dreamed of starting a facility like this years ago. The vision he invested in and laid foundations for years ago is finally gaining traction and support.

Watch as Mazumder shares his vision for the LWC here.

“The buildings include the actual training center, a dormitory, the chapel will be in one of those buildings, and then a clinic,” Handley explains. “The foundation has been laid for one of the buildings and a few floors for the other building.

Kingdom Expansion: Asian Access

Peter Mazumder at the inauguration
of the Living Water Center.
(Screenshot taken from BSFB.org)

A building project like this isn’t something A2 usually focuses on, Handley says. Normally, Asian Access spends its resources and time investing in Asia’s church leaders.

“In this case, we have a very unique situation for the country, where they lack that freedom of expression and freedom to worship the way they would like to in these training centers,” says Handley.

“So, we saw that as a critical need for the country.”

Another bonus? The Living Water Center would cut costs to run A2 Bangladesh by 70%. The benefits are more than physical and financial, though. A spiritual dynamic runs throughout this Kingdom expansion.

“This center is not just for those of us doing ministry,” Handley explains.

A community of 6,500 garment workers lives near the future site of the Living Water Center. Only 150 of these workers follow Christ, and Mazumder hopes the LWC will become a regular place of worship for these believers, as well as an outreach to the community.

(Screenshot taken from 2013 progress video)

The LWC’s health clinic will play a critical role.

“When you have 20, 30, 50 people living in very small rooms and cramped quarters without hygienic conditions, you can imagine the healthcare needs of this community,” says Handley.

Meeting physical needs can often open doors to start a conversation about Jesus.

Tomorrow, we’ll share how the Living Water Center will help Bible translation in Bangladesh. Stay tuned!