The country of India is projected to have the
largest population in the world sometime in the next 10-15 years, surpassing China. India has over 100 million Muslims and 800 million Hindus – and less than 25 million Christians. Yet there is openness to the gospel nearly all across the country. And because of India’s size and position in the region, whatever strides Christianity makes in the country will affect India’s neighbors.
Our focus in India has mainly been in the north, an area with high levels of poverty and the least amount of Christ-followers. In Uttar Pradesh (pronounced “Oo-ter Pruh-desh”), a state in Northern India, the
number of believers totals less than 0.2% of the population.
We believe that Christ literally wants us to take the gospel
“to the ends of the earth.” To us, that means that everyone, everywhere, should have the opportunity to hear the truth about Jesus’ live-saving death and resurrection. As such, in Uttar Pradesh, we sponsor three church-planting teams who go from village to village, starting churches. As soon as the churches are established, they train leaders to not only pastor the church, but to go out and plant new churches themselves. Through this strategy,
over 100 new churches have been started across Northern India in the past few years – just through the efforts of these three teams! People who have never before heard about Jesus Christ are responding to the gospel.
Our congregation has also reached out to Indian children who have lost their parents or suffered from abuse and neglect. These orphans have no one to care for them, and no hope for the future. At the Little Flower Children’s Home high in the Himalayan Mountains, they are supported monthly by individual SCG attenders. Their sponsorships
provide food, clothing, shelter and medical care to children who might otherwise find themselves on the streets. They’re loved and cared for by a
compassionate staff that teaches – and demonstrates – the love ofJesus Christ. Each child will grow up with the opportunity to not only break the cycle of abuse in their families, but also share the gospel with others in their community.
SCG attenders just like you have sponsored many of the children at Little Flower, and in 2006, a team from SCG was able to visit the children and see their progress. However, there are still 16 children at Little Flower who need sponsorships! If you would like to offer hope to a needy child by sponsoring him or her on a monthly basis,
click here.
