Annual Report 2010

Annual report of the activities of The Pocket Testament League (India)
For the year 2009 -2010:
Presented to the
Board of Directors and to the
General Body on 27^th September 2010

Respected brethren;

Loving greetings in the very precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

I am so thankful to the Lord for allowing me another opportunity to present a brief report of the activities of the Pocket Testament League (India) for the last one year.  I am so happy to inform you right at the beginning that for more than one reason, this was one of the best years that we have had, even though we had to go through so many troubles and struggles.

I take this privilege to inform you that in the year 2010, we saw the highest number of baptisms of new disciples in any one pioneer field, and it is the same in the overall church planting ministry as well.

2009-10 was a year of harvest, reaping a great harvest and bringing the sheaves into the barn for the Lord.  Praises be to the name of our Lord forever and ever.  The Lord had given us a vision almost two decades ago to send pioneer workers into unreached areas trusting the Lord to plant worshipping groups of men and women transformed by the power of God’s Word.  What a joy it is to know that this vision from the Lord is coming to reality and that the kingdom of God is expanding and establishing in the strongholds that had resisted the entry of the Word for years.  

My heart rejoices as we celebrate the joy of seeing 59 new disciples baptized on two occasions in Assandh, 40 obeying the Lord in one day in Saffidom, 42 choosing to join the Lord in baptism in Cheeka (all in Haryana), 17 obeying the Lord in Khannauri, 22 in Patran (Punjab) and 35 declaring publically in Sahibabad.  There were more (though less in number) in all other ministry locations in U.P, Haryana, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. 

Sukhdev called to inform me that 17 more people obeyed the Lord in baptism on the 12^th of September.

Mark concludes the gospel he wrote by saying; “And they went and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs” (Mark 16:20), and we read of those signs in the accounts mentioned by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.  I strongly believe that the Lord continues His work as promised to His disciples and to those of us who believe by working with us as we obey the Lord in simple obedience. 

On Sunday the 5^th of September (2010), Joseph had two newcomers in his church.  A younger man forcefully brought in the older man.  As soon as he was brought in to the hall where the church was already worshipping the Lord, he cried out hysterically and ran out yelling and crying all the way.  The younger man also followed the older man.  Once the whole service was over, the younger man, who later identified himself as the nephew of the older one, came into the hall and requested Joseph to pray for his uncle who he said was “completely insane for the last one and half years.”  He told Joseph that he had heard about him and had brought his uncle to be prayed for.  The nephew said that his uncle (in his fifties) practiced black magic and witchcraft and used to be consulted by many people.  He also said that now he has become very violent and no one could even go near him.  As he refused to go back into the hall, they had sat on the road outside the worship hall while the meeting was going on.

As Joseph along with couple of brothers in the church moved closer to the older man, he yelled at the top of his voice and tried to run away.  Joseph now caught hold of him and, along with the few who were there, started praying for this man.  After a season of prayer, the younger man left with his uncle to go back to his village.  On the 7^th of September Joseph was visiting the same village and the younger man greeted him and said that his uncle is completely normal.  A couple of neighbors who knew the man testified before many people that they had seen the man fully sober, in his right mind, talking to people and walking around.  

Pastor Simon Philip ministers in Assandh, Haryana.  It was in his ministry field that 16 new disciples were forcibly taken back to their former faith two years ago.  Simon called me on the 31^st of August to report that he had given baptism to 32 new disciples in his field. (Only a short while ago, 27 were baptized there).  

The same evening Simon called again and shared the story of Rajkumar who had professed his faith in the Lord that very same day.

Here is the rest of the story: -

After the baptisms, while Simon rested in his home, he had an urge to take his bike and go on a drive.  As he drove along the road, he saw a ‘Sadhu’ standing alone and glaring into the irrigation canal (full with water).  Simon stopped his vehicle and got into a conversation with this stranger, which went on for nearly two hours, after which Simon took him to his home to stay for the night.  

Rajkumar had left his home nine years ago to follow a group of ‘Sadhus’ and was initiated into their order.  He took on their dressings and became fully pledged to the order.  As part of the initiation ceremony and paving the way for success in the order, his ear was pierced.  Unfortunately for him, it became infected and he lost part of his ear.  With such a defect in his body, he was considered ‘unfit’ for higher purposes, so he lived with low self-esteem within the order.  He could never climb any higher in the order and was rejected by all the other men.  

After nine years, Rajkumar realized he had not gained anything and chose to go back to his family to serve his parents for the rest of his life.  On the 31^st of August he reached his home (in the garb of the Sadhu) and bowed low to touch the feet of his mother, vowing to serve her.  Seeing this, his father rushed up to him, snatched his ‘lathi’ and beat him up saying he was to leave and never return home.  The father declared, “you have been dead to us from the day you joined that order, and we want to have nothing more to do with you.”  His pleas for forgiveness and promises to serve them the rest of his life were totally unheeded.  

Having wasted nine years of his life and knowing that he had no place to go, Rajkumar chose to end his life by jumping into the canal.  It was at that exact moment that Simon Philip stopped near him and started to talk to him.  

I spoke to Rajkumar on the phone, and he told me this: “Sir I am so glad that finally I have found the truth.  For nine years I searched for true meaning of life and for peace, but it is at the feet of the Lord Jesus that I found it.  I will live for Jesus all the days of my life.  It is Jesus who sent this man of God to me – just at the right time.”

Rajkumar stayed with Simon for a day and we chose prayerfully to move him to Cheeka for the time being – for his own safety as well as for the sake of the work in Assandh. The Lord is already doing a good work in Rajkumar’s life as he is being discipled by Sukhdev, who has a great ministry in that area. 

(The latest on Rajkumar:- Simon Philip reported that after spending two weeks with Sukhdev, he returned to Assandh. 

He told Simon that he is planning to start a small shop and live a good life serving God and being part of the church there).

There are wonderful stories of transformation from Saffidom, Cheeka, Sampurna Nagar, Coimbatore, Khannauri, Patran, and several other pioneer fields, but let me stop here to save time.  The Lord is at work in each of the ministry fields, and we praise Him for the same.

During the reporting year, two new pioneer stations were added in Haryana (Adhampur and Julana), two were added in Tamil Nadu (Vellakinar –CBE and Tanjaore) and two evangelists shifted to new locations.  We had to pull out from one station in Punjab as the evangelist chose to move to a different ministry.

Further work was done on the Uklana worship centre building, which is close to completion now, and the Lord allowed us to purchase a small plot of land for the ministry in Tekkalore, Tamil Nadu.

Most of the evangelists suffer greatly as they do not have adequate facilities for regular gatherings.  In a couple of places, Sunday gatherings were stopped by the landlords and neighbors who were instigated by people with vested interest to stop the prayer meetings.  I praise God that the work of the Lord has expanded and has been established in all the areas in spite of severe opposition and resistance.

Workers in each area gather together for fellowship, worship, reporting, prayer and planning each month, and whenever possible, leaders from the H.Q. are present in such gatherings.  Apart from the area meetings, we try to get all the workers in a region together once in three months and arrange combined worship in different areas.  Three ‘Regional Coordinator’s’ take special interest to connect with the area coordinators and each of the church planters on a regular basis.  One of the things that we have not been able to do is bring all the church planters together once a year for vision impartation, refresher programs and short term training.

There were a number of outstanding miracles, which were direct interventions of the Lord.  

Chandrawati’s (Ram Niwas’ wife) healing has become a matter of wonder for anyone who knew her condition.  We praise God for the miraculous healing she experienced. Many in her village, including family members, had concluded that she would not return alive to her home, and when she did after two months in the hospital, even those who were against the family for what they do realized that the Lord had healed her.  Her mother-in-law who had never been to church all these years and opposed her vehemently started coming to the church.  She has repeatedly announced before many people, “It is Jesus, the Lord who gave Chandrawati a new life.”  The doctors who treated her in the Lady Harding Medical College confirmed that the living God has done a miracle in her life.  What the family went through, how they handled it and what the Lord did to them became a very strong witness in the community, and 40 people obeyed the Lord in baptism on the last Sunday of June this year.  Ram Niwas told me that 4 of them had resisted him and had been completely opposed to his preaching of the gospel.  In his latest reports Ram Niwas shared that there are more people ready for baptism.

Another story of divine intervention happened in the life of Pastor Joseph Joy and his family.  A son was born to Joseph and Sheena on the 12^th of July in a good hospital in Kerala.  On the third day the pediatrician observed that there was something wrong with the baby, and on careful investigation it was diagnosed that “there is massive bleeding in the brain” and it was beyond any treatment.  The child was taken to the ICU and the parents were prepared by the staff to accept the worst.  After four days the doctors told them that nothing can be done and the child will not live for more than two weeks. Then they also said that even if he survives, he would be a vegetable.  I visited them personally and stood with Joseph and Sheena while prayers were being raised to the Lord in different parts of the country.

When he was discharged from the hospital after two weeks, there was one more concern that the child had not cried or taken any food.  The family chose to seek the Lord and wait on Him even as they took him to various specialists and consultants who confirmed what the doctors had said in the first place.

The family was praying with fasting, and several others joined them seeking the Lord’s favor and healing touch.  On the 4^th of August when the family was ending a time of prayer with fasting, the boy cried for the first time, bringing tears of joy to the eyes of all who were there.

Joseph is now in Sampurna Nagar (U.P.) serving the Lord, and his wife is back in Kerala with the child.  From the reports that we have, the child is absolutely normal (healthy and well) and everyone who knew the story knows that the hands of the Lord touched him.  Please continue to pray for Glen Christ Joseph. Our God is good indeed.

Please pray for Pastor M.P James (Patran, Punjab) who has been confined to his home for over two months after a motor bike accident. Not getting proper medical attention in the worsened his situation for a while. We praise God that he is much better now and is able to move around in his house.

Training
We have two streams of training going on at the PTL Centre, namely IMS and NTS.  P. S. Sam gives overall leadership to the training department and is supported by Edward Jesudhas and a selected Faculty.

NTS
Launching the National Trainers School (NTS) was the highlight of the reporting year. We had sent two of our senior leaders –Sam and Edward- for one year of advanced level training at Bethany International University in Singapore, which became a booster for NTS.  NTS is perhaps the only training that is available in our country where the focus is given to training up trainers who will become future trainers and equippers.  Of the 14 trainees in this programme, 7 are from our ministry and 7 are from other ministries who saw the value of such training. 

Everything about NTS is very unique, whether it be the teaching method, selection of trainers, trainer-trainee relationships, subjects covered, expectations of the trainees or the exposure given to each trainee.  Trainers with experience in the field of training and a proven track record are selected to teach the trainers, and focus is given to the overall development of each trainee.  We praise God for various men and women with training, experience and passion to equip others whom the Lord has brought in so far.  We have had a number of renowned leaders from various parts of the world.  Each of the trainers expressed their great satisfaction in being able to work with our men and women and the faculty.  The partnership with BIU- Singapore and the contribution of its leaders are acknowledged with heartfelt appreciation.  We also praise God for partnership with a foundation in the US who anonymously provided a timely grant that helped us to launch this unique training.  P. S. Sam gives leadership to NTS as its principal.  This training is affiliated with and recognized by Bethany International University.

IMS (Institute of Mission Studies)
The 18^th class of IMS began at the centre in the first week of August under the leadership of Edward Jesudhas as the principal.  IMS is affiliated to the Indian Institute of Missiology, and we are offering Diploma, Graduation and Bachelors in Theology.  Presently we have 14 students in IMS in two classes. The addition of a modern computer lab at the centre has become an asset to the training department and has boosted the capacity of the students in research as well as preparation.  Praise God for the good services of Jeff Miller in making the computer lab a reality.

The Prayer Team
Praise God for the women He chose to stand in the gap, interceding for the nations.  We are in our 18^th year and rejoice in His faithfulness over the years as He answered many prayers.  We added three more sisters to the prayer team in the beginning of the year 2010.

Schools
The story of the schools is one of joy and constant struggles.  We have a total of over 1000 students in the four schools, and each school has made its mark in the community even though we are under constant pressure from various sources.  While there is a great need and demand for quality education in the areas where we are concentrating, it is a constant challenge to motivate the parents to pay the fees (even though it is very nominal amount).  Not having facilities of our own stands as a major challenge in any plans of growth and expansion for three of the schools.  Finding qualified teachers who are willing to work in remote areas for a lower salary is a herculean task indeed.  Another challenging factor is the constant representation against the schools by those with vested interests.  At the same time we rejoice that the schools have opened doors in all the areas for the presentation of the gospel.

We are praying for a school building in Sampurna Nagar and for a piece of land in Khuttar as soon as possible.  After a year of waiting and constant follow-up, the land in Sapurna Nagar was converted from agricultural to commercial use.

Partnerships
We were blessed to have several like-minded partners who walked with us faithfully throughout the year.  We are thankful to the Kees Minnaar Foundation for their continued support for the ministry even after the passing away of Mr. Minnaar several years ago. The continued support of the Woodlawn Christian Fellowship to receive funds and faithfully channel the same to us is something that cannot be forgotten even though this small church was going through various challenges.  The continued partnership with Eastern Mennonite Missions and their representatives in the region was very encouraging.  Several churches and prayer partners in the USA, UK and Singapore faithfully supported the cause that we stand for, and so many faithful prayer warriors interceded for us all across the globe.  We are so blessed by the PTL India Partners Board of Directors in the USA who did all they could to present the vision to churches and individuals who believe in the great commission.  The International Missions Association (IMA) became a network that gave much encouragement and many opportunities for partnership. Of late, we have become co-founders with Kingdom Life Network, a network of networks, committed to encourage and support ministries and missions worldwide.

I had opportunities to be involved in a pastors training prgramme and a World Missions Institute in Indonesia in partnership with EMM and the Indonesian Mennonite Church.  Two of our leaders participated in the International Missions Association gatherings in Kenya last month.

Dr. E. Daniel Martin, the Chairman of PTL India Partners, visited us on three different occasions, each time accompanied by another person .  Each of his visits was very encouraging indeed as he taught at NTS and IMS and ministered in the churches as well as to the workers.  Others who were with us included Dr. Richard Showalter (USA), Rev. Yesaya Abdi (Indonesia), Mr. Don Hess (USA), Dr. & Mrs. Isaiah, Dr. Tan Kok Beng (Singapore) and Mr. & Mrs. Dave Hicks (USA).  Apart from these there were several others who came to teach at NTS as well as for ministry visits.

MNA Profiling: (Multi Nations Anabaptist Profiling)
In the year 2008, I was approached by Dr. Richard Showalter (President of EMM) and later by Dr. Conrad Kanagy, a noted scholar, educationist and author in the USA, expressing their desire to include us in a survey and profiling of 12 ministries and church planting movements in different parts of the world.  Under the able guidance and leadership of Dr. Kanagy, our leaders Thomas P. Chacko and Blessan anchored the profiling of our churches, and we are so encouraged by the findings of the survey and the observations noted. 

A meeting of the anchors and leaders of churches was held in Thikka, Kenya from the 22^ndto 26^th of last month to sum up the findings, reports and evaluations (which will be published in the near future).  Several findings of the survey presented our ministry as a leading movement in the areas of growth, in the number of young people in the church, commitment to missions, adherence to Biblical values, and several other matters.  While most of the other participant ministries showed a downward trend in attendance, number of young people in the church and growth in the past decade, our pioneer ministry came out as the one that had experienced the highest percentage of growth and involvement of the youth.  

My prayer is that we will continue to live and move by faith in obedience to the Lord, committed to reaching the unreached at any cost for His glory. 

Relief to Flood Victims
In partnership with EMM, KLN and a few churches and individuals, we are in the process of distributing relief supplies to families devastated by floods in Sampurna Nagar.  As in previous years, the river Sharda is flooded and has destroyed thousands of acres of cultivation.  Many villages on the banks of the river have been under water for over two and a half months.  Our evangelists Joseph and Victor made frantic calls informing us of the situation and the need for a helping hand to bring smiles to the faces of many whose lives were in shambles.  There are many Christian families in these villages too.  I was moved by their persistent pleas for help and the need for the church to help the needy at this crucial juncture. 

As I shared this with a number of friends and leaders, we were moved to do whatever we can to help those badly affected.  Under the leadership of Joseph, the Area Coordinator of our ministry in the area, we have organized a relief supply team who is working hard to give supplies to the needy.  We are planning to reach up to 500 families in two phases with food supplies and sanitary items.

Even though constant rains and rising water levels have slowed the process, our team has already supplied emergency food and sanitary supplies to 200 families in the first three days. From the headquarters, Shaji Abraham and Blessan Abraham spent over a week with the team.

Other ministry activities 
A four-day, free consultation and medical camp was held in Ghaziabad in partnership with Trinity Christian Centre, Singapore.  Over 700 people in various parts of Ghaziabad received free medical check-ups and medications in the camp.

CFC Life Challenge Ministries was actively involved in spreading awareness about the destruction caused by drugs and alcohol.

‘Dil Se…Tere Liye’- The CFC youth ministry had an evening of music and evangelistic outreach in a packed house at the PTL Centre in the month of July this year.

In partnership with Trinity Christian Centre in Delhi, we organized a four-day ‘7 Steps to Transform your Chruch’ conference (Cell church vision and strategy) for pastors and church leaders.

Vehicles:  Praise God for the provisions to purchase a Maruti Eco for use at the PTL Centre and a Skoda Sedan for the Director.  We overhauled one of the vans being used by Christ Academy, Khuttar. 

Personnel

• Pankaj and Sonia from Patran joined the church planting ministry and moved to Ratrana, Punjab for ministry.
• Ashok and Sheeba (now serving in Ratiya, Haryana) were united in marriage.  Both of them were students at IMS and were serving the Lord in a pioneer field and school respectively.
• This was a year with biological growth along with the spiritual harvest of souls.
• Rajender and Jyothi, Joseph and Sheena, Shijil and Anu, and Blessan and Asha were blessed with children.
• Ashish my son was engaged to Sonia on the 17^th of August this year.  He is now doing a Master programe at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.