Five years ago Pastor Chauhan* and his wife, Monica, moved to a village in North India to plant a church. People in this area had no knowledge of the gospel, and the Chauhans met with strong resistance.
Faithfully and persistently, they started a Sunday School for boys and girls.
Families noticed the positive influence on their children. Slowly, a few adults became interested in the gospel.
Today about 25 first-generation believers have been baptized and are the core of a growing work in a previously unreached area.
Yet the Chauhans face a dilemma. They are undaunted by the constant resistance they face, their meager income, and their lack of possessions. Their struggle is much more personal.
They fear for their children’s future because they have no access to an education.
Across India, young church planters are living in isolated, rural areas. Government education is free, but woefully inadequate. Few students who attend government schools are able to pass college entrance exams. Privately operated schools are available, but the required yearly fee is far too expensive for most church planters to pay. Home school materials and libraries are unavailable.
The mountainous area of North India is especially needy. Teachers at government schools come to class only a few times per week. Even then, their time is usually divided among as many as six grade levels. Lack of supplies adds to the difficulties.
Church planters are left with a tough decision: Do they continue to minister in isolated areas, or do they move to a place where their children can get an adequate education?
You can help provide the answer!
Fees at a well-run school average $300 per academic year, which covers school expenses, books, and a uniform. That amount—only $30 per month for the 10-month school year—sounds quite inexpensive for most of us. But for a church planter’s family in India, $300 can change a child’s life AND save a ministry in an unreached area!
That’s what happened for Pastor Bal Nath and his family.
Ever since he began serving Christ, Pastor Bal Nath had faced struggles.
When he made known his decision to follow Jesus, his strict Hindu family opposed him. After a family member died, he was blamed and beaten. The persecution intensified when two more family members died. All the while, he continued to trust and serve Christ.
Eventually Pastor Bal Nath and his wife set out to plant a church among a group of unreached people. A few people accepted Christ, and he discipled them. Now these believers are planting churches in nearby villages.
During this time, Pastor Nath and his wife were constantly concerned about educating their three children. The only school in the area required fees that were beyond their ability to pay.
Last year people like you provided funds to cover the school fees, and the result was immediately evident. The children are learning and thriving, and their parents can give greater focus to ministry in their unreached area.
Currently, 100 children of church planters in India are in need of help to attend school. Will you partner with us to meet this need? Your gift will not only impact a child’s future, but it will also help plant the church in an unreached area of India.
Perhaps you can give the entire $300 to cover a child’s school fees for a year. A $30 gift will pay for one month’s fees. Costs to attend high school average $40 per month, or $400 per year. Remember, this amount will pay for all school fees, books, and a required uniform. What a blessing your gift will be to children and their families!
Pastor Bal Nath, Pastor Chauhan, and others like them are willing to give their all to the cause of church planting among the unreached in India. Will you give so their children can be adequately prepared for the future? Please pray and ask the Lord what He would have you do about this need. Thank you for showing these church planters that you are standing with them.
*All names changed
P.S. Church planters in India often face persecution. Beatings and constant harassment are not uncommon. Yet these hardships do not drive them away. Their biggest heartache is not adequately educating their children. They are worried about what the future holds for them.
Only $300—$30 per month—will pay school fees for a church planter’s child in elementary school. High school fees are only $400, or $40 a month. Remember, your gift can help change a child’s future AND keep a family ministering in an unreached area of India.