India

Many people made a decision to follow Jesus, after receiving the love of Christ shared with them in the form of relief packets and words of encouragement.

—Pastor Suraj*

INDIA IMPACT REPORT 2020

BRINGING RELIEF

$88,838 Total 2020 Ministry Expenditures

28 Pastors & Missionaries New Believers

500+ New Believers

With a population of 1.3 billion, India is the second most populated country in the world after China. Nearly one in five people on earth live in this diverse country – it has 121 languages spoken by 10,000 or more people, and its geography ranges from the Himalayas to dry deserts to tropical rainforests and everything in between. Not only is it home to the largest Hindu population in the world, it is also home to the third-largest Muslim population. We directly come alongside the work of 28 followers of Jesus in mainland India (separate from Kashmir and the Andaman Islands)—missionaries who reach their people for Christ through child care and education, pastor training, women’s business empowerment programs, disaster relief, and of course, evangelism, discipleship and church planting. In the face of COVID-19, India continues to face many disadvantages in managing a large-scale outbreak. Physical distancing and proper hand-washing are impossible for many millions of the poorest and most vulnerable who live in urban slums and rural villages. The nationwide lockdown precipitated a food security crisis, and members of minority religions, low-caste people, and other neglected groups have in many cases been overlooked in the distribution of aid.

In addition to the modest monthly support our 28 pastors and missionaries receive, in 2020 nearly 1,700 families who suffered tremendously due to COVID-19 lockdowns—about 8,500 people— received food and sanitation relief items. 650 children were educated through night schools run by pastors and church volunteers. 15 children received monthly sponsorship, enabling their families to afford keeping them at home instead of sending them to an orphanage. 14 men and women received job training or micro-investments for their small businesses. Although the ability to plant new physical churches was next to impossible with lockdowns, dozens of new online Bible studies began. About 150 pastors received education through two Bible schools, and 60 believers completed lay church ministry training throughout the country. In 2020, more than 500 men and women began following Jesus, and 374 were baptized.

Our India director Pastor Jairaj* shares:

“The most difficult part of 2020 is as follows. Many people died without expressing faith in Christ; missionaries mourned this. Many people lost their jobs. Church income came down and missionaries found difficulties in feeding their own families. But they never gave up their faith. They were very busy in finding help for their faith families. In the year 2020, most of the regular ministries were not done as usual because of lockdown. Most of the HB funds were used for COVID-19 relief programs. We did a lot of relief programs, and we were helping many Corona-affected families by supplying food items with our church volunteers. I praise God because, except for a few, all the believers became stronger in their faith. Because of COVID-19, so much more prayer time happened. Missionaries got new ideas for evangelism. They used WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, etc. Many pastors comforted families over cell phone and did prayer that way. Some became stronger in faith. Like in the book of Acts, believers gathered in houses, prayed and had fellowship.”

One of the first ministries Harvest Bridge supported was Gypsy and Tribal Empowerment (GATE). Started in the South Indian city of Chennai by our partner Priya*, GATE reaches gypsy and tribal peoples with the Gospel and demonstrates Christ’s love through holistic community development initiatives. Gypsies and tribals, generally considered to be below the lowest castes in India’s social hierarchy, suffer from inadequate housing, low-paying jobs and poor nutrition. This is because they are not viewed as fully human nor as full citizens by the government. GATE’s work includes helping these communities gain civil rights - helping them access land, education, job training, and proper water and electricity. Twenty gypsy and tribal communities, consisting of about 2,000 households, are served through GATE’s 13 local missionaries and volunteers. Priya explains what 2020 looked like:

“The lockdowns were so hard. People were not able to go for work. It really affected our communities. There was no work. Loss of income. Lots of struggles. Lots of starvation. The kids were more affected by the societal effects of COVID-19. Harvest Bridge helped at the perfect time. We helped more than 700 families with food for one week. I have experienced seeing a mother starve while trying to feed her baby. So, we provided

milk packets to 43 new nursing mothers, and all mothers and babies have survived this pandemic. We helped 12 youth receive job training to improve their income. Night schools this year helped 300 children, ages 6-14 years old. I appointed two teachers, three nights a week. The children also received snacks.

30 people came to Christ and were baptized this year. Since 2008, 70% of the people have accepted Christ in our three main villages, which have about 660 families. GATE distributed Bibles to these believers. People had been saving up to buy a Bible, but then they had to spend it all on food during the pandemic. We were able to give them Bibles for free. The people were giving good testimonies with tears.”

Pastor Suraj* in the state of Bihar, which experienced some of the country’s worst flooding, describes his team’s work: “The year of 2020 has been very hard on most of the people in the world because of COVID-19, lockdowns, forced migration and financial crisis. Some of the pastors and believers I know got infected with COVID-19, and even died because of lack of proper treatment and vaccines. The churches and even house churches were closed down. In such a year of suffering, with the support of Harvest Bridge, we were able to conduct COVID-19 and flood relief programs. We distributed dry food ration packets and sanitizing items among hundreds of poor, migrant and needy families in Bihar, and were able to alleviate some of their sorrows and bring some relieved smiles to their faces.

The distributions took place in different communities instead of in just one big community, which helped us to reach the selected neediest people specifically. The beneficiaries were migrant workers, the elderly, widows, farmers, and the unemployed. People from all faiths like Hindu, Muslim, and Christian were helped. About 1,800 people at six different locations received help from these relief projects. Many people made a decision to follow Jesus, after receiving the love of Christ shared with them in the form of relief packets and words of encouragement. Because of COVID-19 the churches have been locked down, and so it was difficult to give baptism. Still, around 25 people took baptism, and many others are waiting for the winter season to finish and for the vaccine. Meanwhile, six house churches and some online churches were started.”