Getting to know Sheldon Bangera

IN 2015 I HAD THE JOY OF TRAVELING TO MUMBAI, ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN THE WORLD WITH A POPULATION OF 20 MILLION, TO MEET AND RECORD WORSHIP LEADER SHELDON BANGERA.

I was the Artist and Repertoire Manager for Integrity Music who are committed to developing and amplifying the worship of other nations. My role for several years has been to encourage and nurture worship leaders & songwriters and had been going through and critiquing Sheldon’s songs. We recorded the ‘Raaja Hai Mahaan’ album with 9 songs in Hindi and 3 more in English, using as many Indian indigenous instruments as we could find in the studio.

It was also a delight to get to know Sheldon’s family, his wife Anita, meet his musicians and worship at his Church. This year Sheldon

will be leading worship at Spring Harvest Skegness.

Recently I was able to catch up with Sheldon.

LES: Sheldon, please tells us about your early beginnings as a songwriter and worship leader, and how you became a follower of Jesus?

SHELDON: I am a worship leader and singer-songwriter from Mumbai, India. I was raised up in a nominal Christian family and have loved music since my childhood. Church music always fascinated me. During my high school years, I drifted away from church. One morning, I was invited to a prayer meeting to help the worship band where my life radically changed. I experienced a touch of God and the reality of Jesus, and His power hit me like a sudden explosion. I had this deep urge to

I experienced a touch of God and the reality of Jesus, and His power hit me like a sudden explosion.

commit my life, to turn away from everything else and start serving Jesus. Since then, it has been about 18 years of serving God in different capacities, writing songs, leading worship, inspiring people, sharing my story of hope, mentoring and encouraging younger artists.

LES: Tell us more about your concerts Sheldon...

SHELDON: We have been playing concerts and taking these God-given songs and the sound of India across to different cities. We prayed and asked the Lord for a tour bus knowing that it would become much easier to travel to unreached parts of India. After our association with Integrity Music, we saw many doors open nationally and internationally. Over the last few years, we have toured around 120 cities, towns and villages in India through the ‘India On Wheels Tour’ and the USA besides touring African & Gulf countries. We have seen God’s hand move extensively among campus college students and lives transformed through our songs. By God’s grace, we have seen several Indian churches across the world sing our songs besides having our most recent album ‘Your Name’ play in pockets of American Radio in the US.

It’s been a great decade of seeing God’s hand at work!

LES: That’s amazing Sheldon. Please tell us more about your recent involvement with those in India dealing with the effects of Covid.

SHELDON: Over the last couple of years as the Covid crisis hit and concerts came to a standstill, we did our best to perform at online events and even host online awareness concerts to raise support for those affected in the Covid crisis.

Our team provided more than half a million meals to people affected and we were able to encourage many who lost their loved ones.

We were able to restore, renew and rebuild broken lives during the pandemic through our online training programs, prayer teams and serving the community through music and masterclasses.

We thank God for everyone who stood to join hands in this difficult time especially as India saw the second wave crisis. I myself was severely affected by Covid with about 45% lung infection but my comeback story became a means of encouragement to many. God gave us new songs about healing that have deeply impacted the community during this time.

Our team provided more than half a million meals to people affected and we were able to encourage many who lost their loved ones.”

SHELDON BANGERA

LES: We are so looking forward to you leading us in worship at Spring Harvest 2022. What are you most excited about personally and as a worship leader?

SHELDON: I am greatly excited about Spring Harvest this year and eager to see God moving. I am particularly excited to be visiting from India and carrying some our Indian flavour and sound to the English space. I want to see people encounter God in a fresh way and that God would stir up revival among his people. I am excited to see the restoration, renewal and rebuilding of God’s Kingdom in the lives of so many, especially the young as we share stories of hope and encouragement from what God’s done in our own lives.

I am so excited to fellowship with other believers and artists to chat about all that God’s been doing and also to join safely back together as we celebrate God’s goodness together in the UK and in India alike.

SHELDON WILL BE JOINING US THIS APRIL, LEADING WORSHIP AT SKEGNESS! REMEMBER, IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN US – BOOK NOW AND SAVE UP TO 23%!

VISIT SPRINGHARVESTEVENT.ORG OR SCAN THE QR CODE