New Theological College and Good News for India
Details
Dates: July/August 2012 (exact dates TBD)
Anticipated Cost: $3,200
Location and Ministries: Participants will travel to India and have the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational and ministry contexts, depending on the particular gifting and interest of the participants. Experience both formal (New Theological College) and grass-roots (regional training centers) theological training in India, with opportunities for both learning and teaching. Through the ministries of Good New for India, students can participant in church planting efforts, relief and development ministries, outreach to children in schools and orphanages and be involved in music ministries. Students will also learn a considerable amount about Hinduism and Buddhism in India, making trips to Varanasi, Hari Dwar and a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Interested students should visit www.goodnewsforindia.org or www.ntcdoon.org for more information.
Team Mentor: Reverend T.S. Sam, a Gordon-Conwell graduate (Th.M.) with many years of cross-cultural ministry experience in India.
Primary Contact: For more information, please contact George Chavanikamannil, Founder of Good News for India, at gnficea@gmail.com.
Reflections from a Member of the 2009 NTC OMP Team
“Last night I prayed on the rooftop. As I looked over the noisy city of Bhopal I felt overwhelmed by the immensity of the task that lies before the Church. How could we possibly reach all the people with the Gospel? What about all those people who die every day without hearing the Gospel? Why has God chosen to work in this way? But tonight I felt very different as I prayed again on the rooftop."
Psalm 67: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.
"During the devotional meeting tonight, I realized that God has been very good to me, he has delivered me from my sin and struggles. Shouldn’t I want to extend this goodness to others? Isn’t this worth committing one’s life to? 'May the nations be glad.' This phrase, that Matt had drawn my attention to, came to mind as I started praying. The nations are not very glad at all right now. India is developing but it is still going through a lot of pain. Only the Gospel of Jesus can make them glad. Last night I had thought about the millions of people yet unreached and how difficult that task seems. But I realized tonight that, as others have said, just because they are unreached does not mean that they are hostile to Christianity! They just have never heard!
"There are many, many people who would love to hear and embrace the Good News that Jesus brings. And when his servants ‘preach’ the Gospel, the Holy Spirit works in the hearts and minds of the hearers and observers. Many Muslims come to faith through dreams of Jesus in conjunction with Christian witness! God has obviously not left us orphans – if he left us, then I would be justified in saying that the task is impossible. But the Spirit is working powerfully through the Church and he will continue to do mighty things through her.”
Hanno van der Bijl, 2009 OMP Participant
