A Sunday to Remember

The day started pretty early. We were picked up before eight in the morning, and after grabbing breakfast to eat in the car, we headed straight to church in one of the classrooms of a Christian school. There were at least two other churches meeting in different classrooms at the same time. I know this, because our neighbor church in the classroom on the right had very exuberant singing complete with energetic clapping and a cacophony of tambourines that pretty much drowned out our sedate prayers and quiet testimonies. When neither our closest neighbors, nor we were singing, I could sometimes hear songs from the service across the muddy courtyard. Mumbai is so over crowded that it has driven up rents and property values enormously. Many small churches cannot afford to have a place all week. There are plenty of buildings not in use on a Sunday that would suit, but most Hindu owners will not rent to a church. Hence the Christian school packed with meeting after meeting. When we finished our own service, the next church to use our classroom had congregants already lined up outside as we exited.

The pastor and our guide for the day is on the left

The evangelist brother we were with was proud to show us how he has raised up his church to be self sufficient. Most of the congregants came to faith because of his door to door evangelizing, track handouts, or open air preaching. He retains the title of pastor, but he pushes everyone in his congregation to do something. The band bring their own instruments from home, a group of women rotate who brings tea and snacks for after service, prayer time is led by one of the elders, the pastor told them he had no interest in even touching the money, so there is a small group that counts the offering and takes care of the required government financial reports. Finally, the pastor has trained the elders in the word and how to preach for when he is away, which is often. He is actually coming to the U.S. at the end of next month to preach and hold conferences. His goal is that if he were to die or move tomorrow, the church would be fine.

I used Proverbs 13:20 and 15:22 and Colossians 3:12-14 in my message

The older women tend to worship with heads covered while the younger tend to with uncovered heads.

Faye sharing about how God used a painful separation from home and the familiar in college to introduce her to a family who became highly influential in her life and faith.

The service was more simple and intimate than my church back home. Almost every member shared during prayer time, and "testimony" time. Communion, which happens every week at this church, started with tearing pieces off a little bun with candied fruit. Faye and I were given a time to share at the end. We both shared our testimonies, and I shared an encouragement for them to seek out positive friendships and mentors to help them grow in their Christian lives. We ended with tiny cups of chai tea and lots of photos.

They gave us flowers which touched me so deeply

Such a welcoming group of brothers and sisters!

They still tend to take serious Victorian style photos.

Once we finished morning worship we had a few hours to do some grocery shopping, eat lunch, and hear many stories of Pastor Othniel's travels. He has been to over twenty countries preaching and holding Christian conferences on a variety of topics, disciple making being his favorite and most common conference topic.

  

We get such yummy fresh fruit here

They do not have electronic scales at the road side shops

 

That finished, we went to visit a "rural" slum Sunday school. We picked our way carefully down a narrow alley tile slick with the monsoon rain beneath our feet. After climbing two oversized steps and depositing our shoes in the pile outside we enter a living room/bed room packed wall to wall with children. I instantly had the fascination of the older boys who whispered question after question in their charming sing song accents. "What is your name?" "Where are you from?" "Do you like India?"

Trying to remember the memory verse

"Do you like Indian food?"

The low key interrogation, which even delved into my opinion on wrestling, continued through the individual recitation of memory versus and all the way up to them walking out the door. The only time they took a question break was during singing and group prayer. Then we were on to the next group.

They were such hams!

Group two was reached by climbing a staircase steep enough to be a cross with a ladder and require going down backwards for safety. They were a much calmer group, but that may have just been because they had less English knowledge.

The younger/illiterate ones color while the ones who can read and write do a memory verse

Their head teachers

We taught them "He's got the whole world in His hands"

The street outside the center

Group three was the most remote group. We had to travel down a unpaved road that at one point was covered over with a river from the monsoon rains. I became a little worried that we were going to get stuck in our van, but our young man got us through safely. It was the same program for the third time of singing, Bible stories, memory versus, and prayers. Three different groups in three different places, but all needing what children everywhere need.

Reciting the Lord's Prayer

Our unstoppable driver

Finally we had a service in the same room sharing the Gospel with women and children from the surrounding slum.

The tail end of the river that ran across the road right before we got to the slum.

Closing meeting of the day.