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THE CALL Transforming Peoples to Transform Nations
Contents From Bihar With Love
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Gospel Echoing Missionary Society
Bro. D. Augustine Jebakumar
Area Conventions in Manpur & Motihari
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Life Skills Training for Homes Staff -16 Area Conventions in Sasaram and -19 Sikaria Sister Fulmati Entered God’s Glory -24
Published for 11, 13th Cross Street, New colony Chromkpet, Chennai - 44 Ph. : 044-22386031, 044-22380295
Published by GEMS Educational Media Services 14, Jeba Nagar, Vasanthapuram south, Near Vijaya Garden, Tirunelveli 627005 Ph. : 9488771655 Field office GEMS, Sikaria, Indrapuri - 821308 Rohtas Dist., Bihar , Ph. : 06184 - 234567 (Railway station & courier centre : Dehri on Sone) Website : www.gemsbihar.org E-mail : gems@gemsbihar.org
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is a Christian mission organization that serves to bring about wholesome transformation in all the lives that it touches staying true to its motto ‘Transforming peoples to transform nations’. It touches the hearts of the people through the gospel of Jesus Christ and serves as a beacon of love and hope to the deprived, disadvantaged, exploited, destitute and homeless thousands fulfilling this vision through Spiritual, Educational, Medical and Humanitarian Services primarily in Bihar, other Northern States of India and beyond since 1972. December 2019
Dear Prayer Partner in Christ, In the name of the Lord who in His immense love for us, sent His only begotten Son and in the name of the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world, I wish you all a blessed Christmas. The Message of Christmas For those who think of Christmas as a festival, it is not unusual for them to think of it in terms of sweets and new clothes and decorations. Yet, the true message of Christmas as per the Word is that Jesus was born to break the wall of sin that stood against us and separated us from God. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matt 1: 21). This is the message of Christmas. God created us to be His people, to be one with Him. Yet, when sin came between man and God, it made His people become strangers, Godless and lose God’s blessings! There came a chasm which separated man and God. Christmas is God’s attempt at making these Godless people His own again. Owing to the separation between the Good shepherd and mankind, it was not possible anymore to say: “For He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care” (Psalm 95: 7). In order to rebuild that relationship, something had to be done about the sin in between. Man tried in vain to achieve this but a Christmas was needed in order to accomplish what he could not. There is no other book that explains the cost of sin like the
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Bible does. This is why – Satan – the one responsible for sin detests the spread of the Word of God. Sin easily ensnares people A man ensnared by sin, lives a daring life that easily showcases this. In Luke 7, Simon the Pharisee considers the uninvited female guest as a sinner (v. 39). Doctor Luke calls her as a woman that lived a sinful life (v. 37). The Gospel of John also talks about a woman caught in adultery (John 8: 3, 4). Even though the woman would have been well aware of Moses’ law of prostitution not being permitted within Israel and that the punishment would be to be stoned to death in the public square – yet she continued due to lack of fear of God. The man would have also known that: “So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished” (Prov 6: 29). Sin makes the eyes go blind and hardens the heart. “But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself ” (Prov 6: 32) There is no one to help sinners A sinful man was invalid for 38 years and none of his relatives came to help him (John 5: 7 – 14). His sin made others scorn him. Please note however that not all illnesses are due to sin. The paralysed man mentioned in Mark 2 is an example of sin hindering the kindness of people. Not only was he forgotten, but none came forward to provide him space! What would have been his situation if not for the faith of four brave men! Sin is so strong that it not only separates man from God, but also from other men. Isn’t that why today’s newspapers are filled with stories of murders, violence, rapes and molestations, divorces and hatred?
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God comes to the rescue Only when we understand the gruesomeness of sin can we understand the greatness of the One born in the manger. The Manger and the Cross are inseparable. Only the man that understands that it was his sin that nailed Jesus to the cross, can understand the meaning of the Christmas songs. Listen to what the angels sang: “Glory to God in the highest” is what they would have been singing from before. Yet, I truly believe that the verse:“peace on earth and goodwill to men”could not have been realised till they saw the cross(Luke 2: 15). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3: 23), so we could celebrate when we heard the news (Luke 2: 10). In order to bring joy to all mankind, the Lord decided to make such a huge sacrifice. He took His only begotten Son to the Cross. Jesus received the Holy Spirit from God and also sent the Spirit as a helper for mankind (Acts 2: 33) so that we are not only forgiven from our sins but can also become free from sin. Besides, He needs to come back again to this earth to build a sinless Godly kingdom here. He also needs to assemble people to rule alongside Him. Isn’t why He was given the name ‘Immanuel’ meaning ‘God with us?’ True Christmas Therefore, it will be foolishness to only think of Christmas as just the birth of Christ. Because of God’s actions, we have accepted Him and have become His ambassadors and work tirelessly to bring His kingdom here – this is what Christmas reiterates! True Christmas celebration would be to equip ourselves to bring His kingdom into our lives, our families, our streets, our cities and our country. Though He was born poor, yet He is the King, which was why King Herod was disturbed (Matt 2: 3) and The Call
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was why the Magi brought gifts of gold (Matt 2: 11). For all unjust, corrupt and sinful rulers, this is dangerous news. That is why, even today, there is a set of people that cannot accept this good news. When they became agitated, they did not hesitate to carry out their vengeance even against babies (Matt 2: 16). So, let us be aware that as we celebrate Christmas, there is another kingdom’s doctrine that is completely against this. Just like how we cannot forget the cross, the resurrection, the pouring of the Holy Spirit, the second coming of Jesus Christ and His kingdom when we preach, so should we not forget the manipulative schemes of Satan’s kingdom and the truth and strength to overcome it. True Celebration We cannot celebrate Christmas like others for just pleasure and mirth and vanity, but we need to understand the inner meaning of Christmas. As long as we are surrounded by people that need to be unshackled from the power of Satan (Acts 26: 18), it is our duty to spend all our effort on it. Concern for those yearning for love, longing to understand the unknown, deeds, sacrifices, and keen battles – these all cannot be separated from Christmas. Wishing ourselves, carolling are all good. Yet, let us use this opportunity to showcase God’s love. This will bring joy to the One that sacrificed for us. Let that be the sweet that we feed our children. Let “Good news to all mankind” reach people of other faiths and also those who oppose us. Let it be told in both the hut and the palace. Didn’t the whole of Tamil Nadu longed to save the child that fell into the bore well? Even the leaders joined in. Shouldn’t the church worry even more for the crores that have fallen into the pit of sin! Our celebrations should not bring a sense of longing The Call
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and anxiety to the poor amongst us. Instead it should show the Saviour to them. We should not be competing to waste offerings on useless recreations, but should use it for work that will please the Lord.It is good to rejoice. Yet, we must rejoice understanding its meaning. Just noise and merriment will not showcase heaven to anyone.Celebration with sacrifice will reveal God’s sacrifice for us. Sharing with those that have none (Neh 8: 10) should not be done for appearances alone but it should reveal the greatness of the Saviour to them. We cannot be just social workers, but should also use the opportunity to spread the good news. They should also start expecting the coming of the Christ. Let our celebration bring hope to the hopeless. Let the ones walking in the dark see the light. And let us be the light.
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In His Vineyard Bro. D. Augustine Jebakumar
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Believers in Bihar Strengthened to Seek and Build Kingdom of God
Area Conventions were conducted in Manpur (Magahi 2) and Motihari (DAT – PEACE 3) in which 478 people participated. Manpur Meeting
Area Convention of Magahi 2 Zone was conducted at Manpur from 10th to 12th Oct 2019 in which 278 people participated and 40 children. Area Leader Bro. Kapildev coordinated the programs and arrangements. The sessions were conducted in the theme ‘Let Thy Kingdom Come’ and the messages were shared by Bro. George Muller (Delhi), Bro. Victor Immanuel (Eastern Regional Director), Sis. Julie Victor and Bro. Rakesh Ravi (Zonal Leader, Magahi 2 Zone). The Call
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Youth sessions were led by Bro. Nandlal Soren (Area Leader) and the children’s sessions were conducted by Bro. Sanjay (Children Dept., Gaya). The praise and worship was led by Bro. Bharathi, Bro. Dhiraj and Bro. Santosh.
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Motihari Meeting PEACE 3 Zone’s DAT Motihari area convention was conducted at Nimoia from 11th to 13th Oct 2019 in which 200 people participated. DAT Leader Bro. Ebenezer coordinated the programs and arrangements.
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Bro. Rakesh (Associate Director, GEMS) shared the messages in the theme of the convention ‘Let Thy Kingdom Come’.
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Messages in rest of the sessions were shared by Bro. Paul Abraham (North Western Regional Director) and Bro. Palanivelu (Zonal Leader, PEACE 3). Pray for all the believers who participated in the Area Conventions at Manpur and Motihari. Pray for them to continuously remember the messages and to live according to the word of God. Pray that the kingdom of God to be built through them in their families and neighbourhood through their witness.
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Children Projects Staff Trained to Develop the Children in Life Skills
Training was conducted for the staff of GEMS children projects in which 30 people participated and learnt on the techniques of life skills development.
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GEMS Social Development Office organized a training program for its staff working in the Our People Projects (OPP), Rahab project and in Homes. The training was conducted at the GEMS center in Sikaria, Bihar from 23 to 25 Oct 2019.
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The Life Skills Education for Transformation (LSET) training which equips children to be resilient and to gain confidence was taught to the staff by Mr. Fredrick Melwin, Technical Specialist from World Vision India. Sis. Magdalene (Social Development Officer, GEMS) organized this training program. The following soft life skills were discussed during the three days training. A Awareness of self I Interpersonal relationship M Management of stress C3 Communications Critical thinking Creative thinking D Decision making E Empathy building E Emotions Management P Problem Solving The training was customized to the context and needs of the participants and it was an activity based training. A plan of action has been made to implement and monitor this model of children development in all the projects. Pray for all the children project staff who participated in the Life Skills training. Pray that they may use the learnt techniques in the development of the children. Pray for all the children catered through the various projects that there will be awholesome development in their life.
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Believers of Sasaram and Sikaria Strengthened to Seek and Build Kingdom of God Area Conventions were conducted in Bihar in the GEMS Zones of Bhojpuri 2 (Sasaram) and Sikaria in which 404 people participated.
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Sasaram Convention
Bhojpuri 2 zone’s Area Convention was conducted at the GEMS House of Prayer in Sasaram from 11 to 13 Nov 2019 in which 229 believers partici-
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pated. The meeting was organized by Bro. Reuben (Zonal Leader, B2) and the meeting began with prayed led by Bro. Suresh (Asst. Zonal Leader, B2). Area Leader Bro. Gyanchand led the people in praise and worship. The messages were shared in the theme ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ and Pr. John Christy from Nilgris was the guest speaker. Bro. Emerson (Associate Director, GEMS-Trg) and Bro. Vincent Jeyaraj (Western Regional Director) exhorted the people in the morning devotions. Sikaria Convention Sikaria Zone’s Family Convention was conducted at GEMS Church in Sikaria from 14 to 16 Oct 2019 in which 175 people attended. The meeting was organized by the Sikaria zone in the leadership of Bro. PC Johnson (Zonal Leader, Sikaria) and Bro. Franklin (Asst. Zonal Leader, Sikaria). The meeting began with message shared in the theme
‘Thy Kingdom Come’ by Bro. Suresh (Central Regional Director). The Call
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The messages in the various sessions were shared by Bro. Ananda Kumar, Bro. Franklin, Sis. SheelaDuthie,
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Bro. Kamaladhas, Bro. Jeyaseelan, Bro. Babu and Bro. PC Johnson. Skits were presented in the theme of godly family and games were also conducted. Pray for all the believers who participated in the area conventions at Sasaram and Sikaria. Pray that they may continue to internalize and live out the truths through their life. Pray that they may be used by the Lord to build His kingdom.
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GEMS Missionary Sister Fulmati Devi Entered God’s Glory Sis. Fulmati Devi w/o Bro. Surendra Kumar (DCC) went to be with the Lord on 16th December 2019. GEMS family bereaves the demise of Sis. Fulmati. 1 Jan 1973 – 16 Dec 2019 Sis. Fulmati (46) passed away on 16th December 2019 at Varanasi. She had a brain stoke and was admitted in hospital in Varanasi and underwent surgery on 8th December. The funeral service was conducted at NayaBasti on 16th December and was attended by the missionaries, church and family members.
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Fulmati and her husband Bro.Surendra have been serving at Madhurna DCC and also were doing church ministry at Shivrampur. Bro. Surendra and his wife Sis. Fulmati come from the Kaimur District of Bihar and they joined GEMS in the year 1995, the year Bro. Surendra came to the Lord. He joined as a DCC teacher at Khamidaura. Then they served for 14 years at Nandan (Dumaraon) and also in Madhurna (Hatta). Along with the DCC School responsibilities they were also evangelising and leading a church. Sis. Fulmati is survived by her husband and six The Call
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children; three boys and three girls; Jyoti (29), Akhilesh (24), Maninder (17), Kiran (15), Karuna (15) and Abhishek (11). Pray for Bro. Surendra, the children and all the family members to be comforted by the Lord.
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