THE CALL Sep 2019
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I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6   1
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THE CALL Transforming Peoples to Transform Nations
Contents
From Bihar With Love Bro. D. Augustine Jebakumar
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Youths Encouraged in Manpur (Bihar) – &Lohardaga(Jharkhand)
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MKs Career Guidance Program in Bihar
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Women Empowerment Meetings in – Jharkhand
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Youths Meetings in Sikaria and Makhdumpur of Bihar
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New Eye Clinic Opened in Uttar Pradesh Character Building Program for Students in Maharashtra
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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)
Gospel Echoing Missionary Society 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.
Website : www.gemsbihar.org E-mail : gems@gemsbihar.org
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From Bihar With love Beloved Prayer Partners in Christ
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for whom it is easy to help both the powerful and the powerless (2 Chron 14: 11). Accordingly, let us also, along with Paul, state that “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4: 13).
Both in our private lives and in church, we notice that spiritual weakness is affecting many. It is natural that oppositions will demoralise us; when what we have prayed for does not come to fruition, it is possible that our prayer lives and bible meditation get weakened. As a result we evidence that many lose their earnestness. Our father Abraham (Gal 3: 7), when faced with the fact of his body being as good as dead – since he was about 100 years old - and that Sarah’s womb was also dead (Rom 4: 19), did not get weakened in his faith. But we keep losing our faith on small matters and problems.Will the Lord reject forever? Will He never show His favour again? Has His unfailing love vanished forever? Has His promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has He in anger withheld His The Call The Call
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compassion(Psa 77: 7-10)? This lamentation is heard from many a lips. A need for an open vision It might be that what we need today is a vision of an open heaven. Since Isaiah’s eyes were opened, while he watched despondently at the state of his nation, not only did he see the magnificence of the Lord, he also heard the thundering sound of the angels. This heavenly touch not only helped to cleanse him, but to also understand that he was the man that the Lord was looking for and to dedicate himself and work for the Lord in all circumstances (Isa 6). The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand (Is 1:3) – to such people that the Lord longs after, Isaiah was strengthened to speak tough: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving (Isa 6: 9). The man that pounced like a tiger on to the Lord’s people and broke them into pieces, who destroyed churches, and wanted to spread that horror across cities was met by the Light. This weakened him; He reformed into a kitten and asked,“What would you wish me to do(Acts 9:6)? Won’t it be good if such a vision came into our lives! Similarly, by working a miracle in a failed business man – Peter, by showing him that Jesus does good for all, made him eventually leave all his worldly possessions and follow Jesus (Luke 5: 1- 11). We might need such a miracle. The Lord can use only a man that has understood his own plight. We might also require a vision of hell like the one told in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man The Call
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wanted the untouchable, unwanted Lazarus to be used by the Lord. He wanted Lazarus to give him a drop of water. Why did he not ask Abraham whom he had called as his father? He asked for Lazarus to be given life and sent to the earth once more. Why did he not beg for a chance for himself? Instead of wanting to go and speak the truth to his brothers himself, why ask for Lazarus to do so? Perhaps he realized that the rejected of the world are used mightily by the Lord! Perhaps he believed that the weak are the weapon that can bend the mighty! In weakness there is strength The Lord will judge His people, and when He sees that they have lost all their strength and that there is none that is free (Deut 32:36), He will pity His workers/prophets. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God (Rom 8: 26, 27). Also, breathlessly He beseeches the Lord in our behalf. Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law was weakened by fear! Ruth, the Moabite woman was weakened by birth! Rahab, a Jericho prostitute was weakened by society! Bathshebah, Uriah’s wife was weakened by rape! Samaritan woman who came to fill water was weakened by ruined life! Yet the way the Lord used them all is both surprising and miraculous. Let our hearts be filled with gratitude in the knowledge that no matter what we are weakened by, there The Call The Call
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is a loving God that strengthens us and uses us, to fulfil His purpose. Jesus, who went in search of the invalid forgotten by his relatives and his town for 38 years, is working even today. The woman struggling against a crippling spirit for 18 years was not forgotten in the eyes of the Lord. The woman who spent all her wealth in vain for 12 years to be healed of her bleeding was healed as soon as she touched Jesus. The one who took our infirmities and bore our diseases is able now as well (Matt: 8: 17). May this thought strengthen us. It is time for the weak to call himself strong (Joel 3: 10). We know how worldly friendships and adulterous relationships weakened Samson, making him forget himself, his calling and his responsibility. It is unmistakeable truth that people living sinful lives weaken their spirits. It is true that a lot of God’s children do not know the means to overcome this fatigue and are weakened. But the Lord says: “Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths row tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”(Isa 40: 27 – 31).
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This is why Sister Sarah Naoroji who sang: “You fill me with new oil, new strength, new grace, new song and lead me” also explained: “I bow at your feet with a daily praise; who other than you can I sing to.” Let the Psalmist’s call to “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs” (Psa 100: 2), fill us with delight. We cannot forget that that is our first deed. The challenge of waiting “To wait,” as the Bible shows, is not easy. That is what we see when we read about the children of God in the Bible. When the son that was promised to Abram was delayed, he decided to settle for Eliezer as his heir (Gen 15: 2 – 4). Without a second though, he readily agreed when Sarai gave Hagar to him (Gen 16: 1 – 3). That ended in grief for all. When everything had failed, when they called each other by the names given by the Lord (Gen 17: 5, 15), they received new strength and faith. It was when they received conviction that their bodies gained strength for God’s promise to be fulfilled. King Saul on the other hand ended up losing God’s grace and favour when he risked offering sacrifices. He was surrounded by the enemy and was being deserted by his own army and didn’t want to wait for Samuel (1 Sam 13: 8 – 14). Hannah was filled with tears of sorrow from offering sacrifices year on year to bear a child but in vain (1 Sam 1: 7). Her lips were moving but her voice was not heard and she was misunderstood by Eli the priest (1 Sam 1: 13-16). This might be the case for many that wait on the Lord; they might also be misunderstood by others. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit when in his mother’s womb (Luke 1: 15) and he never 6
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feared anyone. However, when he was jailed and it looked like his preaching was not true, he asked “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matt 11: 3). The man that didn’t fear even the loss of his head and preached the truth, and condemned sin, was nervous. The Israelites that waited believing that their Saviour will reveal Himself and will free them from slavery, began groaning when this was delayed (Exo 2: 24). Even creation was subjected to frustration, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time (Rom 8: 11 – 25)! Similarly, our eyes hurt from constantly looking up in anticipation of the arrival of our Saviour. When sufferings increase, when despicable things happen around us, we groan yearning for his arrival. Revival is the urgent need of the hour. It will cleanse the church; expand the church to accept huge harvest. Love, burden for souls, effort to search for the lost souls, the desire to spread the gospel across boundaries, will therefore increase. Let us hope for this. Those who wait on the Lord will not be shamed!
In His Vineyard, D. Augustine Jebakumar
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GEMS Eye Clinic Inaugurated in Dudhi of Uttar Pradesh New Eye Clinic was started by GEMS in Dudhi which will serve the people of Sonebhadraand will especially be a blessing to the Gond tribal people.
The GEMS Eye Clinic at Dudhi was inaugurated on 14th August 2019. The inaugural ceremony began with prayer by Dr.Hema John, the Medical Superintendent and Bro. Praveen Das (Zonal Leader, Sonebhadra) led the gathering in praise and worship. Bro. Jeyasingh David, the Visionary behind the medical ministries prayed for the clinic and Sis. Jancy cut the ribbon a n d inaugurated the clinic for G o d ’ s glory. Bro. Jeyasingh s h a r e d how this clinic is a The Call The Call
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testimony to God’s faithfulness and how God answers in His appointed time.
Mrs. Sumithra welcomed all the guests on behalf of Southern Region. Dr.Suman shared about the functionalities and future plans of the Eye Clinic. To start with, the clinic will have weekly thrice OPD service and regular camps in 10 villages and minor surgical procedures. Regular surgeries will start from 2020. She talked about the importance of team work by involving every sphere of GEMS. Dr. Ashok (Associate General Secretary, GEMS) shared a brief thought from the 9th Chapter of John and through the Jesus’ miracle of healing a blind man, he shared how this incident made an impact in the society.Sis. Priscilla (Principal, GES Dudhi) led in the commissioning prayer of Dr.Suman and the medical team at Dudhi. Pray for the newly established Eye Clinic at Dudhi in Uttar Pradesh; pray for the clinic and the medical team. The Call
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Pray for this clinic to be a blessing to the people around to heal their physical and spiritual eyes. for Pray the medical ministries in Dudhi as a whole to bless and transform the people in and around Sonebhadra.
Students of Maharashtra Reached thru Outreach Program on Character Building GEMS Maharashtra reached out to a Junior College students through ‘Character Solution’ program. ‘Character S o l u t i o n ’ program was conducted for the students of BabasahebKolte Junior College at The Call The Call
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Sakharapa in Ratnagiri District on 29th July 2019 and 140 students attended this program. Bro. Niteen More arranged the meeting and Bro. MeghnathP o w a r t a u g h t about how to develop a good character and he challenged the students to become a blessing for the nation. Praise God for the door opened in the college in Maharashtra to reach out to the students. Pray for the students who participated in the Character Solution program in Maharashtra. Pray for the follow up of the students that it may lead towards their life transformation through the gospel.
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Youths of Bihar and Jharkhand Motivated to Seek and Proclaim the Kingdom of God Youth Convention was conducted in the theme ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ at GEMS fields in Manpur (Bihar) and Lohardaga (Jharkhand) in which 415 youths participated. Manpur Convention The youth convention at Manpur (Eastern Region
– Magahi 2 Zone) from 21st to 23rd August 2019 in which 215 youths participated. GYM (GEMS YuvacManch) conducted the sessions with messages and meaningful skits. Bro. Victor Immanuel (Regional Director, Eastern Region), GYM Coordinator Bro. Ashish Daniel and Bro. The Call The Call
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Sunil ministered in this convention. Messages on Sin, Repentance and Victorious life in Christ. The youths were challenged for a holu life and around 70 youths committed for God’s work. Lohardaga Convention In spite of the heavy rains 200 youths participated in the youth convention at Lohardaga (Eastern Region – PEACE 1 Zone) which was conducted from 23rd to 25th August 2019. Bro.V.Paul (Zonal Leader, Vananchal Zone) along with his wife ministered in the meeting along with Bro. Joseph and his wife. Messages on Repentance, Born-Again and Witnessing life were shared. Cultural songs and skits were also presented. PEACE 1 Zone arranged the program and was led by the Zonal Leader Bro.Saravanan. The Call
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Pray for all the youths who participated in the youth conventions held at Manpur and Lohardaga. Pray that they may continue to live in Christ, in the newness of life and to overcome every temptation through the Word and Holy Spirit. The Call The Call
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Pray that they may be effective witnesses of the gospel in their places.
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Students Guided in Career Opportunities and Staff Motivated thru Seminar Vision India conducted a career guidance program for the MKs in GEMS School in Bihar and also a seminar for the Staff of GEMS Polytechnic College. MKs Career Guidance Program The Vision India team v i s i t e d Bihar to conduct a Special Career Guidance program for Missionary kids and Mission kids on 11th August 2019 at GEMS English School, Sikaria. About 100 students from 9th to 12th std., 60 parents and 15 teachers attended the program. The following Vision India team members took various sessions – Dr.Senthil Nathan, Mrs. Jessie Nathan, Prof.
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Christopher, Mr. Sathish Paul, Mr. Gregory Gleetus and Mr. Paul Sadanand visited from UAE and Mr. Sujar Jacob from Kuwait and Mr. Peter Jayaraj from India. The local coordination was done by Mr. Ashish Daniel and Mrs. BanuDionel. The participating students went through an Online Career test prior to the program and it was done in the GES Sikaria Computer lab with the help of Mr. Vijay and team, I T Dept.
The session started with a time of worship by Mr. Ashish Daniel followed by a short message by Mr. Anand Kumar, the Associate Director of Educational Institutions of GEMS who encouraged the students to look above and move forward. He also encouraged the students to not forget the blessings God showers upon them but in turn be a blessing for others. After a common session the students were split into groups based on their career interests and the resource people led the groups and spoke in detail on the career opportunities and answered the questions. A session was conducted where parents and students were oriented about funding; in which the options and criteria set by Vision India team were explained and the queries raised The Call
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by the parents were answered. Parallel session for School staff was conducted where the staff were motivated to utilize the latest methodology to teach the students b e t t e r . The idea of Flipped Classroom method was explained. The event came to an end with a thanksgiving prayer by the Executive Director Dr. Rajesh Duthie. Faculty D e v e l opment Program A program for the faculty of GEMS Polytechnic College was conducted on the topic ‘Re-imagining education in disruptive 21st century’ at Polytechnic College on 12th August 2019. The event started with an introduction by Mr. Ashish and followed by guest lecture by Prof. Christopher. The lecture was an eye opening for the staff in many recent trends and technology areas. The session on mind-set motivated the staff to think big. The Call The Call
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Dr.Senthil Nathan took a practical session and d e m o n strated how problems could be solved easily. He split the staff into groups and the VI team members played the role of Catalyst in each group. The 6 hats problem solving method was practically done to train the staff. All the staff involved, showed interest and came out with creative ideas. Finally, Mr. Sathish motivated the staff and gave the polytechnic research department practical ideas to start the solar compet e n c e centre. Pray for all the MKs who participated in the Career Guidance program to focus their time and energy in studies and character development. Pray that the MKs may take to heart the learnings and to commit towards God’s kingdom and nation building.
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Pray for all the staff who attended the faculty development sessions in the School and Polytechnic to imbibe the learning, instil in their teaching and to i m p a r t to their students.
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Women Empowered in Jharkhand To Live and Build the Kingdom of God Women empowerment meetings were conducted in GEMS fields in Jharkhand in which 150 women from various churches participated. The Women Empowerment meetings of Vanachal Zone were conducted in Gomoh on 12th August 2019 and at Saraikela on 14th August and at Torpa on 30th August. Sis. Kiruba Paul, the wife of Zonal Leader of Vananchal Zone; Sis. MaminaPani, the wife of Asst. Zonal Leader and GEMS Pochra Church Elders Sis. SarojKerketta and Sis. RupaKandir ministered in these meetings in the theme ‘Thy Kingdome Come’. Through the meetings, the women understood The Call
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the necessity of God’s kingdom in their personal lives, families and in their places. They were inspired to develop a life of prayer and to witness Christ; to which the participants committed. Pray for all the women who participated in the empowerment meetings in Jharkhand. Pray for their testimonial life and for them to continue to seek & demonstrate God’s kingdom. Pray that they may bring wholesome transformation in the families and neighbourhood. The Call The Call
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Youths of Bihar Encouraged to Lead Testimonial Youth meetings were conducted in the GEMS centres at Sikaria and Makhdumpur in which 612 youths participated. S i k a r i a Meeting The Regional Youth Camp of GEMS C e n t r a l Region was conducted at Sikaria from 27th to 29th August 2019 in which 400 youths f r o m Sikaria Zone and Rohtas Z o n e participated. B r o . Suresh (Regional Director, Central Region), Bro. Gilbert (Zonal Leader, Rohtas Zone), Bro. PC Johnson (Zonal Leader, Sikaria Zone), Pr. Joshua David (Delhi) ministered the word of God. Bro. Ashish and Bro. Jerry led the songs and activity sessions.
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The youths committed to live holy and prayed to submit their bodies as instruments of righteousness. Makhdumpur Meeting The Magahi 1 Zone youth convention at GEMS Action Centre, Makhdumpur was conducted from 19th to 21st August 2019
in which 212 youths participated. The youths had come from v a r i o u s G E M S churches of Magahi 1 Zone. The meeting was coordinated by Bro. Ram Nagina Ram with the support of Bro. Dayanand Singh (Zonal Leader, Magahi 1).
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The meetings w e r e conducted in the theme ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ in which Bro. Victor Immanuel (Regional Director, Eastern Region), Bro. Ashish Daniel (GYM Coordinator), Bro. Jagan (Asst. Zonal Leader, Magahi 1), Bro, Sunil (Training Dept) and Bro. Sanjay (Children Department) ministered. Pray for all the youths who participated in the meetings at Sikaria and Makhdumpur. Pray that the youths may continue to grow closer to Christ and in steadfast life. Pray for their victorious life over temptations and to fulfil God’s purpose through their life and to glorify God.
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