ED STEVENS OFFERING TO ASSIST CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT IN INDIA Rev. Ed Stevens
T
he legacy of Rev. Ed Stevens revolves around his incredible ability to expand the kingdom of God. In the few short years of his missionary service, General Baptists grew from one field (Guam) to four (Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Chi Chi Jima) and set in place our most significant mission effort to date in the Philippines. The Ed Stevens Offering continues to foster that legacy of kingdom expansion. In 2021 the Ed Stevens Offering will seek to expand God's kingdom by assisting the two associations in India with funds for capital improvement. This year's offering goal is $50,000. India has a current population of 1.336 billion people. Only 2.3% are Christian. Many Indians have never heard the good news of the gospel. General Baptist mission outreach in India is targeted in South India: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Doctor Prakash and Jemima Pamu assumed the leadership of the ministry of the India Association upon the death of Jemima's father, Suvarna Raj. This ministry is in Andhra Pradesh which has a population
26 | General Baptist Messenger Summer 2021
By Mark Powell, Director of International Missions
of 84 million, with only 1.38% of the population being Christian. Ministry centers for the India Association are in Kakinada and Pithapuram. The Ed Stevens Offering will assist with needed improvements to the mother church in Pithapuram and the new ministry center near the home of Prakash and Jemima in Kakinada. The India Association, under the leadership of Prakash and Jemima, operates several significant ministries. Their ministry operates 10-15 Dorcas Sewing Centers (DSC) conducted for six months each year. Each center trains an average of 20 poor and underprivileged women taught each day through devotions, prayer time, and three hours of training in tailoring. As part of the ministry, sewing machines are provided for the neediest of students. This program has transformed the lives of many families over the years by providing these ladies a means of livelihood. Grace Home for Poor Women and Widows, also a ministry of the India Association, began with a General Baptist Women's Ministries visit in 2010.
