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Bev and I spent the entire month of March in Aurangabad, India where we are laying the leadership foundation for a new congregation. Aurangabad is an important, fast growing, industrial city in Maharashtra state. With a population of about 3 million, it is one of a number of cities that are becoming key centers of India’s development. The city serves as an important transportation hub for the region, and we anticipate that the new model church here will help us serve the entire state. The population of Maharashtra state alone is over 100 million people. That’s equivalent to the combined population of the four most populated states in America: California, Texas, New York and Florida. I am working together with a church based in Bombay that I have known since the early 1990’s, New Life Movement International. New Life launched a church here in Aurangabad over fifteen years ago and though it is not a large church, it is stable. Sadly, with an attendance of around 150 adults, it is to my knowledge the largest life giving church in the city. It is an English–Marathi speaking congregation. The church we are launching will be a Hindi speaking congregation and I anticipate that it will grow along the same lines as our other model church plants in South Asia. The Hindi services are held in another area of this city of over 3 million people. I expect it to grow to 100 adults by the end of the year. The couple we are mentoring in this new congregation is Joseph and Sonali Shrisunder. Joseph is 33 years old. They have a darling little girl named Lydia. Joseph and I spent many hours together this month in one-on-one teaching and visiting the families of this emerging congregation. I’ve been very impressed with his potential and will be working to develop him as a leader through the course of the year. I’m arranging to send him to our model church in Sri Lanka later in the year where he will be able to study our method of growth and government. The services this month reminded me so much of the launching of our first church ten years ago. The worship was not that great, the crowd was sparse and the ministry was very basic, focused on new believers. But we do have an awesome building that we’re renting and it’s in a superb location. Bev and I are filled with anticipation. Thanks for all you have done to help us fulfill a dream of serving some of the most fertile fields of harvest in our generation. Rick
rick@rickzachary.com - bev.zachary@gmail.com - shane.zachary@gmail.comChurchAsia - P.O. Box 82080 - Baton Rouge, LA 70884
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