Stacy Long
AFA Journal staff writer
July/August 2014 – Political posters, movie playbills and a wild assortment of ads peel and crumble on walls lining the chaotic press of Bangalore traffic. Marbled columns, century-old church spires and crazy temple turrets jab the sky.
India suggests promises of hope. It markets them through the wealth of ostentatious malls, fine dining and top-dollar brand names; it explores them in the national religion of Hinduism; it campaigns on hopeful promises in a convoluted political system; and it demonstrates their power with a massive, peacekeeping military. In this ancient and diverse culture, all of these institutions have been tested and tried in every possible way, to every last limit, but they have failed to fulfill the promises. And so the people are left desperate in a multi-faceted poverty that infects every area of their lives. Yet, there is one true hope, although little recognized and rarely accepted.
The church doors are left open, looking out onto the street. Against a backdrop of brightly colored buildings, gaunt cows are tethered in doorways. Smaller livestock and children scuff listlessly in the dust. From time to time, a passerby or small child comes to the entryway to curiously observe the proceedings inside, and maybe slips in, nudging others aside to make room on the simple mat that covers the smooth cement floor. But whether they stay for a few minutes or return again and again, in the small yellow-brown church they have a rare opportunity – the chance to encounter real hope.
Its presence is unmistakable; it shines from their faces as vividly as the glowing orange and yellow of the village homes seen through the shady tunnel of the church door. Christians in the congregation are no longer characterized by a red bindi on the forehead, quality of clothing, worth of jewelry or hierarchy in the caste system – all those things are overshadowed by the light of living hope within them.
Counting the cost of Christianity
Without that hope, it makes little sense for the people to come there. For each one there is very real risk in entering in the church doors, and every one of them has a story to tell.
Devi* and Rekha, two elderly ladies in the congregation, walked for miles, waking up before dawn, to come to the church that morning. Now, that same distance is ahead of them for the afternoon, and on the next morning they will begin a six-day work week. Their story is one that many present shared. Others living beyond walking distance had stopped eating the morning before so they could save money for bus fare. But for some, that is only the beginning of the price they pay.
For example, hints of Asha’s story can be read in her weathered face and deep, penetrating eyes. When Asha became a Christian, she was a widow who made a small livelihood from the milk she sold from her few goats and cows. But once she began practicing her new faith, those in her community turned angrily against her. Her landlord threatened to evict her, markets refused to sell to her, and neighbors poisoned the livestock she relied on for her only income. At night Asha would place wet towels on her empty stomach to make it feel heavy so she could sleep.
But her story has become a testimony to God’s faithfulness and power. In time, her influential landlord came to Asha begging for prayer for his sick son, and later he became a Christian himself. Now, Asha’s livelihood has been restored and even multiplied to the point that she is relatively well off and influential in her community.
Even those with backgrounds of wealth and from higher castes often face hostility and rejection as Christians. Nithya looked calm and lovely, dressed in the finest silken sari. But she rose to her feet with an urgent prayer of salvation for the husband who abused her because of her faith. Her prayer was mixed with gratitude, for only her husband’s absence allowed her to attend the worship service that day. After Nithya, many others stood to their feet to bear witness to how they had seen Christ work in their lives, even in the midst of hunger, illness, poverty and abuse.
Building the church
Even the building had a story to tell – walls and roof scarred from times when mobs gathered to throw stones at the church building. Although government efforts for equality are often encouraged, the ancient caste system still divides the remote village with a strictly segregated line between high caste and low caste sides of town. Christianity, however, dissolves such barriers by creating a common ground for all, both in the site for their meeting place and in their fellowship. Those who attend church break an invisible boundary; first, by entering a part of town that may be off limits, and then gathering under one roof to sit shoulder to shoulder with those of all castes.
Despite its roots in the caste system, violence against the church is legitimate in the eyes of the government. Any activity deemed to interfere with the national religion of Hinduism – as Christianity is considered to do – has no protection under the law.
Even with all the obstacles, small village churches like the one in Baktharahalli are thriving. In fact, it is only one of 14 church plants founded between 1976 and 2006 by the now deceased Sundar Singh and his wife Helen of Look Unto Jesus Ministries. Today, despite all opposition, the churches survive; Helen Singh continues to minister in the various congregations – and the work of church planting goes on. Some of the churches are simple cement buildings like the one in Baktharahalli; many are even more basic structures with thatched or woven grass roofs. Others consist only of small congregations that meet in homes. But while there are few outward attractions in these humble churches, the hope in Christ found within is attraction enough for India’s bold believers.
*All names have been changed to protect privacy. 
Worldwide, rural churches are scarce, and the challenges of distance and poverty may cut many off from access to them. Organizations, such as Heaven Sent Ministries, SEND International and Gospel for Asia fund the construction of new church buildings, train local pastors in gospel ministry and equip native church planters.
Heaven Sent Ministries
877-525-4476
SEND International
800-736-3808
Gospel for Asia
800-946-2742
