India

India is a nation of nearly 1 billion people, less than 2% of whom are Christian.

Assam

Our primary focus at present is the state of Assam, a north eastern state of India, sharing international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh. The large number of ethnic and linguistic groups in the state has led to it being called an “India in miniature”. With a population of 29 million, its primary religions are Hinduism (65%), Islam (31%), and Christianity (4%). The Chrisitan population is concentrated almost entirely in and around the city of Gossaigaon, leaving the rest of the state virtually untouched by the gospel.

We have sent several teams to Gossaigaon, near the far western border of Assam, ministering among the churches there. Since then, we have partnered with a young Indian church planter who, together with his wife, is working to plant house churches throughout the other cities of Assam.

A primary target group is the Bodo (pronounced BO-RO) people, an ethnic and linguistic community of 1.2 million living in 4 of the 26 districts within Assam. Primarily farmers, the Bodos have not been successfully integrated into Assamese culture, but have been deprived educationally and economically. The primary religions among the Bodos are Bathouism (ancestral worship) and Hinduism.

Church planting in Assam is difficult and dangerous, each city presenting its unique challenges. Please keep our church planters in prayer as they courageously step out to bring the gospel to those who have never heard about Christ.