Indian Mission - Their Work
Central India Biblical Academy
The ministry of the Central Biblical Academy has been underway for almost two years. A variety of programs are offered at the Academy. A full-time coordinator, Rajeev Lambert, plans the programs a year in advance. In addition to the coordinator, the Center is staffed by five of CICM's leaders who each teach on a part-time basis. The Center also invites other missionaries and experts from different areas to help with the teaching programs.
The main program is held yearly from January through May and is the training for new evangelists. At least 50 evangelists participate in these classes. It is an intensive program; classes meet six days a week for seven hours each day. The courses include: Survey of the Bible, Personal Evangelism, Life of Christ, Acts, The Epistles, Basics of the Christian Faith, Christian Evidences, Comparative Religion, Homiletics, and others. When the students finish the five-month program they are then ready to begin their ministries.
During the months of June and July, the Center is closed because it is much too hot to effectively offer classes at that time. The schedule resumes in August and September with refresher course and seminars. A variety of programs are offered and usually last about a week each. About 50 women meet for a Women's Leader seminar. The House Church Leaders program usually involves about 125 people. Seminars for preachers reach up to 200 preachers and evangelists. A seminar is also offered for those preacher who have faced persecution during their ministries. A new seminar is being planned for those preachers who are Children's Fund Coordinators. The Center is also available for other missions and ministries to use.
The October program at the Academy is for Sunday School teacher training and lasts for about three weeks. During November the emphasis is on youth workers and youth ministers. About 80 people participate in these month-long youth ministry classes.
Mission Provides Flood Relief
A 14-member team from CICM worked in the state of Orissa where 31 villages were under 20 feet of water. Thousands of people were missing; thousands of huts and houses were destroyed. It was the first flood of the last 50 years with many people dying from cholera. Farmland was covered with 10 feet of sand. Because of the generous grant from IDES, the CICM teach was able to provide relief to five villages by distributing food, clothing, cooking utensils, medicine, and tents. About 310 families received help through this relief effort.