This past October, four leaders from the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches had the distinct privilege to partner with ZEC Ministries in equipping current and future leaders for the cause of Christ in India! Craig Smith, Engage pastor, Northwoods Church, Peoria, led the team that included Gary Webb, executive pastor of ministries, Northwoods Church, Peoria; David Windham, associate pastor, Evermore Community Church, Hartville, Ohio; and Hal Lehman, FEC international church multiplication director.
Throughout their ten-day trip to the district of Visakhapatnam, the team led training sessions for 160 local pastors, helped equip 92 new children’s workers, and ministered to 200 HIV-positive women and children. It’s all part of FEC’s efforts to come alongside this newest international initiative, one that Northwoods has supported for the past several years. “Our goal is to be a catalyst,” says Hal Lehman, FEC international church multiplication director. “We want to help them expand and be even more effective.”
ZEC Ministries is a well-established presence in the region and has just completed their goal of reaching pastors in every Mandal (county) in the district. This includes a network of 3,800 pastors! Combined, the pastors and youth workers with ZEC Ministries could potentially reach up to a few hundred thousand people in this largely Hindu district of India in the next few years. Please continue to pray for our partners, Rev. Syam Babu Mari and his wife, Esther Sunitha, as they continue their tireless efforts to reach people in India for Jesus. To learn more, visit zecindia.com.
