The Spirit of the Lord is moving in so many incredible ways as we faithfully and aggressively move on our vision to identify, equip, and release indigenous urban leaders to plant churches and facilitate church planting movements. God continues to demonstrate His compassion to bring people to salvation and advance His Kingdom through church planting. Let me share with you some good news.
The Evangel School of Urban Church Planting is an intensive three-day church planting training conference for indigenous leaders to plant churches among their people group. Oliver was one of those leaders.
From Bangladesh, Oliver moved to India where he was persecuted for following Jesus. He was beaten, he lost his job, and his land was taken from him, all because he was not a Hindu. Fleeing persecution, he and his family settled in Queens, New York, where there are 100,000 Bengali people in the greater metropolitan area. In this area, most of the Bengalis are first generation and are Muslim.
Joseph Biswas is the Pastor of Evangelical Bengali Church where Oliver is a leader. Though Pastor Joseph’s church is 60 people, including many children, his vision is for his church to be a training center to equip leaders to plant multiple churches. Joseph has discipled Oliver and wants to send him to Connecticut to plant churches among the Bengali people there. Pastor Joseph heard about our Evangel School and sent Oliver to be equipped.
After the training, Oliver said, “Now I have been equipped to do what God has called me to do. This training is what I need to help me plant a church among my people.”
Pastor Joseph said, “Evangel School changed his life. Oliver is a different person after this training.”
This is the exciting aspect of our vision. Oliver knows the language, culture, and Muslim traditions, so he is better equipped to minister to that people group than we are. Your prayers and financial support, our prayers and equipping, and Oliver’s prayers and labors all work together for God’s Great Commission.