Three Conferences Conducted by Sonam Kabo in Northern India
“Encountering Christ Material Already Being Multiplied Around the World”
Consistent with the mission of BMI, equipping national leaders to train Christian leaders in their own parts of the world, Sonam Kabo and his wife, Rita, traveled to Northern India to conduct three Encountering Christ Conferences.
Pastors said, “we have read and preached from both the O.T. and N.T., but this teaching has helped us to reveal Christ in every topic of our lessons in such a precise manner. It is very fresh and helpful.”
Bihar
First one was held in Purnea, Bihar (once this place used to be called the graveyard for the Christian Missionaries for many years), and it is located on the border of the Eastern part of Nepal. There were twenty-nine senior pastors and leaders mainly from the Bretheren in Christ Church (BICC) which is one of the biggest church umbrella in the whole Bihar State with more than five thousand believers. Some of them were from other church denominations such as the Evangelical and Pentecostal and independent churches. The local coordinator was Mr.Yuhanna Pradhan who was one of participants of the Encountering Christ Conference with Dr. Jonathan Burnham in Kathmandu. He is a project manager for Christian Medical Association India (CMAI) who serves the underprivileged santhali tribal people through the local church leaders in Bihar. Our Encountering Christ Themes were well received and very much appreciated by all the senior pastors and leaders in this State of Bihar. They have invited us for the second part of Encountering Christ Conference next year, and they have requested us to provide the Encountering Christ book in the Hindi language as well.
Kalimpong, Darjeeling
The second conference was held in Kalimpong, Darjeeling. The local coordinator was Pastor Biswaratna Rai of Assemblies of God Church, and he too was one of the participants of the Encountering Christ seminar in Kathmandu. The program was held for full three days at the Town Hall with about two hundred people – both pastors, leaders and youths from his own church as well as from his denominational branch churches from several regions of North India. We have received emails from Pastor Bishwa Ratna Rai, that the participants had expressed their deep gratitude and appreciation at the teaching that was brought to them. Pastor Biswa was so thankful and excited seeing the outcome of the conference that he has mentioned that he would like to hold another conference for the women in the near future.
Dimapur, Nagaland
After the Kalimpong conference, the last one of the three was held at Dimapur, Nagaland. After twelve hours of train journey from Siliguri, North India , Sonam and Rita arrived in Dimapur where Pastor Vinod Rai had arranged for the Encountering Christ seminar for Nepali-speaking pastors not only from Nagaland but also from the neighboring state of Assam. Pastor Vinod Rai is from the Baptist denomination which is the dominant denomination in that region of India. The participating pastors were very much into the theology and doctrine, but the teaching from the manual of Encountering Christ was so well received that they were so eager to learn and gave their full attention with deep interest. Some of their comments were, “we have read and preached from both the O.T. and N.T., but this teaching has helped us to reveal Christ in every topic of our lessons in such a precise manner. It is very fresh and helpful. It was a great blessing to receive such profound teaching in our own Nepali langauge without having to be interpreted.” There were twenty-nine pastors and leaders and these group are very eager to attend the second part of the teaching conference.
Pastors Teaching the Material to their Parishioners and Students
The participants of the last BMI Encountering Christ seminar at Kathmandu have been faithfully doing their part in transferring the teachings they have learned into their own settings and context. Some of them have done it in over three or four special meetings, while others have done it in their Bible colleges among their students, some in their training centers and in small group settings. So, the teachings received have been imparted and multiplied.
We continue to pray that with the completion of the second part in April 2013 in Kathmandu, there will be a wide circulation and impartation of the teaching of the book ,”Encountering Christ” authored and taught by Dr.Jonathan Burnham, in a very effective way. And that more and more churches and church leaders and believers will renew their love and desire to read the Word of God and truly encounter Christ in their lives and the pages of the Bible.
Encountering Christ Book Provided to Each Participant
BMI provides the Encountering Christ book to each conference participant translated in their own language.
