A church planter in Karnataka, India
Raghu was born into a traditional Hindu family in Tamil Nadu on March 2, 1988, and raised in Bangalore. His father, Ganesh (now deceased), was a construction worker. His mother, Sallamma, is now about 58 years old and lives with them. His parents have three sons; Raghu is the middle son. Raghu’s father practiced and performed all the Hindu rituals from a young age and insisted even his children do the same. His father was a leader in the Hindu Temple and respected as both a Guru (a Hindu teacher/preacher) and a Swami (a Hindu senior religious leader),” which means he used to lead around thirty people who came to worship the idols. Due to this incident, he became very interested in performing all the Hindu rituals with his father from a young age. When Raghu was 15, he concluded that he needed to study all the traditions and rituals seriously, follow them, and learn the formalities of performing them. When he was 17 years old & studying his 10th grade, he failed in all the subjects & lost hope in the gods whom he was worshipping for years.
When he was 18, he contracted swine flu, and he could not continue his education. Later, he started to study again and completed his 10th grade. Then, after one of his friends invited him to church, he became frustrated with Hinduism. He started to attend Sunday School and youth meetings with Venu and learned to read the Bible and pray. He was very interested and curious about the Scriptures, so he secretly read the Bible at home. One fine day, a verse from the Bible penetrated his heart, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” 1 Peter 1:3.
These verses inspired him and changed his life. He firmly believed in the Word of God and continued to read it regularly. At that time, a Pastor named Solomon played a significant role in Raghu’s spiritual journey. He encouraged him to meditate on the Bible for a better understanding and provided Raghu with needed guidance and support. His passion for reading the Word of God grew, and he was soon advised to join a full-time Bible College with hostel facilities. Despite knowing that his devout Hindu family members wouldn’t allow him to attend this seminary, he was determined to follow his faith. So, he told his parents that he was continuing his secular studies for a few years. His parents agreed, and he came out and joined Bible college. He was delighted to learn about the Bible systematically. While studying at the Bible College in his second year, he surrendered his life to Christ.
After completing his theological studies, he invited his parents to his graduation. They were very shocked about the life their son had chosen. Due to this, his father was heartbroken and did not speak to him for a few months. They believed that Raghu had made a blunder against Hinduism. But he did not worry about all these issues. Instead, he continued to read the Bible, pray, and attend church regularly. He started to conduct prayer groups and pray for the needy. After six months, Raghu was appointed as a Bible Teacher in the same college where he had studied.
When he was 24 years old, in 2012, he married a Christian girl named Velankanni, who accepted Christ as her personal Savior at a young age and was praying to marry a servant of God to serve the Lord. But Raghu’s parents were not at all happy about his marriage, as the girl was from a Christian background, and the marriage was held in the church according to the Christian pattern. They attended his marriage but as unknown guests.
Raghu continued to teach the Bible and assisted a Senior Pastor in the church for about five years. In the year 2013, Raghu lost his father on December 4, 2013, who was about 55 years old, due to extreme diabetes and high blood pressure.
This unexpected incident was a significant loss, and he became extremely depressed. Still, a few days later, God blessed him with a boy child on December 19, 2013, and turned his depression into delight. They named their first son Sam Ebenezer. Meanwhile, one of his friends introduced him to a Hindu family whose uncle was suffering from breathing issues. They visited many doctors and consumed medicines, but in vain. After learning of Christ, they started to pray about the sickness and the bondage in their family and requested Christ to help them. God answered their prayers by healing and delivering them from all evil clutches. Gradually, the uncle they prayed for also started to believe in God’s Word and allowed them to conduct prayers at his house. When the attendance outgrew his uncle’s house, they rented a small place to worship the Lord Jesus and teach their other Hindu relatives. Raghu’s mother was impressed with these ministries and started to attend church services regularly. God touched her life through His Word, and she accepted Christ as her Savior in 2018.
Raghu started six house churches in these six years and trained eleven men for the ministry. In 2021, Raghu was again blessed with another boy on May 28, 2021, and named him Abhishek. They continued to serve the Lord, and He enabled them to cope with all the situations in life. God expanded Raghu’s ministries; now, ten families attend his newest church. They also conduct Sunday School for thirty children in the church. Raghu’s wife is very supportive of their ministry and takes care of prayer groups, evangelism, and Children’s Ministry. He hasn’t yet started the next branch church, but he has a vision to reach around 500 Hindu children in different villages and teach them the love of Christ. Please pray for this entire family and the ministries they do. May the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified.
A note from Jon Nelms:
Raghu is one of thousands of national church planters in India who are assisted by the Great Commission Fund. The labors of these men are so effective and the cost of funding them so slight, that in 2023, statistically, it took on 11¢ to bring a soul to Christ and $4 to plant a new church, making an average of 36 newly saved and baptized believers per church, and those were primarily adults. We are grateful for the dimes and dollars that you give to resupply this fund each month. If possible, consider setting up a monthly auto debit on our website. http://www.finalfrontiers.world
To make your help even more potent, do more than just giving. Bathe their families and ministries in prayer and share this ministry with your friends and family.
Now, to learn more about Bangalore.
Read and Learn – India
What you should know:
Actually, Bangalore no longer exists. The city did not die, but its name was changed several years ago from Bangalore to the Hindi name of Bengaluru. This occurred as the strict Hindu political party, the BJP, took control of the office of Prime Minister and the Parliament. In an effort to remove all religions from India, the government reassigned names to the states and major cities, replacing the names that had been in place since the days of Colonial British rule.
For example:
- Bangalore became Bengaluru
- Madras became Chennai
- Bombay became Mumbai
- Cochin became Kochi
- Calcutta became Kolkata
Where is Bangalore?
It is a large city located in the eastern area of the State of Karnataka, near the state’s border with Tamil Nadu. This is significant since every state has its own official language, and in Karnataka, that language is Kannada (pronounced Canada). About 45% of the people speak Kannada as their first language. Those living in Bangalore are typically multi-lingual. There are eleven predominant languages spoken in
Bangalore:
- Tamil (the language of the State of Tamil Nadu to the southeast)
- Telugu (the language of the State of Andhra Pradesh to the east)
- Hindi (the national language of India)
- Urdu (the national language of Pakistan and spoken primarily by the Muslim population living in the southern districts of Bangalore)
- Malayalam, the language of the State of Keral to the west
- English, spoken primarily by the educated
Apart from these, numerous other local, tribal, andforeign languages are also used. Though it is difficult for a foreigner to distinguish it, Bangalore is considered one of India’s cooler cities. For that reason, many, if not most, mission organizations are headquartered there.
What is the population?
Bangalore is considered to be the fastest-developing city in the world. The 2024 population of the city is over fourteen million, up 3% over 2023. In fact, since 2021, the population of Bangalore has increased by almost 1,500,000 people. Much of this growth is attributed to Bangalore becoming an intense IT center for India. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have moved their offices there. Following them are numerous banks. When you call for help with a product from your home, there is a good likelihood that you are speaking with a technician in Bangalore.
Such growth can create many hurdles that affect the operations of churches. Real estate prices are now well beyond reach. Traffic congestion creates a hindrance in food distribution and attending church services. Rent is astronomical, forcing more and more people and families to live on the street. Food prices are ever-increasing. School tuition is out of reach. The unemployment rate is swelling. Migrants are pouring in from rural areas looking for work, causing homelessness and overcrowding of slum areas, which in turn places a greater burden on the electrical grid, potable water, air pollution, and sewage systems. In short, the feeling of hopelessness is prevalent.
What about ministry opportunities?
Bengaluru has a high concentration of lepers because the government has established colonies for them, providing housing and medical care. They even have their own hospitals so that others do not come in contact with them. Our churches also maintain feeding centers in various colonies where the slum and leper’s children are fed daily, and churches have been established.
The Great Commission Fund provides resources for the preachers to train their Timothies in this type of ministry and plant churches in urban communities and outlying villages. Several years ago, Jon and Nolin Nelms visited the area and traveled only two hours away to find a remote and unreached tribal group. The GCF purchased motorcycles for two pastors and some of their Timothies to visit the villages, and they have since planted several churches among them. Until then, they would travel by bus for several hours and then walk for several hours more. Now, these people are no longer considered an “unreached” tribe!
Funding from our Touch a Life ministry provides finances for the pastors to purchase and deliver food for hundreds of these lepers’ children and to feed the poor children living in the slums around their churches. We are grateful for all who contribute to the Great Commission Fund and to Touch a Life.
Once again, keep your dollars, and give us your dimes. Together, we will reach the world for Christ.
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