This fledgling body of believers now has their own place of worship to grow and flourish.
In 2019, a GFA missionary visited H. village. Within a year, 15 people in the village came to the saving knowledge of Christ, and a prayer fellowship sprouted. Later, Pastor San was sent to this village to continue the ministry there.
With much prayer and faith, Pastor San regularly visited families in the community to share about Christ. He had a special burden to pray for the sick. The Lord, in His mercy, answered the pastor’s prayers, and many received healing. Soon, 50 more people joined the church, and they needed a place of worship. One of the families in the church happily came forward to donate their land for the building. Now, these faithful believers experience indescribable joy because of the new church building, as they can all gather together for worship.
These faithful believers struggled as they gathered under a flimsy bamboo roof that repeatedly blew off. Now they have this permanent structure, which can withstand the winds.
Pastor B. pioneered GFA World’s ministry in a Himalayan village in 2010, and three families began gathering as a fellowship. Later, in 2017, Pastor S. took over the ministry in this village, and since then, more people have joined the church every year. For 10 long years, the faithful gathered under a structure with a roof made of bamboo and zinc. Twice, wind blew the roof off; the pastor and the faithful struggled to gather for worship. Yet, without giving up, they continued in prayer, trusting God would open the way for them to have a church building. Their long-awaited prayers were answered in August 2021 when the congregation, now with more than 130 members, received a beautiful church building.
Just like Pastor Hardik’s congregation praised God for the gift of a new church building, this church in Sri Lanka now also has a place where they can worship Christ free from harassment.
Pastor Hardik and his wife, Aahna, dove into the Lord’s work after briefly settling into their new area of ministry. They prayed for the sick and suffering, shared Christian literature and spread the hope found in Jesus’ name, just as they had done in their previous village. Once again, a church was born. The new believers squeezed into Hardik and Aahna’s home every Sunday to worship, but once Hardik’s neighbours realized what was going on, they threatened him and pressured him to stop.
Desperate for a church building so they could worship in peace and safety, Hardik and his congregation prayed.
No Obstacle to God
Soon the Lord blessed them with land, and construction for the building started. That’s when the opposition intensified.
A local group learned about the project and schemed how to halt it. They pressured local authorities and threatened the young missionary. Construction slowed as uncertainty swirled around the project.
The missionary couple, trained by difficulties, knew what to do: they cried out to the Lord. The congregation joined in prayer, and one by one, God removed every obstacle—even giving the young fellowship favor with the local government.
At last the church was complete: a gleaming white building painted with bright red details that was large enough to hold the entire congregation, with room to grow. Hardik’s leaders conducted an inauguration to pray over and bless the people and their building. While the congregation listened attentively, the leaders encouraged them to make the Holy Spirit their guide and expounded upon the sacrifice of Jesus.
“This church belongs to the Lord,” said one leader. “Everything in the world belongs to Him, so enter the house of the Lord with reverence.”
The leaders prayed for God’s anointing on Hardik and his ministry and concluded the special service with Holy Communion.
“I am thankful to God for blessing us with our own church building,” said Hardik. “We were finding difficulties to conduct the Sunday service because of lack of space and opposition from villagers, but the Lord answered our prayers. Praise the Lord!”
Hardik and Aahna stood in front of the new church building alongside their congregation and praised God for their journey and the years of ministry to come.
Manmohan, (pictured) has traveled place to place in a lifelong pursuit of peace
Manmohan traveled from place to place performing rituals to gain divine favour. He devoted himself to practices that promised peace. But peace eluded the 18-year-old. His constant companion was restlessness.
Often, Manmohan mulled over all the places he visited and the religious tasks he performed. But uncertainty constantly gnawed at him. Despite his faithfulness, he was missing something.
One day, Manmohan walked down the road, pensive, when melodic voices seeped through his thoughts. He stopped to listen. The music pierced through the clouds of Manmohan’s troubled mind. He looked around to see where the music was coming from. There was a tall building nearby, crowned with a cross. The words of the song were so lovely, Manmohan could not stop himself from going in the building.
Manmohan, (pictured) has traveled place to place in a lifelong pursuit of peace
Doors Open to New Life
As he sat worshiping the Lord, GFA-supported pastor Dhevan did not notice the young man enter the church. At the end of the last song, Pastor Dhevan stood up to encourage his congregation from God’s Word.
When the prayer meeting concluded, Pastor Dhevan saw Manmohan in the back, his face filled with emotion. He approached the young man, asking if he was OK and what brought him there.
Manmohan told the pastor of his lifelong pursuit of peace. During this prayer meeting, for the first time, he felt the peace and comfort that had always eluded him. But the biggest impact, Manmohan stated, was when Pastor Dhevan spoke God’s Word. It touched a deep place inside the young man.
Eager to know more, Manmohan asked about Jesus. Pastor Dhevan told Manmohan about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. He also explained the purpose of human life in this world.
Hearing this message, Manmohan knew he finally found what he had been searching for his whole life. He had finally come home to rest.
Monmohan doesn’t travel from place to place seeking a god anymore. He now has God’s Spirit living inside him, and he worships in the very same building where he first encountered the God named Jesus.
Pastor Braiden and his wife, Phebe, have been serving the Lord for more than 10 years in the same place. Ministry was difficult at first, but God was faithful. Within a short amount of time, two families joined the pastor and his wife for worship services. After a few more years, the congregation grew to 48 believers.
The blossoming church worshipped in the home of a believer. As they sang from their hearts toward heaven, neighbours—disturbed by the noise they were making—interrupted to chide and scold Pastor Braiden. Discouraged by the angry interlopers, he longed for a place where they could worship in peace.
Many Had Tried Before and Failed
Pastor Braiden and Phebe often prayed with their burgeoning congregation for a building where they could gather to worship the Lord. There was not a single worship place in their village. Many others had tried to build one in the past, but none had succeeded. Often, construction for worship buildings may be blocked by local officials who refuse to grant the necessary permits. Other times, unreasonable requests from community members stalled land purchases and construction. For whatever the reasons, a church building had never materialized in this village. It was a prayer of faith for Pastor Braiden and Phebe, and they believed God could do such a thing.
A church building represented so many possibilities for the believers. It would allow them to worship in peace and be a blessing to their neighbours. It would give them room to grow. It would provide them a space to do ministry such as literacy classes, youth gatherings and VBS. But more important, a place of worship would declare this is a God who stays; He is permanent; He is faithful; He provides.
The Lord Makes a Way
Then, one day, things began to move forward. One of the believers donated land on which to construct a church building. Now there were permits to acquire, materials to purchase and a construction crew to hire. As the group of believers prayed and trusted God, each piece fell into place. The construction started and then finished. Pastor Braiden and Phebe stood in awe of the Lord who made a way where there had only been obstacles before. A great celebration took place at the dedication of the new church building. Many distinguished guests attended the ceremony. After the dedication, the congregation and guests enjoyed a feast, their joy evident on their beaming faces.
“We have faced many problems and difficulties without a church building of our own,” shares a member of the congregation. “We, as believers, used to pray, and God answered our prayers. I thank God for providing us this beautiful church building.”
As Raju helped to build this worship place, he learned more about Christ. After God miraculously healed his son, Raju began to worship God for himself—in the building he helped construct!
Raju rushed to Chinnam’s house with his 3-year-old son’s feverish body heavy in his arms. When this crisis came, he knew exactly where to go.
The village had known for years that God had healed Chinnam’s wife when she was afflicted by an evil spirit. A GFA-supported worker had prayed for her, and she was completely restored.
Just recently, Raju had been hired to work on the construction of a worship place for the congregation that was birthed from this miracle. He heard other stories of God’s great power, too. Maybe this God would heal his son. As he approached Chinnam’s house, fear and hope wrestled in his heart.
Chinnam and his family gathered around the small, restless body burning with fever. They cried out to the Lord for His healing hand to visit once again. The boy grew quiet. He drifted into a deep sleep as his fever broke. What started for Raju as just another construction job to support his family ended in seeing God’s healing hand. Today he worships in the very church he helped to build.
This congregation struggled to meet together in homes throughout the week. They faced challenges of space, timing and location, until God provided a church building for them through GFA friends like you.
It was 10:00 on Sunday morning. A crowd stood outside Htay Pyi’s house—fathers, mothers and bored-looking children, all wearing their Sunday best. They were waiting for Htay Pyi and his family to finish rearranging their home to accommodate the congregation.
The timing didn’t always work out right.
A Congregation with No Home
GFA-supported pastor Tamayan had a heart and a passion for the people in his region, and God was moving in many lives. However, the growing congregation had no consistent place to gather.
They tried to meet in people’s homes, but if a home wasn’t big enough, not everyone could worship there. When the meeting place wasn’t consistent, how would everyone know where to gather? But more importantly—how would new believers or people curious about Jesus know where to go to learn more about the One born in Bethlehem?
But this wasn’t just a problem on Sunday mornings.
“Most of our women are prayerful,” Pastor Tamayan explained. “They wanted to go to the church for prayer early in the morning, but since we did not have a church building, they could not gather.”
An Answer to Prayer
Thankfully, the GFA world was able to come together to provide a place of worship for Pastor Tamayan, Htay Pyi and the rest of the congregation! Today they have a spacious and beautiful building where they can praise the Lord together.
“I have seen more people coming to church for prayer,” Pastor Tamayan shared. “At dawn on Monday, most of the church members come and have prayer. Every Friday, the Women’s Fellowship has fasting and prayer. We have whole night prayer also in the first week of every month.”
What’s more—the children are learning, the youth are excited, the congregation feels more united and they are growing as more people come to this church building to learn about the Lord.
“I had been praying for 10 years for a permanent, local church building,” Pastor Tamayan said. Today, that prayer has been answered.
Many individuals, like this GFA-supported worker, greatly desire to see churches built so people can worship God freely.
Sweat dripped down Ekansh’s body as he dug a shovel into the ground. Earth begrudgingly gave way to his labours. But despite the difficulty, Ekansh and several others laboured with joy. They had prayed for years without seeing any hint of change, but now God’s answer was impossible to miss, an answer that had started long before they ever moved a shovel full of dirt.
When You Are In Need
Ekansh was among the many who endeavoured to crowd into a small mud-and-tile house for Sunday worship. But when it was hot, people didn’t always want to go. In fact, many believers didn’t make it to every service because of the extreme temperatures. Without the consistent teaching from Scripture and times of corporate prayer and worship, these men and women struggled to grow in their walks with the Lord—especially those who were illiterate or didn’t have a copy of the Word to read on their own at home. The people depended on the fellowship for growth and encouragement, but the fellowship struggled to meet in the summer heat.
The rainy season was no better, as the small house leaked water onto the heads of the worshippers, dampening clothes and spirits alike. It’s easy to romanticize house meetings in rural places or church meetings under a tree, but this was no picnic.
With Great Rejoicing
So the people prayed. They and their GFA-supported pastor, Brijesh, asked God to provide them with a piece of land and supplies to build. And He did. He put it on the hearts of people in the congregation to give what they could, and He moved in the hearts of men and women around the world to contribute the remainder.
When the congregation found out God had answered and they could go forward with construction, they got very excited and broke out in spontaneous praises to God!
From February to October, the congregants laboured together. Some donated materials like sand and bricks. Others, like Ekansh, helped with the physical labours of digging out the foundation and levelling the floor. What they couldn’t provide, the donations of others supplied. And for anything they couldn’t build, hired hands did instead.
In October, with the cutting of a ribbon and much rejoicing, the new building was inaugurated.
And for a 25-year-old man named Sidak, who watched all this unfold, the start of this church building marked the start of a change in his life, as well.
A Blessing for All Who Come
On the day of the building’s dedication, Sidak decided to show up. He hadn’t been invited by any human hand, but God drew him there that day. As Sidak watched the ceremony, listened to the teaching and heard the songs and prayers, peace settled into his heart. Since that day, he started attending the worship services, where the peace of Christ made a permanent change in his life.
But Sidak and Ekansh aren’t the only ones who have been blessed through this building. Many others now have the opportunity to attend services, regardless of the weather. Rain or shine, believers can gather to grow in their relationship with the Lord.
Many individuals, like this GFA-supported worker, greatly desire to see churches built so people can worship God freely.
There were so many Christians. They couldn’t fit. The small house was packed already, and it was only getting worse as more people experienced the Lord’s grace and power.
When Ramani learned about GFA-supported pastor Duranjaya, she approached him. She needed help. She opened up and shared with him about her five-year struggle. She continually felt uneasy and tormented; it seemed to her that an evil spirit was affecting her life. When Pastor Duranjaya heard this, he prayed for the troubled woman, and she felt encouraged to start attending prayer meetings with the other believers. Ramani started going to prayer meetings, and within a few months, God freed her completely. She gave her heart to Him, and through her life and testimony, others did as well.
And so the number of people wanting to gather for worship grew. Ramani and the others gathered almost every week in the home of one of the believers. But, as much as they loved Jesus, not everyone was comfortable with the arrangement, and sometimes the believer who owned the house wasn’t available to host.
Still, more people wanted to gather together.
Crying Out to God
So they did what any congregation would do—they prayed.
For five years they cried out to God, asking Him to provide a permanent place of worship, a place that would hold everyone and allow them the full joy of fellowship together.
God honoured and answered their prayer.
They received a piece of land and permission to build. Through the generosity of Christians around the world, the finances came in to begin construction.
Many of the Christians who hadn’t wanted to crowd into a small home gladly met to worship the Living God within the sanctuary of their new church building.
“Now we will not have any difficulty,” shares Kinshuk, one of the believers in the village, “but we can worship in freedom.”
Thank you for helping make stories like this possible.
Many congregations, such as the one pictured, suffer for lack of a church building. This one has to meet under a large tree.
Pastor Syon clapped his hands and kept on singing. The room he worshipped in was filled with people—despite how small it was—yet his voice was the only one he heard. He tried not to let the lack of participation discourage him, but it did.
He didn’t blame his congregation for their silence. They had no musical instruments, and the cramped room hampered their ability to express their devotion to the Lord.
No Place Else to Worship
For five years, Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Syon and the believers gathered in the small, narrow bamboo structure they had built for worshipping the Lord. They knew it wasn’t a proper place of worship, especially because every six months they had to repair it.
The lack of space caused problems. It deterred the children from attending Sunday School because there wasn’t enough room to comfortably sing and dance. During the rainy season, flies would buzz around inside the bamboo hut, and worms would crawl up from the mud floor.
Three Years of Prayers
Pastor Syon and the believers prayed fervently for a permanent building. They needed a place where they could worship freely, a place where children could enjoy attending Sunday School, a place where people could know: This is a holy place where you can find God.
Finally, after three years of praying, Pastor Syon and his congregation rejoiced when the Lord blessed them with a permanent building they could worship Him in!
“The loving Lord heard our prayers,” Pastor Syon says. “[The community is] very happy that such a beautiful church is standing in the middle of the village.”
No flies buzz around inside; no worms crawl on the ground. The children—even those whose parents haven’t yet experienced God’s love—happily attend Sunday School.
The church has become a place of blessing for God’s people and for those who enter the sanctuary knowing that inside, they can find prayer, love and healing.
Worship Without Restrictions
Now, Pastor Syon and his congregation worship freely, loudly, boldly. They join in unison, praising the God who is faithful to hear and answer their prayers. Their worship even draws people to the church. Suvali, a Christian widow who had stopped going to a different church because it was too far away, remembers the day she joined Pastor Syon’s church.
“I saw a cross on top of the building, and I thought, This is a church,” Suvali recalls. “Hearing the worship songs, I could not control myself: I stepped back and entered into the church.”
Thank you for your prayers and gifts that give our family in Asia the chance to live fully for God.
Murali and Tulika faced poverty every day. When they started attending a fellowship led by a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor, Tulika was able to sign up for a tailoring class at the church. Unfortunately, the only sewing machine she could find didn’t work properly. She prayed God would provide a better one, one she could actually use—a prayer God answered through friends of Gospel for Asia.
In the meantime, Murali’s father, Kaditula, became paralyzed. Kaditula couldn’t leave his bed so Murali, the family’s only breadwinner, became his full-time caretaker. At the time, Tulika had just begun sewing clothes for her family and neighbours. With her new sewing machine, she was able to make a moderate income to help sustain her family.
Over time, things improved for the family. Although Kaditula is still physically weak, he can now move his hands and sit by himself. Murali found work as a security guard in an office building.
“At present, [my wife] is not fully involved in tailoring work,” Murali said. “But by the grace of the Lord, she is helpful to the family. Now she can meet her needs.”
New church buildings are inaugurated every year in South Asia through the prayers, support and generous donations of men and women like you. In this issue of Harvest, we want to share with you the stories behind five of these church buildings. We hope these snapshots give you a better understanding of all the Lord is doing and all you are part of. Thank you for your passion to see more people understand the great love of the Saviour.
When the Storm Came Through
The believers gathered in Danvir’s home—two families and their pastor. But as they worshipped God every week and told others about His goodness, more people came and crowded into the house. After a year, they built a temporary church building out of bamboo, praying all the while for a permanent one.
As they prayed, God answered through His servants around the world by providing the resources for these believers to build a church—and none too soon: Six months before the new building was complete, a storm destroyed their temporary one.
God brought a new church building just in time for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
A Grateful Farmer
Kallol, a farmer in South Asia, didn’t think it was possible for a beautiful building to be constructed in his village.
A Gospel for Asia-supported pastor had served in Kallol’s village for 12 years, ministering to the people in need. At first the congregation met in a small, rented home, but after seven years it had become crowded. They purchased a piece of land, but then they encountered some difficulties, which delayed the building. Five more years passed before Kallol witnessed the church completed.
“Thank God for the sponsors who have helped us to build this building for {% trans
worshiping" %} the Lord,” Kallol said.
A Place for the Children
Many parents want their children to learn more about Jesus at Sunday school, and many children are eager to invite their friends with them, but when a growing congregation meets in a believer’s modest home, there often isn’t enough room for such lessons.
For seven years, that was the situation Gospel for Asia-supported church Vinil Cho and his congregation faced, that is, until they had a
church building of their own.
"Now the children are very happy to come to church," Pastor Vinil shared.
When a congregation receives a church building, everyone is blessed—including the children.
Finding Room to Grow
At first, no one in town knew about Jesus, and no one wanted to. But then Sahas’ family came to understand His grace, and soon, two more families joined Sahas in his home for Sunday worship. Over time, more people came to know Jesus, but not everyone was willing to crowd into Sahas’ house. To solve the problem, the congregation built a shelter from mud, bamboo, tin and straw. They prayed for a permanent church building—especially after the shelter mysteriously burned down.
Praise God, today, almost 20 years after a Gospel for Asia-supported church first came to Sahas’ village, this growing congregation has a permanent place to worship the Lord.
Full Hearts, Leaky Roof
The believers in Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Taranga’s congregation loved the Lord very much—He filled their hearts with joy, peace and purpose. But that didn’t make the weeks and months of monsoon season under the leaky roof of a believer’s home pass by any faster, nor did it solve the problem of overheating in the summer. And when the roof would blow off in a strong wind, it needed to be repaired again and again.
So the believers prayed for more than six years, asking God to bless them with a permanent church building. Now 71 believers worship the Lord inside their own building—thanks in part to someone like you.
As the believers arrived, they sat down and filled the small room. More families came, looked inside and realized there was no room for them, so they took their seats outside the entryway. Worship songs arose, along with the hot sun that beat down on the necks of those who sat outside.
Sometimes, during the Sunday services, noise would blare into the rented room when the landlords, unhappy with the church, turned up the volume on their TV to disturb the congregation.
The small congregation lacked a church building, but it wasn't those who attended service that suffered most—it was those who didn’t.
Pastor’s Story Begins in a Church Building
Gajendra, the pastor of this congregation, had come to know
the Lord in part because of a church building. As a youngster, Gajendra fell ill. For three months his family spent much money and sought help from many different sources, but nothing helped their son, until a relative recommended he go to a church for prayer. There the local pastor prayed for Gajendra, and the Lord healed him! As a result, Gajendra came to know Christ and serve Him.
No Building Means Few Visitors
In villages without church buildings, seekers may not know where the congregation will meet. In places like Gajendra’s village, if they did visit, there might not be room for them inside. These difficulties hinder many people across South Asia from learning more about Jesus.
But the believers in Pastor Gajendra’s congregation started to pray for a church building. Three years later, the Lord provided the land and, through friends of Gospel for Asia, the funding for their church building. The believers and even their neighbours contributed their labour to build the church.
For Those Who Come and Those Who Don’t
Now, when the believers in Pastor Gajendra’s congregation arrive on Sunday mornings, they can enter the church building. As more arrive, they look inside and find there is room for them, and they all worship the Lord
under one roof.
The church building makes it easier to conduct Women’s Fellowship meetings and Sunday school, so the women and children are now growing more in their knowledge of Jesus.
Now those in greatest need, those who don’t come on Sunday mornings and who may be suffering like Pastor Gajendra once was, will pass the church building and be reminded of the Christians and their God. When any of them desire to come to a worship service, they’ll know there is room for them. There, they’ll learn about the God who loves them, and one day, they may even end up serving Him.
