VOICE OF EC CHURCHES NEPAL
II Quarterly 2023, Dharan Nepal
Greetings to you in the most precious name of Jesus Christ!
Amid a world crisis, life has become uncertain. But I am grateful to our almighty God for this opportunity to connect with you all once again. We lost many of our brothers & sisters worldwide. Many churches have been burned down due to various circumstances, leaving no place to worship. The pain & void it has created is deeply jarring. However, if we think about it, it’s the fulfillment of the word of God which proclaims the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. Let’s all remain faithful in believing Him and serving Him until our master returns.
EC CHURCHES NEPAL
No one can ignore the growth of the church during the time of the apostles in the New Testament, led by the Holy Spirit. What inspires me personally is the response of the church to the work of the Holy Spirit. They fearlessly shared the good news door to door. Likewise, our ECCN family is blessed to be in one of the fastest Christian-growing nations in the world. We continue to grow in the Lord. It gives me immense pleasure to have a new branch fellowship. Here are a few reports on similar ground.
Firstly, we have Cana EC Church. By God’s grace, we have constructed a new building for the church.
Secondly, Darshan EC Church has also started a branch fellowship for the glory of God.
EVANGELICAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING CENTER (ELTC)
ECCN established ELTC to have a solid foundation based on biblical evangelical doctrine. The course is taught in the vernacular (Nepali) as most of our leaders come from humble backgrounds. Neither, they have been schooled nor did they ever cross the boundary of their villages. So, we have designed this special training center under His heavenly guidance where learning is less intimidating and more inclusive.
The course consists of eight stages conducted one week each every quarter. In this way, the students can manage to participate in the course as well as in their respective mission fields or areas of personal concern.
By God’s grace, we have successfully launched two batches so far. The first batch of twenty-seven graduates solely included prominent church leaders like pastors, elders, and deacons. The second batch was centered on women’s leadership. Although there is still debate on women’s ordination and their position in church administration, we can’t despise their role in the mission field. The Bible has time and again shown how significant women are for God’s kingdom through the lives of Esther, Deborah, and many more.
MERCY HOME
Behind every aspirational vision, there is a deep-rooted pain. The birth of Mercy Home draws its origin in our past. My father lost my grandfather when he was a little boy in a remote village in Manipur, India. I can’t imagine how difficult it was for my grandmother to raise four children on her own. Mercy, on the other hand, lost both of her parents when she was an infant. She was looked after by her uncle. We both grew up sharing our ordeals, trying to find comfort and strength in the Lord. Life, then was hard, two small kids dressed in one pair of clothes in a place beyond the reach of any modern facility. We prayed and hoped that one day the Lord will use us to help underprivileged children much like us.
Truly God has been faithful! After our union as husband and wife, we prayed to share a burden which was Mercy Home. When we started our home we had minimum to no support for this vision. However, we did what we could with utmost sincerity, love, and faith. Our boys were merely one to two years old when we joined together as a family. At present, two of our boys have appeared for the matric examination, two are worship leaders and one is serving God as a Sunday school teacher in Bethel EC Church, Dharan. I can’t pen down how grateful I feel to live a dream. That being said, it’s always a challenging journey to be good parents. I humbly request you all to pray for my children as they are growing up in this fast pacing world.
FIRST SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER TRAINING
On 15th April, ECCN conducted its first teacher training center. It took us 20 years from having our first five children at Sunday school to training our first batch of teachers for several churches, Praise the Lord for this journey!
It is so significant to guide children in the way of righteousness. The pillar of the church is strengthened when leaders have a solid foundation as young believers. They are the future, so it is wise to educate them in the present in the best possible ways.
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
-Proverbs 22:6
It was supervised by very qualified personalities, Miss Hannah Kipgen, MTh. and Mr. Ashis Tamang, BTh. Now, we don't need to send people outside for training. Miss Hannah also contributes to ELTC as a teacher. She is currently pursuing Ph.D. in SAIACS. Mr. Ashish Tamang is our precious fruit. He is well-equipped and thoroughly trained to lead the Sunday School Department. He is currently pursuing MDiv. at Ebenezer Bible College. If the Lord opens your heart to support these young servants of God, kindly reach me. I would appreciate that.
Twenty years is not a short time; God is not slow. Good things take time.
Dear friends, thank you so much for your love and prayers. If you are interested to learn more about EC Church Nepal, kindly write back to us. For now, let me share some prayer requests-
I. Pray for my children, Jackson and Joel’s higher education. As we anticipate their result, may the Lord provide us with a suitable school,
II. Pray for ELTC building for training purposes at the earliest,
III. Pray for all our churches, branches, and fellowship- to grow spiritually and for the addition of new members and
IV. Pray for the building construction for two of our village churches- Ashish EC Church, Kerabari & Cana EC Church, Govindapur. It is an urgent prayer request.
Thank you for your time. God bless you and take care until our next update!
-Rev. Th Janga & Mercy Kipgen
ECCN Director
Chief editor: Elizabeth Kipgen
Janga, I am praying for your ministry. Please pray for my healing. I have been in the hospital four times and am believing God for complete healing. Thank you for praying. I rejoice to see the Lord move wonderfully on your behalf. I will continue to pray and believe.