Covenant Children’s Festivals, May 2010

As it was written “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” Mt18:10. Not to despise the children, ICM conducted Children festivals in all the 2200 Covenant Churches of Andhra Pradesh. It is similar to VBS. As in May it is summer vacation time for the kids, we gathered not only those attending our Sunday school but every one from the vicinity. It was named Children’s Festival, so that children will be attracted to CCF classes as festivals are the happiest season for children.

We prepared activity books for these classes with coloring pages and exercises at the end of each lesson. Children enjoyed coloring pages and learning action songs. Some of them never attended a Sunday school before. We are glad that their angels might have also enjoyed in these festivals.

You will surely feel the blessing of the children in the below pictures.

Children attending CCF in Endluru

Leprosy colony CCF, M.BNagar

Children Enjoying singing and learning action songs

Mahabubnagar,CCF

Chilukuru CCF

Filling the Activity book

Kurnool CCF

Nizamabad CCF

Every memory Verses displayed on the Notice board

Earnestly listening at the lesson time in Kurnool CCF

Glorifying the Father as in Ps 8:3, Chintalapalli CCF

Unguturu CCF

Eagerly waiting for candies

Children enjoying love feast on the last day of CCF in Kurnool

Cultural Programmes by Kurnool

Singing a special number

Performing a skit

Folk Dance by senior children

Boys dancing for a fast beat song

Prizes were distributed for the outstanding Children

Children Rallying on the last day of CCF in Kurnool

May all the praises from these children be the strength of ICM as

“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” Ps.8:3

Cyclone Relief May 25th, 2010. Chadalavada ST Colony, Prakasam District

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ICM gave Rice and Blankets to the people in Chadalawada ST Colony which is severely damaged by cyclone Laila. Member of the Parliament Panabaka Laxmi, Minister of Textiles is the chief guest at this relief center and MLA Mr. Vijayakumar from SN Padu participated.

ICM is always quick to respond to these types of disasters and will be providing relief to many of the affected people. Every donation at this stage is vital to ensuring these people will be provided with the food, clothing and medicine that they need.

Thank you so much for your heart to help during this time of need.

To help our relief efforts and for more information on our relief budget, please e-mail us at james@indiachristianministries.org or call 011-91-9885582574.

ICM Hope Child Development Center V. Colony Christmas

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Fifty of the poorest children in the village (from every religious background) gather at the Hope Child Development Center at the local church for two hours every evening. There they enjoy a hot meal. They spend time doing their homework, with a tutor on hand to help with difficult problems & questions (something illiterate parents are unable to do). And then they spend time in prayer and in learning the Scriptures. In this way, entire families are blessed and are being drawn. Take a look at the attached photos the children who attend the centers. They are so loveable.

For less than $750 a month, we can feed, tutor, & disciple around 50 children, six days per week. In this way, they can go to school each day with their homework done, with full tummies, and with a song in their hearts. As of the end of 2009 we have 10 HCDCs in operation, with more on the way.

The Lord blesses those who believe in Him so that they can be a blessing to others. ICM desires its churches to be a blessing to their communities in every way possible and to display the generous heart of the Father. To accomplish this, we do our best to equip our churches to be disaster shelters, distribution points, feeding centers and more--both in the spiritual and in the natural.

Our state has more child laborers than any other state in India. There are so many great opportunities available to a young person with a basic education--it's a shame that so many children are condemned to a life of poverty because they were denied instruction in the basic 3R's as children. I have often witnessed the shame of many adults (especially women) when caught in a situation where they're forced to admit that they can't tell time, read, or sign their names.

Of all the states in India, Andhra Pradesh state has the most child laborers. There are 1 million 662 thousand child laborers in Andhra Pradesh.

Continuing Kurnool Flood relief: Food for 700 families and School supplies for 300 children!

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We are blessed to continue our relief efforts among the flood affected areas in Kurnool district. What a joy to help 700 families with food items like rice, lentels, oil, chili powder, salt etc! Each family received 1200 Rupees worth of food and were so happy and thankful. The donors have come and personally purchased these items and hand delivered to the people in the presence of government officials. On top of that we were able to bless 300 children with school bags, notebooks, slates, and other supplies. Thank you Jesus for the provision to help the people that desperatly need them. Now we are praying and beliving for cots for the families.

Church Children's Homes: Nelaturu Village

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At India Christian Ministries we have established church based family homes, to care for children who, for various reasons, need long-term foster care. We create an atmosphere of love and acceptance, where the children not only have the pastor’s immediate family taking care of them, but the entire church family nurturing them as well. They mature with a sense of self-worth and confidence, which sadly few other children in their position get to experience.

Each Church Children’s Home houses about 10 children. We have eight of these in operation so far and many buildings under construction. The children live and learn on the first floor. The top floor is where the church meets on Sundays and throughout the week. In these buildings we meet both the physical and spiritual needs of the children, while allowing them to be part of an even greater community. A healthy, thriving atmosphere filled with love, study and songs of worship is found in each Church Children’s Home.

We believe that a good education is an important way way of breaking the cycle of poverty and instilling hope for this generation and the generations to come. As Christ has loved us, so we are called to show that love to others: tangible, torrential, life-altering love. Freely we have received, so freely we give.

Where there is love, there is life; and we are working to ensure these children, and many more like them, will have an abundant life full of all the blessings and as few of the challenges as possible. It is only by the grace of God that any of us have the fortune of family, and it is our aim and our obligation to share that grace with as many of these children as possible.

We invite you to join with us and sponsor one of these Church Children’s Homes or a child. We have very limited resources here, but in India so much good can be done with so little. We hope that these children have captured your heart as much as they have captured ours. Consider how you might get involved with us, whether coming personally to volunteer and invest your time, or investing your resources to guarantee a promising and plentiful future for these children. While the impact you could make may seem insignificant compared to the insurmountable challenge ahead of us, to the children you support it makes all the difference in the world.

Gandhi said that “the difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems”. Let’s begin here by unleashing our potential and making a difference in the lives of these children. In the words of Mother Teresa: “I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love”.

“Intense love does not measure, it just gives.”

Launching Covenant School of Worship in January 2010

Each new move of God is accompanied by a renewal of worship, with new songs and original sounds appropriate for the age and culture. India Christian Ministries has been instrumental in laying the groundwork for what is now quickly intensifying: a passionate, God-breathed, fresh experience of worship.

Only a few years ago, worship music among the majority of believers in India was performed by just a singer with a single drum, often singing songs that were decades old. Now, we have fresh songs being composed and performed by worship leaders on keyboards, bringing a unique style and flavour to the worship within our churches. We have just released our 6th worship album, with all the songs coming out of our local churches.

With the abundance of growth taking place, ICM has implemented this groundbreaking program to begin raising up worship leaders to be released in our network of churches and into the Church body as whole. This will serve to infuse deeper, increasingly intimate and passionate encounters of worship in to His Bride across the state of Andhra Pradesh and the nation of India.

Here is the link to the website of School of Covenant Worship:

http://www.covenantworshipschool.com/

ICM Covenant Women's Conference Oct 2009

About 1000 pastors' wives and women Christian leaders from ICM Covenant Churches gathered for three days (Oct 27-29, 2009) at Covenant Apostolic Center in Ongole! The first conference in the building under construction! It was a great time of worship, fellowship and teaching. Here are the photos from this conference on Father’s Love and we are thankful for the special speakers!

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