Kingdom Pictures Presents “A PASSAGE TO INDIA” AN L.A. CHURCH OF CHRIST PRODUCTION

MOHAN & HELEN NANJUNDAN MARK & NADINE TEMPLER MARYANN ROSE PRODUCED DIRECTED SCREENPLAY PRODUCTION

BY AL BAIRD BY ROGER LAMB BY MARYANN ROSE DESIGNER EMILY BRINGARDNER

Church of Christ©1994 BY THE LOS ANGELES CHURCH OF CHRIST.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

A KINGDOM PICTURES RELEASE

A Passage to INDIAA Passage to INDIA

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Tradition says that the apostle Thomas planted the church in what is now the country of India.

“Unless I see the nail marks on his hands andput my finger where the nails were, and putmy hand into his side, I will not believe it.”

—John 20:25

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oubting Thomas grew in his faith andbecame Daring Thomas, and the firstcentury church flourished. Nineteen

centuries later the Daring Thomases are back,and the church is flourishing.

The last time Gloria and I were in Indiawas October 12, 1986, for the first service of thechurch in Bombay. The team of 12 from Bostonwere tough and seasoned. Their level of sacri-fice is modern-day legend: the one-suitcasechallenge. Each member and each child tookwith him only what would fit into one suitcase;everything else was either sold or given away.The expectations of that first day were high, butthe results were not. A week of non-stop evan-gelism produced a crowd of only 39 visitors.This nation of over 800,000,000 people andthousands of gods and goddesses proved moredifficult than we thought.

Over the next few months the faith of theteam fell from the Daring Thomas to theDoubting Thomas level. But they did not quit,and God honored their perseverance. This time,as we flew into India eight years later, there werenearly 1,600 disciples instead of 12, with aSunday attendance approaching 3,000! India isonce again full of Daring Thomases.

Gloria and I flew to meet Bob and PatGempel in Calcutta, a city designed by theBritish for a million people, now bursting withover 12 million. Intense housing shortages existand hundreds of thousands of people literallyexist on the streets.

Idolatry is in the mainstream of religion inIndia but the chief idol of Calcutta is Kali – the

goddess of destruction. I could feel the dark-ness in this city, where the most devoted to Kalistill offer child sacrifices to her. Poverty is theworst that I have ever seen. One family of disci-ples (husband, wife and two children) live in aone room shack only as large as the inside of anaverage car. As we toured the free HOPE med-ical clinic, one woman carried her young childup to Pat and said, “Please take my baby withyou to the United States; I have four more and Ican’t care for them.” Even in the thick darknessof one of the most intense cities on earth, thelight is starting to shine as a small group of dis-ciples builds the church.

In spite of an airline strike and a cyclonethat killed 55 people the day before at an inter-mediate stop, we were able to get to Bangalorejust in time to preach to the church. Nearly 700attend on Sundays; it is a growing, dynamic,vibrant group of disciples. Joy and enthusiasmare everywhere. It was the most intense fellow-ship time I have ever experienced anywhere, ashundreds gathered around to hug and greet us.

One would not guess that in the midst of allthis joy, the disciples face intense persecution.Just two weeks before, two sisters had beensharing their faith, and it triggered a riot. As amob of 150 angry anti-Christians chased theminto the home of one of the sisters, the mobwent into the house and not only dragged thesisters out, but also the mother and father andbeat them all. Then they threw the contents ofthe house out on the street. Some young menfrom the church came to help, but they werebeaten as well. Finally the police came, but they

arrested the Christians! After five hours in jail,they were released. The book of Acts is beingrelived today by faithful disciples.

Days after returning to Los Angeles, I amstill reflecting on lessons learned in India.Perhaps the most graphic ones were spreadover two consecutive days in Delhi. On Saturdaythe World Sector Leaders and Administratorsmet with the scores of full-time HOPE workersfrom all over India and heard them enthusiasti-cally describe their impressive projects. Thenwe attended the dedication of Village of HOPE –progressive leprosy patient housing that is beingshowered with praise from all quarters. Thenext day, Sunday, we met with 1,500 Indians onthe last day of their North Indian ChurchesConference, and rejoiced at the growingstrength of the church in India.

The lesson: there is incredible power inthe total compassion of Jesus for those in phys-ical need and those in spiritual need. To God bethe glory for all of the Daring Thomases!

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here is incrediblepower in the totalcompassion of Jesus

for those in physicalneed and those inspiritual need.

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“Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples,‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’”

—John 11:16DARINGTHOMAS?OORR

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n September 24, 1986, the courageousBombay mission team landed in India’slargest city in this vast country of nearly

one billion souls – four times the population ofthe United States in about one fourth of the landspace. They faced incredible obstacles: a chal-lenging culture and language, idolatry, casteism,disease, poverty and persecution. Led by Jimand Donna Blough and Greg and ShelleyMetten, these 12 disciples came from the greatBoston Church of Christ, each carrying only onesuitcase of possessions. About one year later,they were joined by a group of disciples fromthe London Church of Christ, led by MohanNanjundan and Mark and Nadine Templer.Together these brothers and sisters startedbuilding God’s kingdom in India.

At first, the work was very difficult. Godgave them numerous baptisms, but many of theconverts left the Lord as they faced poverty, per-secution and other problems in their lives. In1988 the Indian churches became part of theCommonwealth World Sector, and throughDouglas and Joyce Arthur’s powerful leader-ship, God gave India even greater victories. Godsmashed through every obstacle and theBombay and Bangalore churches grew to nearly200 members total by the end of 1988.

As the years passed, the foreigners turnedthe work over to more and more nationals.Great men and women of God like Henry andMarilyn Kriete, Dan and Mary Allison, Guillermoand Terry Adame, Terry and Christine Carsonand Damian Jean-Baptiste contributed greatly tothe India work, and were changed forever bytheir time in India. Yet, as the foreigners left,God began raising up Indian leaders. Thesenationals understood their own people, and ledthem powerfully. More and more disciplesremained faithful to God. By the end of 1990,God had sent mission teams to New Delhi andMadras, and the number of disciples had grownto over 400 in four churches. At that time, thework of HOPE worldwide also began to expandin India, led by the vision and wisdom of Boband Pat Gempel. As the disciples started helpingthe poor, they understood the heart of Jesus in agreater way, and the churches grew even more.

In 1991, it became clear to Mohan, Markand Nadine, and to Douglas and Joyce Arthur, thatthe Indian churches needed to plant many newchurches to evangelize the entire country. Planswere made to raise up Indian mission teams ledby Indian leaders to go to all the great regionsof the land. Raghu Katragadda became the firstIndian national raised up to be an evangelist in1991. [See the related story on page 6.] In 1992,churches were planted in Cochin, Kerala andPune, Maharashtra. Four more nationals wereappointed as evangelists or women’s ministryleaders in 1992, six in 1993 and eight in 1994!

There now are 10 churches in the Indianregion. All but one are led by nationals. All overIndia great leaders have risen to the challenge:Raj Mohan and Rani Paul (Madras), Dinesh andCaroline George (Bangalore), Jerry and RosaUttangi (Bombay), Albert and Rita ShaneLaulman (Cochin), David and Monica Norohna(Kathmandu, Nepal), Oomen and Pam George(Colombo, Sri Lanka) and Mark Pichamuthuand Jasmine Selvaraj (Delhi). The churchesnow have nearly 1,600 disciples and over 2,700in attendance on Sundays. Seven more missionteams will go out in the next 10 months, all ledby Indians.

The barriers of casteism, idolatry, povertyand ethnic hatred are being smashed by thegospel. Former Muslims and Hindus hug oneanother in Bombay. Sinhalese and Tamils fellow-ship in love in Colombo. Brahmins and untouch-ables eat together in Delhi. Rich and poor sittogether in all the churches. Only Jesus couldchange India in this way. God has blessed thechurches to double in membership every twoyears in the last six years. As this pace continuesto the year 2000, God will have over 40 churcheswith over 12,000 disciples in India and the sur-rounding nations. To Him be the glory!

BY MARK TEMPLER

Nationals Lead Rapidly Growing ChurchesHIS TRUTH IS MARCHING ON

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Top: Nadine and Mark Templer, shown with theirchildren, lead the work in India and New Delhi.Above: Caroline and Dinesh George, shown withtheir children, lead the church in Bangalore.Below: Monica and David Norohna lead the newchurch in Kathmandu, Nepal.

here now are tenchurches in the Indianregion. All but one are

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n November the World Sector Leaders and World SectorAdministrators came from all over the globe to meet inNew Delhi, India. Many flew in excess of twenty hours to

attend this meeting. Surely other locations would have beenmore convenient, but none more important.

Village of HOPE Leprosy patients are considered the lowest class of people

in their society – untouchable. Today the prayers and dreamsof Indians and foreigners alike have been realized as com-munity leaders joined the World Sector Leaders for theinauguration of the new brick housing in the Shadhara Villageof HOPE, New Delhi. Single family housing designed by threeof India’s most renowned architects has been constructed for450 families who will begin moving in early next year. MarkTempler, Geographic Sector Leader for India, welcomed thecrowd in Hindi and English. Kip McKean gave a powerfuladdress reminding the crowd that these new homes were built“not just with human hands, but with the power and spirit ofGod.” The inauguration ceremony was highlighted by a speechby Padma Venkatraman, daughter of India’s former president,and a longtime advocate of Indian lepers who first involvedHOPE in the Shadhara colony.

When they saw miracles and the faith of the prophetDaniel, Babylonian kings Nebachudnezzar and Darius stoodin awe of the living God. In a similar way, highly respectedpeople of other religions are giving praise to God for thework of the disciples in India. Padma Venkatraman is apracticing Hindu from one of the most politically powerfulfamilies in India. She has held a genuine and long-standingconcern for leprosy patients. While the disease is devastatingand contagious, leprosy can be completely cured in its earlystages for the equivalent of about $10.

Padma publicly thanked the International Churches ofChrist in India and gave praise to God, saying, “I had prayedmany times that God would cause the stars to fall from thesky and become houses for these people. Today you can lookaround you and see the many stars which have fallen inanswer to this prayer and become homes for these peoplewho need them so much.” Moreover, she shared that evenmore than by the money given, she was “overwhelmed by theaffection the World Sector Leadership Group showed for theindividuals of the leprosy community.” Padma has developeda close relationship with the Templers, who lead the churchesand HOPE work in India, and with Pat Gempel in particular.God declares his love for the poor and forgotten to people ofall nations and religious persuasions.

A Passageto INDIAA Passageto INDIA

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Clockwise from upper left:• Padma Venkatraman, influential sponsorof the Shadhara Leprosy Colony, praisedGod and the church at the InaugurationCeremony for the Village of HOPE.• Leprosy can be cured for $10 per person,relieving unnecessary pain and maiming.• HOPE is providing schooling anduniforms for the next generation.• Donna Blough of Washington, D.C.,receives a welcome hug from a disciple.• Beautiful Indian sisters performedcultural dances for the honored guests.• Kip McKean spoke at the InaugurationCeremony of God’s blessing.• A mere two years ago the Village ofHOPE was a dream for the ShadharaLeprosy Colony.• The new housing of one-room apartmentshas become a model for all of India.• The World Sector Leader couples posedwith the children as they personallysurveyed the Village of HOPE.

“Nations will come to yourlight, and kings to thebrightness of your dawn.”

—Isaiah 60:3

Disciples from North India attended this con-ference, traveling many hours – even several days –by train and bus; the brothers slept in tents outsideto participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.Frank Kim (WSL Far East) and Douglas Arthur (WSLCommonwealth) were keynote speakers during theweek. The conference culminated in a Sunday churchservice of 1,500 people eager to hear the Word ofGod. Kip McKean, International Missions Evangelist,called for each Christian first to have a radical willto suffer for the cause, and secondly to have a radical“Kingdom Dream,” to rise up and reach all Indiawith the gospel of Jesus Christ. Indian Christianswere overwhelmed with joy to have the leaders intheir midst, personally greeting, hugging them andsharing their lives.

Jesus reminded the apostles that many werethe prophets of God before them who “longed to seewhat they saw, but did not see it.” The IndianChristians stun you with the reality of watching historybeing made as nearly one billion souls are beingreached with the gospel, food, housing and healing.

“SHINING LIKE STARS:”The North Indian Churches Conference

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Family Ties

M I R AC L E S T O R Y

aghu Katragadda was a successful elec-trical engineer from Hyderabad, India,when he moved to Bangalore to start his

own business. Reeling from the end of a bittermarriage which produced a daughter he hasnever seen, Raghu hoped to get a new start inBangalore. There he met a disciple of Jesus Christ,studied the Bible, and was baptized into Christ.

Before this time, he was a practicingHindu from a prominent Brahmin family, thehighest social class in India. His parents hadrespected professions: his mother, Dr. K.Chiltemma Rao, is a renowned professor ofnutrition and Dean of Home Science at theUniversity of India at Hyderabad. His father, Mr.Venkateswara Rao, had retired from his post asPublic Relations Officer for the Hyderabad

Police Department. They objected strongly toRaghu’s faith, since they viewed Jesus as justanother religious myth. Because Raghu hadrejected their religious teachings, they feltthreatened and often persecuted him. But heheld firm to his conviction that Jesus was indeedreal and continued as a strong disciple.

Raghu eventually married another Indianwho had become a Christian and left his profes-sion to become an evangelist in the Delhi Churchof Christ. Each of these decisions confused hisparents more and more, but they could notdeny the changes taking place in the life of theirson – he had overcome his bitterness and self-pity resulting from his divorce. All the time they

were angry with him, he patiently urged them toread about Jesus for themselves in the Bible.

No local church of disciples existed forRaghu’s parents to attend, but every time theysaw Raghu they studied the Bible with him.Recently the church in Hyderabad was planted andChiltemma and Venkateswara began to study theBible in earnest. Chiltemma had a hard cost tocount in removing the Hindu “bindi dot” on herforehead, since it would mean she was no longermarried according to Hindu custom. However,since the dot was a symbol of idol worship, shewillingly faced social reproach in order to serveJesus and removed the dot. They were both bap-tized during the conference of churches in Delhion November 6, 1994. Now they are a unitedfamily in Christ – the tightest of family ties.

RBY MARYANN ROSE

Raghu Katragadda (right) with his parents, Mr. Venkateswara Rao and Dr. K. Chiltemma Rao, who are also now disciples!

HANDS OF COMPASSIONDr. Graham Gumley is a world-renowned hand surgeon at the LaheyClinic in Boston and a disciple in the Boston Church of Christ. He recentlytraveled to New Delhi to instruct doctors on rehabilitative surgery for lep-rosy patients. There he supervised approximately 50 hand muscle and tendonreconstruction procedures. His arrival was anticipated so enthusiastically thatthe Leprosy Mission, a British non-profit medical treatment center in

India, scheduled a conference on surgery especially for leprosy patients.Surgeons came to India from around the world to attend lectures taughtby Graham and other authorities on these procedures. Thanks toGraham’s commitment and the grace of God, many ideas were shared thatwill prayerfully aid in the progress of eradicating leprosy for all sufferersof this debilitating disease.

“Christ is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” —Colossians 1:17

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H OPE WORLDWIDE

“You are the light of the world.” —Matthew 5:14

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OVER 100,000 SEE THE LIGHT OF HOPE

BANGALORE• Malnutrition: 450 on treatment, 30 cured• Vaccination: 1,500 vaccinated• Health Education: more than 2,000

attended seminars• Eye Project: 30 people given eyeglasses,

15 surgeries performed• General Health Clinic: More than 13,000 treated

BOMBAY• Approximately 60 students attend pre-school• 25 students admitted to public school,

provided with fees for supplies and uniforms

CALCUTTA• Balwadi: 55 students enrolled• 20 women in adult education classes

COCHIN• Balwadi: 30 students enrolled• Free medical care for each student

KATHMANDU, NEPAL• HOPE Foundation elementary school• 65 students enrolled between ages 4 and 15

MADRAS• TB project: 90 TB patients completely cured;

cure rate of 95%• Primary Health Care: 25,000 patients treated

within the first 6 months of 1994.• Eye Project: 35 patients received cataract surgery

NEW DELHI• Prison Dental Unit: treats 400 patients each month• TB project: plans for preventive treatment for

8700 inmates• Education: 44 students enrolled in pre-school• Leprosy patients: housing for 450 families

near completion• Medical Care: 3,000 treated for leprosy,

tuberculosis, and general health problems

Helen and Mohan Nanjundan are the directors ofHOPE for the Commonwealth Sector. The followingtext has been compiled by them.

Ian and Joyce Correa serve as directors of theHOPE Foundation in New Delhi.

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Elders & TeachersDr. Albert W. BairdDavid GrahamIsaiah PickettJoe RodriguezBruce WilliamsDr. Martin Wooten

Lead EvangelistKip McKean

Super Region LeadersCory BlackwellMarty FuquaBruce Williams

Leader of Women’s MinistryElena Garcia McKean

Women’s Ministry LeadersGloria BairdMegan BlackwellChris FuquaColeen GrahamGloria RodriguezRobyn Williams

Congregational Deacons& Deaconesses

John & Emily BringardnerMarvin & Lillian JonesTom & Etta McCurryGreg & Shelley MettenKeith & Maryann RoseJohn & Frances ThorneCecil & Helen Wooten

MissionsCopenhagen, DenmarkMoscow, RussiaOdessa, UkraineHelsinki, FinlandTblisi, GeorgiaNovosibirsk, RussiaVladivostok, RussiaStockholm, SwedenSt. Petersburg, RussiaKiev, UkraineOslo, NorwayMinsk, BelarusTallinn, EstoniaKharkov, UkraineYekaterinburg, Russia

EditorDr. Albert W. Baird

Managing EditorRoger Lamb

Associate EditorMaryann D. Rose

Art DirectorEmily Bringardner

Cover Photo: Emily Bringardner

Metro Super RegionMarty & Chris Fuqua...............(310) 470-4843

Central Region—Anthony & Saun GalangAsian Sector

Anthony & Saun Galang......(818) 545-9100Collin & Sunny Lee...............(213) 388-4559

Downtown SectorSteve & Kelli Saindon...........(818) 240-5292 Bill & Arie Lea Throne...........(818) 952-3260

Foothill SectorDr. Henry & Lanna Cramer....(818) 248-9706

Deacon/DeaconessHarvey & Kellie Woodford (FN)North Region—Mark & Connie Mancini........(818) 363-7464

Antelope Valley SectorBob & Barb Harpole.............(805) 723-7533

San Fernando Valley North SectorDave & Kathy Eastman.........(818) 341-1233

San Fernando Valley South SectorRon & Cheryl Hammer..........(818) 347-6763

Deacon/DeaconessLathan & Erin Collins; Doug & Nancy Domel;Ken & Joyce Guidroz; Eric & Susan Hauck (FN);Dr. Jerry & Erlyn Sugarman; Dean & Debi Wilson

West Region— Reese & Mary Kay NeylandMarina Sector

James & Wende Hamann......(310) 397-8053Santa Monica Sector

Tim & Julie Huffman..............(310) 277-5750Westwood Sector

Reese & Mary Kay Neyland....(310) 446-1415Greg & Shelley Metten...........(310) 474-7929Mike & Shauna Ostrom..........(310) 207-3309

Oceanside SectorMarty & Cathy Wooten..........(310) 475-5341

Deacon/DeaconessGreg & Shelley Metten (FN); John & Frances Thorne

Southland Super RegionBruce & Robin Williams...........(714) 551-8400

AMS Region—David & Coleen Graham.......(818) 558-7070

Media DistrictJeff & Lane Morrell.................(213) 782-3901

Sports/Entertainment DistrictJess & Cindy Asper................(310) 376-2285

Studio DistrictKevin & Tracena Holland.........(818) 559-8702B.J. Jefferson.........................(818) 843-8466

Deacon/DeaconessRoy & Gwen Smith; Mike & Kim Upton (FN)

Volume 1, Issue 18, December 4, 1994

East Region—Willie & Tonya FloresLatin Sector

Joe & Gloria Rodriguez.........(818) 369-1690San Gabriel Sector

Willie & Tonya Flores.............(909) 869-0914South Hills Sector

Steve & Jacqueline Gansert....(818) 810-4997Deacon/Deaconess

Robin Heskett (FN); Humberto & Sylvia Castillero

Orange County Region—Mike & Libby Rock................(714) 559-8800

Anaheim SectorRodney & Denise Mosely........(714) 283-3112

Cal State Fullerton SectorDelano Stewart.....................(714) 524-1927Nadine Robins......................(714) 447-4592

Huntington Beach SectorScott & Coleen Miller.............(714) 962-8334

Irvine SectorMike & Libby Rock................(714) 559-8800

Deacon/Deaconess/AdministratorJake Jensen (FN); Lee & Jackie Spath

Ventura Region—Ed & Karen TownsendSanta Barbara Sector

Kip & Bethany Harms.............(805) 682-9978Tri-Valley Sector

Ed & Karen Townsend............(805) 532-9200Ventura Sector

Larry & Laurie Head..............(805) 641-3201Deacon/Deaconess

Jeff & Debi Sabotin (FN); John & Andra Walsh

Tri-County Super RegionCory & Megan Blackwell..........(310) 672-7300

Inland Empire—Jeff & Mary WadstromPalm Springs Sector

Luis & Cathi Martinez............(619) 773-9433Riverside Sector

Jeff & Mary Wadstrom...........(909) 247-8959Don & Jennifer Splitt..............(909) 276-3984

San Bernardino SectorDan & Heidi Rice..................(909) 887-9596

AdministratorPat Toomey (FN)

South Central Region—Cory & Megan Blackwell

Inglewood SectorCory & Megan Blackwell.......(310) 672-7300Al & Gloria Baird..................(310) 973-1222

Mid-Cities SectorAnton & Sharon Ivy...............(310) 803-3629

Dominguez Hills SectorDoug & Angella Wens...........(310) 515-4882

AdministratorMichelle Brown (FN)

South Region—Chuck & Carol BrayLakewood Sector

Dennis & Lorna Heide............(310) 988-0245Long Beach Sector

Chuck & Carol Bray...............(310) 675-2040Peninsula Sector

Jay & Carol Kelly...................(310) 373-4739Deacon/Deaconess/Administrator

Eddie & Janelle Ledger; Brian & Karen Plymell;Yuriko Stallworth (FN)

L.A.Church of Christ DirectoryA F F I L I A T E D W I T H T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L C H U R C H E S O F C H R I S T

Copyright ©1994 by the Los Angeles Church of Christ. All rightsare reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced in anyform or by any means without the permission of the editor and publisher. Published by the Los Angeles Church of Christ.

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