Dear Friends in Mission,
It has been a while coming but we want to give you some updates about the current work of Far Corners Ministry in Northeast India:
Supported Pastors & Theological Education:
-Our ten supported pastors continue to do well and see growth in their churches. Some pastors are leading fellowships in more than more location. One pastor has also worked with children for many years and presently has four clubs which are attended by a total of 140 children from different faith backgrounds. What a wonderful opportunity!
-All ten of our pastors are now taking the two-year program of studies as it provides a great foundation for ministry. This program comes through Teleo University. The pastors do some of the work on their own and then meet for several days each month. Groups are meeting in two different locations with other local pastors taking part also.
Church Construction:
-In our last newsletter we mentioned that $5,500 was still needed to complete the building for a growing church congregation. We are excited to share that this cost has been completely covered and the new church is nearly complete! They expect to have the opening and dedication before the end of this month.
-Construction is still ongoing at what is becoming a true “centre of ministry”. God has provided funds so that a third building can be built. This will provide four classrooms for the school that has been meeting in the church sanctuary. With removeable partitions this can also be turned into a dining hall when they are hosting various evangelical meetings and training conferences. This third building is also nearing completion and because of the extra rooms available in this ministry compound we will no longer have to rent office and ministry space in the nearby city.
- In the coming year we will also be looking to do improvements to some of the small village church buildings where our pastors ministry and to provide church buildings where needed.
Agricultural Project:
-What we have been hoping for is finally about to start. The business plan is in place for animal husbandry projects that will consist of raising both pigs and goats. This will take place on land that we already have available and should be starting within the next month. The goal is that the profits from these businesses will help support the work being done by our partner pastors and churches and help them become more self-sufficient.
Opportunities to Help:
-While some of our bigger projects have received specific funding there are always the ongoing monthly needs to be covered. Some of the current areas where your gifts would go include pastors monthly support ($140 per month), the ongoing training program for our pastors ($25 per month or $300 per year), and opportunities to fill the practical needs of the very poor which are always present.
-We truly covet your prayers for every aspect of this ministry, especially for our regional coordinator and his family.
Please visit our website - www.farcornersministry.org – to find out how to contribute to any of these current needs. When we send out income tax receipts early February we will include some pictures of the latest ministry projects in that newsletter.
This summer and fall we have been blessed to have opportunities once again to bring ministry updates to some of our supporting churches in person. We look forward to doing more of this in the coming months. Please reach out to us if your church or group would like us to come and share. After much prayer we will both be traveling to India at the end of February 2023 – a much-anticipated visit after over three years.
Thank you once again for your interest in Far Corners Ministry!
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Rev. Dr. Shant and Ginny Manuel,
Executive Director and Administrator
Far Corners Ministry