September 2021  

Dear Friends in Mission,

It has been over six months since our last newsletter.  But, despite the challenges of the pandemic, many exciting things have been taking place.  Here are updates on various aspects of our ministry:

Church Construction:

• After the completion of the latest church in December 2020, there was a request to contruct an additional building beside the church that would provide washrooms, a small kitchen, an office and multi-purpose space.  This location is very strategic for ministry and will provide facilities that will be used for church programs, training, conferences, etc..  The cost for this new building was completely met through several generous donations and work on the addition was started.  However, through various lockdowns, the work was delayed and the cost of most materials increased greatly.
• The additional cost overruns were then covered through a combination of some additional donations and undesignated funds that were on hand.  So, we are pleased to say that the extra facility is nearing completion.  Watch for pictures in our next newsletter.

Supported Pastors:

• As mentioned in February, we have been able to start supporting three new pastors due to new monthly donors.  One of them is pictured with his family at the end of this newsletter.
• This October we are stepping out in faith to provide monthly support to another hardworking pastor.  Please contact us if you would like to give monthly to this need – a total of $100 is needed per month.

Food Relief:

• In May it became apparent that there was additional need for emergency food relief with lockdowns affecting the most vulnerable – the daily wage earners.  Our Board pledged and sent $5,000 to be distributed through our pastors and churches.
• Through a promotion by one of our supporting Canadian churches and other local donors we were able to exceed that amount and ended up sending a total of $7,495! 

Agricultural Project:

• Much of the groundwork has been laid for an exciting project that will help support ministry and provide extra income for our pastors.  There are many official processes to go through and most have been completed.  We should have many more details to share soon.

Coronavirus Situation:

• At times the situation in the northeastern areas where we work has been very difficult.  Presently the case numbers there have gone down greatly and more people are able to access vaccinations.  However, the situation in the southern parts of the country continues to be much worse.
• In May, our coordinator in India was sharing that six pastors whom he knew had died from the virus.  He also said that across the country over 500 pastors and families had been lost to this devastating pandemic.  Please pray for these churches and families who have tragically lost so much.
• We thank God for His protection.  While some of our pastors have had family members touched by coronavirus, they have all recovered.  Please continue to hold them up in your prayers.

Opportunities to Help:

• One of our pastors first started holding services in one room of his three-room house.  As he and his wife ministered in this village, they needed more room and constructed a simple outside shelter.  We just received word that they are now needing to repair this shelter for the fourth time, as rains and winds have damaged it.  So, we are looking for donors that would like to contribute towards the $3,000 that would be needed to construct a more solid structure that would include concrete posts and half walls.  This is quite urgent as the church continues to grow and more seekers are coming to learn about Christ.  This new structure would then likely form part of a permanent church building that would be our next major construction project.

Our website is still turned off, but we are getting close to having a revised version ready to go live again.  This should be done no later than mid-October.  Please note that the website email – info@farcornersministry.org – is still active and can be used for communication and donations through direct e-transfers.

We certainly miss being able to travel to India ourselves, and also miss being able to take volunteers to participate in various ministry projects.  As the effects of the pandemic continue, we have once again postponed our next trip which would have been this November.  We will have to wait and see if it is possible to travel in March 2022. 

Over the past three months I have been meeting weekly with our coordinator and sponsored pastors over Zoom and sharing in teaching sessions.  Ginny and I have also been able to stay in touch with various supporting churches by giving mission updates over Zoom.  We are looking forward to visiting many churches in person as restrictions ease and things return to normal.  We are thankful for the ministry work that continues despite many challenges, due to the dedication of our wonderful partners in India.  The various church fellowships are growing and ministering to new families.  Thank you for your donations that enable us to give them the support to keep doing this valuable work! 

Yours in the Lord’s service,
Rev. Dr. Shant Manuel,
Executive Director, Far Corners Ministry