GCI IMPACTING SOUTH ASIA

About a year ago, one of the GCI key partners from Sri Lanka was sharing with me how GCI has impacted and transformed many Pastors and Church planters’ ministry, I can’t help but thank God for his grace for allowing us to be His channel of blessing to his people not just in Sri Lanka but also in different parts of South Asia such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and South India. As a result of the commitment and the dedication of both our GCI team members and local leaders, GCI has successfully trained 2,750 Pastors and Church Planters and 188 new churches have been planted in different parts of South Asia (2005 – 2008). Praise God! Yes! Indeed, we have tasted the fruits of our labours but on the other hand, we strongly believe that there are still much more things the Lord wants to do in South Asia through GCI.  By the grace of God, we hope to launch GCI in Bhutan next year. My recent trip to Bhutan with AOI president Dr Francis Tsui was a great encouragement to me. Despite being the minority, the Christian leaders in Bhutan believe God will soon visit Bhutan in a powerful way. It was a great joy to hear them sharing their vision to plant churches all over Bhutan so that the People will hear the Gospel of Jesus. Therefore, GCI will definitely not miss this golden opportunity to be part of the history maker in this beautiful country.

The harvest field in South Asia is ready. The Gospel of Jesus Christ must be preached like never before. We as the church of Jesus Christ must have the sense of urgency to spread the message of the Gospel. Just as the Lord said, “the harvest is ready but the workers are few.” Therefore, GCI is fully committed to respond to the heart beat of our Lord by continuing to do what we are called for i.e. “equipping, training and launching church planters who will evangelize and plant churches”.  One must understand that the attitude and the skillfulness of the workers in the harvest field can almost determine the level of the breakthrough in the harvest field.  We believe that if GCI is able to train and equip more workers to be not just ordinary workers but committed and skillful workers, then, there would be a greater harvest in South Asia.

Pastor Sadiq, pastor of a growing church in Multan, Pakistan and a former GCI student is now our GCI key partner. He has personally conducted GCI in different villages in Pakistan. What amazed me the most is that he and his team has even gone to Quetta City, the border of Afghanistan to conduct GCI.  They believe God for great church planters and evangelists would be raised in that place.  John, one of the GCI students in Bangladesh, is now overseeing at least seven churches in Muslim community. John, who has personally gone through persecution because of his faith in Christ, shared his passion with me about how he longed to see more of his community members coming to know Christ. In order to see this desire come to past, John has set up a preaching point in various Muslim community villages where he has assigned few of his co-workers to preach the message of the Gospel.

People are the prime focus of GCI, not materials or programmes. Our vision is to see local leaders rise up to take up the challenges of not just planting churches but also in training and equipping their own people to do likewise. We thank God that through our “training-the- trainers-to-train” programme, we have seen that some of the local leaders have conducted GCI in their respective countries. Strategic networking with the local partners is also another vital key if we are serious enough to take South Asia for Jesus Christ. GCI is proud to have partners that are committed and faithful. These partners are the key players to take the Gospel of Jesus to the people out there.  Therefore, we are doing our level best to provide them with the various forms of support in order that the work of the Gospel continues to advance forward. 

The Lord Jesus only asks us to offer him what we have, not what we do not have.The little boy was willing to offer his five loaves and two fish to Jesus and He multiplied the offerings of the boy. As a result 5000 people were fed on that day (Luke.9:10-17). Likewise, GCI will continue to offer what we have to the Lord.  We will not be troubled by what we cannot do or what we do not have. We believe that with the little we offer him, He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesian.3:20). Therefore, GCI is sincerely inviting each one of you to join hand together to advance the work of the Gospel in South Asia with the little that you can offer to the Lord.

Rev James Foo
CEO GCI Update (September 2009)