16Sep 2015 by Nigel Ring

Update on India

India, News
How we became involved with India I first visited India with the International Leprosy Mission in January 1981. Terry Virgo had just begun to gather a team of men who, in due course, became the leaders of Newfrontiers, a family of churches around the world. When the team first met in September 1980 we had contact with a few churches in south east England – and one in Bombay in India! Little did I know on what first visit that God had in mind. He used the visit to put a hook in my heart and since then I have visited India on many occasions. Initially there were some issues that needed resolving in the church in Bombay (now Mumbai) and Henry and Dorothy Tyler lived there for four months…
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23Jan 2013 by Nigel Ring

Ministry update – Asha HIV, India

HIV, India, News, Poor
I love visiting Mumbai in India! I have been many times. One of the ministries that impresses and humbles me most is the ministry among those infected and affected by HIV. I have reported about this ministry on a previous occasion. I have just received a full report of what was achieved in 2012. This is just an extract. Scan it and absorb the diversity, the love and compassion, and the holistic approach that Nelson, Pamela and their team bring to those who are often rejected by society. Ask God to touch your heart as you read. I will let Nelson tell the story. What do we do? Connect the HIV infected people to their families who normally disown them; often it takes months or years. Of the 47 people…
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20May 2012 by Nigel Ring

Foundations for Farming in India

Agriculture, Foundations for Farming, India, News, Poor
In March 2010 Mark Devaraj travelled from India to Zimbabwe to be trained in Foundations for Farming. He already had an agricultural qualification and the vision of the leaders in India was to have a ‘champion' who could train others as a means of blessing communities and opening them up for the gospel. Recently Mark had a visit from the originator and visionary of Foundations for Farming, Brian Oldreive. Mark has given me an update. The last 12 months After returning from Zimbabwe a year ago, I immediately planted a series of well-watered gardens to try growing maize using Foundations for Farming methods to see how it worked in our soil and climate. The results were really encouraging, and I went on to plant a larger area of about an…
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19Nov 2010 by Nigel Ring

Ministry Report – Feeding Programme in Mumbai

Christian ministry, Good Practice, India, Ministry Report, News, Poor, Relief and Development
Recently I was visiting India and was very impressed by what I heard of a beautiful ministry of compassion. I asked Lynn Fernandes to write it up for my blog: Around December 2007, a few of us from Living Word Church, Mumbai, India, felt sovereignly lead by God from a verse in Is 58:7 " ...is it not to share your food with the hungry, to provide the wonderer with shelter, to cloth the naked, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood." In short, to do something for the poor. There were so many poor people around us. Where were we to start and how were we to go about doing what we felt lead to? Feeding of the Poor We started off one Wednesday in…
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29Dec 2009 by Nigel Ring

Administration in the Church and Ministry with the Poor: Index ~ June – December 2009

Administration in the Church, Biblical Administration, Christian ministry, Equipping, General, Good Practice, HIV, India, Kenya, Ministry Report, Poor, Zimbabwe
I have been writing this blog for about 6 months and am aware of a growing following, so some may have missed the early material. To help you find that material it seems appropriate at the turn of the year to Index these 6 months. Clicking on the Topic will take you to the first in the series. There have been 3 main series on Biblical Administration and The Poor. There are also some Ministry Reports and National Reports, and two on Conference Administration which punctuate these Series. Series June 17th – Aug 29th Lessons from Jesus the Administrator in Mark 6. Jesus - The Administrator! Sept 3rd – Oct 22nd Some ‘good practice’ Indicators when ministering with the Poor. The Poor deserve the Best - part 1 Oct 26th -…
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16Oct 2009 by Nigel Ring

The Poor deserve the Best pt 11 – Engaging with the local context

Christian ministry, Equipping, Good Practice, India, Poor, Relief and Development
In this penultimate posting on Key Indicators to Good Practice we shall consider two Indicators related to the context and environment in which a ministry is being carried out. 9. Local community ownership Some ministries are contained within the local church whereas others intentionally impact a local community. Where the latter is the case the active endorsement and cooperation of the local community may be key contributors to success. It can be tempting to feel that the church has the knowledge to carry out the ministry independently of any outside influence. But often community representatives will have a better understanding of the culture you may be trying to impact than is readily available within your local church. In the development world there are various participatory techniques for involving the Community…
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