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| 2015 Bihar SOE graduation |
“Please pay for me and for my
Musahar people.” This heartfelt plea
came from one of the graduates of the Evangelism Resources School of Evangelism
in the Indian State of Bihar on February 3, 2015. He was one of seventeen young
men launched into the harvest fields after receiving nine months of training in
evangelism and church planting.
Why was this young man pleading
for his people? The Musahar are among
the neediest of all the castes of India.
In the local language, the name for their group is literally translated “Rat-eaters.”
They subsist on very meager rations of food and can often be found scavenging
in fields or dumps.
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| A Musahar girl does the dishes |
The founder of one
non-governmental organization that works for the welfare of the community said
"The condition of Musahars is the worst of the lot. Some of the lower
caste communities work as bamboo artisans, cobblers or cleaners, but Musahars
are unskilled laborers. This is the reason that they are the lowest rung in the
caste hierarchy even in the scheduled castes."
India has provided assistance for “scheduled
castes,” people groups recognized by the Indian Constitution to be especially
disadvantaged because of their past history of inferior treatment. They are
therefore entitled to certain rights and preferential treatment.
But there is one caveat—when a
Musahar, or any other person from a scheduled caste, becomes a Christian they
lose their government assistance. For many, this is tantamount to a death
sentence. Most have no jobs, no income, no property…their survival is gravely
threatened. The Church is rising to this task, pairing evangelism with
financial assistance when possible.
Still, the challenges are daunting.
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| Musahar children gleaning in a field |
Into this vast field of need, this
brave SOE graduate goes forth to witness and plant churches. He said, “I was
much blessed during my days at the School of Evangelism. The Lord enlarged my vision
for my people. I dedicated my life to work for the welfare of my people by
visiting villages and teaching the Bible. I want to see thousands of Musahar
people come to know the Lord. I believe that Jesus is the answer for all the
problems that my people face and I believe that gospel will lift my people out
of poverty and blind faith.”
This young graduate is not alone.
The Bihar SOE has embraced the paradigm of sending evangelists among Unreached
People Groups for many years. In fact,
the 2015 graduating class represented five different people groups. The school
is especially adept at training students to plant churches among oral learners
(people who cannot read). This skill is vital to those who would work among the
“lowest of the low.”
Please pray for this young man as
he puts his training to use, returning to the Musahar people to shine the light
of the gospel.
To learn more about ER’s Schools
of Evangelism:
To learn more about ER’s efforts
to evangelize Unreached People Groups:
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ministries:
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