Monthly Archives: December 2011

Week of January 1, 2011

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January 1 : Transformation Needed. Six months ago, you began praying for a new ministry among Bihari Muslim children, a preschool morning session. At the center, poor Bihari children have an opportunity to take showers, hear Bible stories, learn action songs and hear other important teachings. One of the center directors recently wrote: “Please pray for our morning-shift children. Few of them steal things from nearby market. When they are found stealing by the owner of the shop, they are much beaten by him. But their parents do not take care of them. So please pray for us, that we can teach them what is right and good to do.” The teaching these children receive at the center can better their lives now and for all eternity. Pray that God will give the center’s directors and teachers wisdom and discernment. Pray for the salvation of all the children attending the morning preschool and their families.

 

January 2 : Burial Grounds Needed. Numerous Muslim Chittagonians are becoming Christians. Please pray for these new believers’ spiritual growth and development. One of the issues they currently face is where to bury their family when they die and who their children should marry. Their Muslim friends and neighbors may not allow them to bury them in the same areas due to their new beliefs. They may not know other Christians for their children to marry. Please pray for them to look to the Lord and His Word for His wisdom and answers to these questions. Pray also for them to remain strong among much persecution and ridicule.

 

January 3 : Making a Choice. “I think I shall be a follower of both Jesus and Muhammad. But if there is a conflict between what Jesus wants and what Muhammad wants, I will follow Jesus.” It is apparent that R, a young man from Bangladesh, is still feeling pressured by his parents’ demands. Recently they forbade him from physically meeting with Christians. He is still allowed Internet contact with a worker and a national believer. R also wrote: “I believe Jesus performed miracles like healing the sick and raising the dead.” Please pray that as he reads the Gospels, his faith in Jesus will grow. Pray that God will provide such that R can get a job and move out of his parents’ home. Ask the Father to have mercy on his parents and siblings, to “grant them repentance to know the truth. Then they may come to their senses and escape the Devil’s trap, having been captured by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25b-26, HCSB).

 

January 4 : God is Moving in Nepal. “Thank you for praying for the team that came from Texas to do a training. Those college students changed a small community of believers! Since then, the believers in that church have shared with more than 200 people, and we have 12 new brothers and sisters! Praise to the Giver of all good things! Please continue to pray for the believers in the Middle Hill region, asking that they will continue in their newfound boldness in sharing.”

 

January 5 : People of Peace. Pray for more people like the young woman J on the college campuses. Pray for “people of peace” (Luke 10:6), people whose hearts are tender toward the Gospel. Pray that J will come to know Jesus personally, and that through J, many other people will also come to know Jesus personally. Pray that as local believers hear this story of how God is at work on this campus, they, too, will be encouraged. Ask for small groups to start on this campus. pr4punjabis@topicbox.com

 

January 6 : Veluttedan Need Jesus. “Father God, our hearts break that among the Veluttedan people of South India, there are none who can be called Your people. Lord, we ask on their behalf that You please show them mercy. Please burden hearts to pray for the Veluttedan people, and please send believers to engage them so that they can soon be called Your people” (based on 1 Peter 2:10). http://prayerthreads.imb.org

 

January 7 : ASAP 101. As people in the United States begin to “Embrace” the hundreds of unengaged unreached people groups of South Asia, trainings are being planned to help prepare them to work with South Asians at home and abroad. Please pray for these “ASAP 101” trainings coming up in 2012: January 25-26, Louisiana; March 27-28, Texas; April 14, North Carolina; and September 18-19, Florida. Pray for those who will be facilitating these meetings and for those who will participate in them. Ask that many South Asians will come to know the Savior as a result of this special emphasis on the unengaged unreached peoples. http://prayerthreads.imb.org

Beggars in Bangladesh find food, Christ

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The center staff members visit the girls' mothers regularly to ask about the families' needs and pray with their mothers.

Baptist Press, Oct 12, 2011: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=36324

BANGLADESH (BP) — Najia Khatun* knows what her life would be like without the Light of Hope Center in Bangladesh. She knows she would be hungry. She knows she would be uneducated. She knows she would be working long hours at a garment factory.

Najia knows — and she is grateful.

“Before there were a lot of problems in my family. There was no money for food,” 17-year-old Najia said. “Now I have a job, and I am able to help my family. I am the main breadwinner in my family.”

Najia and her 14-year-old sister, Amila Khatun,* began studying at the Light of Hope Center when it first opened in September 2006. Light of Hope continues in operation today with help from the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund.

Najia and Amila — like the other 12 girls who come to the center — live in a slum of tiny bamboo houses that have tin roofs and mud floors. While these seem to be only temporary homes set on swampland or along railroad tracks, the families do have landlords who expect rent money. Najia’s father comes and goes, taking money from the family but never contributing any. Their mother doesn’t work. One older sister is sick, and the other siblings have married and moved away. Najia and Amila are expected to bring home money, however they can get it.

Some of the girls at the center were raised by beggars to become beggars; others have mothers who work as prostitutes, a center staff worker said. But inside the Light of Hope Center, that world fades away. The girls eat a healthy breakfast, take showers, put on clean school uniforms, hear Bible teaching and sing Christian songs, and then begin their studies in the Bangla language, math, spelling, science, grammar and English. Before they leave to go to their places of work as paid apprentices or trainees, World Hunger Fund dollars feed the girls again — a hearty lunch of rice and lentils with vegetables, eggs, fish or meat.

“Experiencing even in a very small way the lifestyle of beggar families … just being around them on the street, almost makes you feel helpless, like there’s nothing you can even do for them,” said Isla Metzger,* who recently came from the Midwest to minister for six months at the Light of Hope Center. “But then I was reminded that these girls are from those circumstances and that this is something that can help them get out of that.”

Providing lasting help — the kind that will help cure hunger and prevent the cycle of poverty from proliferating — was exactly the goal of the two American Christian women who founded the center.

“I knew that just giving [beggars] money was not going to help the situation,” Southern Baptist Geri Hennerman* said. “I wanted to do something that was going to help them long-term. Sharing Christ with them is going to help them for eternity; but also to give them some skills and education, that will help them get jobs and provide for their families.”

Najia works as a Bangla tutor and hopes to become a translator. Amila has studied under a housekeeper, has learned to make jewelry, and currently attends a sewing class. Najia’s best friend, Lili Sabarna,* works as a nanny in an American family’s home.

A student enjoys a healthy lunch of rice, lentils and vegetables at the Light of Hope Center. The World Hunger Fund provides two meals a day for these girls, meals that they likely would not eat otherwise.

“For my family, they have given me a job, and my family is able to be helped by [gifts of] food or medicine,” Lili said. “I have learned how to read and write, school in general. I’ve learned about Jesus. I’ve become a believer. I don’t know who gave us that but…..”

Lili’s family is Hindu; Najia and Amila’s family is Muslim, as are the families of most of the girls. Several of the girls, including Lili, Najia and Amila, are now followers of Jesus Christ who are growing daily in their walk with Him, said Jane Wise,* the center’s director.

“Thank you so much for allowing God to provide through your giving,” Wise said. “It is allowing the girls to continue coming to the center.”

The Lord directed Hennerman to Zechariah 9:16-17a, as part of her vision for the center. It says “the LORD their God will save them…. They will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be!”

“Most people in the world would just see them as nothing, as trash, but I was seeing them as these precious jewels, basically that God was going to take and make them something,” Hennerman said. “We’ve just watched some of them come from little girls to become little women. And they are women who love the Lord and want to serve Him.”

Yes, Najia is grateful, for she knows well what life would be like if there were no Light of Hope Center.

“I would be at a garment factory. I would not know how to read or write. I would not know about Jesus,” she said. “I think that God directed [one of the founders] to my house because He knew that one day I would follow Him and decide to go His path for my life. I know that God placed this center here for me.”
–30–
*Name changed. Goldie Frances is a writer in South Asia. www.bpnews.net. Used by permission.

Give to the World Hunger Fund

Week of December 25, 2011

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December 25 :  Christmas in Dhaka. “Christmas in Dhaka is a unique time of celebration and ministry. Those of us who are believers enjoy baking special treats, decorating our homes, and shopping for gifts for friends and family. Churches and Christian schools have Christmas plays and sing holiday songs, remembering the great gift of Christ to the world. But around us, the streets are still overflowing with those going about their lives unaware of who this Christ truly is. The call to prayer still blares from the mosques and the 99.9 percent who do not claim to be Christian continue on their path to an eternity without Him. So, while we celebrate the joy of Christmas, our hearts are heavy for those who have no such peace and hope. This December, a team from the States will sacrifice Christmas with their families to come and minister to the people of Bangladesh. They will help host Christmas parties with believers and non-believers. They will love on children in the slums, as well as share with university-age students. Pray that God will open many doors of ministry for them as they share the true story of Christmas. Pray that the Good News will change lives and that many will come to know the Savior of the world.

 

December 26 : Learning to Teach Others. “What you’ve told me about the importance of sharing my testimony is just what I need at this time in my life, to live for Jesus in a positive way.” This was said by one of five men who were recently equipped to share their faith in Jesus, and then to train others to do the same. Please pray that these men will be faithful in telling others of Jesus, and in equipping those to also tell others. “Finally, pray for us, brothers, that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1, HCSB).

 

December 27 : Monsoon Rains in Sindh Province. Pray for the political and social situation in Pakistan. Ask the Lord to use these troubled times to make people aware of their need of stability that only Christ can bring in their lives. Continue to pray for those affected by the monsoon rains in the Sindh. Homes were lost, livestock drowned, and most crops were destroyed; drinking water is unsafe. Pray that their financial needs will be met and that the limited resources will be used wisely, and ask that Christ’s love will be manifested as believers minister to these hurting people.

 

December 28 : Faithful Prayers Open Doors. For two years, workers have been praying for a particular large university in the capital city. In June, workers started prayerwalking and looking for “people of peace” (Luke 10:6) on the campus every week; many weeks they will prayerwalk on the campus three and four times a week. In September, when they asked you to pray for them in this endeavor, the workers had decided that they would give one more month’s time to this particular university, and if nothing happened, then they would shift their time and efforts to another university. Two weeks after that was decided, the workers were sitting on a bench outside a dorm, asking God to do big things. A young woman, J, came up to them and introduced herself and invited them into her dorm room. Through the course of the conversation, the workers were able to share about Christ with J – to which J responded, “Oh, you believe the Bible? I have one of those. I’ve tried to read it but just don’t understand it!” Give thanks to God that since then, J has been attending a local church and is showing much interest in learning about Jesus! pr4punjabis@topicbox.com

 

December 29 : Holy Spirit At Work. “Thank you for praying last month for the training events. Give thanks to God that the meetings that happened in mid-October were a success. In Delhi, six strong believers came together for three days of teaching. I was somewhat intimidated, because each of these men came from a very strong Muslim background, so I promptly put away my notes on ‘What Muslim’s Believe’ and allowed the Holy Spirit to choose the topics we discussed. At the next location, 29 people attended a two-day overview and then were invited to participate in a 12-day (two days per month) full training. By the grace of God, and your prayers, 25 people expressed an interested in learning how to reach Muslims for Christ!”

 

December 30 : Year End Praises.  “As this year comes to a close, praise the Lord with us for all the ways He has answered your prayers and blessed the work among Muslims in Karnataka. Thank Him for calling out more laborers to this harvest field. Give Him glory for opportunities that He gave to declare His plan of salvation, both individually and on a larger scale. Rejoice over those whose names are now written in the Book of Life and who will spend eternity with God. Continue to ask God to prepare the hearts of Muslims throughout the state. Pray for more seed-sowing opportunities. Pray that those laboring here will not grow weary in doing good. Pray for those coming to faith to grow in love for Jesus and to demonstrate faith through obedience. Ask that those teaching new believers will have wisdom and be able to help them gather into house churches.”

 

December 31 : Strategic Moves. The international couple working in K-state to implement church-planting strategies has recently moved to a new city to be in a more strategic location for engaging K- state’s 28 unengaged unreached people groups (UUPGs) and more than 30 unreached people groups (UPGs). Please pray for them as they continue to try to raise up nationals and other workers to join them in reaching the more than 60 million who live in K-state. They will be joined early in the new year by another international couple. Please also pray for this new couple to transition well and to adjust quickly to life so that they can get busy with the reason they came: to spread to Good News of Jesus Christ to the millions who live in constant darkness.

Bangladesh: At a glance

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Bangladesh is a country located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except Myanmar in the far southeast and the Bay of Bengal in the south. Bangladesh was earlier a part of India, but later became a part of Pakistan. In 1971 the country gained its independence. Bangladesh is home to one of the largest coastal mangrove forests in the world!

Taken from Baptist Global Response. BGR can be found online at www.gobgr.org.

This is Bangladesh: A poem

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By Madison Strauder

Beautiful people with brown eyes and raven hair
Women adorned in a kaleidoscope of colors
Bangles and nose rings display their marriage, their heritage, their style
Little children’s stares and giggles as you look their way
This is Bangladesh

The brick breaker’s toil to feed a family
The rickshawallas daily rounds as he navigates the streets
A difficult life and a hard working spirit
Simple pleasure of a little baksheesh [tip] and a cup of tea during a break
This is Bangladesh

A down-to-earth life with little need for Western ways
Living off the land and managing with no power
Hospitality that goes beyond their means
Adoring their children and respecting their elders
This is Bangladesh

The desire to spread their wings and fly
Coupled with attachment and respect for their home
Passion and sacrifice for a nation
Pride and joy in their identity and language
This is Bangladesh

High rise buildings and bustling crowds
Quiet rice fields and the sound of children playing
Miles of rivers with overflowing ferries
Dhaka streets full of rickshaws ringing their bells
This is Bangladesh

Cricket, soccer and Dhallywood films
Biriyani, curry, dried fish and jackfruit
A market full of people bargaining for their goods
The joys of a celebration and the festivity of holidays
This is Bangladesh

A beautiful people loved by a Savior
160 million lost in their sins
He knows each one of them by name
He died for them, “Will you go tell them?”
This is His Bangladesh

—30—

Madison Strauder is an IMB worker based in Dhaka, who is focused on ministry to Muslims.

This is a poem that God gave me one day as I was focusing on all the negative things about where He has placed us. He convicted my heart and reminded me of many of the wonderful aspects of Bangladesh. I pray that He will teach you a little about this country and call you to pray for her masses.

FIRST PERSON: Shadow of a legend

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Tom Thurman, who was an IMB representative in Bangladesh for 35 years, sits on the porch in the early hours of the morning with his Bible in hand. Everyday, he and his wife Gloria welcomed countless visitors to their home.

By Gene Yaussy

BANGLADESH — If you ask anyone where the “Thurman Shaheb (boss) Bus Stand” is located they will easily tell you because it is one of the busiest places in the area. Everyone knows the place by this name though many have forgotten or never knew the Thurman family that lived in Bangladesh for 35 years.

Tom and Gloria Thurman served and ministered to Bangladeshis with selfless love and devotion. Since leaving some 10 years ago they have continued to serve the people by encouraging young families to come give their lives to serve the people.

I watched Tom sitting on the porch in the early hours of the morning with his Bible in hand for a week as we stayed in his village home. Everyday they welcomed countless visitors to their home and participated in services at a local church they helped to establish many years before.

People from all walks of life and all faiths came to say thank you to their friends. They met young men who were able to attend college because they went without A/C to give more for education. They met children who were serving the Lord because Tom had led their father to faith. Gloria hugged the masses of women that were aided by her medical clinics and care.

Most who came would bow and touch their feet as a sign of respect and honor. We were covered in flower petals and tears everywhere we went. I have never seen such joy in the faces of people. Children were happy to meet the people they had only known from the stories their parents had shared.

What were the great things the Thurmans did for these people to make them so happy at their return?

They gave them Jesus.

They did not bring riches or ease of life. In fact for many to follow the faith of the Thurmans cost them everything. They lost homes, jobs, family, friends, everything.

Yet, they are here celebrating the return of the ones who brought them what was of greater value than anything this world can offer. The Thurmans will not leave their children much of an earthly inheritance when they pass from this life.

What they will leave is a legacy of faithfulness that will testify to the generations of the love of Jesus.

Their lives will not be written about in history books or magazine articles, but it is written where it counts, in the hearts of those they served. I pray God will allow me the opportunity to serve as faithfully as Tom and Gloria Thurman.

I pray that one day I will leave a legacy of faithfulness for the next generation to follow. I pray that my children will look out each day and see their father sitting faithfully with the word of God and seeking to give the gift of Jesus to all. That is the legacy the Thurmans seek to leave, the legacy of Jesus.

To God be the glory for all that he has done and is doing through the lives of Tom and Gloria Thurman.

—30—

Gene Yaussy is an IMB representative in Bangladesh.

Bihari Muslims of Bangladesh

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Last year, 196 Bihari Muslim children and their mothers attended a Christmas program during which they watched a drama and viewed the JESUS film. This was the first time some of these mothers ever heard about Jesus.

This December, those ministering among Bihari Muslims again hope to offer a Christmas program for Bihari Muslims. Please pray that God would provide all the logistical, financial, staff and teaching resources needed.

Pray also that He would draw to this Christmas program those who need to hear that Jesus came to earth as a babe with the express purpose of saving them from sin’s death penalty. Ask that the Holy Spirit would prepare their hearts even now to hear and receive this Good News.

Pray also for the salvation of their husbands and fathers this Christmas. Pray that next Christmas, these families will celebrate Jesus as Lord of their lives before their neighbors.

Homeless in Bangladesh

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In July, the homes of more than 20,000 people were destroyed by the floodwaters in Bangladesh. When two local rivers burst their banks, most of the displaced sought refuge in the more than 30 cyclone shelters in the low-lying area.

Chakaria, one of the hardest hit sub-districts in the region, provides almost 80% of the area’s vegetables. Because of all the rain, people cannot work in the fields and in turn, have no income to purchase food.

BGR partners are providing food for 100 of these families. Pray that the distribution of food will open eyes to see the provision that comes from God.

—30—

Taken from Baptist Global Response. BGR can be found online at www.gobgr.org.

Diving into Dhaka: Christians see a harvest in an Asian megacity

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Qahir Hamad*, right, and his daughter, Moon, choose Bangla language worship songs and hymns they use during their weekly house-church services. Hamad is transitioning into full-time ministry as a pastor and church planter, a call and passion he feels very strongly about. Hamad says his desire is to develop Christian leaders who will lead the church and facilitate church growth. If we want to see the growing of Christianity, we have to build the leadership and delegate the leadership, Hamad said. If you don't do this, Christianity will not grow.

By Caroline Anderson

DHAKA, Bangladesh— Qahir Hamad’s* father died in the Liberation War against Pakistan so that Bangladesh could be an independent Muslim nation.

He believed that Bangladesh should remain a Muslim country.

Bangladesh, then called East Pakistan, won its independence from Pakistan on December 16, 1971. This December marks the 40-year anniversary of independence. Bangladesh is now the fourth-largest Muslim nation in the world.

As youths, Hamad and his friends beat a group of Christians selling Bibles and Christian literature and threw their Bibles and tracts into a pond.

Consumed with guilt over what he’d done, Hamad hardly slept that night. Though the boys threw away most of the Christian literature, Hamad secretly saved four books to read later.

Hamad read the books and after weeks of searching, he found someone to share what the books meant. He learned about how Jesus saved him.

Now, Hamad is the pastor of a house church. His vision is to see Muslims in Dhaka find lasting peace like he has found in Christ.

Now, he believes Bangladesh should be a Christian nation.

This is also Travis Strauder’s vision. Strauder and his wife Madison* are IMB workers who work with Muslims and Muslim background believers in Dhaka.

“Our vision is a vast multitude from Dhaka city knowing and worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ,” Strauder said.

Strauder sees Dhaka as a strategic place for ministry among Muslims. Thousands of Bangladeshis move to look for jobs, education and a better life in this city of 15 million people and almost as many rickshaws.

“We’d like to see people from all over the country coming in to Dhaka and hearing the Gospel and then being able to take it back to the villages with them,” Strauder said.

Bangladesh has a population of roughly 158 million is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It’d be the same as if roughly half of the population of the U.S. lived in Arkansas.

Strauder is helping equip Hamad’s house church to more effectively reach Muslims.

Two Christians express their heart with raised hands during prayer in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Christians face threats and persecution, but continue to meet and worship openly in homes and buildings throughout the city.

Hamad’s house church started with three people: Hamad, his wife and his daughter. Now, his house church has 35 people. Every week, the believers gather and sit cross-legged on the floor of Hamad’s house to worship and learn more about God.

These 35 believers are taking part in a church planting and discipleship training that is widely used throughout South Asia.

In the training, believers are challenged to write down the names of people they can share what they learned that week. Many of the believers invite these unbelieving friends to come to house church with them.

“Our desire is that churches would start in their homes and that everything that they learn through these trainings they would pass on to others and there’d be multiplication and that soon, Dhaka would be filled with churches full of believers worshipping God,” Strauder said.

Their desire is being fulfilled. This December, Hamad will baptize 20 new believers in his bathtub. Nineteen of these believers came to faith through the training Strauder and Hamad hosted.

Hamad said his desire is to develop Christian leaders who will lead the church and facilitate church growth.

“If we want to see the growing of Christianity, we have to build the leadership and delegate the leadership,” Hamad said. “If you don’t do this, Christianity will not grow.”

Recent statistics list Christians as 0.05 percent of the population of Bangladesh.

Investing in leaders and sharing the Gospel has its consequences. Hamad and the new believers expect persecution and are ready for it.

“I am always ready for persecution because Jesus was also persecuted,” Hamad said. “When I took baptism, persecution came into my life.”

Hamad’s family has ostracized him. He was beaten and tied to the pillars of a mosque for selling Christian literature.

“If they [his friends] found me, they would kill me,” Hamad said.

Not all believers are willing to step out as Hamad has. Many Christians are afraid to acknowledge their faith for fear of the repercussions from their Muslim communities, Hamad said.

As Bangladesh celebrates the 40-year anniversary of their liberation, Strauder and Hamad are praying for Bangladesh’s next 40 years.

“In the next 40 years, you can pray for our nation,” Hamad said. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. You can pray for workers.”

God is already answering that prayer.

This December, the Strauders are hosting a volunteer team from their home church in Tennessee. Their church has a partnership with the Strauders and Dhaka.

The volunteer team will host Christmas parties and minister alongside the Strauders, Hamad and other national partners.

The Strauders and Hamad ask you to pray:

• Pray for the Gospel to spread among Bangladesh’s growing population.
• Pray that God would call out national believers in Dhaka who have a vision for the city
• Pray for unity among believers
• Pray the Strauders would follow God’s purpose and plan and act in His strength
• Pray for wisdom as Hamad and the Strauders train others to spread the Gospel
• Pray for boldness for Hamad’s house church members as they share
• Pray for courage for Muslim background believers to share their faith
• Pray for more godly leaders
• Pray for accountability for Christian leaders

-30-

*Name changed.

Caroline Anderson is a journeyman writer based in Southeast Asia.

Bangladesh marks 40 years as a nation

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Meena Alom sells flowers to visitors at the national memorial of Bangladeshi independence outside Dhaka. In the fifty-four years since the end of British colonial rule, the Bangladeshi people have faced a struggle to retain their identity, first to retain Bangla as the national language and, forty years ago, to gain their independence from Pakistan.

NOTE: December 16, 2011 is Bangladesh’s Liberation Day, the 40th anniversary of their independence from Pakistan. Please remember to pray for the people of Bangladesh.

By Caroline Anderson

DHAKA, Bangladesh–A Bangladeshi man picks up his microphone and begins to sing. He’s a muezzin, a man appointed by the mosque to herald the call to prayer. Five times a day, devout Muslims unfurl their mats, face Mecca and pray to Allah.

As the call to prayer begins, it wafts around corners, over buildings and finally seeps into a nearby Baptist church building where men and women gather to worship God.

The pastor pauses at the podium, distracted momentarily by the call to prayer. He clasps the microphone and continues preaching from Psalms.

On the eve of the anniversary of their nation’s independence, Christians in Bangladesh say they have more to celebrate, like the inroads they are making into Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim communities in this predominantly Muslim nation.

This December, this nation of more than 158 million people will celebrate its 40th anniversary as a country. December 16 is known as Liberation Day and marks the date when Bangladesh (then called East Pakistan) won its independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Southern Baptist history in Bangladesh
The first Southern Baptists came to Bangladesh in 1957 by boat. Burt Galvin,* an IMB worker , has served in South Asia for the past 17 years.

Galvin said when the first Southern Baptists came to Bangladesh there were only 11 churches in a convention with doctrinal beliefs that aligned with Southern Baptists.

In the first 20 years of Southern Baptist work in Bangladesh, only five churches were added to their partner convention, said Galvin. And, in the 1970s, a new strategy developed for sharing the Gospel that led to a church planting movement among Hindus.

“Within 15 to 20 years, 200 churches were planted,“ Galvin said.

In the 1980s, a church planting movement started among Bangladesh’s tribal people groups. Around 200 churches started through this movement.

Today there are 475 churches in this convention that represent Hindu, Buddhist and some Muslim-background believers across the nation. This number continues to grow as IMB workers and national believers continue to share with an increasingly receptive audience.

“It gives me the goosebumps,” Jacci Aurora* said. Aurora and her husband serve in Bangladesh among Bangladesh’s tribal people groups. “We’re seeing the results from those who served in the past.”

Though significant strides have been made, Christians in Bangladesh account for well under one percent of the total population.

Most of the churches planted in the past 40 years are comprised of believers from Hindu or Buddhist backgrounds, Galvin said.

Muslims account for around 85 percent of Bangladesh’s population. Ministry among Muslims has taken off in the past 15 years.

Darryl Pogue,* an IMB worker estimates that since 1997 there have been more than 10,000 baptisms and 1,500 house churches started among Muslims in Bangladesh. Currently, there are six church planting movements among Muslims related to IMB workers and Southern Baptist volunteers.

While Christians comprise less than one-tenth of one percent of the Bangladeshi population, the national church possesses leaders committed to the task of reaching their nation with the Gospel. "You have to sacrifice something to get something better," said Hem Sarkar*, a national Christian and worship leader who is being sent by his church to seminary in the Philippines.

Bangladeshi believers come from various religious backgrounds
In the 40 years since independence, Muslim imams have become church planters, Buddhist tribal leaders discovered heaven is for real and Hindu priests set aside their gods for the one true God.

Jibril Zaman* a former imam, risked everything by sharing his testimony over a loudspeaker in his mosque. Thirty imams now call Jesus Lord because of Zaman. He’s received discipleship training from IMB workers and is putting it into practice.

Suraj Chakma,* partners with IMB workers to share the Gospel among the Chakmas, a Buddhist people group in Bangladesh. Suraj continues to share despite persecution from Buddhist monks in the area.

Mathura Boren Tripura* was the first person in his community of Tripura tribal people to believe. There are now 100 churches in his area. Among these tribes, there are second and third generation believers who are now sending out their own evangelists to share with other people groups.

Guarav Dutta,* a former Brahmin priest, has seen hundreds accept Christ through his witness. His vision is for 10 percent of Bangladesh’s population to be saved before he dies. He’s 58 years old.

A church planting movement among Muslims
Travis and Madison Strauder* are praying for a church planting movement among Muslims in Dhaka. The Strauders are IMB workers based in Dhaka and are focusing their ministry on Muslims.

Travis Strauder said historically many believers from the minority Hindu and Buddhist have been afraid to share with Muslims.

They are overcoming their fear, Strauder said. Believers from tribal people groups and from a Hindu background are stepping out of their comfort zone and sharing with their Muslim neighbors.

The Strauders are setting an example to follow in the church they attend. Most of the members of this church come from Christian families or from a Hindu background.

The church now does outreach in Muslim areas and are sharing the Gospel with Muslim neighbors.

Strauder partners with Qahir Hamad,* a Muslim background believer and house church pastor, to reach Muslims in Dhaka. Strauder and Hamad are in the midst of a discipleship and church planning training for the 35 members of his house church.

“We’ve already seen 19 baptisms,” Strauder said. “Nineteen might not sound like a big number, but it’s significant for us because we haven’t seen anything like that since we’ve been here.”

Strauder and Hamad’s desire is to see churches start in the homes of the 35 house church members.

This December, Strauder, Hamad and other Christians in the nation will look back on the last 40 years of ministry. They are also looking forward to the next 40 years.

“It’s a hard thing to picture, but I believe that without a doubt Bangladesh could be a completely different place in 40 years. God is doing some great things now, people are coming to faith, people are sharing their faith,” Strauder said.

“In 40 years, I don’t think that we are going to say that Bangladesh is less than one tenth of one percent Christian.”

Until that day, the call to prayer still sounds louder and Christians will remain a minority in the fourth-largest Muslim country in the world.

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*Name changed

Caroline Anderson is a journeyman writer based in Southeast Asia.