D.K. y Choity Sarkar |Sirviendo en India

The post Carta de Oración Diciembre 2023 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Greetings in the matchless name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is an honor for me to write to you all after my deputation in the USA. I thank each one of you for your love, prayer, and hospitality when I was in the USA. It was the best time for me and my wife when we were in your house. I am grateful to you all.

At this time I would like to talk about our present ministry. Our time in the United States, was a great encouragement to me and for my coworkers in West Bengal and two other states in India.

West Bengal Ministry

We are working among the Bangali Hindu people and at present we have eight Bengali speaking churches here in West Bengal. There are also thirty-three house churches here in West Bengal.

We are also working among the Muslim people in the district of Murshidabad and Nadia. At present there are three churches in these two districts. The members are all from the Muslim background. There are also five house fellowships in these two districts among the Muslim people.

We are also working among the Dalit (untouchable) people of West Bengal. They are in South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas. Mostly they do the work which high-caste people will not do. They also catch fish from the rivers and ocean. There are three churches and eleven house churches in these two districts.

The biggest group is the Santhally group. They are in Malda district. There are five churches and twenty-three house churches in this district. All the people speak in Santhally language.

Ministry in the Red-light area – Choity my wife started a ministry among the girls in the Red-light area. She started with five girls and now there are thirty-five girls. These girls are working in an NGO, named Inology. Choity is a board member of Inology. She teaches the girls the word of God, Christian songs, etc. She also conducts VBS once a year with these girls. There are eleven girls who came to the Lord through this ministry. They are all happy. Others are struggling, they need your prayers.

Children’s Ministry – We have five tutorial centers in the poor village churches. Two in Malda district among the Santhally people, one is in Nazatt among the Dalit people, one is in Shyamnagar among the Hindu people, and another one is in Murshidabad district among the Muslim people. More than two hundred children are receiving the benefit of the tutorial center. The teachers help them to prepare the next day’s lesson at the school and they learn the word of God and Christian songs. The tutorial centers are very good tools for evangelism. The children and the parents are always invited to the church for prayers and participate in different church programs. People came to the Lord through these tutorial centers. Praise the Lord.

Our sister NGO – Seed Welfare Society is our sister organization. We work together. Seed is committed to helping orphans and poor children. There are fifty-six poor and orphaned children in the hostel. EFM Kolkata is providing Christian teachings to these children.

Beyond West Bengal Ministry

By the grace of God, we could expand our ministry to other states in India. The reports are:

Andhra Pradesh – At the beginning of 2023, we started our ministry in Andhra Pradesh. This state is in the Southern part of India. Our evangelist Peter Sethi is doing a good job there.

Uttarakhand – Uttarakhand is situated in the northern part of India. There are lots of persecutions. Despite all these persecutions, our evangelist Raj Chand is doing a good job there. He could establish four house churches. He needs our prayers.

Uttar Predesh – The highest persecution is going on in Uttar Pradesh. The whole state is made of the Hindu religion. Our Evangelist O P Prakash is newly sifted there from Uttarakhand. He is doing a good job. He needs our prayers.

Thank You!

We praise God for his grace and mercies for us and for our ministry. I would like to thank each one of you from the bottom of my heart. We are also grateful to you. Because of your prayers and monetary support, we could make it. But still, there is a great need in India. People are there who did not come to Jesus Christ. To bring these people to Christ, we need your prayers and support. Many of you are giving spontaneously to EFM for our ministry. Please continue to give. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. Those who are still planning to give, please start giving, and those who are not giving anything please think and pray how you can take part in God’s ministry.

God bless each one of you and your family. May the Christmas and the New Year bring peace, joy, happiness, and prosperity in your life. Thanks.

With the greetings of Christmas,

D.K. Sarkar

Kolkata, West Bengal, India

The post Sarkar December 2023 Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

D.K. and Choity Sarkar | Serving in India

Greetings in his matchless name. This is a brief and specific report of our ministry in West Bengal. By his grace and because of your prayers our ministry is expanding each year.

In West Bengal – At present, we have twenty-three churches and around sixty house churches. We are working among the Bengali People, Santali people, Muslim people, Dalit (untouchable) people, and in the red-light area.

Other states ministry – We could expand our ministry beyond the state of West Bengal. At present, we have ministries in Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh. For your kind information, Uttarakhand Christians are facing persecution because of their faith in Jesus. Still, our two brothers OM Prakash and Raj are working there. I praise God for them. Andhra Pradesh ministry will be started in January 2024. Brother Peter Sethy is working there. The progress is very good.

Red-light Area Ministry – Thanks be to God for the red-light area. Choity goes there each Thursday. Our friend Peter and his wife Leonora started a business in the red-light area for the financial development of the girls there. The ministry started with five girls and now there are thirty-five girls. Often, the girls are daughters of women who have worked in the sex industry. The mothers hope that their daughters choose different paths and do not pursue the same profession. Now they are living with honor and dignity. Eleven of them came to the Lord and made a public testimony of baptism in Kolkata Friends Church.  Praise the Lord.

Muslim Ministry – In the year of 2023, twenty-eight people came to Christ and made a public testimony of baptism from the Muslim community. Our Muslim ministry is growing by his grace.

Tutorial Center – We have five tutoring centers in Shyamnagar, Nazatt, Gopalpur, Krishnapur and Habibpur. There are 30 – 40 children in these centers. The local poor children are receiving free tuition for two hours, three days a week. This ministry is for the poor people of the locality, because of the tutoring centers, EFM Kolkata gained a good reputation in that district. The tutoring centers are also a good tool for evangelism. We teach the children the word of God, songs, etc., and invite the parents and their friends to our different programs. They hear the word of God in those programs. These five churches got new believers through the tutoring centers.

Bible Correspondence Course – We also have a Bible correspondence course for high school and college-going students. At present, there are more than three thousand students. It is a five-step course where the stories of creation, the birth of Jesus Christ, his teachings, his death and resurrection, and eternal life are written. The students go through this course. When they complete all five steps we invite them to the church for better learning and fellowship. A few students gave their lives to Jesus through the correspondence course.

We are trying to reach the people through the gospel in all possible way, so that the people will have the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Please pray for us.

D K & Choity Sarkar

Download this month’s prayer letter aquí…

The post December 2023 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

If you would like to partner financially with with DK and Choity to get their ongoing monthly support from 88% to 100%, there are four ways to give:

• Online. Visit https://catalog.friendsmission.com/sarkar. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
• Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
• Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form aquí and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “Sarkar Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”
  Thank you for the ways in which you have already blessed the Sarkars. May the Lord bless you too!

The post Final Sarkar Deputation Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

In our last update we reported that the Sarkars and their ministry are 77% funded. That was a significant improvement compared to their funding status when they arrived to the U.S. However, that percentage has not changed in the last couple of weeks and the time is drawing near for their return to India. So, I encourage you, if you haven’t already, to let us know as soon as possible how the Lord is leading you to support D.K. and Choity.

Thank you for the ways in which you have already blessed the Sarkars. May the Lord bless you too!

Your fellow servant in Christ,

Dan Cammack

Field Director

The post Sarkar Deputation Update #3 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.