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.

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.

They arrived in Indiana earlier this week and will travel to Colorado on May 13.

D. K. shares a few updates below:

• Towards the end of April, we were in northern Idaho and very lucky to have Maurice Roberts, our coach, take good care of us. We were able to have a good visit with Anthem Hayden.
• Last weekend we flew to southern Idaho and visited Boise Friends Sunday morning and had an event at Meridian Friends that evening. We also met new supporters at an event on Saturday night. We are thankful for Edee White (Jan Cammack’s Aunt) for hosting us during this time.

Thank you for being part of this journey with D.K. and Choity. You are not only a blessing to them but also to those who are being reached for Christ through their ministry. The Lord bless and keep you as well!

Your fellow servant in Christ,

Dan Cammack
Field Director

The post Sarkar Deputation Update #2 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

We are excited to share that D. K. and Choity have a new ministry video that can be used on a Sunday morning, in a small group, or anywhere you find it to be helpful. You can watch it aquí.

D. K. shares a few updates below:

• We had very good visits with Netarts Friends Church, Vancouver First Friends Church, and West Chehalem Friends Church. We are looking forward to visiting Friendsview, attending a Spring Rally put on by Friends Women, and attending Newberg Friends and Rosedale Friends Church this Sunday.
• On Easter Sunday, we attended service at Tigard Community Friends Church. We were able to talk with some people about our ministry in India and the challenges we face there. It was a very good experience for us.
• Jan Cammack is taking very good care of us, and we are thankful for her. She has helped Choity and I get dental and doctor wellness visits and is making sure that we get to all of our appointments with churches and partners. We are grateful for her.
• Ministry in Kolkata continues while we are in the U.S. Kolkata Church shared an Easter breakfast together and seven people made a public testimony of water baptism in the river Ganges. I have included pictures to the right.

D. K also shares a prayer request:

• One of our most senior pastors, named Tapan Mondal has got a stroke. He took lots of responsibility in my absence during the Holy Week. Please pray for his recovery.

On April 18 they will head to Idaho to begin the next part of their deputation.

Thank you for being part of this journey with D.K. and Choity. You are not only a blessing to them but also to those who are being reached for Christ through their ministry. The Lord bless and keep you as well!

Your fellow servant in Christ,

Dan Cammack
Field Director

The post Sarkar Deputation Update #1 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

D.K. and Choity Sarkar | West Bengal, India

Dear Praying Friends,

Greetings in his precious name. By his grace and because of your ceaseless prayers, the ministry of EFM Kolkata has grown up. We are grateful to God for all his mercy, and we are also grateful to you all for your prayers and support. God bless each one of you. There are a few areas, in which our ministry has grown.

Muslim Ministry – Murshidabad is an unreached district. Seventy-two percent of the population is Muslim. We have been working there for a few years but did not get good results. In 2021, we held a program praying especially for the Muslim community. The title is “How to Reach the Muslim People.” It was a one-year program. We targeted for ten young people to come to the Lord from the Muslim community, who were willing to work voluntarily for one year. Seven young people committed their lives for one year. We trained them and sent them in the district of Murshidabad and Nadia where most of the people are Muslim. By God’s grace, we got good results. Sixteen people from the Muslim community came and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They made a public testimony of baptism on May 6 Kolkata. There are few more who are waiting to do this. Sixteen house churches were started by these people. Praise the Lord. Please pray for this ministry.

Moarjem Ali, a leader (on the left) 

North Bengal Ministry – After much prayer, God opened a door in the North Part of West Bengal. We got a good couple from Siliguri which is the gateway of Northeast India. Their names are Asis Tinku Lal and his wife Dorji Lal. They live in Siliguri, and they will work in the entire district of Darjeeling. They have two kids. They have started a church in the city of Siliguri. Please pray for them.

Left: Moarjem Ali, Niamuddin Shaik, Morlem Shaik, Nurhaque Shaik, Rahim Box, Subarna Mondal and Kamrul Islam. Seven workers for Muslim Community. Middle and Right: Asis Tinku Lal is preaching in his fellowship named Siliguri Friends Church and then after the meeting food is ready for the believers.

Sending Missionaries – In our last Annual General Meeting, we took a decision that EFM Kolkata will send missionaries beyond West Bengal. Our churches will contribute as per their strength. A few churches will contribute 500.00 Rupees per month and most of the churches will contribute 1000.00 per month. From July to December 2022, the money will be gathered and in January 2023, a new missionary will be appointed. There are two places – Tamil Nādu and Nagaland. Please pray for God’s guidance so that we may choose the right place and right person.

We are preparing ourselves to visit America. May God bless us to get visa, tickets etc.

Thank you very much for your support and prayers. Let the Holy Spirit bless us, strengthen us, and guide us. God bless you all.

D. K. Sarkar

Click here to download the full prayer letter…

The post August 2022 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Newsletter

Evangelical Friends Mission Kolkata

October-December 2020

Greetings in his matchless name. 2020 has gone and when we look back, the year was not good for us. But we believe that God is in control and that he controls everything. After many losses, by his grace, we came to the end of 2020. Now, we praise the Almighty for his wonderful care for us. Personally, I lost my brother and his wife. My brother was an important leader of EFM Kolkata.

By the grace of God, our work is continuing. For four months (March-June), the church was closed, but we met in house fellowships. The number of attenders at house fellowships was very limited, but the number of house fellowships grew. Each of our staff and pastors worked hard to preach in different house fellowships.

We had regular Skype meetings with our staff. Finally, we opened our churches on the first Sunday of July. Our coaching classes opened in July as well. In October, our staff was able to be together in Kolkata where we planned how to organize our Christmas program.

We had a two-fold goal: 1) To encourage our members and churches to submit themselves to his hand and support the church; and 2) to preach the good news through the house fellowships. By the grace of God, the result was good. Many people came to Jesus and some even accepted him by taking a public testimony of baptism. In Kolkata there were eight people, in Shyamnagar there were nineteen, and in Malda there were six. Praise the Lord!

Though the churches were affected by COVID-19, we had the opportunity to hold Christmas programs in different places. When many churches were closed, the Friends Churches opened for everyone, which made our gatherings wonderful. Special Christmas programs on the open streets were also very good. I am sharing some pictures of the open Christmas programs below for your enjoyment. Please pray for our churches and ministers. God bless you.

Yours in Christ,

D. K. and Choity Sarkar

West Bengal, India

Celebration in Shyamnagar F. C.

Celebration in Bhadreswar F. C.

Celebration on Kolkata Street

Our Kolkata Team

Celebration in Krishnapur, Malda

Celebration in Gopalpur, Malda

Celebration in Gosaba F. C.

Celebration in Gazole, Malda

Celebration in Uttarakhand

The post January 2021 Sarkar Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Greetings from Kolkata, India. I praise God for all his blessings during the time of COVID-19. When the whole world is suffering, we are also suffering. Thank God that he did not allow much suffering towards us.

Choity and I suffered from a viral fever and it was very painful for us. By the grace of God we are okay now. Our Pastor, Profulla Hembram, and his wife also suffered for a little time. Thankfully, none of us had Coronavirus. I have started working in the office and surrounding areas again and our church started back in July. People are attending the service, but those who live a far distance are not able to attend.

Our lockdown started in the month of April and is still going on. There is a little relaxation now, but still some days we are totally locked down. The government decides those days.

During this time, we have had many Zoom meetings and prayer meetings with our staff. It has been a good time for us.

Distribution During COVID-19

There are many people working in the factories that have lost their jobs. Many companies and workshops are closed and workers have become jobless. Many people come to Kolkata to work in different houses or to sell vegetables. Due to the virus, the trains and buses have stopped running and these people have no way to come to Kolkata. They did not have any food for their children and family members. By the grace of God, we could help many families. We extended our distribution to Gosaba, Shyamnagar, Nazatt, and Kolkata. We gave them rice, lintels, oil, salt, etc.

BulBul

There was a cyclone in the month of March. Many people in the coastal area lost their homes. Three of our villages (Gosaba, Bali, and Nazatt) were affected very much. Our churches also got heavy damage. Thanks to God that EFM came forward and helped us rebuild these homes. We distributed asbestos and bamboos to the people in our church area so that they may rebuild their houses. They did it. Thank God and thanks to EFM for the help.

Cyclone Amphan

There was a great cyclone in West Bengal named Amphan. Many houses were destroyed. Especially in the coastal areas and in Kolkata. Even the rooftop prayer hall of my house was blown away. Thank God that Dan Cammack, EFM Director, came forward and agreed to help the poor people. We helped 56 families rebuild their homes. Thanks to Dan Cammack and EFM!

COVID-19

Many people have died; many are still suffering. Many people have lost their jobs and they do not know what they will do in order to collect food for their families. There are many poor people in the area where our churches are. We have given them food and other things during this situation. We helped the people in Gosaba, Hooghly, Shyamnagar, Nazatt, Murshidabad, and Kolkata. Our churches now have a very good reputation and love from the local people and from the authorities. The people, especially Muslim people, who were against us are now favoring us. The road for the gospel has become easy. Below are pictures of rice distribution and the van used to take the materials.

Staff Meeting

After six months, we had our staff meeting on 25th August. The staff was very happy to be in Kolkata and join the meeting. Though we had Zoom meetings frequently, it was wonderful to be face to face.

I presented a short devotion on “lockdown” and used the verses from Genesis chapter 5-7. I described how the lockdown was a blessing for Noah. The staff was very happy and encouraged to get a new insight on this.

Then, the staff started describing how the Lord was working during this time. The outcome was very good. Together, around 200 new people came to attend our services and 22 of them are ready to make a public testimony of water baptism. Five new house churches were also established and one new worker was appointed. Praise the Lord for his blessings!

We spent a long time in praise and thanksgiving for the blessings of the Lord. Pastors Satadal and Subhankar led the prayer time. It was so blessed that all of us felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Then we had the fellowship lunch and after the staff departed for their own places.

Yours in Christ,

D. K. Sarkar

West Bengal, India

The post October 2020 Sarkar Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

As a believer of Christ, I do believe that my Lord is always with me and I am not a helpless person. He is always there to help me in any kind of need. He listens to our prayer and answers our prayer.

In April and May, we could do anything except for a prayer and telephone ministry. The whole country was on lockdown. We could not visit any field or any house. But, our prayer time increased. We prayed personally, with local believers and through the telephone.

In the month of June, the lockdown relaxed a little and we could start our church services, though the attendance was very limited. In the beginning of the month it was only ten and by the end of the month it became twenty-five. Now in the month of July, it fifty are back attending. I praise God for his wonderful blessings.

We give thanks to God that none of us have been affected by the Coronavirus in these three months.

During this time, we also had two Zoom meetings with our staff. The meetings were fruitful and we are blessed by the fellowship with each other.

During this lockdown period we gave some rations to our church people and the poor people of the church areas. We provided rice, puffed rice, lentils, oil, salt packets, soap, etc.

We have a brother in our church named Raju Ekka. He is a driver and he has a license to go to any place with his vehicle during the lockdown period. I was thinking and praying about how to get the money to different places for relief work. I shared this problem with my church members and Raju offered himself for the task. I gave him the money and the list and he did the job quickly and faithfully. I thank God for his willingness to serve the Lord on behalf of our church in this time of emergency.

Phani Bhusan Dutta is a victorious believer of Jesus Christ. He is 86 years old. In 2018, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and took a public testimony of baptism at Kolkata Friends Church. Then, the other household members became believers. I have visited this family and shared the Good News with them. Dan Cammack has also visited the family. Unfortunately, during the lockdown period, I could not visit the family.

At the end of June, the family called me and said that Phani Bhusan Dutta had Coronavirus. The hospital staff came and took him to a hospital. We were spellbound.

Immediately, I informed all my church members to pray for this man. Everybody knew about him and started praying. Everyday they were asking, “How is he?”

We were not getting any information from the hospital, as no one was allowed to visit patients; our prayer was deeper and deeper.

On a Friday, the hospital informed them that Phani Bhusan Dutta was okay, but the senior doctor would still be coming to check on him the next day. If the doctor certified him, then he would be released. We were happy but we did not stop praying.

On Saturday, the senior doctor came, checked him, and released him to go home. There was a flood of joy in the family and also locally. We were all very happy.

Sunday, in our worship service, we offered a very special thanks to our Lord for this wonderful healing. The doctor had said that because of Phani Bhusan Dutta’s age, it was impossible to be healed. But he was healed; it was a miracle!

We know our God is a wonder working God. All glory to him.

I thank you, our friends, for your sincere prayers for our mission. God bless you all.

Yours in Christ,

D K Sarkar

West Bengal, India

The post July 2020 Sarkar Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

This story comes from D.K. Sarkar in West Bengal, India. He and his wife, Choity, are based in the big city of Kolkata.

Nazatt is a neglected village in North 24 Parganas (a district of West Bengal). No government help has reached this village. The sanction for the relief is there but, unfortunately, the relief does not reach this village. There is no one who will help them to get relief.

We got news that no relief has been given to the people of this village. Our church people are in need very badly. I already gave money to help two other places. Now I do not have money to help people in Nazatt. I was thinking and praying how we could help the members there.

By this time, Shyamnagar Friends Church came to know that no relief has been given to Nazatt Friends Church. They prayed and came forward. They asked Debdas, our evangelist there, how many families are in need in that church. Debdas said at least thirty families. The Shyamnagar Friends Church members fasted and prayed and the Lord guided them to open their personal store and give to the people there.

According to the guidance of the Lord, each family took responsibility to donate the materials. The rice is very costly, so three families together donated the rice. They collected 300 kg of rice, 30 kg of dal, 30 packets of puffed rice, 30 packets of swabbing, 30 packets of salt, and 30 packets of soap.

On Saturday, June 27, they hired a vehicle and took all the materials to Nazatt. They handed over the materials to Debdas and came back.

What a great job they have done! My heart is full of joy and gratefulness. I thank God for His provisions. I also thank the donors of Shyamnagar Friends Church. I also would like to thank all the prayer warriors of EFM for their ceaseless prayers.

If you would like to receive on a regular basis prayer requests and praises for how God is working I encourage you to sign up for EFM’s monthly prayer letter. You can do that by clicking on the button below.

Also, EFM is still receiving donations to our emergency fund for COVID-19 related relief efforts. Contributions continue to come in. These funds are being shared with several groups of churches and mission fields around the world. They are used primarily for temporary aid items such as support for pastors whose congregations are unable to meet their needs at the same level during the lockdowns. They are also being used for basic aid to families who are unable to work and are going hungry because of the loss of income. There are also some churches that have been struggling to pay the rent because there is no way for their members to give. If you would like to contribute to these and other needs you can do so by clicking here or using the button below.

• You can give online aquí. Please make sure to note that you would like your gift designated to the COVID-19 Emergency Aid.
• You can give by credit card over the phone at 303-421-8100
• You can mail a check marked with COVID-19 Emergency Aid designation to EFM, PO Box 771139, Wichita KS 67277.

The post What is God doing in West Bengal, India during the pandemic? first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.