Dear prayer partners,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Heat and Ash
India is experiencing heat wave. This April is considered the hottest with Orissa witnessing more than 48 deaths due to heat stroke. Europe witnessed ashes due to volcano eruption in Iceland that disrupted air traffic, unprecedented.
Youth With A Mission
YWAM leaders working among HIV and AIDS patients gathered for leadership training in Tambaran on 6 April (9.00 AM to 4 PM). Wilson, Director of YWAM invited me to lead the training. Many participants were touched, got answers for the issues they were struggling, able to understand themselves, their call…etc.
CBSI
Community Bible Study International has been launched in Chennai with few groups growing stronger. A get together of leaders was organized as Rev. Devendra Rai was in the city on 6 April evening. Due to flight cancellations Devendra Rai and Koki were in city for another day and we had time of fellowship, visit to beach and Chinese food.
New India Christian Assembly
Pastor Jacob Durairaj who is the senior Pastor of New Indian Christian Assembly invited us to train their church leaders in four phases – one day training for each phase. Ramanathan and I trained around 23 leaders on 14 April. The leaders were enthusiastic and eager to listen and learn. The Feedback forms revealed that they were great benefitted by the training.
India Bible Literature (IBL)
IBL conducted a five days (April 12-16) training for potential Master Trainers in partnership with Entrust. I attended few sessions which were useful.
TOPIC, Seattle
Rick Kingham has become the new International Director of Trainers of Pastors International Coalition (TOPIC). Paul Landrey would continue to serve the Lord through TOPIC. The Global Leadership Team met from 21-23 April and discussed about the future plan of action.
Christ Church of India
Pastor Ranjan Samuel invited me to speak on 25 April in the Christ Church of India. It was good to meet several friends including Anand and Asha (Children: Abigail, Phoebe and James), Satyadev & Sridevi and children and Sunil & Jennifer.
Entrust, Colorado Springs
God enabled me to visit Entrust at Colorado Springs on 27 April. It was good to meet Roy Wingred also. It was a time for sharing and discussing opportunities for training in India with David Goodman (President Entrust) and other leaders like Alan Weaver, Craig and Tom.
Gateway World Christian Center, New York
On 28 I travelled from Colorado Springs and went straight to Gateway World Christian Center, New York to share in the bible study as invited by Pastor Sunny Philip. Brother Jayanth received me at the airport and drove over 90 minutes to reach the venue. Then he drove me back to my cousin sister Vineta Livingstone’s home.
Interview with Sunil Robert
God enabled me to interview Sunil Robert, author of the book- I Will Survive for Christian Manager magazine on 30 April at his residence in New Jersey. The interview would be published soon in Christian Manager.
Plainsboro Bible Study
Babu Samuel was gracious to invite me again to share in their bible study on 30 April Friday evening. I shared on Christian life in the power of resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ.
Writing ministry
Sohail Kamran a Christian leader from Pakistan shared through Facebook Chat that he reads my book whenever he feels week in the leadership aspects. Samuel Paul another leader from that country appreciated two of my books he has read and got my latest book on youth as e-book.
Family
Please continue to pray for Rosy as she has health problems. Please pray for Hosanna’s exams and trip to India for her holidays. Thambos is awaiting his results and admission for his Engineering course.
Vision: 1000 Quality leaders and 1000 strategic churches
Partners
We need committed leaders to be our partners in the ministry. We need volunteers to help us in our research, managing website and helping in preparation of study materials. Volunteers need not be located in Chennai, they could be from any part of the world. We also need donors and supporters for sustain our family and ministry.
You can send your contribution to any one of the accounts: J.N. Manokaran, HDFC Bank, Madipakkam Branch, Chennai: Account No: 011110000 30570 Or Rosia Selvi, ICICI Bank, Kilpauk, Chennai: Account Number: 027801 500223 Or mail cheque in the name of one of the names to: J.N. Manokaran, 6B1 Doshi Flats, 59 Chetty street, Ayanavaram, Chennai 600023, India
Please visit the website: http://glocalleadersnetwork.com/main/
Yours in His Vineyard,
J.N. Manokaran
Upcoming schedule
2010
1 May New York Tamil Church
2 May Corner Stone Fellowship, Philadelphia
13-15 May Kolkata, GLOMOS
17-19 May Kalimpong, GLOMOS
20 May Writers’ Vision Workshop, Siliguri
24-28 May Summer School of Leadership, Chennai
27-29 May CFCC, Bangalore, and Contemporary Missions
June Living Word Missionary Church, London and Germany
12 June Bethel Endtime Church, Leadership training
5-10 July School of Leadership, Oddanchatram
9-11 July Cochin – Immanuel Highland Fellowship
16-22 Aug Chandrapur
September Word of Christ Church, Germany
September Word of Christ Church, Italy
27 Sept – 1 Oct Power2Change, Leadership course, Vancouver
3 October Indian Hill Bible Church, Chicago
14-16 October IBL, 60th anniversary, National Conference
13-16 October Global Network of Christian Indian Leaders International Conference, Christian Centre in Valley Stream, New York
25-28 October Contemporary institute of Christianity, Bangalore
29-30 October Chennai Insights, Institute of Journalism
4-8 November National – City leaders training, Chennai/Hyderabad
12 Nov Mission India Board meeting, Nagpur
19-21 Nov MUT Book consultation, Oddanchatram
29 Nov-
5 December Centre For Contemporary Christianity, M.Th. Classes
Credibility Crisis
J.N. ManokaranOn 23 March at 1030 PM the Sun TV Tamil channel had a special episode on its news serial ‘nijam’ (Truth). The news was about the Christian leaders who were exploiting children in the children homes run by them. The children were abused physically, emotionally, and even sexually. The anchor of the programme emphasized the fact that the leaders were carrying bible, preaching and but betraying Jesus Christ. Most of the children are from Assam and Manipur. The Christians who experience insurgency in their respective state, thought their children would be safe in Tamil Nadu and would also have good education. But, the Government of Tamil Nadu had to raid these premises and release these hapless victims. Christians had to hang their head in shame for the deeds of these selfish leaders.
National Survey
The Readers Digest (March 2010) published a survey providing a list of top one hundred trusted persons in India. And not even one among them was a Christian. On 22 March 2010 India Today published a list of influential Indians (Power People) living in India and another 20 Non Resident Indians. Again no Christian was found in the list. Strangely, none of the Indian Christians were found on the list. The question we have to ask is: Where are the Indian Christians? There is crisis of credibility or reputation rather than persecution.
Crisis
Indian Christianity is in crisis, not because of persecution but because of neglect of teaching of the Bible in personal life, community life and national life. Why values taught in the Scripture is neglected or ignored? Is there a biblical illiteracy among Christian community, that Christian leaders are blind leading the blind? Instead of being role models, Christians are becoming byword in many parts of India. Already there is a report that criminals from Christian community is much higher in proportion to the population. I would think there are three lacks: Lack of Radical Discipleship, Lack of Sacrificial Stewardship and Lack of Servant Leadership.
1. Lack of Radical Discples
Christians are not radical disciples but conformist disciples. They forget their call to transform the world, but allow the world to squeeze them into its mould. It is easy to swim along the water flow rather than swim upstream. When Christians are not different in their priorities, values and relationships; they are followers of mass culture. They do not produce counter culture but become dead Christians in suffocating cultural atmosphere.
There are more pseudo disciples rather than radical disciples. In the outward appearance and verbal profession; they look like Christians. Having the apparel of Christian sub-culture (like wearing white to Sunday worship, carrying Bible always, …etc) and using ‘evangelical vacabulary’ they look like authentic Christian disciples. Unfortunately, they are psudo-disciples because of their crooked thinking and unchristian attitude.
The disciples are selfish and refuse to think beyond themselves or their family members. Pastors eliminate emerging leaders (worship leaders, bible teachers…etc) to bring in their sons and daughters to leadership. The talents, gifts and skills given by God is not for personal wealth creation but for the building the Kingdom of God. Many churches involve in social work, if they get funds from foreign countries, not by their sacrificial contribution.
2. Lack of Sacrificial Stewardship
There is lack of understanding of the concept of stewardship. God has entrusted with each disciple their life, time, talents, treasure, gifts, skills, resources, opportunities…etc that should be used wisely, strategically, optimally for the glory of God that results in the growth of the kingdom of God. Nevertheless, these are not used but misused and sometimes abused.
I saw one organization had two times the number of computers than their staff. Many computers have bible verses as screen savers and not used at all. This organization had resources but could not be used. Over a period of time, these computers became outdated and was thrown away. What a criminal waste of God’s resources instead of creative use of resources.
And many Christians do not perform anything stating they do not have equipments or resources. For example, some mission leaders give an excuse that they do not have laptops so their performance is poor. This shows lack of creative stewardship. David did not have the sophisticated weapons like shield, sword or spear like Goliath; but had creative idea to use pebbles and sling instead. Laziness and incompetence is lack of stewardship.
There is one Christian institution that is being sold out in India. The trustees of this institution think that it their property and can do whatever they like to. In fact, the institution belongs to the ‘people of God’ not few individuals. If they have sense of stewardship, they would not sell to make person profit but work for the welfare of the church and Christian community.
3. Lack of Servant Leadership
There is a lack of servant leadership among Christian community today. Christian leaders move around with private security like politicians with black commandos. Politicians consider having black commandos as status symbol and expression of their power. Flaunting wealth is mark of corporate leadership. Unfortunately, Christians are caught in the rat race.
Lord Jesus walked to reach one Samarian woman and spoke or preached to one person audience. There are so called ‘evangelists’ who demand a minimum crowd for their ‘show and performance’.
Recently, one security officer was hurt in a bomb blast and was bleeding to death. The State ministers who were there on the site, waited for ambulance to arrive instead of carrying the hurt police officer to the hospital. They did not want their car to be soiled. They valued their car more than the life of the dying officer. The poor man bled to death. This politician thinks people should die for his well being and progress. But, servant leadership is Shepherd dying for the sheep and not sheep dying for the sake of the shepherd.
Challenge
There is a great challenge for redefining Christian life and ministry from the scriptural point of view rather than cultural point of view. That means, returning to the Scriptural basics. There is a great need for Radical Disciples, Sacrificial Stewards and Servant Leaders. Are we one?
