CP WORLD
FRIDAY, MAY 01, 2020
By Leah MarieAnn Klett,
Assistant Editor
In India, the COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown that followed has presented thousands of house church pastors and persecuted Christians with severe challenges.
Persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reports that amid the country’s nationwide lockdown — which Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended until May 3 — pastors have been unable to gather their congregations for worship. As a result, already-struggling church leaders haven't been able to collect support for their families or ministries.
“My rations will run out in three or four days,” said pastor Radhe Kishan, a church planter who lives with his wife and 11-month-old daughter in a rented house in a rural village located in the Shahajanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
“About a week ago, a church member gave me five kilos of wheat flour and some lentils,” pastor Kishan told ICC. “We are surviving on that, and it might go for another four days. We have no choice except to trust in God for our food and needs. I am trusting God for His provision.”
Before the pandemic, pastor Kishan visited between four and five villages each week and would share the Gospel with an average of 35 people. “I feel sad that I am unable to meet people to share the Gospel,” he said. “I am also not allowed to do outreach work or to lead worship services. That was a part of my normal routine.”
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