Lutheran Mission of Salvation—India

God has richly blessed the spread of His Word in India through the Lutheran Mission of Salvation, India (LMSI). It has prospered well under the supervision of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) in the past years. The following paragraphs will give you a little view into this mission field which is made up of three districts: Rajahmundry, Hyderabad, and Jabalpur.
The Lutheran Mission of Salvation is blessed by having four ordained pastors to guide and teach the workers in the mission. Pastors Solomon Mamidi and Ananda Raju received their seminary training at the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) Seminary in Guntur, India, and Pastors Kalyan Gollapali and Pradeep Lingala attended Bethany Lutheran Seminary and were ordained by LMSI. This team of four pastors conducts the seminary classes of twenty-three students held regularly each month either in Hyderabad or Rajahmundry. They also make trips to Jabalpur to teach and train the workers there.
The president of the largest district, Rajahmundry, is Pastor Ananda Raju. Pastor Solomon Mamidi is president of the Hyderabad District. Vijay Sidney is the president of the Jabalpur District and is also one of the seminary students. It was his father who began the mission work in Jabalpur. Each district brings its workers together for a two-day workshop, where they receive instruction and guidance in their preaching and teaching ministry. At the close of the monthly workshops, all workers receive their small subsidy.
LMSI has many workers, called elders, serving as pastors for their congregation. Some congregations have a church building, others only a thatched roof structure, and still others meet in a home or outdoors. One of the greatest needs of the mission is the construction of more permanent church buildings. These local congregations all use the same hymnal, liturgy, and sermon pericope. To see these Indian Christians crowded into their worship area, sitting on mats and raising their voices in songs of praise accompanied by drums, is quite a moving experience. There are about 250 elders and congregations with a total of about 22,000 members.
Because LSMI works with the poor, there are some special needs. One of the needs is to have orphan homes connected with the congregations. Most of the orphan homes care for about 20 orphans. These children may be total orphans, or they may have a mother or father who is unable to care for the child or children. The orphan home provides this needed care, giving them shelter, food, clothing, an education, and above all, the opportunity for them to know Jesus their Savior. Cross-stitch has generously provided funds twice a year, at the beginning of the school year in June for clothing and school supplies and again at Christmas. There is a total of 20 orphan homes with 300 children in LMSI. It is striking to see how happy and content these children are while having so little. All their worldly possessions fit inside a small box about the size of a large fishing tackle box.
There are three parochial schools: St. John’s Lutheran School in Jabalpur has 220 students; Grace and Truth Lutheran School in Rajahmundry has 241 students; and another school in Koyyaladum in the Rajahmundry District has 50 students. The schools receive a monthly subsidy for the teachers. You may have seen pictures of the children in their uniforms in Mission News. These schools and the orphanages provide a tremendous mission outreach into the heathen Hindu community.
Bible women also have a special place within the mission. They serve as Sunday School teachers, caregivers in the orphan homes, and outreach into the Hindu community. These women are very important in outreach because they can go into the homes of the women where men would not be able to go. As one would expect, there are many elderly and very poor widows needing care and support. The orphan home in Rajahmundry also provides a home for widows. In this way, the widows not only receive care for their bodies and souls, they also are able to fill a void in their hearts by helping in the orphan homes.
Truly so much work is being done and yet so much more still is needed. May God fill our hearts and their hearts with His love, grace, and mercy until we all are united together in heaven where we can see how God wove the giver and the receiver together to the building up of His kingdom.
Shawn Kauffeld is pastor of St. Katherine’s Lutheran Church in Menomonie, Wisconsin.