February 10, 2025

Training Classes Held in Tamil Nadu State, India

On November 15, 2024, after over thirty hours of travel and twenty-plus hours of flight time, World Missions Coordinator Robert Hawkins and Regional Overseer Billy Cox landed at the Coimbatore Airport in Tamil Nadu State, India.

There, they would meet our new members who joined The Church of God at the most recent General Assembly—National Overseer of Tamil Nadu State, India, W. S. Vedha, and his son, Pastor Vijay—and approximately 50 others, including 23 pastors from their former ministry who wanted to know more about The Church of God and what she believes. 

It was a blessing and honor to have our National Overseer from Sri Lanka, Jude Nicholas Fernando, and our National Overseer from Kerala State, India, Johny Varkey, and his translator, P. G. Santhosh.

For five whole days, the brethren met from morning until late afternoon to thoroughly study the Who is She: Prominent Teachings of The Church of God Bible Training Institute Correspondence Course, the message of The Church of God, and other important topics. Time was given for questions and answers, and our brethren from General Headquarters were impressed with the brethren’s maturity, knowledge, spirit, and organization in India. It was obvious that they studied the Bible diligently and were well-trained in their service to the Lord.

Brother Vedha and his family hosted all the visiting brethren missionaries very nicely. The food was wonderful, and the fellowship was joyful in the Lord.

In the end, six new members were received by covenant, and the local church at Kolarpatti, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu State, set forth six male ministers and two female ministers. Praise the Lord! Our National Overseer, Brother Vedha, is very hopeful that, as he continues to work with the brethren who attended the conference, more will join themselves to the Lord in that perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten! Amen!

Brother Vedha has many Tamil-speaking contacts all over the world, and he will be visiting the country of Malaysia in February and arranging another similar-style meeting for us there. Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country, and we need your fervent prayers for the success of these meetings! God is opening doors, and we want to go in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ to see lives changed for all eternity! We want the hearers to receive a divine revelation of The Church of God and cry out with the Psalmist: “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple” (Psa. 27:4).