[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”By William Stark” font_container=”tag:h6|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1610717264297{margin-bottom: 22px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”118727″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]01/15/2021 India (International Christian Concern) – In November 2018, International Christian Concern (ICC) launched an ambitious campaign to help bring the Gospel to India’s rural and unreached communities. We called this the Bibles and Bikes for India Initiative.
We set the lofty goal of providing 1,000 rural evangelists with a new bicycle and 100 Bibles through this initiative. With these simple tools, evangelists are empowered to bring the Gospel to rural communities previously beyond their reach.
As of the end of 2020, ICC has empowered 822 rural evangelists from 17 of India’s 29 states. Through these evangelists, over 80,000 copies of the Bible have been distributed across India in 13 languages.
The COVID-19 pandemic that raged through most of 2020 impacted the Bibles and Bikes Initiative’s outreach efforts. However, many of the initiative’s brave evangelists still found ways to use ICC’s tools to spread the Gospel’s message.
In December, ICC shared testimonies from two of the Bibles and Bikes Initiative’s most recent beneficiaries. These testimonies included Pastor Rahel and Pastor Srikanth. After taking some time to review 2020, we would like to share our empowered evangelists’ overall impact in India.
To measure the Bibles and Bikes Initiative’s impact, ICC interviewed each of the evangelists that the initiative has empowered so far. The COVID-19 pandemic presented some logistical challenges in connecting with 822 individuals; however, we were able to talk to all but a handful of the beneficiaries.
Through these interviews, ICC documented the number of new villages visited, new fellowships started, and individuals brought to Christ due to the Bibles and Bikes Initiative.
According to our empowered evangelists, more than 4,600 rural and previously unreached villages have been visited by a Bibles and Bikes evangelist. More than 590 new Christian fellowships were started in these villages, and 7,170 individuals have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.
We here at ICC are blown away by the impact the Bibles and Bikes Initiative is already having in India. We are also excited that ICC will soon achieve its goal of empowering 1,000 rural evangelists in India.
Recently, we launched the final phase of the Bibles and Bikes Initiative that will equip the remaining 178 evangelists with a new bicycle and 100 bibles. We could never have done this without the generous support of ICC’s donors.
With the simple tools of a bicycle and 100 bibles, all provided by the support of ICC’s donors, we hope to continue to have an incredible impact on India.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1610717447384{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]
For interviews please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org
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