Sword & Trowel 2018: Issue 2 25TH
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ANNIVERSARY OF CANAAN
BAPTIST CHURCH, POKHARA, NEPAL Report of a visit by Pastor Ibrahim Ag Mohamed
EPAL has a population of 30 million, mostly Hindus, Buddhists and animists. The economic situation has forced hundreds of thousands (mostly young men) to emigrate for work. In many villages, most of the men are away and there is a shortage of those capable of pastoring churches. A recently-passed law restricts pub- lic evangelism and proselytising. In spite of the unfavourable attitude to Christianity, especially from Hindus, ministry continues and men are trained for church planting. The Lord is bless- ing the work in Nepal and is opening doors to different ministries.
25th anniversary Canaan Baptist Church, pioneered
by Pastor Samuel Rai, marked its 25th anniversary on 17th September, 2018. The Tabernacle helped substantially in the construction of the building. More than 200 people joined in the thanks- giving service: local believers, original founders of the church and pastors from a number of churches, who were previously trained at the Canaan Ministerial Training Centre (CMTC). Together they formed a grand testi- mony to God’s work in Nepal.
Training and church planting
CMTC is closely related to Canaan Baptist Church and is in its 22nd year. The annual budget has been supported by the Tabernacle. So far, more than 1,000 students have been trained, of whom about 150 are from non-planted churches which have embraced the reformed faith. The Centre offers a
page 10 one-year pastoral
training course to men, with accommo- dation on campus. Over the years some 96 churches
and preaching stations have been planted in various locations by Ca- naan Baptist Church and its daughter churches. Some are pioneered by CMTC students and, in some cases, men are recommended from pioneered churches to study at CMTC. Most of these churches are located in mountainous areas where the terrain and very challenging road conditions make access extremely diffi cult. Some worshippers walk from their homes on Friday to attend worship services on Saturday (the day off or ‘Sunday’ in Nepal).
Another challenge is the infl uence of the charismatic movement. A few years ago, a large number of extreme charis- matic books were distributed in Nepal, causing much harm. Although many older people are illiterate, the younger generation is able to read and write and there is a great challenge to provide sound literature. Each man trained at CMTC is given a set of books and booklets as resources for his ministry and preaching, and further literature is distributed as funds permit. Apart from several works by Dr Masters, the students also receive Keys of the Kingdom by Dr Poh Boon Sing (Malaysia), the Baptist Catechism and Systematic Catechism, as well as some other theological books by Nepali and good reformed authors. During a meet- ing with Pastor Rai and teachers in the Bible School, several recommendations
25th Anniversary of Canaan Baptist Church
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