In 1988, it became evident to Indian leadership that it was no longer enough to address the spiritual state of an individual apart from the physical, economic, social and political state of the culture. OM needed to respond to the hundreds of millions of poor and marginalised in the country, specifically the lowest caste of Indian society: the Dalit-Bahujan people, or ‘untouchables’.

“The cry of the Dalits and other poor, marginalised people of India is for freedom,” said Joseph D’souza, Moderator Bishop of Good Shepherd Church of India. “This earnest plea is an appeal for massive social, moral and spiritual change. It is a call to rid their world of the oppression of caste ideology. It is a demand for simple human dignity in response to the current realities of modern slavery, the oppression of women, economic discrimination and rampant poverty.”

In 2001, in partnership with others, the OM Good Shepherd ministry took steps to make transformational changes in communities through medical clinics, primary schools in English, adult literacy classes, vocational and business training and more, with the goal to alleviate poverty amongst the Dalit people. Everything was done in the name of Christ, and new Christian communities reproduced quickly.

Education is key

It was obvious early on that education for Dalit children was the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and oppression that kept an entire people group from rising above the lowest rung of Indian society. Good Shepherd Schools are run by believers, students are from a Dalit background, and lessons are held in English.  

Ruth is in grade four in a Good Shepherd School. Although bigamy is illegal in India, Ruth and her family suffered from her father’s poor marital choices. Poverty and illiteracy only worsened the situation for Ruth, her mother, and her two siblings. When Ruth’s father finally abandoned them a few years ago, it left them nearly destitute, though her mother earned a small income as a maid in neighbours’ homes.

Though recently diagnosed with tuberculosis, Ruth is receiving life-saving medication—free from government hospitals—and is steadily recovering. She is a good student and, through education, she and her mother have hope in a future otherwise unimaginable.

Today, over 90 per cent of graduates from Good Shepherd Schools go on to take professional or university courses. Over 100 schools teach about 26,000 students, all from the Dalit background.

“It is truly of God that we have been able to free this many children, and the impact it has had on communities across the nation is amazing,” said D’souza. “The large size of this preventative effort against various forms of slavery such as bonded labour and sexual trafficking, as well as the various forms of caste discrimination, is having a visible impact on Dalit communities and their leaders.”

Far from the red-light district

Bhindya* grew up in the red-light district of Mumbai, the economic hub of India. Her mother was gone frequently, and she was cared for by other ladies in her mother’s absence. But these women also disappeared for days at a time, leaving their own children and Bhindya to be cared for by other women. At the time, Bhindya didn’t question why the lane on which she lived, and the entire colony in the notorious downtown district, was home to only women and girls, while men usually only visited for short periods of time.

Five years ago, at age 10, Bhindya was taken into Pratigya Shelter in Hyderabad, one of two Good Shepherd Healthcare Initiative rehabilitation centres that help women and girls leave a life of prostitution and break the cycle of human trafficking. Here, she received nutritious meals and maintained a daily routine of study, play and devotions.

Today, Bhindya is in grade 10 in a Good Shepherd School and at the top of her class. Unlike her mother, whom she lost to HIV, Bhindya has hope of a meaningful future far from the red-light district. The rehabilitation centres are just one facet of the Good Shepherd Healthcare Initiative, a reputable healthcare system operating in over 80 locations to help some of the nearly 250 million people with little or no access to proper healthcare. In addition, the programme raises awareness and combats HIV and AIDS, human trafficking and sexual slavery, which affects hundreds of thousands of women in the country. 

Growing church movement

In 2003, OM began an indigenous church movement, Good Shepherd Church of India (GSCI), to disciple believers, engage in holistic ministry, and reproduce fellowships around the country.

“We are known today as a fast-growing, transforming church movement, fully engaged in justice and advocacy, in freeing children through English medium schools, in health initiatives and anti-human trafficking, in economic empowerment, and in the training of leaders,” D’souza said.

After nearly five decades, the church movement has 4,000 churches, led by 1,300 pastors. While transformational activities include feeding programmes, educational courses and economic development initiatives, the main focus is discipling individuals in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

With the growth of the movement, it became apparent that decades of prayer for a nation-wide indigenous church was being answered. In March 2012, OM India withdrew from OM’s international legal governance structure and formed a new external organisation, Good Shepherd/OM India. They continue the work started in 1964, with a few individual OM fields partnering in ministry.

Janet Weber, an American, has served with OM since 2008 as a writer and editor in England and Germany. Passionate about enabling young writers and photographers to use their God-given skills in missions, she currently serves as OM’s International Communications Director. She and her German husband are based in the US.

As a result, a small team was formed in late ’63 to travel overland to the sub-continent. When Greg Livingstone said that he didn’t know where India was, George retorted, “Go east—you can’t miss it!” And go they did, a literal ‘40 days and 40 nights’ experience that built their faith to match their vision.

The overland trip

OM pioneer Frank Dietz recalls his first trip: “Gordon Magney and I were in Spain when Dale Rhoton made a survey trip to India to prepare for a team to reach its 50 million Muslims (at that time). Gordon and I wanted to be on that team. Others left first for India, while Gordon and I left in November, stopping along the way to share the gospel in Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan."

In Bulgaria, believers not only gave the men money but also welcomed them into their homes and provided them with food and rest. In Turkey, they were stopped many times by the authorities for distributing literature.

“Upon leaving a small village, we were stuck in a snowdrift. Five men came to help, after which they wanted $5 each, but we had started out with only $35 to begin with from selling books in Switzerland,” Frank remembers. “When they looked in the back of our truck, they saw 1930-style women’s fur coats that we used for rugs.”

Selling the rugs to them, the men travelled to Iran, where a businessman introduced them to two English brothers on their way to work in a Hindu ashram. “We were reluctant to take them, but told them that they would have to sit in on our morning devotions as a team,” said Frank. “Eventually, these two brothers made a decision for the Lord and joined our teams in India. One eventually became a missionary and the other a pastor.”

The group arrived in India on 1 January, 1964, after driving in freezing weather with no heaters. “It was a wonder that we made it,” said Frank.

"What did I learn from all of this? First, that God wants His children to take more risks and, secondly, that God is faithful. What started out with about a half-dozen Westerners and two broken-down trucks turned into a movement that has reached millions with the gospel and brought into existence the ship movement. Problems that arise are often opportunities in disguise."

Overland trips across Europe and Asia in outfitted vans continued for the next 15 years.

Team life in India

From the beginning, OM’s every effort was directed to working alongside Indian churches—a radical departure from the normal practice of Western missionaries. All foreigners were equal team members with Indian brothers and sisters, whose leadership development was paramount. For Commonwealth citizens, there was an expectation that many would choose to serve in India, since they could obtain visas easily and import and then drive foreign vehicles, usually large lorries crammed with supplies and literature. But ‘foreign worker’ could have as easily been applied to Indian team members from the South who were sent to the North: It was an entirely cross-cultural experience requiring as much humility and sacrifice as for any Westerner.

There were trying times, as teams sharing the gospel in Muslim areas were often chased out of town. Yet one Muslim shopkeeper bought and read a gospel, began to attend church and transformed his shop into an outlet for Bibles and literature that touched thousands of lives.

Another Muslim, Ghulam Rasool Bhatt, wrote, “They came as a whirlwind, held open-air preaching…sold gospel literature while doing shop-to-shop visitation. One of my servants bought a packet of books. Out of curiosity I began reading… I was also in contact with a Western missionary; after several conversations I received Jesus Christ.”

Within three years, 30 million pieces of literature, much produced in India, had been distributed hand to hand. Teams had visited most states and Indians were leading the movement. By 1967, there were 50 OMers committed for the long term. Teams concentrated on personal witness, literature distribution and correspondence courses.

Teams with Westerners were often stopped by police in sensitive areas and were taught to be respectful yet confident, quoting Gandhi, who said, “I shall say to the Hindus, you are not complete until you have reverently studied the teachings of Jesus.” This, they would claim in all sincerity, was the driving force of their work.

In ensuing decades, the work of OM in India expanded steadily. In 1988, it became evident to Indian leadership that a response must be made to the teeming hundreds of millions of desperately poor and marginalised.

The Good Shepherd ministry, which sought to alleviate poverty through education and skills training among the lowest in society (the Dalits) spread quickly, In partnership with others, OMers set up medical clinics, primary schools in English, adult literacy classes, vocational and business training and more. All this was done in the name of Christ, and new Christian communities among the poorest of the poor flourished.

In time, it became apparent that decades of prayer for a nation-wide indigenous church was being answered, and the ministry restructured its activities and mandate accordingly, eventually becoming an independent, indigenous mission force for the coming century.

Greg Kernaghan joined OM in 1978, a time when most of OM’s pioneers were still in leadership and when tales of early exploits could be heard of first hand. He and his wife, Anni, have served on the ships, in Finland, in Canada and as part of the OMNI (communications) team internationally.

Just a few days before the workshop Sandra was introduced to a doctor who was willing to translate. She asked if she knew someone living with HIV who would be willing to share their story, and the doctor told her about a man who knocks at her door once a month and she would give him money, but she had no way to contact him. So they prayed that he would call on her before the programme, and the very next day he knocked on her door! 

Two days later the man shared his story. He is a Hindu whose wife had died of AIDS-related causes, but he has two healthy daughters. He had to leave his family and village in Tamil Nadu when they learnt he was HIV positive. Now he lives in the state of Kerala—where Logos Hope was visiting—which meant he could come on board to share his story. During the event a pastor stood up, walked to him and invited him to his church, which set an example for the other church leaders to also open their doors to people living with HIV.

After the event, this man told the doctor's son that only on Logos Hope had he felt comfortable sharing his story; he felt accepted because Jesus is present and the people showed him unconditional love. Sandra was also amazed to learn that when they counted the number of people who came to the programme, there were exactly 40 attendees! Praise God for this man who shared his story and opened doors for ministry to others living with HIV. Please pray that he will find spiritual healing in Jesus.