Koinonia Fellowship Ministry is an independent, Christ-centered ministry in India. We are a network of Christian fellowships spread across 13 northern Indian states. In the face of poverty and persecution, our pastors proclaim the Kingdom of God in villages, towns and cities. Pastor Joseph Hiwale provides spiritual leadership, teaching and encouragement from our headquarters in the city of Pune. By the grace of God, people are hearing the Gospel and getting saved every day.
Pastor Krupal baptizing a believer in Andhra Pradesh
India Connection is the bridge that enables saints in America to directly equip and edify the church in India. Our organization efficiently delivers and administers financial support directly to over 70 pastors, while offering believers in America the opportunity to serve on a variety of short-term and long-term foreign missions trips.
To visit one of our local pastors is to see first-hand what the Lord is doing in and through His faithful servants. It is inspiring to watch these men and women minister to the intense spiritual and physical needs of their flock, often in very difficult conditions. From dirt trails in the mountains to teeming city streets, our pastors walk mile after mile sharing the Gospel.
Pastor Krupal, a graduate of the Kpinonia School of Ministry, is now pastoring four churches in Andhra Pradesh. Pastor Krupal has an insatiable desire for souls. He works the field the Lord has given him with great passion. These are the laborers that we have prayed the Lord will send.
Worshipers at the Koinonia Fellowship in Chhattisgarh
With a monthly contribution of just $40 you can sponsor a Koinonia Fellowship pastor. like Krupal. Having a few extra pennies to take the bus might seem like a little thing, but it really makes a difference. With your support some of our pastors have even been able to buy a scooter.
Building village churches: We have many fellowships all over India that do not have a dedicated place to meet regularly and worship the Lord. By the grace of God, we are currently building churches in Agra, Ratnagiri and Jagdalpur, where they will stand as a witness among the heathen as a place where the Good News of hope and salvation is proclaimed.
Pastor Ashang
The first-ever Koinonia Missions conference in Imphal in October 2009
Pastor Ashang was born in a small mountain village in the state of Manipur, which is in the far northeastern part of India, on the border with Myanmar to the east. Manipur consists of an oval-shaped valley surrounded by blue mountains. The hills are inhabited mainly by tribal peoples who were converted to Christianity by native missionaries over 100 years ago. The valley is predominately Hindu, with the ancient Manipuri religions of ancestor worship and animism currently in revival.
Pastor Ashang grew up hearing the Gospel preached as he sat with his parents in the pews of the Baptist church in his village. With limited access to formal education, he apprenticed himself at an early age to the doctor in a neighboring village. Every day he walked several kilometers to the doctor’s house to volunteer his services. He learned by watching the doctor how to speak English and how to conduct himself.
As a young man Ashang heard God’s call on his life and started evangelizing on his own. Encouraged by his success, he formed the Jesus Gospel Ministry and registered it with the state authorities. Twelve years ago, Ashang met Pastor Joseph at a Bible Conference. Soon after, the Koinonia Fellowship church organization began supporting the ministry in Manipur. Starting slowly at first, this support has grown as the ministry has expanded.
Assisted by his brother Aso, a 2009 graduate of the Koinonia School of Ministry, Ashang is building a state-wide ministry, including a presence in the capital city of Imphal. At the urging of Pastor Joseph, Ashang moved his family into a rented apartment in a slum area. In their new mission field, the family is surrounded by followers of Manipur’s traditional Sanamahi religion who worship a variety of gods and ancestral deities. His effort to spread the Gospel to his new neighbors is bearing fruit. As his flock has expanded, they are rapidly outgrowing his living room. Senior members of the congregation now sit outside in the street listening to the study, giving up their seats inside to the new converts.
Pastor Ayyub lives in Chhattisgarh and works with the tribal people, and his ministry continues to grow daily. The tribe he works among does not have any written script, but only spoken dialect. These people are illiterate and in some ways protected by the Government. The only way to get the Gospel to these various tribal folks is by taking young men and women from these tribes, training them, and sending them back to their tribes, where they stand and teach the Gospel for the very first time to these tribal people.
This opportunity is available right now, and Pastor Ayyub is doing everything he can everyday to reach the lost in these tribes. The need is great.
Church under construction in Jagdalpur
We have begun construction of one church in Jagdalpur for Pastor Ayyub’s flock. Please pray for God’s grace and covering as this slum church is built, and many who are currently meeting outside on wet ground will have a place that is dry and covered to worship their Lord and bring many into the Kingdom.
Please pray for Pastor Ayyub, his family and Church, and for the two graduates we have sent back to work with him to shoulder the burden among the men, women and children in the area.
Pastor Sayesh Sable
Please pray for Pastor Sayesh Sable in Aurangabad. Pastor Sayesh graduated in our first Koinonia School of Ministry graduating class, and has planted a slum church. If you have seen the movie “Slum Dog Millionaire”, you can picture where he lives and ministers.
He started his ministry with two families, and now he has 15 families in his Church. Pastor Sayesh recently got married, and he and his wife are living and ministering in this slum. Pray for them both.
It would be awesome to see a small Church built in this slum. The land is available, but it still needs to be transferred to the Church, and it can be done once the Lord provides for the funds.
Pastor Arvind has a ministry among Hindu people and he has preached Christ to many Hindu families over 5 years time. Through his commitment to preach the gospel, 35 of these Hindu families have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and now attend the Church regularly.
He has been targeted and hated among the fundamentalist Hindu organizations. Many times he has been threatened and we have prayed on the phone because he was surrounded and warned once again to leave or face dire consequences, including possible death. He can be attacked any day and so we request prayers for him, his wife, daughter, and the church families that are being added regularly to his flock.
One of the issues that Pastor Arvind faces every week is where to meet for regular worship service. With that many adults and children in his flock they just can’t all fit in the small Indian homes. This is also an area where for over 400 years it has been a mandate of the fundamentalist movement - and something they take pride in - that a Church building has not been able to be built because of their opposition. We want to see this changed.Pastor Arvind currently leads worship in a cow shed. He and his wife get up at 4 am to clear out the cows and clean up for Sunday services. Pray for these believers, as we are working to secure land to construct a small church building for them. What a statement it will be for the Lord to have a building standing that will “declare His Name until the Church is taken away”.
You have a heart for India. You may or may not be able to travel, but you love sharing about India: the culture and people, the ministry and pastors. Consider being an Ambassador. In this role, you will organize small groups, visit area churches, and create opportunities to share the vision of the India Ministry.
