Ribbon cut on new Kolkata centre

02/06/2008

Over 200 guests from near and far attended the opening of BMS World Mission’s new mission centre in Kolkata, India, on Saturday (31 May).

David Kerrigan, BMS Director for Mission, unveiled the plaque, cut the ribbon and declared the centre open.

David commented: “We see Kolkata and the West Bengal region as a key strategic commitment for us over the coming years.

“There is a great move of God’s spirit both in the city and in the villages, and this centre is best seen as part of our contribution to this work.”

The new centre will provide accommodation for visitors from India and overseas, and a training facility for upwards of 150 people at a time.

Designed to resource the many indigenous mission organisations in the region, many attended the opening and made commitments there and then to use the place for their training programmes.

David McLellan, BMS Manager for Mission Partnerships, also attending the opening, said that increasing numbers of UK churches and individuals are now also contributing to the work in Kolkata.

“There is a desire to get more directly involved in mission, and this centre provides the place and the opportunity for that to happen,” he stated.

“West Bengal is seeing one of the most exciting church planting movements in these days, and some of the most creative responses to abject poverty.

This centre will be used to train leaders in these ministries, but also enable teams from UK to share in the work.”

Local ministries

Good News Children’s Education Mission (GNCEM) is run by Rev Subir and Mrs Eu Nok Roy. It provides schools for children from poor families and nursery care for pre-school toddlers, and plants house churches among the families that show interest through the gospel values of the educational work. BMS teams and volunteers regularly work with GNCEM; Margeurite Rule and Lizzie Heath are currently working with the nursery care centre.

The local director of Big Life Ministries is Rev Benjamin Francis, who is also a member of the BMS Kolkata Advisory Board. Big Life is planting house churches in most of the districts of West Bengal (and also in Nepal), establishing a vision and a training approach that has resulted in rapid growth.

Read more about this work by clicking here.

Built on existing BMS premises at a cost of under £150,000 – one-third of which was raised locally – Indian mission leaders from across the city declared the new mission centre to be just what Kolkata needed.

Run entirely by BMS Indian leaders, David Kerrigan explained the team there had worked incredibly hard to get the centre ready in just over a year.

“They are very gifted men and women,” he said, “and we give thanks to God for them. The next few years will see thousands of people trained and released into mission through this new centre.”

Last week, in Ecuador, the first conference was held at BMS’ new mission centre in Guayaquil. More than 40 pre-school education teachers from across the country joined together for three days of training.

The training was held in a large meeting room – which was converted from a garage – and the centre also boasts two apartments, and is the home to BMS church and community workers Peter and Vicki Butchers.

They say the centre is “an amazing answer to prayer” and add, “the facilities are just perfect for the kind of work the Lord has called us to here: supporting, resourcing, training and enabling local Baptist Christians to fulfil mission to their communities”.

Utilities

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