Dressed in national costume the delegates from the Southern Asia Division (SSD) opened the International Festival of Mission on Wednesday, July 5, with a musical item “inviting the Holy Spirit to come upon us” said division president, D. Ronald Watts.
The SSD comprising Bhutan, India, Maldives and Nepal, was described by Canadian-born Watts as having a “thriving church membership” and of there being a “deep moving of the Spirit among the people.”
India, with a population of 1 billion people, currently has a Seventh-day Adventist Church membership of 350,000. This membership has been increasing by 10,000 persons every month for the first six months of the year 2000.
Another area of growth identified is the provision of permanent church structures. There are currently 2000 congregations within India that are still without a place of worship, but over the past 18 months 200 churches have been constructed.
Following a second musical item by the SSD delegates encouraging the church to “work together in unity,” president Watts closed with the statement that “...soul of our Division is in its people and its God. Our people are excited and they are hungry for the Scripture.” |
