A picture of a church in Nepal
Nepali pastor Grishma Parajuli will be sharing at CMS Summer Conferences in January 2020. Several CMS workers serve alongside Pastor Grishma, at Nayagaun Church in Pokhara Checkpoint interviewed Grishma about his church and how we can partner with God’s work in Nepal.
Checkpoint: What is your church doing?
Grishma Parajuli: Nayagaun Church is a vibrant community of about 1000 members who seek to follow the teaching of our Lord Jesus. We are equipping our members by carefully teaching them the Bible, and helping them to apply its teaching to their lives. We have large fellowship groups for all ages, as well as 25 home groups that meet weekly.
We also have a social service committee which organises activities to serve the communities we live in, including health camps, blood donation programs, hospital visitations and distribution of food and other gifts to the poor and needy.
The Senior Fellowship is very active in caring for our older members. Some of this group are very needy and we are able to provide them with food and shelter. We have plans to build our own aged care centre. This has been a long-term vision and there is a growing need.
We also have outreach and planting ministries, although with the current anti-proselytising laws, we need to be very careful. Our church actively supports the 11 church plants that we have established in the surrounding areas.
CP: How do CMS workers help with your church?
GP: CMS workers are a great help to our church. They are committed to serve long-term and are fluent in the Nepali language. We appreciate their willingness to humbly take on whatever jobs need doing. Gordon and Ruth for example, have been helping with our Senior Fellowship and the aged care centre project. They also help with mentoring a home fellowship, health education, marriage enrichment and Bible teaching. Bruce and Libby are actively involved in caring for leaders, Bible teaching and being part of their home group. Leigh and Tamara are helping with the youth group and a home group. Tamara is also helping as a mentor in the women’s fellowship.
CP: What are your hopes for the church in 2020 and beyond?
GP: With the Lord’s help, we intend to grow the church numerically as well as in spiritual maturity. We pray that God will open up opportunities in different parts of Nepal, as well as sending some Nepali workers to other countries. To equip us for this, CMS will help us run a two-week training course early next year. We want to build the aged care centre and set up a program to support elderly people in their own homes. We want to run our own leadership and discipleship training programs so we can establish a strong and mature leadership team.
CP: What can Australian Christians pray for your church?
GP: Please pray for the spiritual growth of the congregation, that they will continue to be passionate and courageous disciples of Jesus. Pray for us dealing with the new laws that are a designed to prevent the growth of the church. Please pray for the funding we need to build the aged care centre. Pray for leadership development and lastly for outreach and church planting.
Go
Grishma is the international speaker at CMS Summer Conferences. Go to hear him speak, and so be inspired to serve in Nepal or elsewhere.
Here is a recent article about how God’s church in Nepal continues to grow. You can also find Pastor Grishma’s extraordinary testimony in the previous Checkpoint.
