INDIA MINISTRY

An Introduction to Pastor George, Salomi & Noella Samuel in India

“Jesus loves me this I know.”  If you heard those lyrics being sung here in the U.S.A. there would be little, if any, surprise. However, if you find yourself on the streets of downtown Bombay (Mumbai), India, they might be a little startling! And that’s exactly what happened to our friend Greg Strudwick fourteen years ago. While he was working on a construction project the voices of small children singing this childhood standard caught his ear, and he followed the sound. A downtown church was holding their annual Vacation Bible School, and Greg walked into a room full of happy kids. The rest, as they say, is history. That moment was a crossroads in our church’s history, and we believe a part of God’s unfolding tapestry of eternal history. By the time Greg left Bombay he had struck up a friendship with Pastor George Samuel, the Indian pastor who was leading the children. In addition to pastoring the church, George was also leading multiple fellowships in the slums of Bombay, serving the poor with the loving good news of Jesus Christ.

Before our friend Greg returned home he asked Pastor George what our people could do to help him minister to the people of Bombay. George asked for a motorbike, as he was spending a great deal of time getting to and from the various slums on foot. Cabs would not take him into these areas, so George would walk, sometimes for hours, to move about among each slum fellowship. Greg returned home, quickly raised the funds, and sent the money to George. George bought the motorbike and, in a most unusual and telling response, gratefully returned the funds left over! From this humble beginning our hearts have increasingly grown together. MCC began to help George with various projects, and our relationship continued to mature. By 2004 our hearts were so joined, and the Lord had so led, that George left his denominational position to become a fulltime pastor, evangelist and leader of his ministry, Hope in the Desert. This work includes his various slum ministries throughout Bombay/Mumbai and beyond.

Pastor George’s ministry has grown to include fellowships in Bijapur and Mudhol, cities far from Bombay/Mumbai, as well as seven village fellowships outside the large city of Kolhapur. George currently has five other paid members of his ministry team, and God has granted our fellowship the means to supply the bulk of the financial resources needed to run this ministry. Through Hope in the Desert MCC also supplements several families to provide adequate food and clothing, as well as sponsoring multiple children’s education and two orphans.

It would be an injustice to fail to mention the ongoing encouragement and help of George’s dear wife and our precious sister, Salomi. Without her excellent work, both professionally and personally, none of this would be possible. George and Salomi’s only child, Noella, has also been a source of constant encouragement in their home and in their faithful service to others.

Moving along...