When Mr. Murray and I heard the brethren were temporarily without a pastor, we volunteered to visit and encourage God’s people there. What we experienced was much more than us encouraging them, but we ourselves were deeply moved, inspired and humbled by the many brethren we traveled to see.

Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, we visited over 25 brethren. Many have been part of the Body of Christ for less than 10 years. They were feeling alone, and their once-peaceful and loving group was unsettled and beginning to divide. They asked many questions, but their main concern was that the doctrines of God not be watered down, particularly the Sabbath. Living in a country of Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic traditions, they have sacrificed much to obey the one true God and keep His Sabbaths Holy.

India

In India, we saw the same unrest among the brethren, but also a strong belief that the church should not be divided. They did not want to leave the church and follow a man. Some feared that, after losing their long time friend and pastor, no one would come to visit them. One man’s wife said with faith, “God will send someone to us, I will not follow a man.”

We visited many brethren in Sri Lanka and India in their homes. Some have modest and humble dwellings and lack many of the “necessities” that church members in other countries take for granted. Though having little, they are rich beyond measure. Their desire to learn more about God’s way of life is heart-warming. In order for some of our members in Sri Lanka and India to attend church, some take up to three crowded and non-air conditioned buses one after another. Some Sabbaths they hope to have enough bus or taxi fare money. This is common to these zealous brethren, and we were inspired by their faithfulness.

India is a large and poor nation. In the 70s and 80s, there were many large churches among God’s people, but now the brethren are scattered and only a few meet together each Sabbath. In Agra we spent the Last Day of Unleavened Bread with 24 lovely brethren. After services we stayed to answer their questions and later visited many in their homes. Our travels then took us to visit other faithful brethren living in the cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore.

G.P. Samuel

We heard of a group of about 42 Sabbath keepers in Chirala, India. This group invited us to visit them, and when we arrived at their church building we were surrounded by men, women and children enthusiastically greeting us. They directed our entire party, consisting of Prakash and Sarah Mandora (our translators), Jamie Schreiber, my wife Jolinda and me to the front row to welcome and present us with fresh flower leis.

Words can not express the experience we had with these people. They observe the Sabbath and some of the Holy Days. They carry the name “Church of God.” Their pastor’s name is G. P. Samuel. He is 75 years of age. He began Sabbath observance in 1964 and began teaching his family and others what he had learned from the Scriptures. In 1982 the congregation built a building for services and Bible studies. He’s had much zeal to search out the truth from the Bible. He had read material from many churches and found their teachings were in conflict with the Bible. I’m unsure when he began reading United Church of God literature, but he’s read many of our booklets and completed the Bible Study Course.

In our discussions with members in Chirala, it is surprising how many common beliefs we share. Besides their understanding of the Sabbath day, they do not observe Easter or Christmas. They understand God’s food laws and believe the Kingdom of God is coming to this earth. They have felt alone for many years and wondered if there were other followers of the Scriptures in India.

We visited each member in their homes. Some homes were not much more than a hut, but still they insisted that we come in, sit and have a cup of tea. Some asked questions, some asked for our prayers for a specific problem and some requested anointing. We were overwhelmed by the love and hospitality they showed us. During one of the Bible studies I spoke on the Kingdom of God. As I was reading in Isaiah, one of the young girls sitting next to my wife giggled and said, “Oh I can’t wait for the Kingdom to come!”

Please join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka and India. They are a gracious and loving people and would love to receive letters from you and, if possible, to have you join them at the Feast of Tabernacles. There will be a Feast site this year held in Sri Lanka at the Hotel Mermaid, Beruwada. In India the Feast will be held at the Jaypee Hotel in Agra. Your brothers and sisters in India and Sri Lanka would love to spend God’s Feast with you this year! For more information about the Feast or sending letters to the brethren in India and Sri Lanka, please contact Dave Schreiber by phone at (507) 377-8151 or by e-mail at David_Schreiber@ucg.org.