07/17/2021 India (International Christian Concern) – “We are so blessed by the help from International Christian Concern,” Pastor Jacob Venkatesh said after receiving COVID-19 aid. “The help has come when things were at their worst. We were not able to make ends meet, so we are thankful.”
Pastor Jacob serves as a church planter in a rural district in Karnataka, India. His ministry has reached a difficult point due to intense opposition from radical Hindu nationalists and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, Pastor Jacob was forced to stop his ministry in a place called Hosambpura after he was physically attacked by a mob.
“Now that I have come to a new area there are very few believers in my congregation,” Pastor Jacob said. “With the COVID-19 lockdowns, the little income I used to receive has stopped.”
“The pressure and worry built up day by day as positive cases increased,” Pastor Jacob continued. “We have been suffering in many ways.”
On June 23, Pastor Jacob and 14 other church planters received COVID-19 aid in the form of food assistance. The basic food items these pastors received are enough to sustain their families for at least a month.
“Thank God for the help ICC provided to me and my fellow pastors,” Pastor Jacob said. “We are so thankful to God and ICC for their generosity. God has been faithful as we trusted him.”
