Dhiraj* is a dedicated pastor. He and his small family live in the slums of a big city in India. He sent us a message: “Our church is situated in the same slums we live. The church members are very poor, but each week they give an offering. This is my only salary: 200-500 rupees a week (roughly $2.50-$6.50). But now we are in lockdown and there are no more offerings. I can go nowhere and I cannot find other work. I’m turning to you for help.”
Dhiraj is just one Indian Christian with these needs. There are thousands of them. Perhaps millions. All of them live in a country that becomes increasingly hostile to the gospel. The coronavirus outbreak threatens their lives.
Open Doors partner Rahul* says, “The congregations are really poor. Most church members are daily wage laborers and no work for the day means no food for the day. The pastors’ families are suffering the most. We have a plan to reach out to those who are truly starving. Can Open Doors please help?”
Shalom*, another partner, called us to tell the heartbreaking story of Jai*. “Last time we spoke, everything was okay,” Shalom says. “Now Jai told me how the lockdown is affecting him and other pastors. They can’t go to work, and they can’t visit their church members. They have identified at least 20 to 30 pastors who are starving because of the lockdown.”
Church worker Paras gets a lot of calls from his church members—most are day laborers. “In this situation ,when the country is under lockdown they have been calling us and requesting for help,” Paras says. “We are able to help them spiritually by sending them messages and God’s Word through social media like WhatsApp and Facebook. But we are not able fulfill their physical needs. May we request your organization to 