After 12 years in rented premises, Wesley Methodist Church in Nepal will have a permanent home by June 2014. Located at Lalitpur, about a kilometre from Sophia’s Home in Kathmandu, the site and building project were blessed by Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup last month when he was there to preside over the 5th Annual Meeting of the Methodist Church in Nepal (MCN).
The Methodist Centre will be located within the same premises as well, to equip pastors, evangelists and lay leaders from the Central and Western parts of Nepal. This Centre will supplement MCN’s work in church-planting and disciple-making which is currently undertaken by the Caleb Bible Institute in East Nepal, as well as four churches and nine preaching points in the Central and Eastern regions of Nepal.
This project will cost S$392,000 and we praise God that the funds have now been raised.
MCN’s vision in this land-locked country with approximately 27 million people is “Redeeming Nepal for Jesus Christ”. The churches see an average attendance of 440 a week, and have a growing membership base of about 320 members.
Bishop Dr Wee spoke at both the Opening and Closing Services of the 5th Annual Meeting. He spoke of the need to consider Jesus in all things and all times (Hebrews 3:1-6) and encouraged MCN members to remain in Christ (Hebrews 10:19-25).
Said the Bishop: “Let us draw near to God. Let us hold fast to what we believe is our hope and let us stir one another to good works.”
MCN’s challenge is two-fold. Firstly, to continue providing training for pastors, evangelists and lay leaders, equipping them to plant disciple-making and multiplying churches and to nurture believers. Secondly, to build an infrastructure that will support the MCN’s equipping needs.
This is the very purpose for the new building project in East Nepal. Vijayee Methodist Church (VMC) currently serves as a second-generation training centre to train pastors and leaders to plant disciple-making churches that multiply.
This training, known as T-net, is a multiplying movement model that has proven successful in Nepal over the past five years.
The church, which is located in Ilam, is housed in a bamboo and mud-plastered structure. Plans are in the pipeline for a purpose-built two-storey church building which is expected to cost S$50,000. We pray that God will provide, and we welcome sponsors and donors for this project.
PRAY * for the ministry in Nepal * for the pastors, evangelists, lay leaders, missionaries, and their families in Nepal * for the MCN Methodist Centre and VMC building projects.
DONATE * to the VMC building project. Call 6478-4818 or email mms@methodist.org.sg for more details.
Pictures by Methodist Missions Society
Noel Tam is a missionary to Nepal currently on home assignment. He is a member of Pentecost Methodist Church.