June 29 - Pray for: India

Karnataka

• Karnataka is South India's most spiritually needy state. Beyond the growing (and increasingly expensive) cities, rural areas are largely gripped by poverty. Christian communities tend to be dormant, inward-looking and culturally isolated – the wealthier multi-language churches of Bangalore and the south (CSI), and the more Catholic coastal districts. Pray for a breakdown of all barriers to witness and the gospel. Hinduists are intensifying their campaigns to pass an anti-conversion law. There are now over 1,000 attacks each year by Hindu militants against Christians, in part due to the positive response that evangelism receives in some quarters. However, this also strengthens the faith and resolve of Karnataka churches.
• Bangalore is the centre of India's rapidly growing IT and software industries and the fastest-growing city in India. It is also home to over 800 Christian ministry headquarters - Indian missions (IEM, Quiet Corner); international agencies (The Bible Society, Language Recordings India/GRN, SGM, OM, EHC, Asia Graduate School of Theology, International Correspondence School of AoG, India Bible League, FEBA, others); and theological institutions. Pray that these ministries might be great blessings to Bangalore and to all India.
• Bangalore's Christian community was mostly middle and upper class in the past, but now many lower castes and slums dwellers are becoming believers, especially through the ministries of charismatic churches. Yet despite being 8% of the population, Christians have thus far failed to make any major impact on Bangalore. Christians here must not leave God's work to full-time missionaries from elsewhere; pray for a revival of the churches and for their mobilization to allow all Karnataka to hear the good news. Pray also for increased unity in churches - across languages, castes and denominations.

Kerala has a diverse Christian scene. A multitude of ministries and denominations are based in or operate in this state, which comfortably has more Christians than any other state in India. The longstanding investment of Christians into the educational system has rendered Kerala the most literate and well-educated state in India as well as the most favourable for the status of women. Protestants include mainline, Brethren and Pentecostal groups, as well as burgeoning numbers of fast-growing Independent groups, usually from a charismatic background. There is notable tension between traditional mainline groups and emerging groups; theology, style of worship, caste-related issues and style of evangelism are all areas of significant differences. Pray for unity and sensitivity among churches, their shared commitment to have a good testimony to society and for God's Kingdom to be placed ahead of their own interests.