Word of Grace, India

We were truly encouraged to hear from Colin and Navaz Dcruz of Word of Grace Church in Maharashtra, India, last month. The journey of their ministry is inspiring, shaped by their faith, dedication and commitment; and we’re so grateful they’ve taken the time to tell us their story:

"Thank you for the support we have received in the form of books. It has been of immense value to us. Here is something we shared with some of our churches and we would like to share it with you as well. 

We were sent 22 years ago from Mumbai to Pune to plant a church. It was extremely hard for the first 7 years. It took time to gain stability and establish a core leadership. Over the years, we have seen several hundred people come through our church, be discipled and impacted and then move on to various parts of India and the world. This cycle of training and releasing has gone on several times. 

We have just moved our meeting location to a fast-growing area of Pune, and are now meeting in a shopping mall. Our tagline is ‘Enjoying God, Making Friends, Changing Lives.’ 

We are a discipleship community that discovers, develops, and deploys people worldwide. Pune is an IT city with high mobility, so the people who come to be with us stay for just two to four years. If they stay longer, that is a bonus. We are constantly developing leaders and training people in different spheres of church life, only to release them after three years. This churn includes our core team. In line with the prophetic words over us and the church, we have had monthly training programs in theology and practical pastoring over the last ten years. We have thus trained scores of leaders over the last decade. 

A unique feature of Word of Grace is that many expats attend our church. Our desire is that we continue to be a training and equipping centre, impact the community around us, and begin to have a more stable community of members who have a heart for Pune and choose to stay here. 

Hope this gives you a flavour of who we are. We are excited to receive books from you."

Colin and Navaz have asked us to pray for some of the challenges they face today. Their earnest hope is that: 

1. They would be more outward-looking and would engage with the local community around them. 

2. They will be able to train and appoint deacons and elders soon. Currently, they are training a group of 16 people. 

3. Their giving would increase, and they would be a greater resource to other churches and ministries.

.