Andaman Islands are synonymous with diving, snorkelling, and its breathtaking sceneries. But did you know that it is also a place where the Gospel is being preached and souls are being saved regularly?
Port Blair, a Town with many Churches
In 1998, the New Apostolic Church established the first congregation at Garacharma in the Andaman Islands. At that time, Garacharma was a small suburb outside of Port Blair but today, it has become an integral part of the city.
Today, there are two New Apostolic congregations in Port Blair – Garacharma and Dairy Farm – and more than 400 church denominations spread all over the islands.
Photograph: Biswarup Ganguly
Apostle David’s Second Visit
District Apostle Helper David Devaraj was visiting the Andaman Islands for the second time, and was accompanied by Brother Madhu Sankaran who heads the financial and legal department of our administration office for India in Bengaluru. They had a packed mission trip ahead with much to accomplish in just three days. With a membership somewhere between 150-200 people, Apostle David was encouraged by the church’s growth in this area.
Two Days of Meetings…
On the first day, around 30 youth from the Dairy Farm and Garacharma congregation attended sessions held by Apostle David. The Apostle Ministry, the Holy Spirit and the Creed were some of the topics covered.
The next day, Apostle David had one-on-one sessions with the brothers who spoke in length about their ministries. In the afternoon, Apostle David, Brother Madhu and several others visited the Orphanage at Garcharma which is run by the New Apostolic Church.
In the evening, all the priests and deacons, Sunday School teachers and youth leaders were invited for a meeting which had both a spiritual and an administrative part. There was also a question and answer session, and topics like Holy Baptism and the concept of paradise were discussed. The administrative topics covered the proper way of reporting, scheduling, offering and attendance, visiting, and membership statistics.
… And Two Divine Services
On the last lay, a Divine Service was held at Dairy Farm in the morning. The message was based on 1 Timothy 4:16. The people were cautioned to be aware of their personal relationship with God and in their prayer life. They were encouraged to be alert, to study and understand the doctrine and the Creed.
A special moment in the Divine Service was the Confirmation of five young Christians. They all received a letter from the Chief Apostle in the form of a confirmation certificate and a bible in their local language.
Later that evening, another Divine Service was conducted in Garacharma. The message of the service was based on Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread”. Afterwards, the whole choir stayed back to receive some direction and a short music seminar.
After three days of intense training sessions, Apostle David and Brother Madhu were ready to head back home. Both of them were encouraged to see that this team of sincere Christians were more than willing to align themselves to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as brought to them by His Apostles.