Kerala

The state of Kerala, is often Called God's own Country. It is considered to be one of India's most beautiful state. Kerala occupies a long narrow strip of land in the far south of India. Its coastline is on the Arabian Sea and the landscape varies from long golden beaches, hill stations and dense green jungle to bustling cities and lot of palm fringed backwaters. The people of Kerala are warm and friendly.

About India

More About India and Christianity

Indian flag has three colours, Saffron, White and Green.

Some believe that Saffron stands for purity and spirituality, white for peace and truth, green for fertility and prosperity and the wheel for justice. There is also another interpretation, that the colors reflect India's religious diversity. Saffron for Hinduism, green for Islam, white for Christianity and all other religions.

You can see the map of India. It shows the different States. India has 28 states and 7 union territories. The population of India is around 1 billion.

The national language of India is Hindi, however English is used prevalently. Most of the States have their own official language. So English is the medium of communication in the business world. The prominent religion in India is Hinduism, around 80%. Muslims are around 13 % and Christians around 2 % (We can now go to the next Slide)

The last words of Jesus to his disciples before He left the Earth was; "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you"

We give importance to the last words of a person, And that's exactly what the disciples of Jesus did.

One of the disciples of Jesus, Thomas came to India in 52 AD.

He landed in the port of Kodungallore in Kerala State. Tradition states that he preached the Gospel to the locals as well as Jewish settlers in Kerala. He baptized many, and established churches throughout South India. Thomas was martyred in 72 A.D. by a fanatic. Later in the 16th centuary, it is believed that St Francis Xavier came to India and converted many of the Hindus to Christianity.

The subsequent visit of many other missionaries from the west resulted in Portestant and Roman Catholic groups. The Pentecostal message from the West arrived in Kerala in 1909 through the visit of George Berg. The next key player was Robert Cook who came to India in 1912 following the trails of Berg. They both established many churches in India. Today there are about 27 million christians in India, nearly the total population of Canada. People who came to the faith were often persecuted and put out of their own communities, with no place to go. Missionaries from South India are now in every parts of India spreading the gospel of Jesus in their own country.