The Dalits in India

The Dalits represent about 250 million people who have been oppressed for over 3,000 years and treated as “untouchables.”

Many of them are struggling to decide what they will believe after an almost official departure from the religion of their birth because of the caste system.

Because the Dalits have been denied basic human rights, they have a tremendous need for healthcare, education, women’s rights, and economic opportunities.

Through a partnership in India with Operation Mobilization and the Dalit Freedom Network, we hope to address these needs.

Visit our Fresh Passion India website to learn what we're doing to help the Dalits and how you can get involved.

India Trip Update from The Chapel on Vimeo.

Mozambique, Africa

Fall 2009 Team Update

In early November The Chapel sent its eighth short-term team to Mozambique Africa, and the good news from the trip is all about progress. Progress in providing clean, safe water. Progress in children retaining bible lessons. Progress in micro-economic development. And progress with the purity of the gospel in the churches there.

Water Systems

We opened the first station that delivered clean, safe water to the village of Chiamite in early 2007. Our fall 2009 team was able to observe and even take part in some of the final stages of work on sites number five and six. So now, only 2 years later, there will soon be six water stations (3 in each of our adopted villages) that deliver clean water safely to the people. This has been literally life-saving and life-changing for the residents of Chiamite and Koka-Misava. As the water flows, life expectancy statistics rise, infant mortality and water-born disease rates fall, and possibilities for improved agricultural practices unfold.

Children’s Ministry

Each team that heads to Mozambique has the opportunity to do kids ministry for hundreds of beautiful children. As with every team, there are lots of kids who pray to receive Christ as savior. But there is also a wonderful cumulative effect happening where the choosing of God’s way to live is taking root. The children are remembering the lessons and the memory verses and songs from previous trips. The persistence of the work is bearing fruit.

Knitting Project

On a recent trip a project was started to teach women to knit handbags as a micro-economic development initiative. Our fall team this year was sent with the charge to encourage the women in the villages to continue to make bags by taking supplies to sell to them and continue the training of how to do the knitting. We were absolutely overwhelmed by the progress made and the capacity of the ladies to produce the bags. We went hoping to purchase 40 finished bags from them, but we returned home with more than 230! We pray now that next steps can be taken to truly move this knitting project toward becoming a self-sustaining micro-industry for the ladies.

Church Development

The fall 2009 team had the joy of teaching on the subject of biblical worship to both men and women church leaders. The teachings were very well received and the leaders send their thanks to The Chapel for continuing to offer them training in the truth. This teaching is gradually unraveling years of heresy and false teachings. The local church in rural Mozambique is in a state of infancy where the greatest need is for a pure understanding of the gospel and for courage for leaders to reject old patterns and traditions. Most churches and church leaders there follow a mixed bag of Christianity, African traditional religions, and O.T. Levitical law. However, as each team from The Chapel reinforces the teaching of past teams, and our teammates with World Relief (Lucky and Sonnet) continue to disciple the leaders year-round, we are seeing very real progress in the purity of the Gospel within the churches. There is still heresy to be addressed and many of the same old questions about false practices abound. But there is also an emerging community of pastors and leaders who understand the gospel and are bravely committed to it. Many have actually become true followers of Jesus as a result of the pastor’s training we do. Others have been encouraged to stand firm in true faith in the face of pressure to conform to the old convoluted practices of the churches there. Please keep praying for these important men and women who lead the fragile churches in our adopted villages.

Musical Outreach

A unique feature of our November team was that it was comprised entirely of people from the worship ministries of The Chapel. We had a brass quartet and a ladies vocal trio, which enabled us to serve the people with music ministry – something that no previous team has pursued. The brass and singers were able to perform many times, both in scheduled concerts and impromptu sessions. Along with playing and singing this also afforded us the chance to preach a gospel message to the gathered crowd and give people a chance to choose to believe on the name of Christ.

The AIDS Epidemic

Sub-Saharan Africa has just over 10 percent of the world’s population, but is home to more than 70 percent of all people living with HIV. HIV/AIDS cases in Mozambique numbered 1.8 million adults at the end of 2005. There are 140,000 Mozambican children living with AIDS and 510,000 children orphaned by AIDS.

Stage One

The Chapel formed a strategic partnership with the evangelical ministry World Relief to provide relief efforts in southern Mozambique, beginning with the villages of Chaimite and Koca-misava (near the town of Chibuto).

The stage one implementation team traveled there May 20, 2006, for a two-week survey and ministry initiative.

The team included eight specialists skilled in church development, healthcare, trade, agriculture, women’s ministry, and kids/youth ministry.

During the trip, they laid the groundwork for future relief efforts.

Stage Two

Our Christ-centered, holistic ministry continued with a team led by Pastor Mike Castelli in November 2006.

In Chaimite and Koca-misava, they taught the Bible to many Bible illiterate church leaders and served in very practical ways such as health education.

Chapel representatives met with village leaders and learned of their biggest health need—water. All village wells yield only brackish water.

In just a year, 32 women and children were killed by crocodiles in the river while collecting water.

Also, severe waterborne diseases threaten the population. Upon return, the team led The Chapel congregation to give $25,000 for a pump, a two-mile pipeline, and storage tanks so that clean water would no longer be a concern.

Stage 3

A team of seven, led by Pastor Jay Halley, continued the ministry of teaching the Bible and health education to church leaders, women, and children in June 2007. A special addition to the ministry was dental hygiene.

In September 2007, a Chapel team worked in the villages of Chaimite and Koca-misava. A special addition to this ministry was an eyeglass clinic.

In the spring of 2008, Women's Ministries raised $15,000 to purchase mosquito netting for children in Mozambique. This will reduce the risk of malaria!

Our Pipeline Progress

See the video clip below that shows our progress on the pipeline.

Visit Chibuto Now!

For a view of the area in which The Chapel serves, download Google Earth (free), and fly to Chibuto, Mozambique. The adopted villages are within 20 miles of that town.Fall 2009 Trip

Mozambique Pipeline from The Chapel on Vimeo.