Believers Church Reaches Out To Thousands Of BPL Widows across India ToMark Internaonal Widows Day

In an effort to help below poverty line (BPL) widows of the country, Believers Church started a drive to make these women financially self sufficient. The drive which was started on International Widows’ Day will reach out to 8000 women across 20 states of India by end of July.  

These widows were selected by the volunteers of Believers Church in several dioceses across the country. The widows were gifted income generating things like sewing machines, cooking equipment, livestock etc. The widows received the gifts happily, while some even shed tears of joy and expressed their gratitude to the church for the humanitarian work.

The list of states include, AndhraPradesh, ArunachalPradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telengana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Several ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly and other dignitaries are part of this drive on their respective constituencies.

Commenting on the drive Metropolitan Dr. K.P Yohannan said, “In our country widows still have to struggle to fit into a patriarchal society which has no place for them. Our sisters & mothers face discrimination in the society. The initiative is to facilitate poor widows, who are living under risk of starving in the rural areas. Through this drive we are just trying to help them earn their livelihood in order to lead a healthy and respectful life.”

The United Nations first acknowledged June 23 as International Widows' Day in 2011 to raise awareness about the poverty, alienation, violence, homelessness, health problems and human rights issues faced by widows around the world. Since then, Believers Church regularly marks the day by carrying out these drives to empower and enable widows across the country.

About Believers Church

Believers Church is a Christian denomination with congregations and parishes worldwide and over 2.6 million followers in 10 countries. The Church at present has eleven Bishops who give spiritual and administrative leadership to the various activities of the Church. The current head of the Believers Church is Metropolitan Bishop, Dr. K. P. Yohannan.

The church also undertakes various charitable programs including women empowerment, educational projects, community development programs, rehabilitation projects and relief works. 

Underlined below are some of initiatives undertaken by the Believers Church

• Believers Church has helped over 80,000 children by providing quality education and timely medical checkups under its Bridge for Hope Program.
• Believers Church has set up more than 28,000 toilets and has committed its resources to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help educate people on sanitation under the Swatch Bharat Program.
• Vocational Training and Health awareness programs have been organised for underprivileged communities.
• The church has conducted eight-month long free literacy programs, to teach the marginalised sections of society how to write and read.
• The church has provided water to communities where drinking water is scarce by constructing bore wells and community water tanks.
• The church has given sewing machines, livestock, carpentry tools, rickshaws and agricultural equipments to families to generate regular income.
• Through the Humanitarian Assistance project the Church has assisted in Nepal earthquake and Odisha Cyclone disaster relief operations through reconstruction of houses, providing food supplies, medicines, water, clothes, mosquito nets, plastic sheets for making tents, hygiene supplies and solar lights.

Church collects aid for Kerala temple tragedy victims

In solidarity with the victims of the Kerala temple tragedy, Delhi-headquartered Believer's Church, a Christian denomination with congregations and parishes worldwide, is collecting medicines, food packets and clothing to provide relief to the affected people in Kollam.

K P Yohannan, Metropolitan of Believers Church said, "We will do everything in our power to help the bereaved families and provide timely medical assistance to those who have been injured."

The Church said it is also mobilising its medical team with specialised doctors from its Tiruvalla Hospital to aid in relief operations. A number of volunteers on behalf of the Believers Church are also assisting the local administration in relief operations, it said.

The Church said it is willing to provide free of cost treatment to the sufferers at its state-of-the-art multi-specialty hospital in Tiruvalla which is about 35 kms from Kollam.  "Believers Church Medical College Hospital, Tiruvalla, is offering free treatment to all victims of the Kollam tragedy," added Yohannan.  The Church said it is pooling resources, including collecting donations, for carrying out relief work in Kollam and assisting in rebuilding works.  "We have collected 5,000 mosquito nets and as many packets of medicines, food and clothes to be sent to Kollam. We have a team of doctors which is monitoring the verification of medicines that are to be sent," Bishop Simon John of the Delhi Centre of Believers Church said.  The Bishop said the Church has asked all its members in cities like Lucknow, Udaipur, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Delhi, Amritsar to contribute for the cause.  "Use of firecrackers is a part of the festival. People should be more careful while using them. And as a Church we have taken an initiative and asked our members not to use firecrackers. We are trying to communicate to people and raise awareness that firecrackers may cause harm," he said.
To read more: http://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/church-reaches-out-to-kerala-temple-tragedy-victims/936650
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/church-collects-aid-for-kerala-temple-tragedy-victims-116041300650_1.html
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/church-collects-aid-for-kerala-temple-tragedy-victims/1/641765.html

Believers Church installs 101 bore wells in drought-hit Maharashtra

Mumbai, June 8: In a bid to help citizens across India who are facing drought like conditions due to prevailing heat wave conditions, Believers Church, a Christian denomination with congregations and parishes worldwide has set up 101 Bore wells across Maharashtra for the worst affected areas and communities.

"The country is facing severe heat wave and people are facing scarcity of water essential for living and daily chores. People have to walk down several miles to fetch drinking water. Apart from this the farmers are not able to do the cultivation of food grain due to severe scarcity of water. The installation of Bore Wells will not only make their lives easier but also help them in carrying on with cultivation which is their sole means of livelihood," said Bishop B. K. Lukose who led the exercise.

The areas were decided after assessing the severity of water scarcity in various regions of the state in consultation with the local authorities.

"In some cases local politicians came forward and sought intervention. For example we have installed 25 borewells in Amaravati and Yavatmal areas of Vidharba Region after receiving a request from the local MLA Bacchu Kadu", Bishop B. K. Lukose added.

Other Bore Wells were installed in more than 101 villages of Maharashtra in various districts like Chandrapur, Wardha, Nagpur, Gadchiroli and Bhandara.

Dr K. P. Yohannan, Metropolitan of Believers Church said: "It is important to ensure that these people get some water supply not only to sustain themselves but also to ensure that farming which is their sole livelihood does not get hampered. We are doing this exercise in other states of the country as well."

Last month the Mumbai division of the church reached out to the drought victims of Latur by supplying water and food to the 12 most affected villages of the region.

Earlier this month, the Church had also installed more hand pumps and tube wells in more than 104 drought affected villages of Uttar Pradesh.

Believers Church is a Christian denomination with congregations and parishes worldwide and over 2.6 million followers in ten countries. The Church at present has eleven Bishops who give spiritual and administrative leadership to the various activities of the Church. The current head of the Believers Church is Metropolitan Bishop, Dr K. P. Yohannan.

The church also undertakes various charitable programs including women empowerment, educational projects, community development programs, rehabilitation projects and relief works.

Believers Church has helped over 74,000 children by providing quality education and timely medical checkups under its Bridge for Hope Program.

The Church has set up more than 28,000 toilets and has committed its resources to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help educate people on sanitation under the Swatch Bharat Program.

Vocational Training and Health awareness programs have been organised for underprivileged communities.

The church has conducted eight-month long free literacy programs, to teach the marginalised sections of society how to write and read.

The church has provided water to communities where drinking water is scarce by constructing bore wells and community water tanks.

The church has given sewing machines, livestock, carpentry tools, rickshaws and agricultural equipments to families to generate regular income. 

Dr. K.P. Yohannan, Metropolitan Officiates the Inuaguration of School Kit Distribution Programs in Diocese of Niranam

Believers Church Diocese of Niranam held the state-level inauguration of school kit distribution programs on 29th May 2015.

Dr. K.P. Yohannan, Metropolitan presided over the function and Prof. P.J. Kurien (Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha) inaugurated the distribution.

Dr. K.P. Yohannan, Metropolitan presided over the function and Prof. P. J. Kurien (Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha) inaugurated the distribution.

In the coming days, the church will distribute school bags, school uniforms, notebooks, umbrellas and other study materials to over 4,500 needy children throughout the diocese through Bridge of Hope.

Believers Church sees the need of people living in poverty and provides them with their most basic needs through similar distribution programs.

20 Women Complete Literacy Teachers Training Course in Diocese of Delhi

Believers Church Diocese of Delhi conducted a literacy teachers training program on 27th and 28th August 2014. Women’s Fellowship members organized this program and 20 women completed the course successfully.

20 women completed the literacy program training course.

The main purpose of the program was to train women on how to teach literacy classes in rural villages to help illiterate adults learn how to read and write. Women’s Fellowship members took different classes and the trainees also had practical sessions on how to improve their teaching ability.

Believers Church is deeply committed in strengthening the women in our society by focusing on literacy programs, general training, healthcare awareness, and women empowerment programs.

Illiterate People in the Slum Learn to Read in the Diocese of Chandigarh

In the last six months, Sisters of Compassion in the Diocese of Chandigarh educated the people in a slum through different programs. They started conducting adult literacy classes and tuition classes for children who were not able to go school.

Right now 15 women attend the adult literacy classes and there are 25 children in tuition classes. Apart from reading, writing and basic arithmetic, the people are taught about health and hygiene. People attend these classes with great enthusiasm and have expressed their gratitude to the church for the opportunity to learn.

Sisters of Compassion is an order of Believers Church devoted to work among orphans, widows, leprosy patients and the poor to uplift their lives.