Gospel Friends
Gospel Friends was born on August 30, 1992, when 60 believers gathered to share God’s Word in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
After hearing Ghuna Kumar preach on “Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." (Gen 13:17), 12 believers gathered spontaneously for prayer. The Lord gave them a challenge from Luke 4:18. “Preach the Gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted and set free those who are oppressed”.
At that time they decided to call themselves “Gospel Friends” and immediately dedicated two native missionaries to preach the Gospel to the poor and began caring for seven orphan boys in the village of Mt. Zion. Since then, Gospel Friends’ ministries have grown to include:
- 320 native missionaries and church planters
- Free sewing training for girls and tailoring employment for women
- Television-based ministries for families
- Annual Vacation Bible School at Mt. Zion
- Living Hope Primary School
- 3 homes with 175 orphan and destitute children
- Medical clinics
- Living Hope Theological College and evening Bible College
- Other ministries including: village outreach, educational help, conventions and leadership seminars
Oversight
Gospel Friends is governed by a seven member board. The executive staff includes a Director, Assistant Director, eight Area Pastors, and Supervisors for each Department. The financial accounts are audited every year (April-March). The statement of accounts is sent to Home Ministry Delhi, Income Tax Office, Registrar and partnering agencies. A single bank account is kept in Andhra Bank, Chennai in the name of Gospel Friends as required by the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. Gospel Friends also has a FCRA account number from the Home Ministry of the Central Government of India.
