Hyderabad remains the capital of Andhra Pradesh but now with the emerging modern India once sleepy Vizak is becoming much more important. Plans are underway to have an International Airport by 2008, the Grand Trunk Road Chennai to Kolkata passes through here. Political agitation to split the cumbersome Andhra Pradesh into two regions could see Vizak as the capital of the coastal part of AP. Bhimili 25 km out of town was a rural location 25 years ago when the founding fathers arrived here. Now connected with roads it is moving to become absorbed into a growing Vizak town and environs.

Bro Johnston, the man here at Church on the Rock, says private day schools are proliferating with the urban expansion taking place. Enrolment in the New Life School at Bhimli has dropped but often the students drop out to return again the next year as tuition is at poorer standards in many of the newer money making start ups. The current public school system is bankrupt with poor teaching standards and not enough emphasis on English to provide employment opportunities ahead. With something like 60% of the population under the age of 35 providing  employment openings is a huge challenge. Despite the picture of huge unemployment in India there is a great concern over skills shortages in growing sectors. This evidences itself in high employee turnover in these critical areas. Globalization is offering migration opportunities to the most desirable and sought after qualified students.

Janette was again active with a Ladies meeting in the afternoon. Rather a sleepy time of day; the 30 or so varied in abilities making  a challenge to establish effective communication. Her experience this time a great asset in planning for the future. Then again at the Chapel in the evening 19.00-20.00 this time more like 180 students and staff so more of a sermon type lecture than teaching sessions. Her presentations showing the early training of Dr Fitch in Glasgow having a Catechism systematic approach in good Presbyterian fashion!

The Bible college is also undergoing change. 25 years ago at its founding; the vision was for going out and evangelizing the unreached, church planting a high priority. The church planting emphasis remains but now much of it is urban orientated, often with the spread my denomination or group emphasis. Evangelism in this context being a mix of reaching out to nominal Christians of the later generations from the mainline churches as well as some outreach to those beyond them. Many wish to upgrade their qualifications from the basic B Th on up through to M Th which is becoming the the more common accepted Pastor's degree. The foot soldiers of the village outreach are still needed but are being produced in more local situations the medium being vernacular, Oriya, Hindi and Telegu, the courses of the Certificate type one year in duration. In the older western mission context these were the evangelists and Bible women of that era. 

These institutions often reflect the older Bible belt character of the North American mid west where the children of Christian parents moved from their schools into Bible Colleges and then on. Most students here have no secular experience or background having spent all their lives in the company of Christian parents and churches. Teaching them subjects like theology is more natural. Trying to give them an understanding of a secular non Christian world out there is more of a challenge. They have very little experience to interact with.

An all important dynamic is sponsors to fund these institutions as fees from the students can only provide 20% of the needed income (similar to Simon Fraser University in Vancouver which has similar statistics). Most of the needed extra money is coming from the West particularly USA. The Malayalee groups with their widespread diaspora, managerial and organizational ability have a very big lead. Internal cultural pressures within India keep control within families leading to dynasties. This is equally true of Indian politics and business. A different model that really works, is yet to really emerge. In turn this produces tensions between the different ethnic and language groups. This institution is classic. Founded by a returning Malayalee it is dynastic and paternal with control firmly rooted within the founding family. Local ministry is toward Telegu people who then complain that they exercise little real power in decision making and upward mobility but until they can find an alternative power and funding base there is little real progress. Handing over control to them can lead to disintegration and degeneration. There is not enough resource to offer the same living standards to everyone.

Domestic Arrangements

I was preparing Janette for a rather damp dingy bathroom but happily a renovation has been done which has upgraded the facilities considerably - a welcome change. The  basics can be performed with a tap, a toilet and some hot water but nicer to see pleasant tiles instead of bare concrete. We are eating in the Bungalow with the Malayalee family whose ministry this represents. Basic Indian food with regional overtones. Concessions like eggs and toast for breakfast but otherwise on their level.

The Internet is more of a challenge requiring afternoon bus journeys into Vishakapatnam. A 45 min ride in a classic local bus full of chattering people all for the price of Rs 10 or about $0.30. No real comfort, great overcrowding but that is how the local economy runs. Bhimili the local terminus once right out of town but now with a number of educational institutions bringing in commuters as well as local factories - a saw mill, a steel processing plant and shrimp and fish canneries. Numbers of people are living here and commuting into the city in search of employment.

The Course - Gospel and Culture

Students here prefer rote learning; they want a text book or notes of the course which they can then reproduce in their examinations and papers. Needless to say such methods are not the most effective in preparing them to meet the world out there. I am working on encouraging them to move on beyond this method to a more innovative research based approach. It takes time and hard work as the old system is well ingrained and often supported in the teaching methods of the institutions. My contribution is to provide a mix of ideas and approaches which open a window into another world. The mix is enhanced by field trips, encouraging book reviews and library research then less demanding but more innovative examinations based on a quiz type approach. Discussion groups are more of a challenge to initiate and operate. Drama planning and preparation has proved more fruitful as a means of engaging students with the material.

The first week was spent in making preparations for the students to visit different religious groups in the city of Vishakapatnam. The first is Hindu; the Ramakhrishna Mission, a reformed Hindu group dating back to 1900 when Swami Vivekananda visited the Chicago Parliament of Religions in 1904. He was impressed with the organizational ability of the West although soundly convinced of the superiority of the spirituality of India. He returned seeking to awaken Indian Hindus to the need to do something about the plight of their countrymen using methods developed by Western missionaries. I met with one of their leaders a monk Swami Armarty Ananda who agreed to share some discourse with the group of students.

The actual visits came out predictably as I could have conjectured. The Muslim man proved to be a useful contact who handled things well without going into controversies. It was not difficult to understand where he was coming from. The RKM Swami was very different. His world view being very dissimilar to a Christian one. There is no such thing as sin as far as the Atman or world soul is concerned. Sin is in the mind and repenting of sins is related to cleansing the mind and purifying rather than anything to do at all with transcendence. There are only a few really enlightened souls who can grasp these things. The unspoken assumption being that He was one of them. Obedience to all kinds of rules and rituals have no real eternal meaning being part of the world of Maya or illusion in which we live. Of  far more importance and value were the vows of poverty and chastity that men like him had made which placed them in another category. He did though make a useful comment that the mission of RKM is not proselytisation but by example attracting those who have the potential to find enlightenment by example and living. He said Hinduism talked a lot but did little. In his understanding the example of Sri Radakhrishna meant to do more and talk less. All quite complex and difficult to comprehend!

To find a suitable Muslim took more time. First a visit was made to the Andhra University to meet with Dr George Victor who is the Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. He directed me on to a Dr Faruqui in the Hindi Department who then sent me on to friend , Iqtadar Hussain, who works in a construction company during his retirement. The later visit turned out well. Iqtadar Hussain proved to be a useful communicator giving ideas on Islam from a genuine pietistic Muslim. The information was not dissimilar to the book in the library but the context gave it another depth and meaning.

An attempt was made to find a Sikh. We went to the local Gudwara where a contact was made but the suitable English speaking person is out of town for the needed period.

The Students

Not so many this time. Now down to seven. Apart from one woman who says she comes from a Hindu background all have solid multi generational Christian backgrounds. The majority being from Nagaland having been sent by their churches to prepare for pastoral and teaching ministries within the confines of NE India. There are two men one an older man who has been for the past 14 years as the Hostel supervisor in the school. Indications are that he would prefer to move on to a more pastoral church  centered ministry. The other man from the Malayalee Christian background has a father in law in a Church ministry in Karnataka to return to. Given the penchant for dynastic succession common to India he father in law no doubt sees him as a suitable successor to carry on the ministry he has continued or begun.

Once again the idealism impacts with the real but even so there are often surprising results from these people as the Lord guides and leads opening up new channels and possibilities. Each of them faces a new India very different to the old. Towns like this one have changed more in the past 5 years than in the previous 100! An emerging middle class educated India is coming up to complement to the backwardness and poverty of much of the past.