gospel band churches
We've been involved with the Gospel Band churches since 1992. It was also through meetings with the Gospel Band that RHM (called India Ministries at that time) got connected with Sister Buelah and ultimately HOPE.

The Gospel Band started in the 1950's as a government employee got saved and began evangelizing in the villages of India. People were coming to the Lord, which soon brought the realization that churches and leadership needed to be established. The work that started with the salvation of one man, Devasahayam (his name meaning 'God's helper'), now consists of a few thousand believers in about 50 small towns and villages. The photo above is from inside a village church in Swarnipalem. Devasahayam's son, Joshi K. Roy, and a team of Godly elders now oversee the ministry of the Gospel Band, having a burden for helping poor believers in their churches to walk faithfully with the Lord.

We're blessed to be able to partner with the Gospel Band, as they use the funds we send in various ways. They have the usual needs of a poor congregation: poverty and lack of food, needy widows, lack of education for their children, medical needs, repairs to their thatch-roof churches, Bibles, etc.. Many organizations like to connect with thriving city churches and ministries, which is fine, but 74% of India lives in over 600,000 villages, over 230,000 villages having less than 500 people (2001 census). Much of the money never reaches the poor and forgotten villagers. But God has not forgotten them (Ps. 9:12,18) and uses ministries like RHM to assist them in ministry and assist their families with basic needs.

Gospel Band has now started a Vocational School in the town of Chirala. So many poor believers have little opportunity to get a good education or good job, but the Lord has provided this great opportunity to help some of them. Go to our Needs & Opportunities page to learn how you can become a part of this good work..
RHM also gives regular support to 2 pastors within the Gospel Band, Puthra and his father Samuel, who have faithfully been ministering to several villages for many years. Go to the same Needs & Opportunities page to see how you can help with a basic need in their lives.
"For You have been a Defense for the helpless, a Defense for the needy in his distress, a Refuge from the storm, a Shade from the heat." Isaiah 25:4