Delhi Bible Institute Lucknow Campus. Building Project Proposal. Project Background

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1 Delhi Bible Institute Lucknow Campus Building Project Proposal Lucknow, the capital in the state of Uttar Pradesh Project Background Delhi Bible Institute (DBI) is an Indian Bible training center that has trained over 12,000 Christian church planters and evangelists since its beginning in DBI originated in New Delhi, the capital city of India. Most of the programs are in the Hindi, Urdu, Nepali and English languages. DBI is involved in evangelistic outreaches, radio programs, counseling, and other ministries to bring Christianity to the people of India and to equip believers to return to their home communities to minister and disciple others. Seeking the nation of India come to know Christ, DBI has now set a lofty goal of training 30,000 students and planting 15,000 churches by In order to attain this goal, DBI plans to build 12 training centers throughout Northern India (see map on page 2). Currently, DBI has started four new Strategic Church Resource Centers in the towns of Lucknow, Dehrandun, Chandauli, and a secondary site in Delhi. DBI believes the center in Lucknow will be crucial in order to reach their goals for Lucknow is the administrative capital in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This state has a population of 166 million. However, it is estimated that only about 0.1% (point one percent) of the population is Christian. This region is the very center of the Hindu-Hindi heartland and its population alone could make it the seventh largest country on its own. Delhi Bible Institute 2025 Goal: Train 30,000 students and, through them, plant 15,000 Christian churches by Delhi Bible Institute has trained a large number of students from Uttar Pradesh and many of them have gone on to plant churches. The city of Lucknow is absolutely strategic for reaching North India with the Gospel, and therefore the logical location to increase DBI s capacity. Through the building of a this center, thousands of new Christian leaders will be trained and developed. These leaders will return to their villages to plant local churches. They will carry out relief and development projects to help the neediest people in their communities. They will help the people of Uttar Pradesh to come to know Christ and help meet the needs of the poorest, most overlooked people in their villages. Their goal will be to help these people experience the love of Christ firsthand.

2 Page 2 Why Support Delhi Bible Institute s Lucknow Center? Lucknow Center current building India is projected to be the most populous nation in the world by Additionally, currently India is home to 25% of the world s poorest people. While there are established Christian churches along the southern and northeastern regions, there is still a great disparity between mission activities in the south and north. Ninety percent of the money going to Christian churches and ministries in India goes to ministries in the South or those led by South Indian Christians. Bright Hope wants to help increase the number of churches in North India, the least reached areas of India. We believe through our partnership with Delhi Bible Institute, indigenous church leaders from northern communities will be raised up to reach their own people. A key focus of DBI s work is to train and equip Christian workers from rural communities. The students coming to DBI would never qualify for seminary nor have the resources to pay for such an education. Many students are not even able to pay for transportation to the training center, much less the costs of the classes. Of those who do complete the training, the vast majority return to their home village with high levels of enthusiasm to share the Gospel with the people in their community. DBI plans for 12 new training centers in Northern India

3 Page 3 This strategy is based on planting indigenous churches. The ministry of DBI has an effective track record on this. Many ministries in India are based on start-up organizations, pastors and leaders with no credible oversight, or a focus on ministering to Indian cultures outside of their own. This project faces none of these challenges or obstacles. However, the challenge to spread the gospel in the Northern states of India is enormous. The church is fragmented and weak. The main denominations are largely nominal. Corruption that runs through the fabric of society also invades the Church. There is often very little biblical content in the teaching. In addition, there is a great lack of quality Christian resources available in the Hindi language. A DBI Pastor and his family But God is at work: Small groups and churches are now developing throughout the country. There is increasing disenchantment toward ancient traditions of idol worship and the occult. People are receptive to the Gospel, and greater numbers are now joining churches. There is great zeal and enthusiasm among new believers for training and evangelism. DBI plans to use the Lucknow Center to train and equip thousands of Indian believers to reach their own communities with the gospel. Project Update The primary objective of this project is to support DBI in the development of lay church leaders at the new training center in Lucknow. While the property was obtained in 2005, the current buildings need to be renovated and new buildings need to be constructed to make the best use of this training facility. DBI envisions the property to have: Classroom Block 4 classrooms, a 100 person conference room, a computer lab, kitchen, and dining hall Administrative Building staff offices, book store, and guest rooms 445 seat Worship Hall and Prayer Room DBI students studying Men s and Women s Residence Buildings student dorm rooms, staff flats, and vocational training areas

4 Page 4 MENS BUILDING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AREA WOMENS AND STAFF BUILDING Proposed Architectural Layout Phase One in Red, Phase Two in Blue As funds become available, DBI will build according to the above design. The buildings in red, the administrative building, school building, and toilets are prioritized to be constructed first. After these are finished, the worship hall and residence buildings for men, women, and staff will be constructed. The Lucknow Center will be modeled after the main DBI headquarters in New Delhi. The Lucknow Center will follow DBI s format by offering programs in Hindi and English. The academic year begins on July 1st and ends on June 30. Students must be 18 years or older. Program content includes training in foundations in God s word, developing strong Christian character, evangelism and reproducing believers, and sustainable techniques in community and economic development. Lives Impacted This Lucknow campus is a strategic part of DBI s vision of training 30,000 students by However, this project will not only benefit the thousands of students who come to Lucknow for training. After training, DBI students will go out into the rural areas of India to evangelize the unreached and plant Christian churches. DBI trained graduates will be touching countless lives throughout India.

5 Page 5 Project Budget Phase One Square Footage Cost* Administrative Building 2084 $50,757 Classroom Building 8993 $219,030 Phase Two Square Footage Cost* Worship Hall and Prayer Room 6700 $163,182 Staff and Women s Building 7680 $187,050 Men s Building 5880 $143,210 Total Budget Requested: 31,337 Total Sq Ft $763,229 *This cost is estimated on 1100 Rupee per square foot of construction and 1USD-45Rs or approximately $25 per square foot. Leadership and Oversight of Project Isaac Shaw Executive Director, Delhi Bible Institute Isaac committed his life to the Lord at the age of nine. He was an active Christian during his early schooling and college years. He graduated from Delhi University with BA Honors in English Literature, followed by a Masters in English Literature. Isaac served as youth leader in his church from 1982 to He was then installed as a pastor at Bible Bhavan Christian Fellowship. He is now Senior Pastor and leads a group of six pastors and 15 church planters. Under his leadership, this team has planted 23 churches. Isaac and Gloria Shaw Isaac joined Delhi Bible Institute in 1983, and is currently the Executive Director. Prior to this, he served as DBI s Registrar, then Dean of Studies, Director of Studies and Co-Director. His main role is Bible teaching, team building, and vision casting for DBI s ministry. Isaac is bilingual with proficiency in both English and Hindi. He is married to Gloria Ojeda. Gloria was born in Bogota, Colombia. She graduated from Appalachian State University in North Carolina with a Bachelor s in Political Science and a minor in Biblical Hebrew, Philosophy and Religion. Isaac and Gloria have three daughters and one son. Ramraj David Regional Director, Delhi Bible Institute, Lucknow Center Ramraj grew up in the state of Uttar Pradesh in a Hindu family. When he was 23 years old, he became a member of the Communist Party of India Marxist Leninist Liberation Group. While there was great persecution in his community, joining this group provided social protection for himself and his family.

6 Page 6 Using arms against the government was the main agenda of this group. However, although he joined this group seeking freedom, he found none as the local police continually sought after and threatened the group. The Lord used this situation to create a restlessness in him that made him attentive towards the gospel. He was 30 years old when he heard the gospel and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Ramraj David After becoming a Christian, Ramraj faced great persecution. He decided to leave his militant group but that came with the possibility of death. By God s grace he escaped without harm. Additionally, his family was against him accepting the Lord. However, when he explained his decision to them they chose to accept him. Thankfully, he still is in touch with his family. Ramraj married Lakhwanti after he accepted the Lord. They have a daughter Esther (6 yrs) and son Caleb (1 ½ yrs). He now is the Regional Director of the centre in Lucknow and a local church pastor. He teaches DBI classes, leads a team of five staff, and co-ordinates the missionaries placed in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He is also in-charge of Public Relations in Lucknow. James Das Bright Hope Partnership Developer James has been a Bright Hope Partnership Developer since He has extensive experience managing teams and international non-governmental organizations. He has worked for Build India, an advocacy and development organization for Indian slum dwellers, and Development Associates International where he developed a Masters Degree program in organizational leadership and management. James is responsible for overseeing the 151 church partners throughout India. He lives in New Delhi with his wife and three children. James Das Next Steps As the budget is raised for this project, DBI will start building one phase at a time. They have prioritized updating the existing administrative building and constructing a more functional classroom block. After that is completed, the worship hall and residence halls will be constructed. DBI believes in training Christians and sending them out into the rural parts of India. Building this Lucknow campus is a strategic project that will enable the gospel to spread throughout India. Please pray to see how God might use you to enable this project to be a success.