Missions

The other Hindu families in the village were not happy, as they assumed that the god of their village would be angry and curse the entire village. The family was forced to move a neighboring village to escape this anger. After some time, the first villagers came to see if the Raji family had been cursed in some way. People expected them to be sick or to find a death in the family. When that did not happen, more people heard the Gospel message and the church in India was growing! Pr. Raji and his entire family were blessed by God working through Rev. Grumm—what a reunion will occur when they meet again in heaven! But God’s blessing does not stop there! Pr. Raji’s mother dedicated him as a child to be in the Lord’s service, and the Lord took that dedication and made Pr. Raji the servant of Christ he is today.

Pr. Raji became a pastor and served churches in India for more than 10 years. After receiving specialized training in chaplaincy work, Pr. Raji came to the US and he works fulltime as a hospital chaplain at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. He also leads a Tamil language church service at Calvary Lutheran Church once per month and actively serves the Tamil community in Indy. He remains active in mission outreach to India as he has led five mission trips to Ambur. His Indian outreach was greatly expanded in 2015 with the founding of the Calvary India Mission Tailoring Center and two Tuition Centers! A Computer Center was added in 2017. All of these centers offer free training to Christian, Hindu and Muslim students in a Christ-centered environment. The love of Jesus is offered freely to those who are most in need of physical help, while also providing an opportunity for them to meet Jesus in the people around them.

What a blessing Pr. Raji has been to people in India and the US! And it all started when God sent Rev. Grumm and other LCMS missionaries to Ambur. Blessed to be a blessing ...

Calvary supports a missionary couple serving in West Asia doing Bible translation work.  This couple lives in a country with no churches. Even though they live in an apartment in the capital city, they still only have electricity about 50% of the time and lack some modern amenities.

Spring 2019 Update: They have been doing well and staying pretty healthy this year, for which they're thankful. The spring means removing coal and wood stoves and enjoying the warmer weather. It also means picnics with friends and co-workers. Please pray for fruitful conversations during these times of visiting.

In addition to language and culture learning, which is essential to their witness in their personal relationships as well as their office work, they've been researching a group of language varieties. It can be hard to imagine, but they're actually not sure how many languages are spoken in their country! They've been transcribing data from several villages and towns who claim the same ethnic identity and ancestry. They're trying to evaluate if the people speak dialects of the same language or different languages altogether. This is important because it lets them know who will need a separate Bible translation. It also helps them know where and how to distribute these resources once they're available. Currently, another organization is running primary schools in one of these languages. Their research will also show them in what ways this curriculum will need to be altered for the other regions and how much, if at all, the writing system would need to be adjusted. They're hoping to finish this particular research project by the end of the year.

To join them in bringing God's Word to the people of West Asia, you can give at wycliffe.org/partnerteam. Enter #242586. For security reasons, their names are not published on our website or the Wycliffe website, but money will still get to them.

Rev. Dr. Steven and Cynthia Schumacher serve the Lord as career missionaries in Ghana, West Africa.  

Steven teaches courses in Lutheran theology and serves as Dean of Academics and Student Activities at the seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) in Accra, Ghana.  He also assists with the ELCG's deaf ministry.

Cynthia assists the ELCG as an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher at their seminary.

You can find detailed information about the Schumacher's ministry at lcms.org/schumacher.  

Thank you for your support of the Schumacher family through Calvary's mission budget.  

The Missionary's Voice

January–February 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends in Christ,

The Lord be with you!

Today, Wednesday, 17 February, we embark on a forty-day journey as we begin the Lenten Season with Ash Wednesday, leading up to Easter. It is a time of repentance as we reflect on the rebirth and renewal gifted to us in our own baptism.  It is a time of preparation as we remember the great sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to pay for the world's sin and His triumphant defeat over death and the grave as He rises from the dead guaranteeing our resurrection on the last day.

May your Lenten journey be a blessing to you as you again experience the depth of Jesus' obedience and the great love of God to redeem a world so desperately in need of salvation.

We are truly thankful for each and every one of you. We pray God's blessings upon you during this Lenten Season as your hearts are prepared for the joyous celebration of Jesus' resurrection.

Thank you for your prayers and support as they are all greatly appreciated.

Please feel free to share or forward this newsletter to your friends and family or to print and post in your church or school.

Serving Christ together,
Rev. Dr. Steven and Cynthia Schumacher

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