Highlights from Our Second Annual Beacon for India

Nearly one hundred people gathered for a single purpose last month, and that was to be a light for the Gospel in India. Our second annual Beacon for India event brought together friends, supporters, and new faces who came to hear powerful stories of transformation and to join in REAP’s mission to train local believers to plant and reproduce discipleship-driven, community-impacting churches across South Asia.

Stories that Inspire Faith

This year’s panel featured Tom and Karen Moore alongside Mary S., each sharing personal experiences that showed how God is moving through REAP’s ministries.

Mary shared her long and heartfelt journey with Springbuds, a ministry she has been connected with since 2005. Through her involvement, she witnessed firsthand the life-changing impact of this program, how children once abandoned or neglected are finding hope and purpose in Christ. Mary spoke about how her experience with Springbuds deepened her own faith and even led her family to grow through adoption. Her story reminded everyone in the room that when we invest in the next generation, we’re not just meeting needs. We’re shaping futures.

Tom and Karen Moore also gave a glimpse into REAP’s church planting work through the Indigenous Reproductive Church Planting (IRCP) model. Karen spoke from the heart about her time training pastors on emotional, spiritual, and mental health, often addressing the hidden struggles leaders face within their marriages and ministries. These sessions, she shared, are helping pastors find restoration and renewal in Christ, equipping them to extend that same healing to their congregations.

Tom reflected on more than a decade of involvement in REAP’s theological training programs and described the lasting fruit he’s seen in church planters and pastors across India. From small rural villages to bustling towns, he’s witnessed the deep hunger for truth and the courage of men and women who have given everything to follow God’s call.

A Message of Vision and Hope

Our evening also included a powerful message from George Waller, who reminded us why the work in India matters so deeply. With over 1.4 billion people and tens of thousands of villages where the name of Jesus has never been heard, the need is vast, but so is the opportunity.

George shared stories from his own visits to India, where he met students who walked 16 hours to attend theological training, sat through six days of teaching in unbearable heat, and still never complained. Their passion, character, and commitment to the Gospel continue to inspire everyone involved with REAP.

Through programs like the Academy for Church Planting and Leadership (ACPL), REAP provides accredited theological education to equip future church leaders. The IRCP training model ensures that evangelists, disciple-makers, and church planters receive the mentorship and support they need to sustain their work. And through initiatives like the GOATway Project, we’re helping planters build financial stability for their families and churches.

Alongside these, our Springbuds homes continue to serve some of India’s most vulnerable children, providing not only shelter and education but also love, belonging, and the hope of the Gospel.

An Evening of Generosity and Joy

Beyond the stories, the evening was filled with laughter and connection from our live auction featuring family outings and vacation packages to the conversations shared around each table. Together, we celebrated what God has done and looked forward to what He will continue to do through REAP’s ministry.

By the end of the night, $65,000 had been raised to support REAP’s ongoing mission and gifts are still coming in. Every dollar represents another life touched, another pastor trained, and another community reached with the good news of Jesus.

Join the Mission

If you weren’t able to attend but would like to be part of what God is doing through REAP, there’s still time to give.

You can visit our giving site and select Beacon for India to make your gift today.

We are deeply grateful for everyone who joined us, for your prayers, your generosity, and your heart for India. Together, we’re seeing the Gospel spread to some of the most unreached places in the world.

How REAP Supports the Work of God in India

At REAP India, our mission is simple: to see the Gospel take root, multiply, and transform lives across India. Every effort, every prayer, and every gift helps advance that work. 

Planting and Training for Lasting Impact

We believe the local church is God’s plan for reaching communities. That’s why church planting is at the heart of what we do. Through training and mentoring, we equip local believers to step into their calling as disciple-makers and leaders. These men and their families are planting churches that are not only gathering for worship but are also becoming centers of hope, healing, and community renewal.

As of April 2025, we’ve shifted to a three-tier deployment strategy, classifying all Christian workers into one of three categories based on supervision reports and quarterly reviews:

• Category 1: Movement Leaders
  Evangelists and itinerant workers are sent out for a 1-year term.
  They spread Gospel seeds wide and far, often in unreached areas.

• Category 2: Static Leaders
  Disciple-makers and local pastors are sent out for a 2-year term.
  These leaders begin cultivating consistent discipleship.

• Category 3: IRCP Church Planters
  Workers who demonstrate both fruit and faithfulness are given a 3-year term to plant a model church. These are our long-term, community-anchored planters.

This model allows us to graduate workers into roles that best match their calling and gifting:

• After 1 year: Evangelists

• After 2 years: Disciple-making pastors

• After 3 years: Fully trained Church Planters

Alongside church planting, our training initiatives ensure that leaders are grounded in Scripture, equipped to teach others, and prepared to stand firm in their faith, even in difficult circumstances. We also provide work and income sourcing through our GOATway project for church planters. This ensures the church planters’ success by creating sustainable revenue streams for those in rural areas.

Springbuds: Nurturing the Next Generation

Through our Springbuds program, we come alongside children who are often overlooked or vulnerable. The Springbuds home is able to step in and take them in for a season while the parents get back on their feet.

There are two homes in our Springbuds program — one for elementary school aged children, starting at 4 years old, and another home that houses middle and high school aged kids. Your giving allows us to continue to build better homes for them to live in, food to eat, and a quality education.

How We Raise Support

None of this would be possible without a faithful network of partners. There are several ways this happens:

• Ongoing Partners – Many stand with us through monthly giving, providing a steady foundation for ministry.

• Special Gifts – At times, God moves in unexpected ways—through legacy gifts, churches or organizations making one-time contributions, or other significant donations. These moments remind us of His perfect provision.

• Events – Gathering together not only raises needed funds but also spreads the vision of REAP. One of the greatest joys of our events is seeing friends and family introduced to REAP for the first time and joining in the mission. We currently host events in Austin, Texas and Knoxville, TN.

Save the Date for Our Beacon for India Event

We are thrilled to announce our 2nd Annual Beacon for India event!

October 26, 2025
4:00 – 8:00 pm
Lighthouse Knoxville

This evening will be a time to celebrate what God is doing, hear powerful stories, and join hands in supporting the mission in India. We hope you’ll mark your calendars and invite others who may not yet know about REAP. Expanding our circle of partners is one of the greatest blessings of these gatherings.

Join Us in the Work

The Gospel is advancing in India, and together, we get to be part of it. Whether through prayer, giving, or inviting others into the mission, your partnership makes a lasting difference.

As we look ahead to this year’s Beacon for India, we invite you to pray with us:

• For more partners to come alongside this work.

• For continued strength and wisdom for our church planters and leaders.

• For lives and communities to be transformed by the love of Christ.

Thank you for standing with REAP. Together, we are shining the light of Christ in India. If you are interested in hosting an event to raise awareness and partnership in your area we’d love to talk with you.

Equipping Church Planters Across South Asia Through OurOnline Learning Platform

At REAP India, we believe church planting is most effective when indigenous leaders are equipped to disciple others and multiply. Our Online Learning Platform (OLP) initiative is helping us do just that as part of our Academy for Church Planting & Leadership.

This platform is more than just a website. It’s a powerful tool that allows us to train and equip local leaders in ways we never could before.

What Is the OLP?

Think of the OLP as a central hub filled with resources for our certified trainers, trainees, and church planters. Through it, we’re making academic and practical training materials available in the heart languages of our students across South Asia.

These resources, ranging from videos and lessons to discussion guides, aren’t just meant to be consumed. They’re designed to help each leader we train become a trainer themselves, multiplying the Gospel’s reach far beyond what our staff alone could accomplish.

Why Is This So Important?

In South Asia, many people learn best through oral and visual methods, and adults especially thrive when they can learn alongside others in discussion. But with the sheer size of the population we’re engaging, traditional classroom models just can’t keep up.

The OLP bridges that gap. By using video, audio, and interactive tools, we can:

• Equip church planters to disciple others in ways that match their learning styles.

• Offer structured, credible training—without relying solely on large institutions.

• Keep training “under the radar” of anti-Christian opposition by using secure, online channels rather than public broadcast media.

Most importantly, the OLP is not just about content—it’s about connection. Discipleship isn’t a classroom project or a degree program; it’s about relationships that encourage Christ-like living in real-life contexts. The OLP simply provides the tools leaders need to foster those relationships.

Where Are We Now?

Right now, we’re in the exciting development stage. Here’s what’s happening:

• Audio-visual lessons are being recorded in five languages by experienced mission practitioners and biblical scholars.

• Translations and study materials are in progress so every student can fully engage with the lessons.

• Qualified instructors are being recruited and trained to guide students, both online and in person.

We’re also setting up our first studio for video and audio production, and we’ve already raised $18,400 of the $32,400 needed to complete this stage. Just $14,000 more will get the studio ready to launch.

What’s Next?

Once the studio is complete, we’ll move on to cloud storage and web development so students can easily access the materials and instructors can provide live and recorded teaching.

In total, the cost to get the OLP fully operational is $82,500. Here’s where that funding goes:

• Faculty Development & Training – $4,750

• Content Development – $22,500

• Translation – $16,750

• Studio Setup – $16,000

• IT Equipment – $16,400

• Web & Data Management – $5,400

• Miscellaneous – $700

While that may sound like a big investment, the OLP will actually fund future church planting once it’s up and running. With just 110 students enrolled each year, paying $75 annually, we’ll recover the full cost in 10 years, and every dollar earned after that will go straight toward planting more churches across South Asia.

How You Can Help

The OLP is more than a project, it’s a way to see the Gospel multiply faster than ever, equipping local believers to make disciples and plant churches in places we could never reach alone.

Right now, the most urgent need is to finish funding the studio setup so we can launch the first wave of lessons and translations. Your support will help us close the $14,000 gap and take this critical step toward equipping hundreds of future leaders.

Together, we can make this vision a reality—training leaders, planting churches, and seeing lives transformed across South Asia.

Springbuds Facility Updates

Thanks to your generosity and continued prayers, we are excited to share encouraging progress on our Springbuds campus. Over the last several months, construction has been underway to create more stable, welcoming spaces for the children and staff who call this place home. These updates are more than just new walls or roofs, but building blocks for the future of discipleship and transforming young lives.

A VISION FOR HOLISTIC CARE

Our Springbuds program exists to provide a safe and nurturing home for children who have been neglected, abandoned, or temporarily without family care. We take in children as young as four years old, offering not just food, shelter, and education, but a place to grow in Christ. As this program has grown, so has the need for more permanent, functional spaces to support the children and our dedicated staff.

PROGRESS MADE POSSIBLE

This month, we’re thrilled to report two major construction milestones:

• The Springbuds School foundation work is nearly complete. This foundational step brings us closer to having a fully dedicated on-campus learning space. It’s a big leap toward providing quality education without children needing to travel long distances or attend inconsistent schools.

• The Staff Quarters are finished! These living quarters provide stable housing for our staff who serve around the clock. Their presence, care, and Christ-like love are essential to the discipleship and development of the children.

THANK YOU FOR STANDING WITH US

These projects were made possible through your giving. Your partnership is not just funding buildings, but it’s creating places where broken stories can be healed, where faith can grow, and where futures are being reshaped by the Gospel.

We’ll continue to share more as construction progresses. Until then, please keep praying for:

• The continued safety and timely completion of the school building

• The children and staff who will use these new spaces daily

• That these homes and classrooms would be filled with God’s presence

Thank you again for your support as we build up the next generation of disciples.

A New Era of Church Planting at REAP

At REAP India, we’ve always believed the Gospel moves fastest through local believers. That’s why our mission has never been just about planting churches but about equipping the people who plant them.

This year, we’re entering a new season of strategy and clarity as we launch our Disciple Maker Mobilization Plan. This is a refined church planting model built to move faster, steward resources wisely, and raise up more indigenous leaders across South Asia.

Why the Change?

Finding highly skilled church planters in many rural and tribal regions is difficult and time-consuming. But we also know that God often calls the willing before He equips the ready.

We’re now focusing on deploying disciple makers first, trusting that through ongoing training, mentorship, and field supervision, we’ll identify the ones who will go on to become long-term church planters.

This approach allows us to:

• Move faster in spreading the Gospel

• Cast a wider net to find faithful men and women ready to be trained

• Equip believers at different stages of leadership, whether they’re evangelists, disciple-makers, or church planters

How It Works

As of April 2025, we’ve shifted to a three-tier deployment strategy, classifying all Christian workers into one of three categories based on supervision reports and quarterly reviews:

• Category 1: Movement Leaders
  Evangelists and itinerant workers are sent out for a 1-year term.
  They spread Gospel seeds wide and far, often in unreached areas.

• Category 2: Static Leaders
  Disciple-makers and local pastors are sent out for a 2-year term.
  These leaders begin cultivating consistent discipleship.

• Category 3: IRCP Church Planters
  Workers who demonstrate both fruit and faithfulness are given a 3-year term to plant a model church. These are our long-term, community-anchored planters.

This model allows us to graduate workers into roles that best match their calling and gifting:

• After 1 year: Evangelists

• After 2 years: Disciple-making pastors

• After 3 years: Fully trained Church Planters

What’s Ahead

Between April 2025 and March 2026, 30 Christian workers will be deployed under this model. Based on past experience, around 70% of them will go on to become church planters.

We’ve already begun:

• 18 disciple makers are preparing to launch in Sri Lanka by June.

• 12 each in Rajasthan and Nepal by September.

Our vision remains the same: plant discipleship-driven, community-impacting churches. But now, we’re doing it through a pipeline of disciple makers God is shaping in real time.

How You Can Be Involved

This model means your giving goes even farther, supporting not just one church plant, but a movement of leaders being raised up and sent.

Here’s how to partner with us:

• Pray for wisdom as we evaluate and equip each disciple maker

• Give to support the next wave of Gospel workers in Sri Lanka, Rajasthan, and Nepal

• Share this update with friends or churches who might want to invest in multiplying leaders

Together, we are advancing the Gospel, one disciple maker at a time.