CALVARY TEMPLE-INDIA
Calvary Temple is India’s largest church with more than three hundred thousand members. Now; it’s on a mission to build 40 more mega churches in the next 10 years. Pastor Satish Kumar believes it’s time to reach India’s lost with the gospel. take a look>>
Most roads in Hyderabad on Sundays lead to Calvary Temple. It’s a little early in the morning and side streets around the church are already jammed. As church volunteers coordinate traffic, shuttle buses, auto rate shows and motorcycles carry thousands of people all trying to get here some two hours ahead of Calvary’s first of five services that begin at 6:00am. By sunrise, the faithful have taken their seats.
The main sanctuary holds 18,000 people supported by adjacent Bethlehem hall with more than 50,000 and a third structure accommodating more than 3,000 people. Hundreds were watching on television screens scattered around the sprawling Calvary campus. Pastor Satish Kumar preaches all five services with the las one ending at 8:00 pm.
<Pastor Kumar>
“I have been given the grace to pastor this church which practices the word of God which is beyond my dream and imagination.”
Calvary temple started in 2005 with about two- dozen people; well today, it holds more than 300,000 members, making it this nation’s biggest church and one of the largest in the world. They have eleven satellite churches with plans of more nation-wide expansion.
<Pastor Kumar>
‘God has put a burden in my heart to establish 40 mega churches just like what you see here during the next 10 years.’
Pastor Kumar says, the church adds some 3,000 new believers which is a sign that the Lord is moving mightly across the country.
<Pastor Kumar>
“God’s hand is upon India, it’s time for India to reach the lost, not only within the country, across the globe.”
In addition, the church produces over 650 television programs each month in 17 of the country’s major languages broadcast on national television, millions more follow on social media
<Pastor Kumar>
“Not only within the nation, but in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Gulf countries.”
Preaching the pure word of God is what attracts people and practicing the Word of God is what keeps people within the church. That practical demonstration on full display here each Sunday.
Narayana Podhili works as a civil engineer during the week on Sunday he leads an army of 150 church volunteers who spend hours chopping, slicing and peeling and stirring; all to prepare free breakfast, lunch and dinner meals for 50,000 people.
<Narayana Podhili>
“We are committed to come here every Sunday at 3:34 am in the morning and we keep working till evening.”
Nagavalli Mendem has served in the calvary kitchen for seven years. She made a promise to God that if he healed her cancerous tumor she would serve the church in this capacity.
<Nagavalli Mendem>
“Because I made this promise to God; he healed me completely without surgery, he cleared the tumor in my chest. As a thanksgiving to him, I serve here at the Lord’s house.”
She and volunteers feed more than 200,000 people each month.
<Pastor Kumar.
“In India we say, service to mankind is service to God. So, that is what we try to practice We try to show God’s love in action in every possible way that we find.”
Calvary also has an on-campus hospital where members get free medical treatment on Sundays and medicines at reduced costs, people who come here are poor and cannot afford treatment.
Members also have access to church facilities to hold marriages and when a church member passes away, Calvary handles all funeral, burial and meal arrangements; again all for free.
Interviewer: “And one of the things you do is when somebody is having a birthday is you send them cake?”
<Pastor Kumar> “Yes,”
Interviewer: “that’s a lot of cakes for 350,000 people.”
<Pastor Kumar> “absolutely,”
In 2017, Calvary Temple created an access card system to follow up with members and their families
<Pastor Kumar>
“ I have thousands of people. How do I know who hasn’t shown up on Sunday? As I was praying, God put the idea of Access cards in my mind.”
Each member must swipe their card when attending one of the five Sunday church services.
<Chandraiah (church member)>
“If you don’t show up to church we get a call, they ask me why I didn’t come to church and after they find out they will pray for me. I’m happy when I receive that call; the fact that they care for us is really special and because of that we will surely come to the next service.
Pastor Kumar says that prayer has always been an integral part of their success. The church has held 40 days of Prayer and Fasting since 2005 drawing tens of thousands of young participants to stadiums around the country.
<Pastor Kumar>
“And during these 40 days of fasting for your prayers, I teach teach from Genesis to the Revelation, I try to explain every book. Hundreds and thousands of kids read the Bible.”
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