Arcot Lutheran Church and Their Amazing Ministry

One of the goals that the Northern Illinois Synod (NIS) brought to Chennai is to form a mutually beneficial relationship with one of the churches of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI). So, we have been talking with Bishop Gideon, of Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC), a part of the UELCI that does most of its ministry about three to four hours from the city.

The five members of the NIS delegation had the awesome opportunity to see some of ALC’s ministry today. I think I can speak for the entire group and say that we were impressed with their work and touched by their love.

The first place we visited was a boarding school for children whose parents are in the big cities (Chennai, Bombay, Bangalore, Delhi, etc.) earning their living. There are two modest dorms, a boys’ and a girls’, as well as a kitchen, a playground, and a school for children in grades one through five. Older children go to different schools run by ALC, one of which we visited next.

It was a girls’ school, with a total of over 600 students attending classes through twelfth grade (and learning English from third). Some of the girls live in dorms at the school, while others come from outside each day. The campus was impressive, but not as impressive as the headmistress, a middle-aged woman whose life is completely devoted to “her” 600 children. With her as a guide, we saw the classrooms, the dining hall, and the dormitories that make up the large campus. We also saw many of those 600 girls, who were all smiles while they ran up to us to ask, “How are you?” and “What is your name?” We told them, and then we hurried on to the next site.

The third stop was a bit different – an eye hospital. Here, they both test and operate on eyes at no cost to the patient. I’m not sure where the money for testing and operations comes from, but the eye hospital is thriving. It is well-organized and well-managed, and, because of this, the two doctors who work here are able to perform at least 100 operations each week between them. We could not stay long, nor chat with too many people (they were too busy), but we left with a great impression and one more place to see.

The last stop was a home for destitute women. It was at this point that I was forced to part from the group in order to catch my night train back to Aluva. This was a bummer, as I would have really liked to see more of the ministry that ALC is doing in its communities. But even with days to spare, we wouldn’t have been able to cover it all; ALC is involved in countless ministries throughout Tamil Nadu. Just counting their schools, we reach over 100.

So, today, we saw just a small sample, but we witnessed a great ministry – one that impressed us greatly and touched us deeply, one that we - as a synod as as individuals in that synod - will be proud to be a part of in the days, months, and years to come.