his mother prayed and committed the
fruit of her womb to God’s service. Un-
able to conceive a baby after seven years
of marriage, she cried out to the Lord for
a miracle. He answered her prayer, only to
be told that her newborn was not breath-
ing. She pleaded with God for her son’s
life. Soon after, a nurse noticed Lawrance
John’s finger move on the table where his
lifeless body had been placed after deliv-
ery. The astonished medical team quickly
attended to his needs, and he lived!
As a boy, his mother repeatedly told
Lawrance John that his life belonged to
God and he was to serve him. As a teen-
ager, however, he rejected that idea and
rebelled. At age 18, he became seriously
ill. Despite hospitalization, his malady
11
went undiagnosed. He struggled to find
hope. Then, a pastor visited him and
prayed for the Savior’s touch. A mirac-
ulous healing followed, and Lawrance
John’s life was forever transformed.
Before becoming a student at MBS,
he served on an ECC evangelism/church
planting team. His passion for those
without Christ fueled his efforts to share
the Gospel. After graduation, he mar-
ried Ranjitham and was blessed with a
daughter, Angel, and a son, Ranjith.
Since 1989, Lawrance John has
served fulltime with OMS’ ECC ministry.
He established 23 new churches from
1989-2010. But with the implementation
of the Train & Multiply strategy in 2010,
he and his team have now started 175
new worshiping groups. His team in-
cludes a small army of 78 ECC trainers,
as well as 240 pastoral workers (lay men
and women) who have been equipped
and mobilized. In recent years, Lawrance
John has also planted and pastored a
local church, which has grown to more
than 115 families. This tireless “father” of
a church planting movement continues
to pour himself out seven days a week
to reach lost people. He eats and sleeps
his passion to serve Jesus and obey the
Great Commission.
Recently, a large team of OMSers
celebrated the 75 th anniversary of the
Allahabad Bible Seminary (ABS). For
three days, we remembered the good-
ness of God and his many sacrificial
servants like Wesley and Betty Duewel,
who faithfully prayed and toiled at ABS
for years. The Lord has now raised up
sons and daughters of the soil who
are uniquely poised to continue equip-
ping and mobilizing new workers for
the harvest. ABS trains ministry leaders
from all over India, with 176 residential
students and 2,300 extension learners.
Since 2005, students and faculty, doing
weekend ministry, have planted 31 new
churches in and around Allahabad. The
legacy of harvest in India continues with
many more miracles waiting to happen!