Big Life Kolkata visit 2025

After a long and tiring journey, with a quick 45 minute turn-around in Dubai, the first team have now arrived in Kolkata.  We are excited to be here and for all that the Lords is going to do in us.  The plan is that different team members will contribute to the blog as we go, to share experiences and insights.

On Wednesday 15 th  February 2025 the first team head to Kolkata, via Dubai.   Then a week later as they leave the second team will arrive.   Please pray for safety in travel for all of the teams and that the time spent in India will be inspiring and also one in which lessons are learnt that can be applied here in Yorkshire. Disciple Making Movements (DMMs) have seen rapid growth over the past 50 years in Asia in particular.   Biglife is just one of many movements that share common Biblical principles.   The emphasis is that all of us are called as followers of Jesus to be disciple-makers, and as we make disciples then church is a byproduct as believers gather together.   Our hope is that the teams will be inspired by what they see in India.   In recent years we are beginning to see the same biblical principles worked out in the UK context and with the partnership between Biglife and YBA.   Our hope is that these teams will carry on that focus o...

One of the key emphases of Disciple Making Movements is that every follower of Jesus is called to be a disciple-maker.   It is not the job of the few, but of the many.   The people that the YBA team will meet in India are vegetable growers, company administrators, electricians and everyday people, yet with a deep conviction that they are not to be mere spectators of church, but rather active participators in the plans of God to build his church.   Jesus did not call superstars, or the theological elite of his day to follow him, but fishermen, tax collectors and those who might have excluded themselves.   Recognising that we are all disciple makers is the start, but then we need to be equipped with how to do this.   Jesus spent much of the final three years of his life doing just this, and equipping his followers.   When he ascended to heaven he left behind a few good disciples who went on to turn the world upside down. Our YBA team leaves for India next...

What is a Disciple Making Movement?  At its simplest it is  a rapid and exponential increase in disciples making disciples.  As people become disciples of Jesus then church is a natural by-product.  Biglife is just one of many such movements.  Some are traced back to the church in China that people thought might fade away when the missionaries were pushed out at the time of the cultural revolution.  However, ordinary people with just the Bible in their hands took the example and practice of Jesus in making disciples who went on to make other disciples and so the church has seen dramatic growth. Biglife has its roots in India where ordinary people have taken the example and teaching of Jesus to heart and acted upon it, and so the gospel has spread across the cities and from village to village.  People have been equipped to share their faith in simple ways and to from small groups based around the Bible, that encourage their growth. Jesus calls us all to...

In January 2025 two teams from Yorkshire will be heading to India as part of the year long Discipleship Pathway.  Over the course of their visit they will have an immersive experience in the Biglife Disciple Making Movement (DMM).  This movement is just over 21 years old and has seen significant growth since that its beginnings.  The experience should inspire hearts as the teams see and hear of what the Lord has done.  Then, it should inform minds as together the team reflect on the Biblical principles at work in India and consider how they can be applied in the UK context on their return. Please pray for the teams, that this will be an inspiring and transformative experience.