Big Life Kolkata visit 2025

Four of the team share their reflections: I discovered that the village that we visited yesterday did not have a name, as it was a relatively new settlement.  Names are a central part of our identity.  When someone asks who we are, we tend to give our name first.  So, not having a name implies a lack of identity.  In Isaiah 43 vs.1 we read that God has called us by name – he knows who we are, he sees our identity.  I was reminded of how God both sees me and also sees others individually and also those in the town with no name – they are not nameless to him, but loved by him. For me, India is a very new culture and context.   It was good to see the “entry strategy” for Biglife where they express God’s love in practical ways offering basic healthcare, and fun and games for people in the village.   In this and in walking around the village we prayed to meet people of peace (Luke 10) who welcomed us and were interested to hear our stories of faith and re...

Friday was our first full day in West Bengal, a state in the North-East of India with a population of over 100 million.  The day started with a "Three Thirds" team time where we looked back at first impressions, looked up by together considering Acts 1:1-11, and then looked forwards in terms of considering our practical response. Some of the first impressions were as follows:- 24/7 lived out faith, evident joy and celebration of believers, relationships before programmes and organisation, openness to have plans disrupted by the Lord, essential obedience and responding to the promptings of the Lord, and questions about the nature of church. More will be written by team members in the days ahead, but we wanted to put something out there.

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...