A 70 Year Ministry in India
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Evangelical Literature Service in the beautiful and diverse nation of India, which is home to 1.39 billion people.
The work is continuing to grow and includes 23 bookstores, publishing, mobile ministry, outlets, and web sales.
How the Work Began
The ministry of ELS was founded by Donald David in 1946. He dedicated his life to the Lord at the age of 12, not knowing the challenges that lay ahead. At 14 he had a traumatic football accident which left him disabled for several years. During his recovery, Donald felt a calling to the book-selling ministry. Inspired by D.L. Moody’s work with the Moody Colportage Association which aimed to make affordable evangelical books available to everyone, Donald felt prompted by the Lord to do the same in India.
As he recuperated, Donald was able to undergo literature training through CLC in London. In 1954 he partnered with CLC UK, and the ministry began to grow significantly. Today, ELS has 23 centers across nine states in India: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Delhi, Dimapur, Secunderabad and Pondicherry. What originally started in a small rented room in India has blossomed under the guidance and faithfulness of the Lord into what we see today.
Country Facts
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74.3% of the population practice Hinduism
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23 Bookshops
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Joined the CLC ministry in 1954
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Over 170 books in print in various languages
Neil Wardrope
Neil is the CLC UK Missions Director.