The GM News.com, Malayalam Christian Online Daily.

(Thomas Idiculla, Ph. D is Director of Mental Health Services Evaluation Dept at McLean Hospital in Boston, MA. He is also currently Curriculum Development Director for the Sunday Schools of the North American Keralites (SSNAK). He has spoken at conferences, youth/family and Sunday school teacher seminars in the US, UK, and India. As a Clinician and Researcher, he understands well the challenging issues facing adolescents, couples, and parents, and knows that a balanced life is possible only if it is based on the word of God. Idiculla and his wife, Suja, are the parents of four children, Miriam, Stephen, Jeremy and Aaron. Dr. Idiculla can be contacted at tidiculla@indiagospel.net )

Sam Kannampally, Ph.D - The Indian Pentecostal Community: The Past and the Present More »

The primary goal of this book is to help build a strong Christian community of Asian Indians in North America. It is based on the principle that Godly experiences and visions of committed Christians transcend cultural and other boundaries. The book contains contributions from authors in diverse fields all of whom share the same biblical values. Their articles are focused on equipping pastors, youth leaders, and families to build a generation of mature believers for the kingdom of God.

This chapter presents a framework for understanding the struggles faced by first and second generation Indian Christian immigrants by first examining the socio-cultural context of American society. Second, some thoughts of Indian youths are analyzed based on the results of a youth survey. Third, a review of the major concerns of parents in raising their children is considered. This is followed by a biblical perspective on the reason for our struggles, survival and victory -- that we are strangers in this foreign land. Finally, this chapter presents an overview of each of the subsequent chapters in this book.

We are living in one of the most civilized countries in the world. Yet our children do not have a safe environment here. Increasingly, teenagers are victims of abuse, discrimination, gang violence, AIDS, and suicide. Christian values have been removed from the school system, family life, and the mainstream of society. Children are being persuaded, intimidated and coerced to accept post-modern, materialistic, and humanistic philosophies and cultures that have failed in the past and do not offer any new answers for the future. As a result, children grow up with little idea of right and wrong. They live in a society that has grown coarse and desensitized to the value of human life and basic civility. How has it come to this? It begins with an ideology that questions the biblical truth of obedience to God, parents, and authorities. Emphases on personal discipline, fear of God, and respect for parents and authorities are considered too extreme for developing kids. It is reasoned that behaviorally and culturally, children are incapable of self-control.

Though Indian children are not afflicted on as large a scale as the general population, there are exceptions. During my discussions with Indian teenagers in New York and Boston I have observed the negative effects of peer pressure. Although early adolescence has long been characterized as a time of uncertainty, changing social mores and values and the liberal education system have added to the confusion. Activities that were once found among worldly people -- drinking, premarital sex, drugs, and suicide -- now tempt our children as well.

Consider the results of a teenage survey conducted in 1995 (see Appendix A, Tables 1-11). This survey was undertaken to discern what Indian Pentecostal teens think about their spiritual and social experiences, standards and practices. It was conducted with the assumption that reliable, up-to-date data is needed by pastors, youth leaders, and counselors if they are to minister effectively to today’s youth.1 Data were collected from 182 youth which includes participants of the Pentecostal Conference of North American Keralites, the annual camp meeting of Pentecostal Youth Fellowship of America, New York, and youth attending Indian Pentecostal Churches in major US cities.1

Table 1 indicates that those surveyed attended church activities with a high degree of regularity. Two-third of the teens stated they are satisfied with various church activities.

Local Church	Yes	No
Attend Indian/Keralite Church	86%	14%*
Satisfied with church environment	67%	33%
Actively participate in church activities	78%	22%
Attend Sunday School regularly	86%	14%

Even though the teens expressed their satisfaction with the church activities, 33 percentage of the young people said they were dissatisfied with church environment. The reasons for their dissatisfaction include:

Seminars and discussions amongst Indian Christians regarding spiritual and cultural issues frequently blame the second generation for every sort of excess. The second generation has been considered immature and unready to take on spiritual responsibilities. Indian Christian youth are largely invisible in planning and leadership activities of the church. Yet first and second generation immigrant youth are the fastest growing segment of the Indian Pentecostal Community in the United States.

Table 2 indicates that majority of the Indian teens feel content with their families. However, 42 percent of the teenagers had problems with their parents. They felt that their parents were overly concerned about them and the parents did not trust them. Two-third of the teens never shared personal problems with their parents.

Parent-Child Relationship	Yes	Sometimes	No
Satisfied with family environment	64%	7%	29%
Parents help in difficult situations	42%	36%	22%
Parents encourage practicing their cultural values	63%	35%	2%
Daily family prayer	75%	-	25%
Parent-child conflict	42%	-	58%

Many Indian parents do know their kids are in danger. They know that drugs, amoral education, youth suicide, crime, and homosexuality are all taking their toll, but they may not comprehend what has gone wrong or know what to do about it. If our kids do not get proper guidance, leadership, and spiritual support, they will not become whole, balanced adults. Instead, they will become victims of a New World disorder.

The overwhelming majority of Indian parents across the United States believe that raising children today is harder than it was for their own parents, and their biggest worry for their children today is “School/College.”2 Yet, when asked to name what they consider the “biggest single negative influence on your child,” rather than violence, drugs, or economic problems, the greatest number of parents - 41 percent - pointed to “peer pressure,” (see Appendix A, Tables 11-17).

The ultimate goal of this book is to awaken Indian immigrants, particularly Pentecostal Christians in Canada and the United States, that we are aliens and strangers in this world (1 Peter 2:11). We know that we are set apart from this world to God and to proclaim the gospel of salvation to his glory and praise. Our new status in Christ sets us apart from the people of this world, we have become aliens in this world. We now live in a country to which we do not belong and our true citizenship is with Christ in heaven (Hebrews 11:9). Because we are foreigners on this earth we must abstain from the world’s evil pleasures that seek to destroy our souls. We hold the goods of this world loosely, as things which have no lasting value since they are of no consequence in the city to which you belong. Thus we do not value the things the world lusts after, which only lead to sin -- the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and boastful pride of life.

America is not our home. Yes, we are pilgrims, wanderers, and strangers in this foreign land. The Bible says that Abraham stood in the Promised Land and said, “I am a stranger and an alien residing among you” (Genesis 23.4). By this he confessed that he sought another homeland. When we look up to heaven we will get a glimpse of that far off place. We are now brought near by faith, allowed to try out the new home ahead of time as it were, in which the curse has been repealed, sorrow is gone, neither sin nor temptation enter in, and fellowship with the brethren and with Christ is satisfying and sweet.

In his account of the Pilgrims’ way of life, William Bradford, Governor of the first Pilgrim plantation and community in Plymouth, Massachusetts, wrote: “They knew that they were pilgrims and strangers here below, and looked not much on these things, but lifted their eyes up to Heaven, their dearest country, where God has prepared for them a city.”3 Unlike modern Christians, the Pilgrims had everything going against them from an earthly standpoint. Landing at Plymouth in the winter of 1620, the Pilgrims endured hunger and deprivation; half of them died. Who would have thought their struggling colony would ever survive? Yet against all odds the Pilgrims had one thing that really mattered: an unswerving conviction that their real home and citizenship were in heaven, where, as the Book of Hebrews puts it, God has prepared for them a city with foundations. That was their focus, their hope, and their motivation. When the Pilgrims gathered with Native Americans after that first harvest of 1621, they were not simply expressing gratitude to God for material blessings. No, by lifting “up their eyes to Heaven,” the Pilgrims were reaffirming a worldview that acknowledged the transient nature of life. They were confirming their status as pilgrims in a strange land.

The Puritans also began their journey of life with a similar comprehensive worldview. They believed that God had created society as a unified whole: the church and the state, the private and the public, the secular and the sacred. As a result, the Puritans were concerned with building an entire culture that would glorify God. They also knew that the task of culture building requires long-term commitment. So they focused on nurturing godly families through whom their worldview would be shared through the generations. Consider Jonathan Edwards, the Congregational pastor, scholar, and leader of the First Great Awakening. Elisabeth Dodds, in her book about Jonathan Edwards entitled, Marriage to a Difficult Man, describes the remarkable legacy that he and his wife Sarah left to American society.4 The Edwardses reared 11 children, and by 1900 the family had 1,400 descendants.

Like the Pilgrims and Puritans, we need to embrace a comprehensive Christian worldview that is not built on the fleeting but on the eternal. We need to put a high priority on nurturing godly families. We ought to challenge our children to pursue callings that deeply influence the culture -- all for the glory of God. As Christian parents we need to make sure we are passing on our Christian beliefs and heritage to our children. Modern America used to resemble Jerusalem, but it is becoming increasingly like Athens. Why is it that with so many Christians we have so little impact? Why cannot culture, American, Indian, or any other, provide an inviolable basis for protecting our families and churches? Unless we owe our allegiance to God, we cannot stand against moral degradation and tyranny.

The book is divided into three main sections. The first section, Chapter 2, focuses on the growth of the Indian Pentecostal community and its churches in North America. The second section, Chapters 3 through 8, contains articles on issues relevant to Indian families, with a special emphasis on youth. This includes discussions on issues such as the parent-child relationship, and spiritual and cultural conflicts of the second generation. The final section, Chapters 9 through 13, contains articles focused on ministry and leadership.

The second chapter, “The Indian Pentecostal Community: the Past and the Present” by Dr. Sam Mathew provides a detailed account of the growth of Indian Pentecostal churches and para-church organizations in the US and Canada. Recent survey results on the number of Indian Pentecostal churches by state and year are included in this chapter. The author contends that Pentecostals are the fastest growing group among Indian immigrants, although it is difficult to substantiate the claim.

The third chapter, titled “The First Generation: Struggles and Survival” by Dr. Samuel Mathai, contends that God in His sovereignty has brought the Indian Pentecostals to America. Although some may see this as a consequence of mere economic opportunity, the author feels differently. He believes it is through divine appointment that they are here for the purpose of worshipping and serving God. The first generation of Keralites faces several struggles for survival -- spiritual, social, cultural, familial, and linguistic. But the two challenges that this author would like to emphasize are: one, the process of acculturation into American culture, and two, the challenge of living in harmony with their second generation children who are being enculturated into this society. The solution is neither a complete resistance to the new (dominant) culture and full embracing of their own from India, or a disdain of personal culture and full acceptance of the dominant culture. Instead, it is important to adopt a balanced, biblical view of culture that will help Indian families to live harmoniously in spite of the new cultural demands and generational conflicts.

Chapter four, “The Second Generation: Spiritual and Cultural Conflicts” by Ashish Raichur, argues that as the number of Indian immigrants continues to grow, the second generation increasingly encounters a pervasive tension between the native values encouraged by their parents and the views expressed in their immediate world. This article focuses on two very important realms of conflict -- the spiritual and the cultural. Spiritual issues such as alternate beliefs, the Americanized gospel, the godless religion and the ‘do your own thing’ lifestyle are addressed. Also considered are cultural and social issues such as the pressure of the “in crowd,” dating, and marriage. Finally a prophetic word is presented on the strategic role and future of the second generation in God’s agenda.

In chapter five, “The Second Generation: Struggles and Survival” Dr. C. Thomas Luiskutty gives a second perspective on the struggles faced by the second generation of Indian Pentecostals living in North America. The survival of the community depends on how well these issues are addressed by its people. Spiritual values are of eternal significance and cannot be compromised; values originating from cultural background, although very important to certain segments of the community, may have to be adapted. Identification and prioritization of values, communication among the various elements of the community, and determination to follow biblical commands with the guidance of the Holy Spirit will assist the youth in their endeavor to minimize their struggles.

Chapter six, “Youth in Transition” by Sam Ninan, argues that there needs to be a distinction between ages, cultures, backgrounds, and preferences of second generation Indians who came to America, American-born Indians and Indian-born Naturalized Americans. Each group views themselves differently. Cultural factors such as Indian churches, associations, and youth groups play a vital role in addressing the post-modern morality of relativism, tolerance and secularism. The challenges to living a successful Christian life are numerous, whether in high school, college, or in the work world. The second generation will also see their influence grow in the secular world, especially in politics. Understanding this transition requires some foundational biblical values, facing the truth about issues of importance such as racism and marriage, and maintaining fellowship groups at all levels of life.

In chapter seven, “Stresses Facing Indian Families: Role of biblical Counseling,” Dr. George Kurian indicates that the Indian community is presently at the threshold of a cultural transition, the impact of which is most keenly felt at the level of the traditional family unit. Within the context of such a rapidly changing society, there are many potential threats to the stability of traditional family systems and inter-personal relationships. This article addresses four such areas of major conflicts relevant to the Indian community: identity conflict, managing losses, parent-child relationships, and the attitude toward mental health. Given the apparent lack of effective support systems within the Indian community, the article presents Christian professional counseling as a viable tool toward building strong families within the Indian Community.

The eighth chapter, “Christian Parenting in America: An Immigrant’s Perspective” by Dr. John Wessly, contends that the greatest challenge Indian Immigrants from strong Christian backgrounds face in the United States is uninformed parenting. Indian parents fail to realize that our children are subject to extremely liberal views from the school system, media, and their peers. He shares his own experiences in raising children in the United States. He believes that the first and foremost factor in bringing up children as Christians is a prayerful life.

The ninth chapter, “Ministering to Young People of Indian Origin” by Dr. Thomson K. Mathew, begins with a sociological description of the Indian immigrant youth. Youth ministry is examined from a pastoral perspective, giving special attention to the importance of young people’s faith development. The significance of training in evangelism as a part of youth ministry is emphasized. The chapter concludes with a look at youth ministry as disciple- making.

Chapter ten, “Multicultural Ministry: A Challenge to the Indian Christian Community” by Rev. Stephen Samuel, presents biblical and theological support for multicultural ministry through a survey of pertinent Old and New Testament passages of Scripture. Having presented Scriptural evidence that multicultural ministry is God’s continuing intention for the contemporary church, the author emphasizes that for members of the Indian Christian Community, being Christian is more important than being Indian, although Indian culture must be considered a tool of outreach in the hands of a Sovereign God. The author offers two elements that facilitate effectiveness in multicultural ministry: biblical preaching that speaks to universal needs, and selective learning and adaptation from the dominant culture.

In the eleventh chapter, “Discipleship and Leadership in Indian Pentecostal Churches” Dr. John Daniel discusses issues regarding leadership and discipleship in the Indian Pentecostal community living in North America. The lack of properly trained leadership and the apathy of laity in Christian ministry are two real issues facing the community. These problems need to be addressed properly. Understanding the meaning of discipleship is the first step in this direction. The leadership needs to be trained to lead the community with an understanding of the society they live in. The laity need to be trained to become effective disciple-makers.

Chapter twelve, “Praise and Worship in the Indian Pentecostal Community” by Philip Thomas, provides an introduction to various aspects of praise and worship primarily through music and song amongst churches in the Indian community. The goal of the chapter is to provide information for church and youth leaders to establish and build up a strong worship ministry in their own church. Some specific guidelines for multi-cultural ministry are also presented. A more detailed examination of this subject by the same author can be found in the publication, The Time Has Now Come.

Chapter thirteen, “A Call for Unity and Love” by Dr. Tom John presents the view that unity and love are two pivotal words in the Christian context to express the essence of Christianity. Love is the foundation of Christianity, while unity is the wall that guards against deterioration or disintegration. Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross reconciled man to God, consequently establishing unity and love between them. Therefore, all Christians must strive to know the essence of love as described in the Scriptures and follow them to bring unity and love among them. Nothing less than the same precept governs the achievement of unity and love within the Indian Christian Community in the United States of America.

The major purpose of this book is to discuss what is known about the first and second generation Indians and to identify issues that warrant further examination. Several themes emerge from the forthcoming chapters, including the value of looking at immigrant children in the context of their families; the importance of understanding future concerns in the area of parent-child relationship, marriage, worship, and leadership. Although the individual would appear to be the most logical area in which change can take place, the family and church are seen as components in which change is not only feasible but potentially have great significance in the improved adaptive functioning of our youths who are in transition.

The degree of benefit of this book depends largely on the extent to which the reader willingly reappraises his ministry with youths and adjusts that ministry in light of the experiences and recommendations contained herein. The hope is that this book will help identify some of the most important issues faced by the Indian Pentecostal community, offer constructive recommendations to bridge the gap between the first and second generations, and equip pastors and youth leaders for effective ministry.

The Pentecostal movement is one of the most rapidly growing religious movements in the world.1 It is the largest and most important religious movement that originated in the United States.2 Beginning in 1901 with a handful of students in a Bible school in Topeka, Kansas, the number of Pentecostals has increased exponentially through the world. By 1995 they had become the largest family of Protestants in the world.3 This explosive growth has forced the world to pay increasing attention to the entire movement.

The first “Pentecostals” in the modern sense were Charles Fox Parham of Topeka, Kansas, and his Bible school students. Historians agree the movement began during the first days of 1901, just as the world entered the Twentieth Century. The first person to be baptized in the Holy Spirit accompanied with speaking in tongues was Agnes Ozman, one of Parham’s Bible school students, who spoke in tongues on the very first day of the new century, January 1, 1901.

It was not until 1906, however, that Pentecostalism achieved worldwide attention through the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, California, led by the African American preacher William Joseph Seymour. From there Pentecostalism spread rapidly around the world becoming a major force in modern Christianity.

The Pentecostal movement came to India in the early 20th century. The revival that took place within the Mukthi Mission in Pune in June 1905 is considered to be the beginning of Pentecostalism in India.4 The organized, and structured growth of the Pentecostal movement in India was through a number of foreign missionaries. Several men of God who were baptized in the Holy Spirit at the Azusa Street revival came to India as Pentecostal missionaries. A. G. Gar, Thomas Barret and George Berg were prominent among them.

George Berg is the first missionary who came to Kerala (in 1909) with the message of Pentecostalism. In 1913 Pastor Robert F. Cook came to India as a missionary. He came to Kerala and began his ministry there in 1914. By 1923 Pastor Cook had established 36 churches in Kerala, known collectively as the South India Full Gospel Church. Pastor K. E. Abraham, who was associated with Pastor Cook until 1930, was baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1923, an event considered as the foundation for the establishment of the India Pentecostal Church of God. In 1930 Pastor K.E Abraham, believing that local Indian churches must be independent from foreign organizations for effective evangelization within India, split from Pastor Cook and formed the South India Pentecostal Church of God. He later changed the name of the church to India Pentecostal Church of God.

In addition to work begun by Pastor K. E. Abraham, Pentecostalism grew rapidly in Kerala through the ministries of the Church of God (Cleveland), and the Assemblies of God.

Pentecostal groups continue to grow in India, especially in the four South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. The India Pentecostal Church (IPC)

It is the largest and the fastest growing Pentecostal group in India. They now have about 2,000 local churches throughout India, with 1,000 in Kerala alone.

There are approximately 800 Church of God (Cleveland) churches in India, with 300 in Kerala.

America is a land of immigrants. The United States Immigration and Nationality act of 1965 is one of the most important laws enacted by the US Congress in the last 50 years. This resulted in a fundamental change in the cultural and religious environment in the US.

Indian Pentecostals have been in the United States for more than four decade now. The first direct contact to the United States took place in 1947 when Pastors A. C. Samuel and C. Kunjummen of the Assemblies of God came to the US.5 In January 1948, Pastor P. J. Thomas came to Wheaton College in Chicago for graduate studies. Later, in May of the same year, Pastors K. E. Abraham and K. C. Cherian arrived in the US during their third missionary trip to the West.6 Pastor P. J. Thomas returned to India in 1952. It is reported that anywhere between 300 and 400 young men came to study in American Bible schools because of him.7

Nearly all of the Indian Pentecostals who reached North America in the early 1960s came as students in Bible schools. With the signing of the Immigration Act of 1965 by President John F. Kennedy, it became possible for professionals to immigrate in search of jobs. Nurses from India gained entry into US in the 1970s and early 1980s through the category of ‘members of professionals’. The Keralite Christian community in Dallas grew from 75 to 620 in the six-year period from 1973-78. Nurses accounted for half the employed adults in the community.8

A major shift took place in immigration patterns during the late 1980s when the majority of immigrants arrived using the family unification provision in the law rather than through employment. Of the more than 45,000 persons of Indian origin admitted to the United States in 1991, more than 35,000 were sponsored by members of their families who were either permanent residents or citizens of the US.9

Pentecostals are allegedly the fastest growing religious group among Indian immigrants in North America. They are reported to be among the best-educated and most wealthy members of the Indian Christian community in America. In a 1993 survey, conducted by Professor Williams, about thirty six percent of the Indian Pentecostals hold graduate degrees and another 30 percent have a college degree.10 Five of the eight people in the total survey who reported family income above 250,000 are Pentecostals.

As Indian Christians, particularly Pentecostals, began increasing in number, prayer meetings were begun amongst them. The first such meeting was started in October 1967 by the late Pastor C. M. Varughese at the Nurses Cottage Auditorium in Newark, New Jersey. About 40 people attended those meetings that continued until 1970.

In the meantime, Indian Pentecostals in New York City desired to establish an Indian church of their own, a place of common identity and style. On February 8, 1968, India Christian Assembly, the first Indian Pentecostal church in the United States, was formed in New York. Rev. Achoy Mathews was the first pastor. They organized their first convention (mass meeting) in 1968 with Rev. K. E. Abraham and Rev. George Varghese.11

Currently there are about 42 Indian Pentecostal churches in New York with a combined membership of about 5,000 people, the largest number of Indian Pentecostals in the United States. This is followed by Texas with about 3,000 people in the cities of Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. At present, the largest Indian Pentecostal congregation in North America is the IPC Hebron church in Dallas, Texas.

The first Indian Pentecostal church in New Jersey was begun in 1971. The first one in Philadelphia was in 1974.

There have been Indian Pentecostal fellowships in Boston (Massachusetts) since 1981. Connecticut has two Indian Pentecostal churches, one in Danbury and the other in Bridgeport.

International Pentecostal Assembly, established in 1972, was the first Indian Pentecostal church in Illinois. Currently there are eight churches and about 500 believers in the Chicago area. Michigan has had Indian Pentecostal fellowships since 1974. About 100 families living in Pontiac and the adjoining suburbs of Detroit currently worship in eight different Indian Pentecostal churches.

There are only a few Indian Pentecostal churches in the western states of the United States. There is one fellowship in Colorado. Although there are about 50 Pentecostal families of Indian origin in Seattle, Washington, half of them attend local non-Indian churches. Three churches have been established there in recent years. Of the six churches in California, three of them are in Los Angeles and the others are in San Jose.

The first church in Oklahoma began in Oklahoma City in 1971. Currently there are 13 churches in Oklahoma State. Tennessee has 4 Indian Pentecostal churches. There are 3 churches in Atlanta, Georgia, and one each in North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D. C.

Indian Pentecostal churches in Florida are mainly in the Miami-Hollywood area and in the central Florida cities of Orlando and Lakeland. The first such fellowship began in 1977. Currently there are several churches and about 175 families attending these churches.

Table 2 shows the estimated number of Indian Pentecostals in various states in the U.S.

These numbers are based on available membership rolls for Indian Pentecostal churches in these states. This does not include New Testament Church members and Indian Pentecostals who attend non-Indian churches.