According to an August 2022 article from the Burmese American Community Institute, there are approximately 317,000 Burmese currently living in the United States: 40,000 in Indiana; 27,000 in Indianapolis (one of the largest Burmese populations in our nation); 10,000 in Fort Wayne; and others living in South Bend, Logansport, and Bloomington. Southern Baptists have recognized that these people represent a large mission field in our country (many of them are Buddhist), and we now have 128 Burmese churches in the United States. These churches also fellowship with the Myanmar Churches Network, as part of our Southern Baptist Asian Leadership Team.
In the Indianapolis area, we now have five of these churches which are part of the Crossroads Baptist Association. Calvary Zomi Baptist Church averages 400 in worship attendance, 150 in Sunday School, and has been able to purchase a new building for their growing congregation (see pictures).
Calvary Zomi Baptist Church will host our SCBI Burmese Children’s and Youth Sunday School Teacher Training event on Saturday, September 24, 9:00 AM-3:15 PM, led by the staff of Hope Community Church (Brownsburg), featuring workshops by Jim and Sarah Bohrer, Tara Bryan, and Mac Zambrano. The cost of the event is free. For more information, contact Pastor Moses Thang at 317-374-7050 or thangno2002@gmail.com.
Falam Christian Church, under the leadership of Pastor Hre Mang, has a commitment to reach all people with the Gospel in our State, as well as around the world. This year their church has taken short-term mission trips to Panama and Egypt (see pictures ). In addition, they have used NAMB’s Multiplication Pipeline to develop disciples, leaders, and potential church planters/missionaries; this excellent curriculum is available for free to Southern Baptist churches at https://www.namb.net/send-network/pipeline/.
Falam Christian Church is also the sending church for our newest SCBI Burmese church plant, Indiana Disciples Church, under the leadership of Planter Zozum Kuihon. They meet at Southwood Baptist Church in Beech Grove, and they are very grateful for the support of these partner churches.
Last May these Burmese churches had a Youth Camp at Highland Lakes Baptist Camp, with approximately 50 in attendance. The program featured speakers from NAMB and IMB. During the week, seven youth made first-time decisions for Christ, and three of them were baptized!
Please continue to pray for our Burmese work in Indiana, and in our nation. For more information about SCBI’s ministries with our Burmese and other ethnic congregations, contact jhorn@scbi.org. We are committed to reaching all peoples in our State with the Gospel, and to partnering with our churches to discover and fulfill their next step!