On 01 June 2025, twenty-three of us gathered in a small room in Kandrikagudem, Eluru. We had no idea who would come. We had no idea if anyone would come back. We just knew God had called us to plant a church — and so we planted.
We opened the Bible to Matthew 16, where Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" And Peter — impulsive, foot-in-mouth Peter — answers: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus says, "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
That's where we planted our flag. Not on a clever strategy. Not on a worship style. Not on a personality. On the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God — and that He, not us, is building His church.
Six months in, here's what we've learned:
1. G
od is faithful. Every single need — every rent payment, every microphone, every chair — has been met. Often through people we'd never met, often at the very last moment. We've stopped being surprised.
2. T
he Word works. We haven't tried to be clever. We've just opened the Bible and preached it. And God's Word has not returned empty. People have come to Christ. Marriages have been healed. Addictions have been broken. The Word works.
3. P
rayer is the work. Not a prelude to the work. Not a supplement to the work. The work itself. When we've prayed, God has moved. When we've strategised without praying, we've spun our wheels.
4. F
amily is the witness. People are watching how we love each other. The neighbour who noticed our parking chaos and asked what we were. The shopkeeper who saw us praying before our planning meeting. The gospel is being preached — sometimes with words, always with the way we live together.
We don't know what the next year holds. But we know who holds it. And we're grateful — beyond words — for everyone who has prayed, given, served, and walked with us so far. To God be the glory.
About the author
Senior Pastor
Sr. Pastor J. Mahima Swaroopa serves as one of the Senior Pastors at New Covenant Church, Eluru. He preaches regularly on Sundays and provides spiritual oversight, vision direction, and pastoral care for the congregation.
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