The Lakewood Church of Christ believes that the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 is not just a command but an opportunity to show God's love and make an eternal difference in our world. Lakewood's involvement with India began in 1974 with the support of a single indigenous worker in Bhimavaram, a small city on the southeast coast. In the years since then, the work has grown dramatically to include a range of ministries and humanitarian efforts.

• India's Child / School (Boarding school for children from rural areas)
• India Harvest (Newsletter and other resources for local preachers)
• Coastal Bible College (training students interested in full time ministry)
• Browning Junior College (2-year vocational training for students from tribal areas which enables them to be self-supporting)
• Eternal Threads (Providing an opportunity for women to produce and sell handmade goods to earn a living and send their children to school)

India Mission Overview

Samuel Medidi started the work in Bhimavaram serving as a translator in 1972. The congregation in Bhimavaram was founded in 1974 with the assistance of Don Browning (formerly the minister at Lakewood, now in Dallas, TX) and other members at Lakewood (Blumes, etc.).

Samuels' wife Joshi founded the Church of Christ school in 1984 and Linda Egle initiated the India's Child ministry 4 years later with the goal of helping the school grow by providing financial support to students and faculty. Currently, this ministry is being overseen by Samuel's daughter, Kezia, and has grown to include approximately 66 students and 20 staff.

In 1996 Don Browning raised funds to start a new Junior College to provide vocational training for graduates from the Church of Christ School and other interested individuals. The College is overseen by Kezia's husband, Sudahakar. The Coastal Bible College was started in 1999 to provide ministry training.

Currently the Bhimavaram work is managed by Samuel's son Johnson. He is looking to expand the ministry and spread the gospel into various tribal areas by training preachers and establishing new congregations. He is extremely well connected both politically and socially with a solid American education and training.