Lowry Adventist College in south India faces challenges due to overcrowding and deteriorating conditions in its old auditorium, where students and churchgoers gather for worship. Despite these challenges, the college and church community are dedicated to wholistic education, spiritual growth, and inclusivity, and they are seeking support to build a new church on campus through the 13th Sabbath Offering.
Imagine sitting in a church service where it was so hot that you notice the people around you fainting. This is the situation that Lowry Adventist College is trying to solve.
This 108-year-old school in south India has taken a wholistic approach to education.
“We have a daily session of prayers with them. We have counseling with them. We also study their family needs. And if there's someone who is sick in the house, we have special prayers for them. Most of the time, we study the Bible with them because they have a lot of questions about the scriptures. And so that is what we cater to.”
“Teachers are so helpful to discuss what we have to do in our lives, in a Christian life. They helped me so much to develop my character and everything else in an academic way.”
There are 2,156 students enrolled in Lowry Adventist College this year. The college has been using an old auditorium as their meeting place for almost 60 years. They hold prayer meetings, chapel, and Sabbath worship services here.
In this same building, Lowry Memorial English Church conducts their services. Students from a variety of religious backgrounds exercise leadership skills by participating in church programs.
“They don't know about Jesus; they don't know about the Adventist lifestyle or anything. But we don't push them away. We include them, and then we teach them. We show them the love of Jesus. And because of that, a lot of the students have had a positive experience at Lowry.”
“The reason why I chose this college is because it provides us the Sabbath off and at the same time, it is providing the spiritual growth that we need in our day-to-day lives.”
The students bring a lot of energy to everything they do, and it’s felt beyond the campus.
“Our church members are very passionate. They don't want to just limit themselves to the church. They want to do something outside the church, and they want to bring more souls into the church.”
“This college has helped me in my spiritual growth by involving me in activities such as Adventist Youth group and visiting people, like orphanages, praying for them, and bringing them knowledge about Christ.”
More than 650 people crowd into this space on Sabbath. Apart from being too small for all students to come together for worship, this old building is gradually deteriorating and posing risks to the students.
“And in the summer, it gets too hot, and our equipment fails to function sometimes. And we have students who fainted, and air conditioning systems and fan systems are not good enough because of the roof that we have—a tin roof that we have—and not just the heat. When it rains, it leaks, which damages our furniture, and we have mold and fungus growing around.”
“It is our prayer that we would like to have a dedicated church that will help our children learn and study the Word of God. Sing praises. They'll be drawn closer to the foot of the cross, and it is our desire that that church become a big blessing on this campus.”
Please pray for the students and faculty at Lowry Adventist College. This quarter, a portion of your 13th Sabbath Offering will help build them a new church on campus. Thank you for giving generously to provide them with this much-needed facility.
