Simply The Story

The God's Story Project -India
Data collected during first year after
graduation from Timothy Church
Planter Training (TCPT)
in South India

ALL Graduates are Illiterate!

TCPT has the same workshop content as Simply The Story (STS) except these illiterate graduates, one per village, receive a solar-powered audio-player formatted with God's Story, 85 added story-told Bible stories and a New Testament, all in their mother tongue. (We call these players “WordLights.”)

Statistics below cover the first 50 TCPT graduates who received players in their mother tongue. During a one month period, four workshops were held in different locations. At each workshop many villages were represented by an average of three attendees per village.

“Before” TCPT Workshop

Average Length of Time in Ministry: 2.67 years

Number of Salvations Since Beginning of Ministry: 815

Number of Churches Planted Since Beginning of Ministry: 22

Number of Stories Learned by Heart at Training: 10 per person

“After” TCPT Workshop

Not included in the above statistics is the impact on the lives and ministries of the literates and illiterates who attended those four TCPT workshops, but who did not receive a WordLight. Nor seen above is the quantity of people led to Jesus by those saved during this one-year period. Reports from other workshops done in India among literates, semi-literates and illiterates show that they too see a huge jump in salvations and growth from the stories learned and skills gained from this training. Urban and village, ex-pates and nationals send similar responses.
TGSP / PO Box 187 / Hemet, CA 92546 / 951-658-1619 / www.SimplyTheStory.com / www.TGSP.org

Timothy Church Planter Training

How Data is Gathered
Motivated people, who have attended an STS workshop, volunteer to gather illiterates from various villages to take part in a 3-day TCPT workshop. These unpaid, volunteer organizers (mostly local pastors) also act as registrars. (Data on reverse side was collected by 4 registrars, one each for 4 workshops held in July-August 07.)

After a workshop, registrars interviewed and collected data from 12 to 14 graduates who received a WordLight. Each graduate represented a different village. These one-page profile reports established the “before” of these church planters' effectiveness. Later, each graduate was interviewed at one month, three months, six months and one year after TCPT education. The usage of the solar WordLight and impact of TCPT skills on their ministries was monitored in 19 categories. This data went to our country director and to The God's Story Project headquarters. Gathering this information was a daunting task for registrars, but they saw the importance of documentation. One registrar told us, “This is the hardest work I've ever done!”

Besides the statistics, the registrars collected testimonies from graduates and from those impacted by the stories.
Due to the sensitive location of these workshops, the names of the graduates, villages and language are not distributed in printed or electronic form. Upon request, a summary of the results can be obtained. All of the individual reports and spread sheets containing this comprehensive study may be viewed at TGSP headquarters.

After one year, the TGSP Director who led these workshops went back to visit in person these graduates he had trained. “They ran to me with joy. All wanted to tell me what had happened. Then we had a meeting. I told one STS story. Then they told Bible stories and asked the questions. They taught me! Oh it was a blessed time.”

Testimonies
Evangelism--Church Planting-Discipleship
(A few of the hundreds of testimonies gathered)
“…played WordLight at muslim mosque 12 people came to the Lord and now 35 people are gathering to worship the creator God."

“X is a housewife. She learned 10 stories whenever she get time She tells Bible Stories to others, many ladies came to the Lord through her testimony. Our Lord Jesus use every person to tell about him.”

“There was a big opposition to enter the village called X, one lady name X visited our house to sale milk. we shared about Jesus, She accepted Jesus and welcomed us to enter her village. Please pray for this village.”

“One Hindu teacher name X attended our prayer fellowship and learned that Jesus can heal a person like leper, later She came to the Lord, she was seeking to know true God Since 40 years. The Lord is doing miracle after miracle after miracle in these 8 villages through using Bible stories.”

“Joshua was backsliden believer, He recommitted his life to Christ again through hearing the story of Prodigal son. Now He shars about Jesus to others.”

“There are many nominal Christians live in X. People do not have proper Bible knowledge. T.C.P.T. helped them to learn more stories from the bible. Now they started to learn now the Bible. Bro. X himself (the TCPT graduate) was a nominal Christian. Through T.C.P.T. he recommitted to the Lord.”

One Hindu women who had High fever. She shared that God healed her while she was learning the Story of Blind man, After God heald her. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Personal Saviour. Christ Jesus helped them to start 5 more churches through using STS method.”

“X People were worshiping X, They always oppose the Gospel, but one day they had fighting between low and high caste, we use this opportunity to share about Jesus. They (6) received Jesus and started to worship Him rather than X. Now worship Service is going on this village. Please pray for all the believers. We thank God for X's witness to 6 high caste family, through them many are coming to Christ.”

“T.C.P.T.workshop helped Bro. X to Plant 2 churches. Many people witnessed that Bible stories helped us to understand the plan of God towards men…”
Should we be surprised at these stats of 100-fold multiplication (50 graduates to 5,372 salvations) even the first 6 months? No! Folks, this is God's Word-in an understandable form! “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11