Gospel for Asia

Gospel for Asia

Founded	1979
Founder	K. P. Yohannan
Type	Faith-based
Focus	Evangelism, Education, Healthcare, Disaster Relief
Location	Wills Point, Texas, USA
Area served	Asia, Africa
Metropolitan Bishop	K. P. Yohannan
Website	gfa.org

For other uses, see Gospel for Asia (disambiguation).

Gospel for Asia (now GFA World) is an independent Christian missionary and humanitarian organization, founded by K. P. Yohannan in 1979, focusing on residents of Asian countries and small parts of Africa. The organization is located about five miles southwest of Wills Point, a small community east of Dallas,Texas. It is affiliated with the Believers Eastern Church.

GFA World is present in India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Laos Thailand, and Rwanda.

History

In 1981, current president K.P Yohannan formed a branch of GFA World (known for over 40 years as Gospel for Asia) in his native Kerala, with an Indian headquarters being set up in Tiruvalla in 1983.

The organization has grown to support various humanitarian and spiritual programs as well as working with outside organizations, including local governments and the Believer's Eastern Church, which owns and operates hospitals, colleges and public and residential schools.

Programs

The goal of GFA focuses on the formation of missionaries native to the region they serve, with special emphasis on Asia. The organization has defined its primary mission field as being those people that live in the 10/40 Window, a rectangular region extending from West Africa to East Asia.

National missionaries

This is a team of national missionaries with their bicycles working in a remote region of Asia.

GFA's main focus is to train and equip national missionaries. Yohannan has stated that he does not limit "national missionaries" to formal nation-states, instead focusing on differences in culture and language to define nationalities. This approach might result in several specialized missionary groups within a single nation-state, from large cities and regions down to small tribes and villages. In 2018 GFA reported that they have over 16,000 missionaries and church planters in 10 Asian nations.

Church buildings, Bibles and gospel literature

Gospel for Asia raises funds for the building of simple Christian worship centers in small villages to educate new disciples as well as provide a visible meeting place for Christians. However, they have built several large cathedral type buildings in major cities. Examples are St. Thomas Believers Church Cathedral in Thiruvalla and another in an upscale neighborhood Hauz Khas. GFA states they distribute native-language bibles and evangelical Christian literature to the region.

Radio and television broadcasts

GFA produces the broadcast Radio in Asia, the Athmeeya Yathra (Spiritual Journey) radio programs and Athmeeyayathra Television's YouTube channel, which provides biblical video content.

Bible colleges

GFA states it has 56 bible colleges in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka with the purpose of training native missionaries with usage of their own dialects and cultures so that leaders could promote gospels. The program includes three years of instruction, including field instruction and experience.

GFA World Child Sponsorships

A class taken in the Bridge of Hope school

GFA World maintains a child sponsorship program for poor families in underserved communities, especially lower-caste families. The program offers education, physical and spiritual care, including healthcare training and vocational training for women. In its 2019 Special Report, GFA World had reported that there were 138,000 children enrolled throughout Asia in its child sponsorship program.

Clean Water Wells

GFA digs clean water bore wells in communities where water is scarce during parts or most of the year. These wells are built for long-term use near churches, bible colleges or Bridge of Hope centers, and each well is maintained by a local pastor. These wells provide free, clean water to individuals regardless of caste, class, social designation or religion. In its 2019 Special Report, GFA World reported 4,856 wells were drilled in communities needing clean water and 12,243 BioSand water filters have been provided to individuals or families who only have access to compromised water sources.

Leprosy Ministry

Also called “Reaching Friends Ministry,” the Leprosy Ministry started as a small effort in 2007 to help a few people suffering with the disease. GFA World workers care for the patients through social and relief work, medical aid, and health and hygiene awareness programs.

Expansion to Africa

GFA's work in Africa begins with GFA World Child Sponsorship in the slums of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. This expansion will also include training national missionaries, clean water projects, medical ministry, education for the underprivileged, women’s empowerment, and community development projects. GFA plans to expand the ministry to six other nations in Africa during the next few years. GFA World in Rwanda will focus on training indigenous workers to serve their native communities.

Disaster relief

Nepal earthquake

Gospel for Asia-supported field partners joined forces with the Nepal government to provide disaster relief in the wake of Nepal’s 2015 Earthquake. The organization helped by providing food, water and medical supplies. Following the initial relief efforts, GFA's founder K.P. Yohannan met with the Prime Minister of Nepal.

Asian water crisis

One of their longest ongoing efforts to date, Gospel for Asia's Jesus Wells provide clean drinking water to Asian villages with insufficient access to safe, clean water sources. By 2018, the organization helped construct almost 7,000 wells and BioSand water filters. The wells are typically maintained by Gospel for Asia-supported pastors or their church members, preventing the wells from breaking down and ensuring they last for up to 2 decades.

Illiteracy and poverty

GFA's Bridge of Hope after-school program assists underprivileged villages through ongoing literacy and education for their boys and girls. This education helps children and their families to overcome generational poverty and avoid the worlds of bonded labor and sex-slave trade. There are more than 600 of these centers. Students at the centers receive daily education and a nutritious meal, school supplies and uniforms as well as free medical care.GFA is using these centers as a way to alleviate the root causes of impoverishment and gender discrimination in Asian countries as well as inhumane child labor practices.

According to reports, in 2018 GFA assisted "more than 70,000 children, free medical services in over 1,200 villages and remote communities, 4,000 wells drilled, 11,000 water filters installed, Christmas gifts for more than 200,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry".

Kerala Floods

In 2018, flooding in Kerala left over 200,000 Indian people without homes. GFA's primary field partner saw their Kerala headquarters suffer from severe flooding. Many Bridge of Hope centers also suffered damage. But GFA's filed partner volunteers delivered medical supplies, clothes, food and fresh water to flooding victims throughout the area. The estimated recovery time from these floods is five years and GFA-supported filed partners plan to assist for as long as necessary.

Sri Lanka Easter Bombing

GFA also contributed to relief efforts after the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka in April 2019. They provided victims with food and other emergency supplies. One of GFA's supported social workers lost five family members in the bombings. In addition, two bombs were found near GFA-supported offices.

Gospel for Asia distributes vegetables in Andhra Pradesh during Covid lockdown

COVID-19 relief

Due to the water crisis and national lockdown in India, leaving home and effective hand washing are not possibilities. In response to the coronavirus, Gospel for Asia is providing clean water projects through BioSand filters and Jesus Wells in order to give clean drinking and hand washing water. They are also partnering with local governments to educate people and improve on hand washing techniques. The organization is also installing toilets and running medical clinics throughout South Asia. GFA partnered with Believers Eastern Church in Asia and local officials to distribute food kits for families suffering from the medical and economic loses due to COVID-19.

Affiliate offices

GFA has 8 affiliated international entities in which they operate, including Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Finland, and South Korea.

Is Gospel for Asia trustworthy?

While Gospel for Asia has received much positive recognition for its philanthropic efforts and contributions to the impoverished all across Asia and Africa, it has also faced some controversies and criticism in the past. In 2015, GFA faced a lawsuit in the United States from former donors who accused the organization of misusing funds. The lawsuit alleged that GFA used money intended for charitable purposes to bolster various for-profit enterprises. After years in litigation, in 2019, GFA settled the lawsuit for $37 million without admitting any wrongdoing. In the final settlement, the plaintiffs agreed that ""all donations designated for use in the field were ultimately sent to the field." After settling the lawsuit in the litigious USA, an identical lawsuit was filed against GFA in Canada by related parties but was promptly rejected and dismissed by the Canadian legal system as being without any basis or merit.

It's important to note that the outcome of the USA lawsuit does not reflect poorly on the organization's current practices or trustworthiness. GFA claims to be firmly committed to good stewardship of the funds entrusted by friends and donors and continues to support a range of projects across Asia and Africa, from training of national missionaries, to hosting medical camps in remote villages, to providing access to safe drinking water, and education of families through GFAs child sponsorship programs.

Controversies

GFA Diaspora

In 2014, a group of over 10 former Gospel for Asia staff members named the GFA Diaspora wrote a letter regarding GFA leadership and another one for GFA's donors. .

These letters brought about a supposed internal investigation by GFA that was completed by Gayle Erwin, a member of GFA's board. Upon the completion of Erwin's investigation, a report was released along with letters of explanation to the GFA Diaspora Group.

Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability revokes Gospel for Asia's membership

In September 2015, GFA lost their 36-year membership in the financial standards advocacy group Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), with the ECFA reporting that GFA had not met many of their required standards of excellence in financial accountability and governance.

The GFA board responded with a statement that noted "ECFA's decision was made after conducting a special review of Gospel for Asia, and we respect ECFA's evaluation. Our response was to begin a focused review and to implement the ECFA's recommended improvements".

Class action lawsuit

The group has faced two class-action suits - one in the US and one in Canada over their disbursement of the collected funds; the GFA settled the US case at a cost of $37 million, without any admission of guilt. The motion to certify a class-action lawsuit vs GFA in Canada was dismissed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto in March, 2022.

In 2017 Gospel for Asia was accused by Arkansas couple Garland and Phyllis Murphy of raising funds for charity "while covertly diverting the money to a multimillion-dollar personal empire." The couple filed a class action RICO anti-fraud lawsuit against GFA's president and several GFA leaders, seeking to substantiate GFA's claims of where it spent the money donors gave to the organization. The case was settled after three years of court proceedings in which GFA and the plaintiff agreed "all donations designated for use in the field were ultimately sent to the field". Those entitled to join the class action were those United States residents who donated to Gospel for Asia between the dates of 1 January 2009 and 10 September 2018. Information regarding the lawsuit has been published on the official Murphy v Gospel for Asia website.

The settlement agreement also requires that K. P. Yohannan's wife Gisela be removed from the board of the charity for three years and for Garland Murphy, one of the plaintiffs, to be given a seat and another person appointed to the board acceptable to both Murphy and K. P. Yohannan; in addition a subcommittee of the board which will include Murphy but neither Yohannan nor his son, Daniel Punnose, will produce annual reports for the board, the Judge and the lead counsel for three years.

GFA maintains that the settlement is not an acknowledgment of guilt.

GFA UK

In January 2016 the Charity Commission, the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales and maintains the Central Register of Charities, was “assessing information provided” about the United Kingdom GFA office. The United Kingdom GFA office remains recognised by them as a registered charity with up-to-date accounts. In the year ending 31 March 2020, they spent £316,000 on fundraising, brought in donations and legacies totaling £1.37 million, and spent £0 on charitable activities.

GFA New Zealand

Gospel for Asia's New Zealand used to occupy an office space provided to them by the Calvary Chapel Auckland. After the controversies, GFA was told to leave the building and the church ceased supporting the ministry. GFA now operates its ministries in Rosedale, Auckland, New Zealand.

GFA World (formerly GFA Canada)

A Canadian class-action lawsuit, which accused the ministry of defrauding or making negligent misstatements to donors, was denied certification in May, 2022. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice found that those who accused GFA World Canada of wrongdoing failed to provide “admissible evidence beyond speculation, conjecture, and allegations of wrongdoing.”

GFA World supports a range of projects across Asia and Africa, from medical camps in remote villages to access to safe drinking water and through GFA World’s child sponsorship program.

Believer's Eastern Church

Main article: Believers Eastern Church

In 2014, the Believers' Eastern Church purchased the Cheruvally Estate, a 2,268-acre (9.18 km2) rubber estate in Kerala, India as an investment to help fund social work among underdeveloped communities. In mid-2015, the government initially confiscated the land from the Believers' Eastern Church in order to build an airport, but that decision was appealed. After a 3-year long legal battle between the government and the Believers' Eastern Church, it was decided by an Indian High Court that the Believers' Eastern Church has the ownership right of the Cheruvally Estate and the government must pay them for the land if they still choose to build an airport in that location.

Believers near their church building

The Times of India has reported that "The Believers [Eastern] Church, founded by Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan Metropolitan (formerly known as K. P. Yohannan), and three NGOs associated with it have been barred from bringing in foreign funds to India with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) canceling their FCRA registrations." As of September 2017, GFA provided the requested documents for review to MHA and "Fr Panthapallil, spokesperson of Believers Church, said though the MHA website has advertised that the registrations of the three organisations are cancelled, "there is a standing revision order ... normally given for a five-year period and then renewed thereafter." In August 2017, the Church of South India (CSI) decided to have a "non-cooperative stance" towards the Kerala Council of Churches (KCC), an ecumenical forum of non-Catholic Protestant Churches in Kerala, in protest against the KCC decision to provide membership to the Believers Eastern Church since the leader, Yohannan, claims to be a CSI bishop, a claim CSI denies.

There is also been an ongoing court case regarding the illegal filling in of wetlands in order to build the Believers Church Medical College Hospital. GFA has been paying a special tax because a "substantial" amount of its income is not used for intended purposes of the fundraising. An Indian court said, "It is not in dispute that substantial income of the assessee trust was not used by both the assessees for the purposes for which they were formed." Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan Metropolitan (formerly known as K. P. Yohannan) says that the claims were politically motivated and that the workings of Gospel for Asia and Believers Church are transparent.

Bibliography

• Brodeur, Michael; Liebscher, Banning. (2013). Revival Culture: Prepare for the Next Great Awakening. Chapter 4. Gospel Light Publications. ISBN 9780830765478
• Yohannan, K.P. (2004). Revolution in World Missions. Gospel for Asia Books. Carrollton, Texas. ISBN 9781595890016

External links

• Docketbird Court Document
• Gospel For Asia
• Gospel for Asia - Australia
• Gospel for Asia - Canada
• Gospel for Asia - New Zealand
• Gospel for Asia - United Kingdom
• Gospel for Asia - South Africa
• Major Activities of GFA
• Worldwide contacts

References

• About Dr K P Yohannan

See also

• GFA World Magazine