Help Persecuted Christians in West Bengal, India
A Call May Come Tonight. Will Someone Be Ready to Answer?
An Appeal from Dr. Jorge E. Parrott · Christ’s Mandate for Missions
Beloved friends,
Some appeals come to us as numbers on a page. This one came to us as a burden on the heart of a pastor.
Our partner in Kolkata, Pastor Arpan, has written to us about what Christian families in West Bengal are facing—and how we can help support persecuted Christians in India through people who know them, love them, and are ready to stand beside them.
They have the people. They have the skills. Now they need partners.
“Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.”
Hebrews 13:3 (NKJV)
According to our partners, prayer gatherings have been disrupted. Pastors and believers have been assaulted. Church property has been damaged. Families are being pulled into accusations and legal trouble they never expected. Reports have come from Uluberia, Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas.
But Pastor Arpan said something that stopped me:
“For us, these are not simply headlines.
These are people we know.
They are pastors. They are fathers and mothers.
They are young believers.
They are our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Persecution is not an abstraction to them. It has a face, a family, and a phone number. And when that phone rings at night, someone needs to be ready to answer.
How the West Bengal Team Supports Persecuted Christians
As pressure has grown, prayer remains at the heart of the response. But Pastor Arpan and his churches also see the need for people who can be present when a family needs help.
So believers from his churches came together and formed something new: a dedicated Media & Support Team, working through CMM.
This is not a media company. It is a band of believers offering the gifts God already gave them: journalists, reporters, editors, media professionals, lawyers, counsellors, church leaders and young volunteers.
Their mission is simple and brave:
Don’t just report the story.
Stand with the people in it.
Their strategy rests on four pillars.
Media and Documentation
When an incident happens, silence lets rumour and misinformation spread. The team goes to the community, listens, and documents verified events responsibly through interviews, photos, video and fact-checking.
Truth gets a voice without sensationalizing suffering.
Legal Support for Persecuted Christians
The story doesn’t end when the camera turns off. When a pastor is taken to a police station or a family faces a sudden complaint, the team connects them with lawyers, case documentation and legal guidance, so no one faces it alone.
Counselling and Trauma Care
Some wounds never show up on camera. After violence, threats or arrest, people carry fear home, including fear for their children.
The team connects them with professional, trauma-informed counselling so they don’t just survive but begin to heal.
Emergency Relief for Christian Families
Sometimes a family needs prayer and practical help: medical care, emergency transport, family support, or recovery after damage.
A dedicated Emergency Fund responds to verified, genuine needs.
If you feel led to help, you can support the West Bengal team through CMM. Please note “West Bengal – Pastor Arpan” with your gift.
The Team Is Ready. The Gap Is Funding.
This is what moves me most. Pastor Arpan is not asking us to build something from nothing. God has already gathered the people. They are willing. They are already serving.
But a reporter can’t reach a village without transport. A story can’t be told without cameras, editing and internet. A frightened family needs someone to help them find a lawyer. A wounded heart needs a counsellor. An injured family needs help this week, not next year.
Here is the monthly working budget the team has submitted. Dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars.
| Ministry Area | Monthly Need |
|---|---|
| Media & Field Reporting | $1,043.88 |
| Legal Support & Case Coordination | $521.94 |
| Counselling & Trauma Support | $417.55 |
| Emergency Support Fund | $626.33 |
| Media Equipment, Editing & Digital Infrastructure | $469.75 |
| Travel, Communication & Field Operations | $417.55 |
| Monthly Total | $3,497.00 |
The annual working requirement is $41,964.00. These are working ministry estimates, based on a monthly budget of ₹3,75,000, and may vary with field needs, case volume and emergencies.
How Monthly Giving Helps Christian Families
$3,497 a month can sound like a mountain. In the Body of Christ, a mountain shared becomes a path.
Any one of these groups could cover the estimated monthly need:
- 35 partners giving $100 a month
- 70 partners giving $50 a month
- 9 churches giving $400 a month
Every gift matters, whatever its size.
That’s why the need is for monthly partners. A one-time gift helps the team respond today. A monthly partner helps them be ready tomorrow.
Persecution does not follow a fundraising calendar. A pastor may need a lawyer tomorrow. A family may need emergency help next week. A traumatized believer may need counselling months after the headlines fade.
Your gift helps make a chain of care possible: the team reaches the community, the story is documented truthfully, families get legal help, wounded hearts get counselling, and urgent needs are met.
Behind each part of that work is a person who needs to know they have not been forgotten.
“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
1 Corinthians 12:26 (NKJV)
Faithful With Every Gift
Your generosity is a sacred trust.
For more than four decades, CMM has worked to send gifts where they are meant to go. The West Bengal team has committed to clear records of funds received, ministry purpose, expenses, people served and impact.
Partners will receive regular updates on what their giving is making possible.
We want you to know how your gift is helping—and to keep these families and those serving them close in prayer.
Stand With West Bengal Today
Friends, I invite you to become a monthly partner, or give a one-time gift of any amount God places on your heart. Churches and ministries are warmly invited to partner too.
Whether you give $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, or another amount, your generosity helps this team stand beside families facing persecution.
Give to Support the West Bengal Team
Please note “West Bengal – Pastor Arpan” with your gift.
By mail:
Christ’s Mandate for Missions
PO Box 7705
Charlotte, NC 28241
Questions: officecmm@gmail.com
Office: 704-225-3927
Will You Pray for Persecuted Christians in India With Us?
Father, we lift up our brothers and sisters in West Bengal. Guard the pastors. Strengthen the believers. Cover the families who are afraid tonight, and bring healing to those carrying wounds of body and heart.
Give Pastor Arpan and his team wisdom to report truthfully, serve responsibly, support wisely and respond with compassion. Open doors of justice, and let Your peace rest on every home and church under pressure.
And Lord, raise up partners here who will say, “I will stand with them.” Let every gift become a hand of help and every prayer a wall of protection. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Friends, you may be thousands of miles from Kolkata. You may never meet the pastor who needs a lawyer or the mother who can’t sleep for fear. But through your prayer and partnership, you can stand with them.
Distance can’t cancel family.
Thank you for standing with the persecuted Church.
With gratitude and faith,
Dr. Jorge E. Parrott
President, Christ’s Mandate for Missions
Founder/President, CMM College of Theology
CMM.world · CMMTheology.org
officecmm@gmail.com
Christ’s Mandate for Missions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Gifts designated for this project will be used for the West Bengal ministry; if the need is fully met or cannot be carried out, CMM will direct designated gifts to the most closely related ministry need.