The Barnabas Building: Celebrating the Grand Opening!

A new hub for outreach in South Asia is complete … but this isn’t the beginning of ministry there.

In early 2025, the finishing touches were completed on the Barnabas Building, a hub for outreach in a South Asian community that—just over a decade ago—no one was seeking to reach with the gospel. But though the building is just opening, this isn’t the beginning of ministry there.

In 2014, Christar workers Ravi and Amy were sent by Calvary Church of Lancaster, Pennsylvania to serve in a rural area of South Asia with the goal of establishing a church in a place with no followers of Jesus. Both of them had come to Christ from Hindu backgrounds, and they sensed God leading them to return to their homeland to serve Him there among the least-reached. They purchased land, began farming it and started to establish a long-term presence in the community.

In 2019, a special gift from Calvary enabled them to buy additional land, which would become the site of a multipurpose ministry facility: the Barnabas Building. They began construction with a vision to create a space where they could build connections and meet practical needs in their community—and eventually, to use the building as a meeting place for the church they were trusting God to establish there.

But Ravi and Amy didn’t wait for the building to be completed to start ministering in and through it. The construction process provided opportunities for the couple to reflect Christ to the workers by providing jobs with fair income and showing kindness and respect. “We had the privilege of living out Jesus to all the men and women that worked in our building,” Amy shares. She recalls a carpenter who said “You are so hospitable; you treat us with respect. You are different from other people, and we see Jesus in you.”

The construction site was also a place where Ravi and Amy were ministered to as they welcomed short-term teams that helped with building and offered encouragement. And it was there they saw God provide abundantly, giving them the funds needed to continue with construction each step of the way.

In addition to their sending church, other congregations came alongside the project generously, including Fellowship Bible Church of Topeka, Kansas, which collected a Christmas offering in 2023 to donate toward construction of the Barnabas Building. “Our church family was pleased to have a part in providing a space where the love of God can be demonstrated and shared among a least reached, unengaged people group,” recalls Bob Stoller, Global Outreach Coordinator at this church. “We are thankful for those who are serving there locally and pray for the many opportunities this building will provide for them to be a faithful presence in their community.”

That same Christmas, through their faithful presence, Ravi and Amy rejoiced in some of the first fruits of their ministry: A young man from the people group they’re seeking to reach had accepted Christ! And just a week later, two more young people also professed their faith in Jesus.

As the Barnabas Building prepares for its grand opening April 27, 2024, Ravi and Ami are praying that these young believers will be the first of many who embrace the gospel. And they’re filled with gratitude for the ways God has provided through His people to make the vision He gave them a reality. “We are in awe of our Heavenly Father's faithfulness for bringing us this far,” Amy shares. “Thank you all for being a huge part of this Barnabas building project.”

As they look ahead with eager anticipation of what the Lord will continue to do through the Barnabas Building, their team of prayer and financial supporters continues to come alongside them with joyful hope in God’s work in this least-reached community.

“Calvary Church has been blessed to watch the Lord work through the lives and ministry of Amy and Ravi,” says Terri Sherman, Global Ministries Coordinator at Calvary Church. “At the first proposal of the Barnabas Building, we realized the enormity of the project. However, we had front-row seats to watch Ravi and Amy trust the Lord for the land, the supplies and the workers. We look forward to seeing how the Lord will continue to use this building in their community to bring people to faith.”