ZOE DISCOVERY TEAM 2025
india

Registration Open for any ZOE Facilitators and Trainers.

Partnering with ZOE Partners, a local church and ministry school, in Chennai, India, our team will be investing into the lives of women to have a community impact.

Located in SE Asia, is the beautiful and diverse country of India, which has a population of 1,441,719,852, the most populous nation in the world. There are over 22 languages, and the official language is Hindi, followed by English. Chennai is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, and the prominent language there is Tamil, and the city’s population is over 7 million people.

There has been increasing difficulty for Indian Christians practice their faith openly. However, in spite of this resistance, the church is thriving in Chennai!

“Amidst all the suffering in India, it is women and children who suffer the most. Pray for state programmes and loving Christian ministries to address these desperate needs. Pray that God will change attitudes and practices in society to reflect His care for women and children. Of the 400 million children, possibly up to 35 million are orphans. 11 million are abandoned (90% are girls). 3 million live on the streets. Some families sell children into slavery to pay off family debts. Two-thirds of all children suffer physical abuse, and half suffer some kind of sexual harassment or abuse. Over 1 million end up in prostitution (mostly Nepalis and Bangladeshis). Society prefers male children, so some families abort, abandon, or even kill girl babies. The female population today lacks 35 million girls when compared with the male population. Women have lower rates of literacy and education, and domestic abuse is a widespread problem. Some young girls get dedicated to the ancient service of temple prostitution.” (Operation World, 2023)

Our partners in Chennai have established a ministry school, as they recognize that in order to reach the millions in their nation that don’t know Christ, a new generation of leaders needs to be raised up and sent out. The school is called Arise and Build. The students receive ministry training and oportunities to lead, and theological training in classes. Over 90% of theirs students are young women who feel challenged and called to live a life of purpose for God.

Our team will be partnering in order to invest into young leaders, the women of the church, and surrounding community through small groups and prayer. In addition, we will be there during International Women’s Day and hope to partner with the church for a women’s conference on March 8. There is also the potential for us to go into local schools to supply sanitary items for girls.

ZOE Network is specifically inviting trained ZOE Facilitators for this trip, as we will be teaching on the themes of the ZOE Identity Course.

Trip Dates: February 28 - March 15
Trip Cost: $2000 (local costs, entry visa, project costs), + flight from the closest international airport from you in Canada. There is a 10% fee to put funds through PAOC for income tax receipt.

To apply, please fill in this form. For more information, please contact Sara - sara.curdie@paoc.org

Trip preparation will include a minimum of 4 team training sessions (dates TBC), plus any personal fundraising activities you choose to do with your local church.