India Mission

Hope Lutheran Church of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church

The IELC is a partner church of the LC-MS since 1895. Hope Lutheran was established in March 20, 1993 with twenty believers; This congregation is the oldest of five IELC congregations in Bangalore. Located in the older and less developed section of Bangalore, the area has fewer modern conveniences - narrow streets, no traffic lights, etc.

Pastor Balasingh is currently serving as the interim pastor for a congregation in R.T. Nagar, about four miles north of the center of Bangalore. From Pilanna Garden, where he and his family live, he commutes by motorcycle (purchased by a Trinity offering and VBS project) to that congregation and to the church (whose construction Trinity helped fund) in Hebbal, north of RT Nagar about one mile. For a detailed map, refer to Google Maps, searching "Bangalore."

He is married; his wife's name is Shanthi; they have two young boys, Jeremy, 17, and Jonathan, 10. Pastor Balasingh hails from Ambur (200 miles southeast of Bangalore), where his parents still live.

At the present time the sanctuary of the church building does not have enough pews. Most members sit on the floor during the service with the exception of the more elderly men and women. Some of the men stand. India's culture dictates that men and women sit separately during the service. The congregation hopes to purchase more pews in the future. The builidng has no air conditioning, which, according to Pastor Balasingh, makes it very, VERY HOT in the summer.