GEM course in Nepal

As I start teaching, I notice that all the men in the room sit to my left and all the women to my right. This separation between men and women reminds me of the Korowai people in Papua where this separation was also strong. However, I'm not in Papua now but in the city of Pokhara, in Nepal. The congregation I'm visiting had been looking for some time for a method of evangelism that would help them to better pass on the gospel.

Because the GEM method is based on Bible pictures, salvation history and storytelling, it can be easily applied in different situations and cultures. For example, last year I taught the GEM method to evangelists from the GJRP church in Papua, a sister church of the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands. And I am now teaching the same course in Nepal, in a charismatic church.

I teach in English, which is then translated into Nepali by the pastor. After an introduction about the materials and how they can best be used, the participants have to work independently to prepare and tell a Bible story. I am impressed with their enthusiasm and with how well they can tell the stories.

After talking with several participants, I am even more impressed. Most of them originally come from a Hindu or Buddhist background and live under a lot of pressure. And yet they want the people around them to know who Christ is. The GEM method provides them with some tools to do this and I am happy to support them in this way. They are going to adapt the method to their situation and find out how best to apply it.