Roshan Kuma is free indeed—and not just free in Christ. The Gospel for Asia missionary was set free from prison on Aug. 10 after a trial exonerated him of bogus charges of associating with a terrorist group.
Though he always remained free in spirit, Kuma suffered plenty before a court declared him innocent. He spent 17 months in prison on a false accusation that he worked with the Maoists, an anti-government terrorist group in Asia.
“In spite of spending more than a year of suffering in prison, Pastor Roshan’s vision for serving Jesus never dimmed. He still has an unquenchable thirst and passion for the ministry,” says Dr. K.P. Yohannan, Gospel for Asia president and founder. “He continues to serve in the same area where there’s a lot of Maoist activity, which causes many people to live in fear. Yet he has a successful and wonderful ministry in this small village.”
Kuma, and his brother-in-law, M.T. Joshri, were arrested March 10, 2010.
In some parts of South Asia, the Maoists are a popular political party, but in the country where Kuma lives, they are most often insurgents who terrorize citizens. The country’s prime minister calls them the “single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country.” Some in his village believe the accusations against the missionary pastor originated with anti-Christian extremists unhappy with the growth of the church.
Although Kuma was in prison, he refused to give up his calling to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. He told his fellow prisoners about the love of Jesus and many chose to follow Christ. Kuma also started a prayer meeting in the jail.
The Lord was faithful to safeguard the pastor’s flock. When he was arrested, Kuma was pastor of a church with about 100 members. In spite of their leader’s arrest and imprisonment, the church grew and now has about 125 people attending worship each week. The believers in Kuma’s village continually prayed for their pastor while he was in prison.
Now, Kuma’s congregation is in the midst of constructing a new church building, which they plan to dedicate this fall.
“Please pray for Pastor Roshan, that God would continue to use him mightily for the Kingdom,” Yohannan says. “Praise the Lord for using Pastor Roshan in prison, and for the inmates who chose to follow Jesus. Pray that they will stand firm in their faith–even while they are in prison.
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