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Good Shepherd Mission – India

Our History

GSM-ORPHANThe Good Shepherd Mission (GSM) was founded in 1979, in Puttur, India by native school teachers, Henry Bhasker and his wife, Viola. The result of a severe car accident led Henry to prayer for Viola and her recovery and in return they would begin a mission in the name of Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter, the Bhaskers took into their home two orphans from the village. Thus began the Good Shepherd Mission, a facility destined to grow and prosper and become a real force for good in an area of India that is overcrowded and in despair in both poor health and poverty. As devoted Christians, the Bhaskers used their meager salaries to operate the Mission which soon outgrew their small home. They found an old building to rent and purchased a small piece of land adjacent it. Then they began looking for more orphans who needed their help.

In 1990, Dr. Charlie Wolfe, a dentist from Calvary United Methodist Church, traveled through Puttur with a group of medical/dental evangelists. One of the members of the team became very sick and the group was directed to the Mission. Dr. Wolfe was impressed with the manner in which the Mission was helping the poor villagers of Puttur. With the help of Dr. Wolfe and Calvary UMC, Good Shepherd built its first structure, the Good Shepherd Eye Hospital, which was completed in 1992, allowing the Mission to move its free cataract clinics from the rented mission building to the new eye hospital, serving some 6,000 free eye operations for the poor from 1993 to 2010.

Over the years, the Good Shepherd Mission has expanded its social ministries to include:

    • The founding of 12 village churches, each with its own evangelist, in villages which previously had no Christian presence
    • The founding of an orphanage housing 150 children
    • The founding of an outreach program in the distant village of Kolladam, which has a teacher, health clinic, orphanage, and a church
    • A home for about 20 elderly at the mission
    • Clothing and feeding programs daily
    • Daily worship services at the Mission
    • Higher education for those orphans who qualify
    • Christmas dinner & presents for the mission staff, children, elderly, evangelists, and their eldest villagers
    • A beautiful, 20 bed hospital built by many generous donations from individuals, groups, churches, and organizations, which was dedicated in 2006 to provide FREE health services to the poor –general practitioner, gynecologist, dentist, eye doctor, and physiotherapist

An HIV/AIDs and TB Center providing shelter, clothing, food, and medication for 32 people inflicted with these communicable diseases and shunned from their villages.

Calvary continues to provide monthly monetary support to GSM’s programs from the orphan, evangelist, hospital, and India general account. For more information about GSM or if you are interested in supporting this ministry, helping with fund raising, or feeling called to become a part of the next mission trip group, please contact the church office at 610.777.8441  or email at administrator.calvmohn@comcast.net. More information is provided in the links.