Living Sacrifice Ministries (LSM) is a non-profit organization based in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Established in 1997 by Mr. Eliezer Devasahayam, his wife Mrs. Prema Kumari, and a team of eight committed Christians, LSM seeks to meet people's physical and spiritual needs through direct aid, community development, and sharing the love of Christ.
Born in 1971 to a poor Dalit (Untouchable) family, Eliezer was given up by his poor parents to his aunt and uncle, who wanted to adopt him because they had no children of their own. Raised in their Christian home, Eliezer heard the word of God until he entered college where he willingly turned away from the Lord. After graduating with a B.S. in zoology, Eliezer married Prema Kumari, a strong Christian woman, in 1995. After much intercessory prayer from his wife, the Lord touched Eliezer's heart once again, calling him to a life of ministry with the goal of fulfilling the Great Commission in his area. With the support of her husband, Prema, too, has been pursuing God's call for her life by sharing God's love with orphans. Prema now manages Little Lamps, a child care center housing 24 children at present — a dream she's had since before marrying Eliezer.
Today LSM hosts a congregation of 100 people on their home verandah every Sunday morning. This verandah is also the site of an annual Children's Bible School, which serves up to 500 children each summer.
Currently, LSM seeks to meet physical needs by offering direct aid through food, blankets and clothing distribution. LMS also provides free literacy classes for children and micro-lending for the purchase of a buffalo or goats, the profit from whose milk is used to support local widows.
Spiritually, the goal of LSM is to build a strong body of believers in the local area through a number of methods. LSM has a strong belief in one-to-one mentoring, which they practice through thousands of individual sessions annually. LSM also hosts a 52-lesson discipleship program, as well as group events like Children's Bible School and gospel conventions. LSM has planted six local village churches, from which they support three pastors. Through these congregations dozens of Sunday school teachers have also been trained.
In February 2011, LSM bought and prepared one acre of jungle land in preparation for a self-sufficient emu farm that is part of a creative initiative to support orphans and children who live at LSM’s Little Lamps Children’s Home, as well as pastors’ families in remote villages and widows in need.
In April 2011, LSM bought 100 emus and delivered them to the farm. The emus will begin their laying season in October 2011, and will produce up to 25 eggs per emu pair when they are fully mature.
Revenue from this first year of operation of the farm will pay the expenses for the second year of operations. There will be additional growth (the purchase of an incubator) and expenses (higher feed costs as the birds grow) in the second year. The sale of the chicks from the second year of operations will fund the third year of operations. After the third year, annual net revenue will increase to support operations, in addition to 24 orphans/children, 12 pastoral families and 24 widows.
LSM's guiding motto comes from 1 John 3:16: "We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for one another." LSM continues to seek God's will for their ministry through prayer and his word as they grow into what the Lord has planned.
"Living Sacrifice is a small but growing Christian community that is founded in love, gentleness and sincerity. They are doing wonderful things in their community," says Brent Hample, India Partners' President/CEO.