"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the Rock."
Matthew 7:25
The Zion Centre is Light A Candle's completed base of operations in India, the permanent home of our child sponsorship program serving 1,300+ children and a training center for the underground church.
Construction is fully funded and complete. Ongoing support now covers the monthly costs of running it.
THE VISION
As persecution rises to an all-time high in India, the word of the Lord has been clearer than ever: "Buy land, take ownership in the natural and supernatural, and build!"
The Zion Centre houses our growing child sponsorship program long into the future and serves as a training center for the underground church.
This is more than a building, it is a center for revival.
PURPOSE OF THE ZION CENTRE
More than just a building, it is a place where the Spirit of God pours out over a region and a nation. The Zion Centre enables us to:
- Warehouse thousands of kilos of supplies for sponsored children every month, saving thousands of dollars each year
- Maintain a secure base of operations for all our projects in India
- Own land both in the natural and in the supernatural
- Run training seminars for the underground church
- Run VBS and other children's programs
- House our team and central office as they sacrificially serve the 1,300+ children in the sponsorship program
As a warehouse, the Zion Centre lets us buy supplies in bulk to fight inflation, saving thousands per year and ensuring our 1,300+ sponsor children receive a month's worth of food every month, despite prices rising over 300% in the past few years alone.
The Zion Centre is not just a strategic move against persecution and governmental control. It is a step toward sustainability and empowerment, creating a safe and stable environment for both our workers and the communities we serve. It is a place where hope is cultivated and futures are built.
EXPLORE THE PROJECT
SITE MAP
In addition to our 3 story facility the property also allows for a multi-purpose area where summer programs can be held as well as if necessary, additional storage in the future.
EXPLORE EACH BUILD STAGE
Stage 1 - FUNDED
Buy the Land
The word of the Lord has been so unmistakable: BUY LAND.
Rising persecution has meant it is no longer safe to rent facilities and warehouses. These temporary facilities are also too small to house the growing needs of the Child Sponsorship program.
Buying our own property protects the 1,350+ children our sponsors support every month and ensures the continuation of their care long into the future.
Stage 2 - FUNDED
Building Permissions, Level Land, Foundation Laid, Bore Drilled.
This is the step that needs specific, intentional prayer covering! We are undertaking a big build for the village and without city planning and building permission, cannot continue.
We already have extraordinary favor in the village we have selected but with the recent changes in state government have a very limited window to get everything approved.
Once the building permit is approved construction can begin! First off the land needs to be levelled, the foundations laid and then a bore well will be dug to ensure clean, safe water is available for the facility.
It also ensures we are not relient on city services for sustainability.
Stage 3 - FUNDED
Main Superstructure
This is the most critical part of the project: the assembly of the superstructure. Three levels; 10,500 sq ft of multi-purpose space with future growth and needs at the forefront.
Level 1 - Bulk Storage
The Child Sponsorship program has already outgrown every space we have rented to date.
The Distribution Center enables Sponsorship to buy bulk of all of the 14 items provided to your Sponsor Child every month both saving tens of thousands per year and also enabling us to keep our commitment to the children to provide a month's worth of food every month despite extreme inflation and rising costs of 300% on average.
As this will be the main distribution hub for the entire program it is essential that we look at the needs of the program 10-15 years out as a minimum to ensure we have the facilities available to scale efficient and to take the best care of the children possible.
Level 2 - Multi-purpose hall + packing space
This space will double as the packing facility every month packing over 1400 food packages for the sponsored children as well as a space to train underground church pastors and other leaders to impact their villages for the Kingdom.
Equipped with a stage and sound system there are many more uses for this space that we're sure you can imagine but that we are not at liberty to publically share due to security.
Level 3 - Office + Housing
The Indian based Child Sponsorship team live a life of incredible sacrifice. They live half of their lives at home with their family and half on the road reaching the 70+ villages presently part of the Sponsorship program. This number will only grow as more children are sponsored.
Currently the team stays in tiny cramped spare rooms in the back of various churches but needs a sustainable, adequate place to stay for half of their lives.
An official Light a Candle office also greatly aids our efforts to negotiate good prices on the biggest purchases of the supplies the Sponsored children recieve. The third floor will have an office and board room to entertain guests, business owners, speakers and government officials.
This is such a critical function and cannot be overstated. India is a part of the world where hosting and relationship are extremely important for business decisions and it is is important that we facilitate these cultural necessities to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program as we grow and help an everincreasing number of children.
Stage 4 - FUNDED
Interior / Finishing Touches
The final stage!! This includes all the interior: lights, plaster, paint, kitchen, flooring, storage racks, doors, windows, fans, weatherproofing, plumbing, electrical, and everything that's not concrete!
Equally if not more important than any other build stage, this ensures the property is actually able to be used for its intended purpose: to be a blessing to the sponsored children and the nation of India.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
At our Peace On Earth event in Wisconsin in May 2024, we shared the need for $60,000 to purchase the land for the Zion Centre in India.
In just two hours, we were fully funded for the cost of the land.
Together that evening, we laid hands on the blueprints and prayed over the land, asking God to bless it, multiply His work and resources there, and protect it from all who might come against the work.
With the land secured, construction moved forward, and the building is now complete. We are grateful for the radically generous supporters who sowed into this project and brought it to completion.
What's needed now is ongoing support to run it.
HOW TO PRAY:
The single most important thing you can do is pray for this project. Your prayers are powerful and affect this work in real time. Prayer points are updated regularly as our team in India communicates new needs. Join us in praying for:
- Protection for the local Indian team, that they would walk in wisdom and have angelic protection
- God's long-term protection over this land, that He would guard the four corners of the property and blind the eyes of any who would seek to shut this facility down
- Continued favor and fruitfulness as the centre serves the children and the church
- More than a building, a place where Heaven will come to earth.
HOW TO GIVE:
1 - Online
Tap the button below and find "The Zion Centre" from the list of options. Put in your amount and frequency then "Add to Cart" and "Proceed to Checkout!"
2 - Check
Put "The Zion Centre" in the memo.
Mail all checks to: Light a Candle PO Box 850382, Richardson, TX 75085
If you would like to make a large gift towards this project please email hello@lightacandle.global or call us on (530) 235-6447
