Efforts to build relationships between churches and the Hindu community in Panama are beginning to bear fruit.
Panama has an Indian population of 33,000* — a large number considering the country’s population is just four million, the majority of whom are Hindu.
Shibu (India) has been working among his Hindu neighbours for a decade. As OM team leader in Panama, he offers seminars and workshops to help churches understand the Hindu faith better and to learn how to present the gospel message to their neighbours in a relatable way.
Making friends
“Friendship is very important,” explained Shibu. “We opened the church in June 2025 and we’ve been seeing some of our Hindu friends starting to come. They say they come to see us not for the service, but we are glad to see them there.”
Naveen is one of these friends. “I spent time with him regularly and ate with him. He came with me to church. Recently, I saw some positive changes in him,” he said. “Before, he wouldn’t say ‘amen’ after the prayers, but now he does. It’s just a little thing, but it’s a good thing.
“I shared the gospel with him once but he didn’t want to go deeper into it. The following Sunday, he came to church and there was a visiting speaker talking about the same things we had spoken about. I could see Naveen was thinking about it, that two people would say the same thing. It led to more conversations.”
The church now has one Indian family regularly attending the fellowship. Originally from a Christian background, the family hadn't attended church for many years.
“Things like this are very encouraging for us,” Shibu said.
The church has also recently welcomed Nepali refugees to the services.
Training for missions
In July 2025, OM ran a seminar for church members from around Panama City. The training included information about Hinduism and its beliefs, and how to share the gospel with Hindu believers. Participants visited a Hindu temple and then went on a prayer walk.
“People are very excited after the workshop, but then often we see they don’t do anything with what they learnt,” Shibu said. “We are praying for that excitement to continue and for them to go out and meet people in their communities.”
Shibu was also encouraged by a visit from Dr Kumar, who has been working with Hindus for over 30 years with OM. “It was very good to have him visit to be able to share some of his experience with us,” Shibu said.
Pray that God will bring more people to Church, and that Jesus followers would be willing to share their faith with those around them.
*Figure from Indian embassy in Panama, 2024