MAITHILI ALLIANCE TO BE LAUNCHED
A group of churches and organizations are forming a coalition with plans to focus on reaching the Maithili in Northern India and Nepal. Please review the videos from Doug Ripley and Roscoe Brewer for details of how to become engaged along with the story and newsletter about the Maithili.

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Roscoe Brewer EPIC International Click above to watch this video.		Douglas Ripley Decatur Baptist Church - Decatur, AL Click above to watch this video.

About The Maithili People
In the foothills of the Himalayas, bordered in the east, south and west by the Kosi, Ganges and Gandaki rivers, respectively, and spanning southeastern Nepal and northeastern Bihar in India lays the land of Mithila, ancestral home of the Maithilis, and a population of 34 million (31.9 million in India and 2.7 million in Nepal).  Because of the geographical seclusion afforded by its environment, Mithila has been a place where learning and culture could flourish with little outside influence. And it did flourish. In 600 B.C., Maithila was already an established and respected society. By the time of Buddha, the Maithil script, Mithilakshar, was already popular and in use throughout the region.
 
The earliest known Maithili literature dates from 900 A.D. 99% of Maithilis in Nepal and 95% in India are orthodox Hindus and belong to the first 3 (high) caste levels. In 1310 A.D. the Maithili king,Raja Harisingh Deva ordered the creation of Genealogies for all the superior castes of the kingdom. The genealogists recorded each family’s ancestors up to the sixth previous generation for all the principal castes throughout Mithila. This practice has been continued and by the mid-twentieth century the 24th generation of Maithili had been recorded.
 
The Maithili are highly creative people always much more interested in scholarly than violent pursuits. They love literature and art. As orthodox Hindus these take the form of telling the stories of the gods and goddesses they worship. The central themes of all paintings are love and fertility, though the approach may vary. Maithilis are Sakti (power) worshippers with strong influence of Tantric rituals and so their murals are full of the strongest of the Hindu gods/goddesses along with symbols of fertility and prosperity.
 
This people group is one of the least reached but not for lack of trying. Almost all mission agencies that have targeted this group, some after many years of trying, have given up because of the lack of response. The Maithili have no interest in anything outside their religious experience and culture. They are not violent they simply will not listen. Intensive prayer is needed to break down the strongholds that are keeping the Maithili in spiritual dark-ness.  As literary and artistic people, the Maithili are drawn to stories. The best tool for reaching these people is storytelling. As the stories of the Bible are shared the attention of these people will be drawn. The truth of the Gospel will set them free and the enemy’s blinders disappear.
 
After much prayer and many months of searching EPIC have a team of 28 church planters, most who are Maithili, reaching out to their people group. These men and women have come to know the living Savior and are sharing the good news with the people in their villages. Although slow, there is some response and we praise the Lord of the Harvest for this small harvest of souls knowing that as we are faithful with the few He will bless us with many. He is a God of multiplication.

Maithili Newsletter
Click here to read the Maithili Newsletter. (PDF)


Click here to go to pray4maithili.com.