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| State | Population | Number of Christians | Percentage of Pop Christian Himachal Pradesh
| 5,170,877
| 4,435
| 0.09%
| Haryana
| 16,463,648
| 15,699
| 0.10%
| Rajasthan
| 44,005,990
| 47,989
| 0.11%
| Uttar Pradesh
| 139,112,287
| 199,575
| 0.14%
| Madhya Pradesh
| 66,181,170
| 426,598
| 0.64%
| Bihar
| 86,374,465
| 843,717
| 0.98%
| Punjab
| 20,281,969
| 225,163
| 1.11%
| Chandigarh
| 1,284,030
| 10,060
| 1.57%
| Delhi
| 18,841,288
| 166,304
| 1.77%
| Total North India
| 397,715,724
| 1,939,540
| 0.49%
| Rest of India
| 440,868,264
| 17,700,744
| 4.01%
| Total India
| 838,583,988
| 19,640,284
| 2.34%
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Many Christian leaders both within and without India expect that God will do something very special in that part of the world over the next few years. The founder of the Friends Missionary Prayer Band in India, Patrick Joshua, believes that India is due for a rich harvest because the price has been paid by the scarificial service of missionaries and pastors over the past years. Vasantharaj Albert of the Church Growth Research Center in Madras, states: "I believe that India today is on the map for the global church." And Peter Wagner, coordinator for the AD2000 United Prayer Mobilization Network observes, "Of all the nations in the world, India has the highest potential of fruitful investment of evangelistic effort at this time. It is the place to invest time, energy and resources."
The hundreds of strategies leading to the year 2000, the rise of national ministries in India, the increase in church planting efforts and the focus on reaching every people group all lead us to believe that something wonderful is indeed looming on the horizon for India. "Flashes of light" seen all around the North India-Hindi Belt -- in Nepal, Mongolia, Sikkim, West Bengal, Calcutta, then Punjab, Orissa -- and on the very borders within the belt itself, particularly among the tribal groups, are encouraging us to believe that the Sun of Righteousness is indeed ready to rise upon these unreached peoples. Consider the following numbers of congregations established in North India, the vast majority within the last 25 years:
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7/24/97