Apologist Ravi Zacharias’ ministry celebrates 25 years

Babu Thomas

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) this week celebrated its 25th anniversary in Chennai with special events, conferences and a scholarship programme for students who hail from economically poor families.

A public function and felicitation was held in which Vice Consul of the United States Consulate in Chennai, Alyssa Caralla, was the guest of honour. 

RZIM is a Christian ministry founded and headed by Dr. Ravi Zacharias, a noted Christian apologist and world-wide speaker. The ministry is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional offices in Canada, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. 

Founded in the year 1984, the global ministry seeks to communicate the Gospel of Christ to skeptics, cultural influencers and critical thinkers through open forums, closed door sessions, training events, community outreach, youth apologetics, and various media. 

To mark its 25th year anniversary, RZIM launched the ‘Touch of Hope’ scholarship programme for bright and meritorious students from economically weak backgrounds. The scholarship is provided to pursue higher secondary studies in either state board or ISC or ICSC. 

A week of special events is also being held at various cities including Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. Musical sessions are led by Vijay Benedict, music director Vijay Ebenezer and Grammy award winner Tanvi Sha. 

Dr. Zacharias was born in India in 1946 and immigrated to Canada with his family twenty years later. He grew up in a nominally Anglican household, and was an atheist until the age of 21, when he unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide by swallowing poison. As mentioned in one of his books (Cries of the Heart), Zachariah gave his life to Christ after his mother read from the Gospel of John as he lay on a hospital bed. 

Today, Zacharias is a much sought-after Christian apologist who has had the privilege of speaking at the most distinguished campuses including Harvard, Princeton and Oxford University. 

His weekly radio program, “Let My People Think,” is broadcast over 850 stations worldwide, and he has appeared on CNN and other international broadcasts.

ChristianToday India
10 June, 2011