How SPARSH Global Began

 In 2012, Blue Valley Baptist Church (BVBC) Missions Pastor David Neely invited Rob and Stacey McCully to join him and three others to travel to Pune, India on a fact-finding mission to explore possible mission/ministry opportunities for BVBC.  There is no doubt that the trip impacted Stacey more than any other member of that initial team.  She remembers feeling that everywhere she turned there were huge needs and it was difficult to know where to begin.  Stacey loved the people, especially the children, and she came back to the US knowing she needed and wanted to do something. 

One of the experiences that affected Stacey was watching children in the  Ramtekdi slum pick through a garbage heap looking for something to eat.  Directly across from the garbage heap was the Ramtekdi tutoring center, where Stacey and Rob had met two brothers, two pastors, who were committing themselves daily to helping Ramtekdi children with their school lessons while also providing them spiritual encouragement.  The pastors had asked BVBC to consider providing a daily meal for the children being tutored.  Rob and Stacey learned it would only cost $10 a month to feed one child daily for a month.

The McCully’s led a team back to India the following year telling the children Bible stories at the tutoring  center and taking photos of the 49 children being tutored.  That began the Food For His Glory feeding and tutoring ministry, from which 49 and eventually up to 160 children were receiving a meal daily while receiving the tutoring and spiritual training at the center. The COVID-19 pandemic created a new need, and the Ramtekdi pastors fed not only the children, but many families because of the severe impacts that the lockdown created in slum.

In 2018, SPARSH Global Inc. was created as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization to support the work of SPARSH India, including the continuation of the Food for His Glory Ministry.  In 2020-2021, SPARSH Global's funds were used to feed 400-600 people during the most severe days of the COVID-19 lockdown in Pune.  SPARSH Global also supports the continued operations of Timothy's Happy Home, a full-time residence providing shelter, schooling, nurturing, and spiritual encouragement  for 20-30 children, some of whom are orphaned, some of whom are children of commercial sex workers, and some of whom are street children.