September 2015 – Missions Catalyst

Resource Reviews

Missions Catalyst Resource Reviews 9.30.15

Dear Readers,

Ready for some armchair travel or training? We’re excited to tell you about great websites for families with third-culture kids as well as a new web-based service for managing short-term teams called “My Mission Journey.”

A good number of webinars and web-based workshops are planned for October. These include a four-session series for mission leaders and several webinars from Missio Nexus. DELTA Ministries has a webinar on managing risk for short-term teams. Sixteen:Fifteen is offering a free, three-part series for sending churches dealing with missionary care (more info on this below).

Several longer courses are about to launch as well, including another six-week course from the Mobile Ministry Forum on using mobile technology for ministry, and an online “Perspectives” class. To learn more, see the events list below (which also includes events where people actually meet face to face!)

I’ve recently learned of several ministries that work with mission groups to provide high-quality online training courses for cross-cultural workers. Check out Crosswired and Grow2serve. I’m also keeping an eye on several newer projects, Culture Voyager and Missions Academy.

Few (if any) of these sites and services could have existed when Missions Catalyst began tracking mission resources twenty years ago. Isn’t it great to see today’s technologies harnessed for the kingdom? May God be glorified!

Blessings,
Marti Wade

WEBSITES: Ten Sites for Those with TCKs

Source: Tim Smith, Pioneers USA

Are you a parent serving cross-culturally? Maybe your church or ministry supports or partners with families serving internationally. One of my colleagues at Pioneers who works with families put together this list of his favorite websites and blogs by, for, or about missionary kids (MKs) and other “third-culture” kids (TCKs). These sites will lead you to many other resources, too.

Michele Phoenix: This popular blog by TCK author and speaker Michele Phoenix includes lots of articles for understanding TCKs.
TCKid: Site serves as a home for third-culture kids of all ages.
The Mama Bear Effect: Site focuses on building stronger families and protecting children from sexual abuse.
Slurping Soup: True stories and activities to help TCKs through transition.
Cross Cultural Kids Blog: Ruth Van Reken’s website for cross-cultural kids, about whom Ruth Van Reken and David Pollock “wrote the book.”
Taylor Joy Murray: Insightful blog of a 17-year old TCK from Japan.
Empowered to Connect: Site from Dr. Karyn Purvis on adoption and attachment is not directly about TCKs but excellent for any parent wanting to connect with their child.
Among Worlds: Learn what TCKs may become through this publication for adult TCKs. A related blog is no longer being updated but includes interesting articles and links.
Denizen: Check out this (secular) online magazine by and for TCKs.
A Life Overseas: This popular multi-voice mission blog isn’t just for mission families, but it covers issues that concern them.

» Comment on the Missions Catalyst website or Facebook page to let us know what resources you find helpful.

SERVICE: Online Mission Trip Planning Tool

Source: STM Toolbox

Looking for tools to help you with mission trip planning? My Mission Journey is an online mission trip planning tool for the team members and leaders. Designed to be simple and focused, this planning tool has the following features:

Online fundraising capacity
Team member blogs
Access to team documents and training materials
Downloadable helps for leaders

Pricing starts at US$25 per person, and you can “test drive” it before you sign up by accessing demo pages.

This is a brand-new resource, launching October 1, so we can’t tell you about its track record of success. The folks at STM Toolbox have, however, spent the last five years serving churches, schools, and mission organizations as they implement short-term mission strategies and asking those partners what kind of help they need. This resource is designed with those needs in mind.

» Visit My Mission Journey or check out other resources from STM Toolbox.

WEBINAR SERIES: Missionary Care for Churches

Source: Sixteen:Fifteen

Does your church send out missionaries? In a free, three-part webinar series through Sixteen:Fifteen, Jeff Jackson of Shepherd’s Staff describes three essential structures you can establish to effectively send and care for your church’s missionaries. You will have to register in order to participate, but there’s no cost. You can sign up for just one of the one-hour sessions, or participate in all three.

October 14: Session 1, Making It Practical
October 21: Session 2, Creating a Missionary Nurture Team
October 28: Session 3, Building a Missionary Crisis Management Team

» Learn more or register for these sessions.

» You might also want to check out this year’s International Conference on Missions, October 29 to November 1 in Richmond, Virginia, which will feature a track on Equipping Local Churches for Missionary Care.

ARTICLE: “I Wish My Church Understood”

Source: Catalyst Services

How can we establish and maintain healthy dialog between global workers and their sending and supporting churches? Transparency and sensitivity on the part of both parties are essential.

The August issue of Postings features hypothetical conversations that highlight what churches sometimes say to their missionaries and what global workers may be thinking. It then suggests alternate church messages that could open doors for greater transparency and benefit.

» Read the article or download it as a 6-page PDF. We’d also encourage you to subscribe or browse the archives.

EVENTS: October Classes and Conferences

Source: Missions Events Calendar

October 1-3, Open B4T Expo (Minneapolis, MN, USA). Transforming Nations through Business.

October 1-3, Oasis Conference West (Brentwood, CA, USA). Crescent Project annual conference held on the west coast.

October 2-3, Mission Next Forum (Tulsa, OK, USA). Find your fit in missions.

October 5 to February 15, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Course (online). Provided by the Perspectives Study Program.

October 6, Mobile Ministry Training Course (online). Start of six-week class, repeated several times a year. Learn how to use mobile technology for evangelism.

October 7, Evaluating and Recalibrating Your Ministry (online). Start of web workshop from Missio Nexus; four Wednesdays in October.

October 8, Missions Funding and Global Missions (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 9-10, Missions Fest Seattle (Edmonds, WA, USA).

October 10, Bridges Seminar (Huntington, WV, USA). Building bridges to reach Muslims. Provided by Crescent Project.

October 11-16, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Re-entry and debriefing for singles, couples, and families provided by TRAIN International.

October 14, Missionary Care: Making It Practical (online). Free webinar for sending churches, part 1 of 3 from Sixteen:Fifteen.

October 15, Hospitality and the Great Commission (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 16-18, THARS Security Seminar (Mi-Wuk Village, CA, USA). Provided by Morton Security Solutions.

October 19-20, Support-raising Bootcamp (Rogers, AR, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

October 19-22, Thrive Retreat (Rimini, Italy). Refreshment and renewal for North American women serving cross-culturally.

October 19-23, Kairos Course (Louisville, KY). Intensive one-week version.

October 21, Missionary Care: Creating a Missionary Nurture Team (online). Free webinar for sending churches, part 2 of 3 from Sixteen:Fifteen.

October 24, Bridges Seminar (Des Moines, IA, USA). Building bridges to reach Muslims. Provided by Crescent Project.

October 27, Evaluating and Managing Risk on Your Short-term Mission (webinar). Provided by DELTA Ministries.

October 28: Missionary Care: Creating a Missionary Crisis Management Team (online). Free webinar for sending churches, part 3 of 3 from Sixteen:Fifteen.

October 29, When Helping Hurts: Cross-Cultural Leader Development (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

October 29 to November 1, International Conference on Missions (Richmond, VA, USA). Conference of the Christian Church/Churches of Christ.

October 31, Heart for Muslims Conference (New York, NY, USA).

» View the complete calendar and/or submit an item. It’s time to start putting together our 2016 calendar. We’d appreciate your help!

Help us help our friends at Brigada

Dear readers,

Do you know about Brigada Today?

Founded in 1995 in the same initiative that birthed Missions Catalyst, this free, weekly web-and-email journal offers resources, mission trends, motivation, strategy tips, and tools for Great Commission Christians. I use it to keep up with new resources and upcoming events. Maybe you do, too.

This month, editors Doug and Tina are asking us to pray for Brigada. Among other things, they ask us to pray that during these last months of 2015, the Brigada community would grow from 6,000 participants to 7,000.

So I prayed. I also started to wonder if we could help them reach that goal. That’s why I’m writing. If you haven’t seen it—or haven’t seen it lately—I’d encourage you to check out Brigada.

Browse through recent editions. Troll the archives.
If you like what you see, subscribe.
Tell your friends. Share it with others!

Thanks for reading and considering this request. Next week we’ll be back with the September edition of Missions Catalyst Resource Reviews.

Blessings,

Marti Wade
For the Missions Catalyst team

World News Briefs

In this Issue: Sometimes the news is not what you expect

INDIA: Witch Hunts Not a Thing of the Past
INDONESIA: Attack Unites Muslims and Christians
NEPAL: The Day Jesus Invaded a Buddhist Monastery
GERMANY: Hundreds of Muslims Turn to Christ

For additional news, see our Twitter feed.

A new film about the life of Muhammad is causing a stir in the Muslim world.

Dear Readers,

Have you noticed that sometimes the news is just plain confusing? For example, the recently released film Mohammad: The Messenger of God (trailer above) is causing a stir in the Muslim world. It took me by surprise to read that Iranians made the film, while the fatwa against it is coming from Muslims in India. Wouldn’t you expect people in India, home of Bollywood, to support the project, while Iran, with so many hardliners about the arts, to object? But it’s not so simple. I had the same weird feeling when I read about that Pakistan is one of the top exporters of bagpipes: a challenge to my sensibilities. And maybe that’s a good thing!

I am wired to try to see connections and often God seems to use this gift. But I have to be careful how I use it and avoid any kind of “witch hunt” (see India story below). Some see a connection between the tragedy this week in Mecca and God’s judgment. My heart, though, hurts for those who sacrificed to seek God and were met with injury and death in their most holy place.

I do see a connection between the Muslim Hajj (September 21-23) and Jewish Yom Kippur (September 23) as they overlap this year. That means that, this month, many of the world’s people will be seeking to be cleansed from sin by a pilgrimage to their most holy places. Don’t miss the opportunity to pray for their cleansing—by the blood of Christ.

May they enter the true Holy of Holies with Jesus,
Pat

INDIA: Witch Hunts Not a Thing of the Past

Source: Mission Network News, September 3, 2015

It’s easy to assume that the extreme superstition that fueled historical tragedies like the Salem witch trials is a thing of the past, but Mission India says that’s not the case. Fear-driven witch hunts are a very real and disturbingly common part of society in many of India’s states. The problem is especially serious in Jharkland, where 37 percent of all witchcraft-related murders occur.

For example, in early August, five women were killed in the state of Jharkland when villagers claimed they were witches. The entire village contributed to the angry mob that blamed the women for many of the community’s issues, including illness and poor crop yields.

Last August in the state of Assam, a 63-year-old woman was beheaded on the basis that she had cursed the village with an illness. In July, a couple and four of their children were killed in their sleep when their own relatives accused them of causing the sickness that was spreading among infants in the village.

» Read full story, which links to a 2014 article with analysis of the phenomenon (Washington Post).

» Also read the secular coverage of the same event, Five Women Killed in India, and a story on witchcraft in Afghanistan, The Fortune Teller of Kabul, both from The Guardian. And check out Occult Beliefs on the Rise among Chinese Communist Leaders and Satan Has Come to Detroit: Try Not to Worry (Christian Today).

INDONESIA: Attack Unites Muslims and Christians

Source: Missions Network News, September 11, 2015

Muslims and Christians aren’t known for working together. But in rural Indonesia, Muslims and Christians in a small village are going “against the grain.”

Four radical Muslims brutally attacked Pastor Yuda, an indigenous church planter in Borneo supported by Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI).

“The local people [Muslims] are coming together with the church members to try and find out who the person [was] who hit and attacked Pastor Yuda, and bring that person to the police” [reports FMI’s Bruce Allen].

Pastor Yuda’s village is 98 percent Muslim, and “the leader of that village, although he’s Muslim, does not want any conflict between Muslims and Christians or the church members in that area,” Allen shares.

» Read full story and prayer points.