Day: September 2, 2015

Missions Catalyst News Briefs 9.2.15

1. WORLD: A Time of Anguish for the Globally Displaced
2. ALGERIA: Exponential Growth of Kabyle Berber Church
3. MIDDLE EAST: The Middle Eastern Mesh
4. CENTRAL ASIA: Share Tea, Share Life

Image: Gissur Simonarson. This photo of a Syrian father selling pens in the streets of Beirut raised more than US$150,000 for the Syrian refugee.

Dear Readers,

Last month a viral Tweet changed the lives of a Syrian refugee and his daughter (pictured above) when thousands of dollars were donated to help the two. We read that thousands of Icelanders have offered to take refugees into their homes. Syrians at train station in Hungary did not fare so well.

Such glimpses into the life of refugees are powerful. I am also looking forward to the film Salam Neighbor coming out this fall; it follows the journey of Zach and Chris, the first two filmmakers allowed to register and receive a tent inside a refugee camp. You might also be interested in the story of a recent Bethlehem Bible College graduate who took a step of faith and led his entire youth group, Palestinians, on an eye-opening short-term trip to minister to Iraqi refugees in Jordan.

Here in the US, we are entering election season, and immigration is a hot and divisive topic. That may be why we don’t hear much about immigration from the pulpit, says Matt Soeren, who points us to studies and sermon resources that could turn that around (Leadership Journal).

Politics aside, mission leaders like J.D. Payne point out that international migration is at the nexus of many of the world’s most challenging problems. You might want to listen in on J.D.’s conversation about migration and missions with leading diaspora missiologist Enoch Wan.

Don’t know where or how to begin to help refugees? Check out Exodus World Service. Working with Exodus, members of The Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook, Illinois recently delivered their 100th Welcome to America! Pack. The church’s dedication to welcoming arriving refugee families over the last decade is a wonderful demonstration of God’s faithful care and concern for the stranger in our midst.

Love sports? Read Sports, Soccer, and Boxing as they Relate to Diaspora Missions and Evangelism (Billy Graham Center for Evangelism). Amy Walters of SEND International provides some helpful tips on reaching out to refugees. However you reach out, keep in mind these best practices of immigrant ministry from the Wesleyan ministry Global Partners.

Finally, several years ago, faithful Missions Catalyst reader Neal Pirolo published a motivating book on reaching internationals who live among us, and it’s full of great ideas related to ministry among refugees, immigrants, international students, and more.

Blessings,
Pat

Source: INcontext Ministries, August 2015

During this year of spiraling crises, with millions of people already forced to flee from their homes and many thousands dying while trying to get to safety, the global humanitarian system has been severely stretched. Global forced displacement is currently reaching unprecedented levels:

• 59.5 million individuals are forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations.
• 51% of all refugees are children below the age of 18 years.
• 86% of these refuges were hosted by developing nations.
• 42,500 people are forced to leave their homes every day.
• 53% of all refugees come from three nations alone: Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
• 30 million people are currently subject to slavery.
• 162 nations have slave practices.
• 22% of these are subject to sexual exploitation

In this age of unprecedented displacement and suffering, the church needs an unparalleled response and a renewed global commitment to imitate Christ, the father of all compassion (2 Corinthians 1:3).

In John 11:35, we find the heart of Christ for those in need: “Jesus wept.” Tears of compassion well become Christians and make them most resemble Christ. It is indeed a season for anguish.

» Read full story and watch David Wilkerson’s message A Call to Anguish.

Source: SAT-7 News and Prayer, August 2015

Now in its third year of broadcast, My Church in Algeria [a program in the Kabyle Berber language] is reaching thousands of remote communities across North Africa.

A secluded Protestant church in the Algerian mountains has quickly grown to over 1600 members. Daughter churches are now meeting in different cities to accommodate numbers.

Program producer Samia Jallali Kessai is heartened by the commitment of many members: “In the winter, it is very difficult to find a way up to the mountains. People have to wake up at 5:00am to get transport. The church service starts at 9:30am, but by 8:00am you will find that the church is full and many cannot find a seat.”

Every Sunday, SAT-7 broadcasts from the church. My Church in Algeria is one of the few programs broadcast in Berber on SAT-7 Arabic. A viewer from Morocco says, “Before we start our cell group church in my house on Sundays, we watch My Church in Algeria because it is in Berber.” Samia helps subtitle the recordings into Arabic: “We want to make it available to as many people as possible. It is particularly exciting as there are many communities in Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and Somalia where Berber is better understood than Arabic.”

» Read full story. See also a longer version on the SAT-7 UK website. SAT-7 also broadcasts a documentary series featuring the stories of Algerian men and women who have come to faith in Christ.

Source: INContext Ministries, August 5, 2015

On July 14, 2015, Iran and six world powers (America, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany) agreed on a historic deal to limit Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons.

But the conflict in the Middle East is far deeper and wider than just the nuclear threat. Four Arab civil wars are currently being fought—in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen—with Iran, America, and Saudi Arabia supporting a complex mix of warring parties.

These charts show the complexity of the conflicts that stretch over religion, ideology, ethnicity, and class. What is evident is that the Sunni-Shia rift has become more acute, with Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia playing leading roles on either side of the divide.

» Read full story. The original chart and analysis behind this piece were published in The Economist in April.

» Editor’s note: Let’s keep praying for all these powers in the Middle East, and note that September 23 is a global day of prayer for Saudi Arabia.

Source: IMB Connecting, August 1, 2015

“Farishta,” a young, unmarried woman from a large Central Asian family, wanted to show “Marcie” [an IMB missionary] how to perform namaz, the Islamic ritual prayer done five times a day.

Marcie shifted on the tea-stained couch and slowly shook her head as she told Farishta it wasn’t necessary.

Pointing to her cup of milk tea, Marcie asked, “When I leave and you wash this cup, will you wash the outside and the inside?”

“I’ll wash both the outside and the inside,” Farishta said.

“If you don’t wash the inside of the cup, will it still be dirty?”

“When we pray, it is important to have clean hearts before God. When I pray, I am sharing my heart with God and then listening to how he wants me to pray. Sometimes how God wants me to pray is different than I thought.”

Farishta looked at Marcie inquisitively, but changed the topic. A few minutes later, however, she brought up the topic again.

“Let me just show you how to do namaz,” Farishta insisted with a warm smile. Farishta did not understand why Marcie didn’t want to do Islamic ritual prayers. Everyone in Farishta’s community performs namaz.

“You know, namaz prayer has a special reward from God if you do it. I can show you how to do it right now,” Farishta said.

» Read the rest of the conversation. Also see sidebar stories about praying for Muslim women and hosting a women’s prayer tea.