Resource Reviews

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In This Issue:

  1. PODCAST: New Episodes from the Global Missions Podcast
  2. BOOKLET: 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World
  3. EVENT: OnMission Virtual Mission Conference
  4. BOOK: The North American Mission Handbook
  5. EVENTS: Upcoming Conferences, Training, and More

Dear readers,

I’ve had a busy spring writing, traveling, and teaching Perspectives classes, and now I’m on the cusp of completing a Master’s degree I’ve been chipping away at since 2011. So as I pulled together resources for today’s edition, I was particularly grateful for resources that fit well into this way of life: podcasts to listen to on the go, prayer tools to lift my eyes from the headlines to the heavens, and events I can participate in from my computer or mobile device. Maybe those appeal to you, too!

Today’s resources are great for church mission leaders. Please pass them on to others you know who can put them to use.

Warmly,
Marti

PODCAST: New Episodes from the Global Missions Podcast

Source: Global Missions Podcast

Several months ago we gave a shout-out to the Global Missions Podcast. Rob Magwood and his team recently posted a few episodes that might interest those leading mission efforts in a local church. Listen to the podcasts and/or check out the show notes for helpful tips and practical tools you can use:

See also the recording of a recent webinar from 16:15 on How Senior Pastors Catch Missions Vision, with Ellen Livingood of Catalyst Services and Pastor Lane Harrison of Lifepoint Church in Ozark, Missouri.

» Another podcast we mentioned has made a move and a name change. See Muslims, Christians & the Zombie Apocalypse (“We want to offer a new narrative about the intersection of Muslims and Christians without making everyone feel like we are on the verge of a Zombie Apocalypse!”)

BOOKLET: 30 Days Muslim Prayer Guide 2016

30 days prayer

Source: World Christian

June 6 to July 5 will be the 25th time Christians worldwide will unite to pray for and learn about our world’s Muslim neighbors. This year’s full-color informative prayer guide booklets are now available. More than 80,000 of them are regularly ordered in North America by churches from many denominations as well as other ministries, prayer groups, and individuals.

» In North America? Order from World Christian. An International English version can also be downloaded as a PDF for US$2.50 from 30 Days International.

EVENT: OnMission Virtual Mission Conference

Source: Mission Nexus

Can you free up four hours of time a week from today (April 6)? Sign up for OnMissions, a free, virtual, four-hour conference focused on issues and subjects relevant to church mission leaders. Ten-minute spot-talks will deal with best practices, global trends, partnership, and more, all streamed right to your computer to watch on your own or with a group.

» Learn more about speakers and topics or register to attend.

BOOK: The North America Mission Handbook

Source: North America Mission Handbook, Via Justin Long

Researchers are gathering data for the next edition of the North America Mission Handbook, which reports on all Christian organizations in North America that send missionaries, workers, funds, or other resources to other countries in the service of Jesus Christ. A local church qualifies if it serves as a mission agency, directly sending and supporting long-term missionaries or workers to other countries without working through a separate organization.

Do you know of any churches or organizations that might have been missed by this book in the past editions, or that might be missed because they are new, small, or not well known? If so, please send information to Michael Jaffarian. This can include ministries that have most of their work in North America but some overseas. Thanks!

» Not familiar with the handbook? Read a descriptive review of the last edition. We will also let you know when the new edition is available.

EVENTS: Upcoming Conferences, Training, and More

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

April 1-2, The Journey Deepens (Portland, OR, USA). A weekend retreat for prospective missionaries. Provided by Mission Next and Mission ConneXion.

April 3-8, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Re-entry and debriefing for singles, couples, and families provided by TRAIN International.

April 4-June 26, Encountering the World of Islam (online). Course on embracing Muslims with the love of Christ.

April 6, OnMission (online). This is a free, virtual, four-hour conference focused on issues and subjects relevant to church mission leaders.

April 9, Care Connexion (Beaverton, OR, USA). Workshop for churches about creating teams to care for their missionaries.

April 11, Sending Church Roundtable (Louisville, KY, USA). Asking: How can sending churches do global missions well? Hosted by Sojourn Church and Upstream Collective.

April 12, Does Child Sponsorship Really Work? (online). Free, web-based, interactive conversation from The Mission Table.

April 13-15, Crisis Management Seminar (Lake George, CO, USA). Learn how to develop a competent security and crisis management program; Crisis Consulting International.

April 14, Global Day of Prayer for the 4/14 Window (global). Praying for the world’s children (especially those aged 4-14).

April 14-17, Velvet Ashes Personal Spiritual Retreat (online). Virtual retreat for women serving cross-culturally.

April 16, Bridges Seminar (Lancaster, PA, USA). Building bridges to reach Muslims. Provided by Crescent Project.

April 17-20, Field Security Seminar (Lake George, CO, USA). Skills for field staff working in dangerous environments around the world. Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

April 18-19, Support Raising Bootcamp (Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

April 20, Knowing Who to Send: Predicting Missionary Fruitfulness and Failure (online). Free Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen, with Pioneers.

April 25 to May 8, ORIENT (Joplin, MO, USA). Learn key skills for surviving and thriving cross-culturally. Provided by TRAIN Internationals. Also offered September 5-18.

April 25-28, Thrive Retreat (Fortaleza, Brazil). For North American women serving cross-culturally.

April 27-29, Northwest Mission Leaders Conference (Raymond, WA, USA). Theme: Changing Church Culture. Sponsored by World Venture.

May 4-7, International Wholistic Missions Conference (Phoenix, AZ, USA). From the Global CHE Network.

May 10, Are Compassion Ministries Truly Compassionate? (online). Free, web-based, interactive conversation from The Mission Table.

May 11-12, Interchange (Philadelphia, PA, USA). Bringing church and agency personnel together. Topic: Missions and money. Provided by Catalyst Services.

May 12-14, Christian Community Health Conference (Oklahoma City, OK, USA). Provided by the Christian Community Health Fellowship.

May 13-14, People Raising Conference (Oak Brook, IL, USA). Be equipped for raising personal support.

May 13-14, Prayer and Spiritual Warfare ConneXion (Portland, OR, USA). Training event provided by Mission ConneXion.

May 15, International Day for the Unreached (international).

May 15, Global Day of Prayer (global). An annual event.

May 17-18, Support Raising Bootcamp (Pasadena, CA, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

May 19-21, Global Children’s Ministry Equip Conference (Chiang Mai, Thailand). An annual event.

May 23 to June 4, Darshan (Chicago, IL, USA). Hindu evangelism training from Christar.

May 26-29, Serving Internationals (Estes Park, CO, USA). Annual conference by the Association of Christians Ministering among Internationals (ACMI).

May 27 to June 4, Single Vision Retreat (Lisbon, Portugal). A member care program for singles in the mission community.

» View the calendar or submit an addition or correction.

World News Briefs

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In This Issue:

  1. LAOS: A Church Divided Against Itself
  2. TURKEY: Government Backs Down on Closing Bursa’s Only Church
  3. CHINA: Christian Executives Who Pray
  4. SYRIA: Bible Distribution Continues Despite Conflict
  5. MONGOLIA: The First Yurt of the Nazarene

Yurt church

Believers in Mongolia, reportedly the world’s most sparsely populated nation, meet to worship in a “ger” (yurt). Image via Church of the Nazarene; related story below.

Greetings!

The stories in this week’s edition are either about the church or about hope which, as the writer of Hebrews says, is the anchor for our souls. In deciding which theme to focus on, I realized they are one. Fellowship with my church family, New Hope Community Church, anchors me to the reality of God’s kingdom, people, wisdom, and love, and the church is the chosen means of bringing the hope of Christ to many.

For stirring images of hope, see these beautiful photos which show it’s possible to find hope in the midst of tragedy. World News This Week in Prayer composed some beautiful prayers around those pictures. Also read about a photographer who found a way to give hope back to those ravaged by war (what a great idea for a short term mission trip!)

Blessings,
Pat

Note: Miss a few issues? See last week’s feature story, Coffee for Your Soul: Five Reasons You Can Have Hope for the World.

LAOS: A Church Divided Against Itself

Source: Mission Network News, March 9, 2016

Officially, the government [of Laos] permits the practice of four religions, including Christianity. In reality, churches are watched carefully by the government. Patrick Klein with Vision Beyond Borders explains, “In Laos, kind of like in China, they have the government-run church, and then they also have the underground church movement.”

Because the underground church is growing quickly, Klein observes, “It seems like there’s a jealousy in the government church. They want to control the growth, control the people that supposedly come to Christ. They really want to make them puppets of the government.”

“Some villages they go into, they go in to evangelize, and the government church is already discouraging people from even listening to the evangelist. They want to control the growth of the church in Laos, and it’s really disheartening because it is coming from other ‘family’ members.”

Klein is asking us to join together and pray for unity in the body of Christ in Laos. “People can be praying for us that we can continue to get Scriptures in and keep helping the Church, but also that the underground church will really mature—become stronger and stronger so that they will not abandon their faith.”

» Read full story. See also God’s Master Plan: A Bible Smuggling Testimony (Vision Beyond Borders), and watch the Prayercast Video for Laos.

TURKEY: Government Backs Down on Closing Bursa’s Only Church

Source: World Watch Monitor, February 24, 2016

The local government of the northwestern Turkish city of Bursa ordered that its only church, which serves four congregations, be vacated by Friday [February 26], before rescinding the order on Tuesday.

Ismail Kulakcioglu, the pastor of the Protestant congregation, said they were given less than a week to vacate the building. Approximately 200 Christians share the church for their Sunday worship services.

Four different branches of Christianity congregate in the building, officially known as the French Church Cultural Centre. They include Latin Catholic, German Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant fellowships. Under Turkish law, non-Muslim faith communities face significant legal hurdles in registering an officially sanctioned house of worship. Multiple congregations often share the same space.

The church remains a symbol of the city’s non-Muslims’ struggle to become an accepted part of society. Kulakciolgu said he had tried to convince the council that Bursa would lose a priceless piece of its cultural heritage if the congregations were forced out of their building.

“We’re trying to explain that this church—which is used as a house of worship by different congregations—is perhaps the only example of its kind in the world,” he said.

» Read full story.

CHINA: Christian Executives Who Pray

Source: OMF Global Chinese Ministries Newsletter, March 2016

It is amazing how many senior business people in China are committed Christians. In a BBC News report, a Christian businessman in China shared how his faith in Jesus Christ has had a dramatic impact on his company. Wang Ruoxiong became a Christian seven years ago. He said that Jesus is his company’s ultimate boss. He added that putting biblical principles into practice in the workplace has brought success to the company. He underlines the importance of good relationships, highlighting the way that staff members are treated and the way the company relates to its suppliers. He says positive relationships make the company distinct and create a commercial advantage.

“[Jesus] controls everything. I am merely a housekeeper for Jesus, assisting him in taking care of the company,” says Ruoxiong. “When the senior managers at the top are willing to use the values in their own work and life, these values are passed down. Eventually they become the shared values of the ordinary employees of the entire company.”

Bosses at the Chinese real estate giant Tiantai Group told BBC News last July that they pray in the boardroom before making important decisions. Out of eight senior managers at Tiantai, six are Christians. Founder and chairman Wang Ruoxiong says that the company relies on the Bible for direction when difficult decisions arise.

» Read full story and the BBC article, Firm Faith: The Company Bosses Who Pray.