Category: Resource Reviews

Source: Joni and Friends, Hendrickson Publishers, The Lausanne Movement

“I’m sorry, sir, that the only person who responded to your invitation to give themselves to serve the Lord in mission was the little crippled girl who could never do it.”

The apology came after a service in my little rural church. It was about me. When I was five years old, polio had profoundly weakened me. Now 12 years old, using my crutches and braces, I had walked down the aisle to say, “Yes, I believe the Lord wants me to be a missionary someday.” Logically, it looked like an impossible dream, but the speaker looked the other gentleman in the eye and said, “Whom the Lord calls, He will use.” Those words could not be a truer description of my experience of disability in mission.”

» That’s the story of Elinor Young, and one of several recently shared in a new blog series on disability in mission from Joni and Friends. To learn more about Elinor, watch World Team’s 2015 video, Bad Legs: A Story of God Using One Woman’s Weakness for His Glory (YouTube).

» Check out the Disability Concerns network at Lausanne, and/or pick up the 2019 book Disability in Mission: The Church’s Hidden Treasure, edited by David C. Deuel and Nathan G. John. Looks like these blog posts are excerpts from the book.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

First, a couple of August items you might still want to catch, both on Thursday, August 27:

• Charitable Giving in the Wake of COVID-19. Webinar from Missio Nexus. Featuring findings from a recent survey of 1,000 major and mid-level donors.
• God’s Vision for All Peoples. Training session from Beyond. Part of a series offered regularly.

September 3, Spiritual Formation Integration for Ministry Leaders. Webinar from Missio Nexus.

September 3, Mobilizing People of Color, Part 2. Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen (watch Part 1).

September 7 to December 6, Encountering the World of Islam. Embracing Muslims with the love of Christ. Note: The first-ever Spanish-language EWI online course starts September 14.

September 8, It’s Bigger Than Short-Term Missions: Nurturing a Missions Ministry in a Disinterested Church. Webinar from the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

September 8-12, Engaging Islam Institute. Training from Horizons International. Usually offered in Dearborn, MI, but this year you can catch it online.

September 10, Hope Conference. Explore God’s work in the Muslim world through this Crescent International event. Timed and designed for an American audience. A similar event will happen September 17 for those from Africa, Asia, and Europe. Material in English, Arabic, Spanish, French, and German.

September 10, Multiplying Prayer: Fuel for Movements. Training session from Beyond. Part of a series offered regularly.

September 16-17, People Raising Conference. Be equipped for raising personal support. Usually held in Oak Brook, IL; this year on Zoom.

September 17 to October 15, Foundations of Media to Movements. Learn to leverage media to start disciple-making movements. Course from Mission Media U.

September 22-24, Support Raising Virtual Bootcamp. Provided by Support Raising Solutions multiple times a year, usually in different parts of the US.

September 24, Focus2020 Spotlight. Online event from Missio Nexus in place of the network’s annual conference.

» View complete calendar. Submissions and corrections welcome. We will continue to make updates about canceled and postponed events.

1. VIDEO: 50 Countries Sing Amazing Grace
2. ARTICLE: COVID-19 Preparedness for Mission Teams
3. BOOK: Tibet, The Roof of the World
4. VIDEOS: The Global Voices Project
5. EVENTS: Happening in August, Mostly Online

Source: The Normal Christian Life

Take a look. Could you use this in a worship service or share it with others?

Source: Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission

As the world thinks about opening up to travel, there will be new expectations of those mobilizing mission teams.

A handy new COVID-19 Preparedness Plan Packet was developed to guide you in the process, when the time comes, to successfully and thoughtfully mobilize missions domestically and abroad.

» Check it out. SOE has also curated other helpful resources for navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic, including some opportunities and suggestions for virtual mission trip.

Source: One World Missions, Global Great Commission Network

A new video series offers insight on some of today’s burning mission questions from those you might not hear from often. The Global Voices Project gathers mission leaders from around the world to discuss important issues. Three episodes are available so far, each of them available in smaller segments exploring specific questions:

Mobilization

• What is needed most right now in this time of crisis for the Church?
• How will this crisis create shifts in mobilization?
• Is it time to rethink how we do church and missions?
• How can we leverage our greatest assets to see a unified Church?

Mission Agencies

• How have priorities changed as you face new realities post-COVID?
• How are agencies rethinking their strategies for training and sending?
• How are agencies facilitating member care during this crisis?
• How is funding impacted, both in terms of receiving and sending?
• How important will partnerships be as we move beyond this crisis?

COVID and the Church

• How is the Church being impacted by COVID?
• How is the role of the Church being redefined?
• How do we ensure that we are being the Church in terms of ministry?
• What opportunities do you see emerging for the Church in mission?

» The series has no website  or webpage, just a YouTube playlist.

» You might also be interested in listening to a new episode on The Mission Matters podcast on Mission Trends in a Post-COVID world (Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen) or reading TrendReport 2020, on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future of church and mission (Christian Trendwatcher; donation required).

Source: Asia Harvest Ministries

Tibet: The Roof of the World, by Paul Hattaway. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2020. 338 pages.

The China Chronicles series is an ambitious project to document the advance of Christianity in each province of China, decade by decade, from the time the gospel was introduced to the present day. This is the fourth volume.

Tibet is vast—three times the land area of the United Kingdom or the US state of Texas, but with only a small fraction of the population. The gospel first reached Tibet some 1,500 years ago. Though their numbers remain small, more Tibetans follow Christ now than in any time in history.

This book tells the story of the courageous believers God has used to expand his kingdom in Tibetan regions (not just today’s autonomous region). As the first attempt to present an overview of all Christian activity in Tibet throughout history, it begins with accounts of Nestorian, Catholic, and Moravian missions and describes some indigenous efforts as well as the work of foreign missionaries. It’s written more as an inspirational book than an academic one but includes thorough documentation, a bibliography, and appendices.

» Learn more or purchase from Asia Harvest for US$18 or get a Kindle edition from Amazon for US$9.59. You can get a good taste of the book through the Amazon Kindle preview.

» Another new missions book promises thrilling stories and just came out this week. Read Do This for Love: Free Burma Rangers in the Battle of Mosul, by David Eubank with Hosannah Valentine (and let me know what you think). The Kindle edition is US$9.99.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

August 3-7, ABIDE re-entry debriefing for global workers (Joplin, MO, USA). From TRAIN International; also offered October 18-23 and November 8-13.

August 3 to December 6, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). A second online class starts a week later. More traditional, regionally based classes will also be offered virtually and begin in August. Find a class you can go through with others near you and invite a friend.

August 5-7, Support Raising Bootcamp (online). Virtual training from Support Raising Solutions; also offered September 22-24, October 20-22.

August 6, Reaching Nations in the USA Through Sports (online). Webinar provided by Missio Nexus.

August 7-21, ABIDE re-entry debriefing for global workers (online). From TRAIN International; also offered online September 14-18, September 28 to October 2, and December 7-11.

August 9 to September 4, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training; next offered October 4-30.

August 11, Can STM Really Be A Gateway to Long-Term Missions? (online). Webinar from the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

August 12-13, How to Inspire God’s People for Their Global Destiny (online; two time slots). Webinar on mobilization from GlobalCast Resources and YWAM Frontier Missions.

August 20, A World Without Orphans: Understanding the Movement Away from Orphanages (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

August 27-29, Virtual Field Security Seminar (online). From Crisis Consulting International.

August 31 to September 13, ORIENT pre-field training for global workers (Eminence, MO, USA). From TRAIN International.

» View complete calendar. Submissions and corrections welcome. We will continue to make updates about canceled and postponed events.

Greetings!

My boss’s boss grew up as a missionary kid in a remote jungle. At a recent online staff meeting he told us, “My job is to navigate the canoe as effectively as I can in the currents in which we find ourselves.”

Are you feeling the currents? Trying to stay on mission? Seeking to adapt to crises and calls for change? Or maybe you’re grieving some losses. This month’s resources may help. I hope you know you’re not alone.

Blessings,
Marti

In This Issue:

1. BOOK: Practicing Hope—Missions and Global Crises
2. WEB SERVICE: The Missions App
3. BIBLE STUDY: Step In Small Group Curriculum
4. PODCASTS: Mission Leaders Speak to Current Events
5. ARTICLE: Biblical Lament
6. EVENTS: Happening in July, Mostly Online

Practicing Hope: Missions and Global Crises, edited by Jerry Ireland and Michelle Raven. William Carey Publishing and the Evangelical Missiological Society, 2020. 216 pages.

This new book brings together global scholars and practitioners who share and think broadly about the Church’s mission in a world rife with crises. Rather than harmonizing the voices of the contributors to provide general guidelines for generic crisis response, Practicing Hope allows the reader to hear multiple perspectives on complex issues such as sustainability, empowerment, human rights, biblical principles, and the mission of God.

The 12 essays were written for the Evangelical Missiological Society (EMS) before the struggles we’ve faced in 2020, as the introduction acknowledges, but their release now is certainly timely.

» Learn more or purchase the Kindle edition for US$9.99 or less. A paperback edition will come out July 20 and sell for US$14.99.

» Are missiologists your tribe? Consider attending this year’s EMS national conference coming up October 9-10. It will be online and inexpensive. I’m planning to attend.