India: Unreached Group Engaged with Scripture on SD Cards

Source: International Mission Board, June 23, 2022

Missionaries have been trying to reach a people group in a remote area of South Asia that is considered engaged, but they are still very unreached.

These traditional camel herders have spread throughout western India. Despite their dispersion, they remain true to their roots, still working as animal herders [and] living a nomadic life. Their women are skilled in embroidery.

They also remain true to the religion of their ancestors, with 99.98% following Hinduism. IMB missionary Veronica Masterson says at this point, she knows of no active church among the people group.

Because of their nomadic life, they don’t prioritize education, either. Around 80% of the people are illiterate.

This is one of the reasons [micro-SD cards] have been so key in reaching these unreached people with the gospel, in a language they can hear and understand.

One family [was] reached when a local believing couple, Brother Pa and Sister Se, shared the “according to the Scriptures” gospel story with them. This gospel presentation is 35 lessons that walk a listener through the Bible from creation to the new creation mentioned in Revelation. This gives the listeners, especially those from a Hindu background, a better understanding of the entire gospel. Because it is available as an audio presentation, it’s a great tool to reach oral learners.

After hearing the gospel, this entire family believed, surrendered their lives to Christ, were baptized, and now they are sharing the gospel and making disciples among their people group.

Read the full article. Maybe you are interested in using these materials to share with South Asians near you. The article includes links to materials in Hindi, Urdu, Gujurati, Punjabi, Nepali, and English.

See also Translation Technology: Accelerating the Spread of God’s Word (Wycliffe Bible Translators) and read Several Thousand Bible e-Readers Miraculously Hidden from Secret Police (Back to Jerusalem).

World: 10 Secret Baptisms Full of Risk—and Great Joy

Source: Open Doors, June 20, 2022

As North Korean refugee Bon-Hwa slipped under the water, she couldn’t keep back her tears. The day she had waited for so long since she trusted Jesus in a secret Bible study was finally happening. For two long years, she had begged to be baptized.

Bon-Hwa’s secret baptism took some planning. She, a pastor, and her Bible group leader traveled separately to a safe house in a remote area. They didn’t want to risk her being caught and repatriated to North Korea.

In more than 60 countries around the world, believers like Bon-Hwa are taking life-threatening risks to make a public profession of their faith in Christ. Each time our field partners share a story, photo, or video of new believers being baptized, we recognize both the beauty and gravity of that scene.

Read the full article and watch the [discreetly filmed] videos of secret baptisms in Bangladesh, Syria, Myanmar, and the Philippines.

Mission Shifts, Vision Trips | 20 Ways to Learn About Refugees

  1. Podcast: Mission Shift, Exploring the Changing Face of Global Missions
  2. Course: Pathways (in the Bible Translation Movement)
  3. Video: Why Should a Pastor Take a Vision Trip?
  4. Resource Roundup: 20 Ways to Learn More About Refugees
  5. Articles: Found Around the Web
  6. Events: Mission Training, Debriefing, Classes & Conferences

Read or share the email edition, or scroll down for individual articles.

Podcast: Mission Shift, Exploring the Changing Face of Global Missions

Source: Cru City Global

Conversations with 20 Christian leaders, ministry practitioners, and missiologists from around the world led to eight narrative episodes exploring where global missions is today, how we got there, and what’s next.

This is a great podcast. I love the way it combines clips from diverse voices telling first-hand stories with conversations between the hosts as they grapple with what we’re hearing and what it means for us and our mission efforts in a changing world.

Start at the beginning, or if you have limited time, jump in at episode 2 and see if it grabs you. Want to go deeper? Several of the guests have written books about these topics.

Learn more or listen. Scroll down for bios of hosts and guests.

I found this podcast through a podcast directory from Missio Nexus along with some others I was not aware of.

Course: Pathways (in the Bible Translation Movement)

Source: Wycliffe Bible Translators

Ever wondered what it would be like to be part of the Bible translation movement? Or maybe you have someone in your church who would be interested in this journey through the global Bible translation movement.

Pathways is a two-week, interactive online course, June 11-14 and 18-21. Live Zoom sessions will take place at both 7 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. PT on July 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, and 21; choose which time is most convenient for you.

Cost $25 or $15 for students.
Register by July 1.

Learn more or sign up.

See also PathWays to Global Understanding. Similar name, different course, but also one we’d recommend.

Video: Why Should a Pastor Take a Vision Trip?

Source: Mission to the World

For Dennis Hermerding, lead pastor of King’s Cross Church in Cypress, Texas, a vision trip to Central Asia presented an opportunity to experience what he couldn’t get from simply listening to missionaries share their stories. Actually stepping foot in this Central Asian city allowed him to immerse himself in a culture.

Vision trips allow pastors and other mission leaders to see firsthand what God is doing on the mission field and to further investigate how he might be calling them to be a part of his work. It can be transformative, not just for the pastor, but also for the missions culture of the entire church.

Read full story and watch the short video (also below).

On a similar note, read Vision Trips: What Your Church Is Missing by Not Taking One (International Mission Board).

Resource Roundup: 20 Ways to Learn More About Refugees

Source: World Relief

Over the past year, crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine have reminded us of the devastating impacts of war—especially on those forced to flee their homes.

Around the world, a record breaking 100 million people have been forcibly displaced. Of those, 26.6 million are considered refugees, having fled across an international border due to war, violence, conflict, or persecution. That’s millions of mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, teachers, doctors, and friends—each created in the image of God—with full lives and identities long before they became refugees.

We’ve compiled a list of books, podcasts, videos, and more to help answer your questions about refugees.

Read full article. It’s quite a list. Lots of resources to share with others.

Articles: Found Around the Web

Sources: Various

Last-Minute Tips for VBS

Vacation Bible School season is upon us. Here are six VBS tips for turning the last-minute madness into mad fun! Read 6 Last-Minute Tips for VBS (Lifeway Research).

Belief in God Reaches New Low

Eighty-one percent of US adults say they believe in God, down six percentage points from 2017 and the lowest in Gallup’s trend. Read Belief in God in U.S. Dips to 81%, a New Low (Gallup News).

Is It Wrong to Share Your Faith?

Only 52% of born-again Christians report witnessing to someone in the past year. And 47% of Millennials feel it’s wrong to share your faith with someone from another religion. How would you respond? Read Is It Wrong to Share Your Faith? (Meet the Need).

Why Global Missions?

“Every pastor should be concerned about missions and take steps to support and encourage church participation in missionary work.” Read 10 Reasons for a Pastor to Do Global Missions (MorningStar Missions).

Staying Sent

People work hard to become missionaries and to get to the mission field. But what can they do to help make sure they stay on the field? Here are three practices that can help. Read Staying Well Sent (SEND International).

Events: Mission Training, Debriefing, Classes & Conferences

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

July 4 to November 6, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly.

July 10-15, Debrief Retreat (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided regularly by the Center for Intercultural Training. Also check out their missionary training programs.

July 11-15, ABIDE re-entry debriefing for global workers (Joplin, MO, USA). Provided regularly by TRAIN International. They do pre-field training and debriefing events throughout the year.

July 14, IN SYNC Storytelling (online). Practice asking questions and sharing stories like Jesus did. Provided by All Nations.

July 15-17, The Journey Deepens (online). A retreat for discerning your next step in mission, provided by Mission Next. Now online for the first time. A similar event will be held August 12-14.

July 16-22, New Wilmington Mission Conference (Western Pennsylvania, USA). Annual, week-long multi-generational mission conference; a tradition for more than 100 years.

July 18 to August 13, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided regularly by Missionary Training International.

July 19, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI and held the third Tuesday of each month.

July 20-21, Support Raising Bootcamp (Fayetteville, AR, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions; offered regularly in various locations.

July 21, Hostile Interrogation Management Workshop (Auburn, AL, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International. Check out their security trainings offered throughout the year.

July 23, How in the World Can a Woman Lead for the Kingdom of God(online). Three-hour workshop from All Nations.

July 28-30, Empower Portland Conference (Portland, OR, USA). Empowering Christians to engage the people of North Korea. Provided by Reah International.

View complete calendar. Submissions welcome.

Nigeria Sacred Assembly | First Embera Believer Baptized

  1. Nigeria: Thousands of Christians Gather to Pray for Peace
  2. Ethiopia: Tigrayan Christians Plant More Churches in Exile
  3. Colombia: People Group’s First Known Believer Baptized
  4. USA: How a Truck Driver, His Family, a Homeless Man, and a Cab Driver Came to Christ One Night
  5. World: Podcast Launched During COVID Lockdown Gives Insight into the Plight of Refugees

Read or share the email edition or scroll down for individual stories.