Category: News Briefs

Source: One Mission Society, July 3, 2018

In its research, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) revealed that 90,500,000 Filipinos have never experienced a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That represents 90.5% of the population.

Our Every Community for Christ (ECC) leadership team there knew that without some change, we would never make a significant dent in this statistic. We went to prayer. After four days, the Juan Project emerged.

The aim of the Juan Project is to reach every “Juan” (individual Filipinos) in five different provinces and two groups (students in the five provinces and overseas Filipino workers in 10 countries). We desire to plant a healthy, reproducing church in every sitio or purok (the smallest governing unit in the Philippines) in the five provinces [and] plant a healthy student ministry at each of the public college and university campuses in the five provinces.

We have completed the first year of the Juan Project. The first six months started slowly. In those months, we focused on building capacity, raising prayer support, building partnerships, [and] offering training. The fruit has come in the past six months.

One hundred and fourteen new prayers groups have formed. Prayer walks and overnight prayer meetings are common. We work with at least 30 partners. And, in the last year, we have held 54 trainings, involving 895 people from over 100 churches.

The results: 216 groups started, 361 people equipped and mobilized, and 1,913 people who have entered into a relationship with Christ. A small but important turnaround.

Pastors now testify that their passion for church planting is rekindled, their perspective challenged, and their minds opened to church multiplication.

» Read full story.

» More good news for overseas Filipino workers: radio host in Kuwait creates lifeline for abused Filipino domestic workers (Ethical Journalism Network).

Source: International Mission Board, July 2, 2018

Pavan, a Christian pastor I met on a recent trip to Nepal, shared with me about his past and the fear that once plagued him. He admitted that he had been afraid of dying. Persistent fear robbed him of peace. “There was no peace. There was no meaning in life,” Pavan confessed. “It compelled me to ask the question, ‘What am I here for? And how long? And what happens after I leave this earth?’”

He couldn’t answer these questions, so he turned to local religious leaders for guidance. When he voiced his concerns, Buddhist monks tried to assuage his fears by telling him that it was natural to go through storms. “You may have to go through lonely places,” they counseled. “You may have to go a very dangerous way. But do not be afraid. Just keep continuing. Carry on your journey.”

The turning point in Pavan’s story happened deep in the jungle when he went for a walk with a friend. As they walked, his friend starting singing and asked him to close his eyes and listen to the words…

» Read full story.

1. EUROPE: Assessment of Religious Conversions as Genuine or Asylum-motivated Dismissed as Naïve
2. ISRAEL: From Tears of Grief to Tears of Joy
3. ERITREA: Pastor Released From Prison After 11 Years
4. ALGERIA: Woman’s Healing Brings Village to Christ

In northeast England, Rev. Mark Miller has had up to 100 Persian asylum-seekers in his congregation. See related story below. Photo: Jim Wright.

Source: World Watch Monitor, June 8, 2018

Attempts by Western politicians and media to judge whether Iranian migrants and asylum-seekers who ask to be baptized are either genuine or are doing so to boost their chances of being granted asylum are “naïve,” according to an academic who has carried out extensive research among Iranians who profess to have become Christians.

Dr. Sara Afshari, who has been helping the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark to devise a strategy for integrating Farsi-speaking migrants and refugees from Iran, Afghanistan, and Kurdistan into society and the Church, told World Watch Monitor: “I don’t like this naïve understanding of conversion by the politicians or the media saying they become Christian because their case will be strengthened. That might be one of the reasons for some—not for all.”

Her comments come as European governments look for ways to assess whether claims of conversions made by Iranians seeking asylum in their country are genuine. There are thought to be thousands of Iranians who have requested baptism in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands.

» Full story explores the range of meanings conversion may have in a Middle Eastern context and also looks at of the role of dreams.

» Whether you’re a dream skeptic or a dream enthusiast, you may find food for thought in When Muslims Dream of Jesus (The Gospel Coalition).

Source: Jews for Jesus, June 13, 2018

Gena Gelman reports, “As part of our outreach, we visited elderly Jewish Israelis, including a 94-year-old woman named Jael. ‘May I speak with you for a few minutes?’ I asked her. Jael was as grateful for the company as she was for the food I’d just shared with her. She was wrestling with some physical ailments, so I asked if she could hear and understand me well enough. With some difficulty, she nodded yes. Then she pointed to her left leg, her left hand and her tongue. ‘A stroke?’ I asked. She nodded again. Despite her limitations, we were able to communicate through brief words and simple gestures.

“After a few minutes, I began to tell Jael about God’s love, our sin and the forgiveness and reconciliation that He has made possible through the death and resurrection of the Messiah, Yeshua. Then I asked her a question: ‘Tell me, Jael, would you say you’re guilty of sin?’ Jael made a sign with her hand as if to say, ‘Well, maybe yes, maybe no.’ ‘Let me read you something,’ I offered.

“I opened to the Ten Commandments and started to read as I’d often done with people who either do not think they are sinners or are unsure. As soon as I came to the commandment, ‘Do not kill,’ Jael stiffened. I ventured a guess and gently said, ‘Many women have had abortions.’ Suddenly, tears filled her eyes. Through her gestures, I understood that long ago she’d ended three pregnancies. I did not judge or speak to her of the details. It was clear that she was filled with remorse all on her own.

» Read full story and a related story, Salvation in Jerusalem.

Source: Mission Network News, June 15, 2018

Pastor Oqbamichel Haiminot was wrongfully imprisoned in Eritrea for over a decade. Christians around the world prayed fervently for Pastor Oqbamichel’s release, but it seemed the Eritrean government would not budge.

Today, however, we rejoice to hear that Pastor Oqbamichel has been finally freed from prison, according to The Voice of the Martyrs Australia. He is currently in need of medical care.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “Many pastors [in Eritrea] have been arrested. Many Christians have been arrested. Typically, however, they’re not held as long as Pastor Oqbamichel was… We don’t know exactly why he was released at this time. Why not a year ago? Why not a year from now? We don’t know what the logic behind that is—or if there is any logic behind it.”

“Eritrea is a country that has gone through a real crackdown against the Church since 2002. The government actually closed all of the Evangelical churches in Eritrea. [They] basically called in the church leaders and said, ‘Your churches can’t meet anymore.’ Every Christian activity after that became illegal.”

» Read full story and from the same source, an encouraging report that Jeff Woodke, a US missionary kidnapped in Niger in 2016, is still alive.

Source: Partners International, June 9, 2018

A member of our community had been very sick for quite some time. Her husband had taken her to many doctors and specialists and had even tried witchcraft and sorcery, but she remained unchanged. Some Christians advised her to go to the local church for prayer. They took the advice and when they were there the elders laid hands on her and prayed for her healing. Not much happened on the spot, but gradually her health improved and she became totally healed and restored. Praise the Lord Jesus for healing her!

Her husband started to attend our church services. After each service, he would ask for copies of the Gospels and New Testaments to take back to his village. Nobody knew what he was doing with them. In January of this year, his whole family came to the church with him and asked to be baptized. There were fourteen of them!

In March of this year, the pastor came to see Youssef, our ministry leader, so that he could share more about what had been happening. Now they estimate that nearly everyone in this man’s small village has come to faith! That church has seen an incredible growth and are now planning now to start four new churches, all because of the actions of this one man. Praise God!

The senior pastor of the largest church in Algeria—nearly 1000 members—told us that in the last two years they had baptized nearly 370 more new believers. Many other churches are experiencing growth in their fellowships. Training, discipleship, and empowering of the church in Algeria has become an urgent need.

» Read full story.

 

1. WORLD: Meet Real People Caught Up in the Refugee Crisis
2. MYANMAR: Trapped Christians Reach Safety in Dramatic Escape
3. USA: A Look at Refugee Foster Care
4. ASIA: First Believer in the Valley
5. INDIA: Pastor Beaten and Left for Dead Survives to Keep on Serving

Greetings!

World Refugee Day is coming up this month (June 20). This edition of Missions Catalyst includes stories about people on the move, including refugees, internally displaced people, and even nomads starting to settle down.

Where will tomorrow’s refugees and immigrants come from? The Fragile States Index provides some clues. Wow, tons of data! Jordan is in the news this week, so I thought I’d see where it lands with some of the indicators. Use the site to look up countries that interest you. (Thanks to Brigada for the tip.)

Flowing Data has some maps of what the US would look like if Americans returned to the lands of their ancestors. Every dot represents one person.

Finally, even as we pray for those in messy and challenging situations, we can celebrate good things that are happening throughout our broken world. Consider the story of the young man in France whose daring deed was rewarded with the gratitude of his host nation (Muslim Connect).

Pat

Source: International Mission Board, May 21, 2018

Every day thirty-four thousand people flee their homes to escape famine, poverty, and war. Every day thousands of families become refugees. But those are just numbers. And numbers don’t move us. Real stories of real people do. That’s why Human Flow, an epic documentary by the provocative Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei, is so powerful and so important.

The scale and devastation of the global refugee crisis is expansive, but Weiwei is an able guide, taking viewers around the world and introducing us to real people—real image-bearers of God—along the way. He doesn’t focus on the causes of the crisis; rather, he offers a compelling and compassionate window into a world of deep suffering.

“Being a refugee is much more than a political status. It is the most perverse kind of cruelty that can be exercised against a human being.”

The film takes viewers through twenty-three countries, asking us to witness the suffering that forces people to flee their homelands.

» Read full story or watch the video, available through a variety of streaming services.

» While a record number of the earth’s inhabitants are on the move, many former nomads are settling down to give their children a better life. Read about or watch a documentary on The Last Nomads of Morocco (Al Jazeera).

Source: Barnabas Fund, May 22, 2018

Two thousand Kachin Christians, who were trapped in the jungle by the Myanmar (Burmese) Army have now reached safety, traveling on foot and by elephant.

Barnabas Fund contacts report that although they are now free and safe, many are still in desperate need and thousands of Kachin have taken shelter in churches. There is also the threat of further attacks by the military: “Please continue to pray for the Kachin. The Burmese Army have sent more troops to other Kachin areas, and we are expecting a new flood of attacks and refugees soon when the rainy season starts.”

Attacks by the army, which began in April, trapped around 2,000 Kachin Christian civilians in the jungle of northern Myanmar, with the total number of Kachin displaced estimated to be as high as 10,000. Those who fled, including new mothers and the elderly, have mostly traveled without any mechanized transport through thick jungle. Several are reported to have been injured by landmines.

» See full story with pictures and other news about the persecuted church from Barnabas Fund.

» See also Fulani Violence against Nigeria Christians Hits Record High (World Watch Monitor). Note that this story reflects not just a clash of religions but also the age-old conflict between farmers and herdsmen. We would do well to pray for persecutors as well as persecuted.