Category: News Briefs

Source: Joel News International, June 2016

Tucked away in the hills of Pembrokeshire in southwest Wales is a house of prayer and retreat center called Ffald-y-Brenin (Welsh for “The King’s Sheepfold”). Gracefully led by Roy and Daphne Godwin, the center has become the hub of a unique work of God’s Spirit. Their remarkable story is described in the book The Grace Outpouring.

When God called Roy and Daphne to Ffald-y-Brenin, they came in utter helplessness and dependence, not knowing where to start and how to pray. “I cried out to God: “Why did you bring us here? We don’t know what to do with this place.’” Roy recalls. “The first thing he then said to us was: ‘It’s exactly because you don’t know what you’re doing, and you know that you don’t know, that I want you here. I want you to develop this as a house of prayer for all nations.’”

From that moment on, God led the Godwins step by step to develop Ffald-y-Brenin into a place where he could dwell, and it is God’s presence that draws people to the center on a daily basis.

» Full story available from Joel News International. You can also watch an inspiring 12-minute video about this ministry (YouTube/David C. Cook). Cook will be publishing The Way of Blessing, another book about this ministry, in August.

Source: Global Opportunities, May 2016

A man named Lucas had a vision of bringing employment and the gospel to a very closed country [and presented to the government his plan to build a medium-sized hotel]. Much to the regret of everyone involved, no suitable land was found. When he returned to this country some months later and met with the local government again, he was given great news:

“While you were away, the harbor was dredged to make room for larger ships, and the dredged sand has formed an island where you can build your hotel!”

The project moved ahead immediately but not without challenges.

This region happens to be a recruiting ground for a terrorist group, and many of the young local men had already headed off to the warzone. By hiring young men to work on his project, Lucas began indirectly reducing the number of potential recruits; he was offering these men a reason to live whereas the recruiters were only offering them a reason to die. As time went on, Lucas and the local religious leader became close friends, meeting regularly for coffee.

Lucas and his team soon noticed the environmental damage being done by the burning of garbage, and they took it upon themselves to launch recycling and waste management programs.

Today, some one dozen locals hold well-paying jobs, and many more will be hired once the hotel is completed. Their culture is being changed as the workers display a new work ethic; parents are happy that their sons are not going off to die but rather are quitting their drug habits and making something of their lives.

» Read full story.

In this issue: Building bridges, giving hope

1. SYRIA: A Spiritual Shift
2. NORTH KOREA: Black Market Dealers Turn Gospel Smugglers
3. INDONESIA: Kingdom Minded Business
4. USA: What Happens When 20 Christian Pastors Visit a Mosque for the First Time?

Dear readers,

“I didn’t know if I could survive the trauma and stress,” writes a Pioneers friend, Amanda, in Who Will Listen? It was 2010, and she was living in North Africa.

“One man in Tunisia burned himself alive to protest the unemployment rate. From there, unrest spread like wildfire in in the Arab world. Young and old took to the streets in protest of injustice, and violence often accompanied their efforts.”

As the stress of such an existence wore her down, Amanda was counseled to take a long rest away from the situation and found those who could help her recover and get counseling. But some do not have such an option. Consider, for example, Syrian refugees who have suffered the same kind of trauma and more.

“They leave home, country, family, financial stability, and even their ability to work and communicate. Who is there to welcome them when they arrive? Who can listen and give them counsel? Who is there to tell them the truth about the Jesus who loves them?”

“Just like I did, they need people to help them process what they have experienced,” says Amanda. “Though they do not have the financial or human resources to get counseling in their own language with people who understand their culture, we can help them get it.”

We’re glad to partner with colleagues at Pioneers as they work to provide physical and spiritual care to Syrian and Iraqi refugees and help families start to rebuild their lives and heal after enduring trauma caused by the war.

This issue of Missions Catalyst also includes another piece about God at work among Syrians and also several stories of Christians called to build cross-cultural bridges. Read on!

Source: Vision Beyond Borders, April 2016

Before civil war erupted in 2011, ninety percent of Syrians adhered to Islam and proselytizing was restricted. The government had cracked down on churches and Christian groups who tried to evangelize Muslims, arresting some and closing buildings that were used for Christian meetings. Now, many of Syria’s unreached have been uprooted and scattered. Nearly half the population is displaced. But the movement isn’t merely physical; a powerful shift is taking place spiritually, creating an unparalleled openness to the gospel.

The closed doors are now open in refugee camps, where many are hearing about their Savior for the first time. One worker explained, “You can’t share the gospel freely in Syria, so these people have never heard it before. In a short period of time, we’ve been able to share with the same number of Syrians that it would take us months and months to share with in Syria.”

Our contacts report an extraordinary trend in the number of Muslims they have seen coming to faith in Christ in recent years. “In 2013, we started seeing a marked increase, with at least one person coming to Christ just about every week…Then in 2014, it started going crazy… There were over 400 that came to Christ in 2014, and again over 400 in 2015!” A pastor who works with Syrian refugees noted: “God is at work in a special way.”

Among this influx of new believers are many refugees from areas that Islamic State controls… and where Christians would have never gone.

[One ministry reports] discipling several hundred new believers, and are impressed by the special way God is moving in their lives: “This group has been maturing quickly and many of them are even taking over discipleship groups. It’s been amazing growth, and we are harnessing this growth in order to mobilize Lebanese and Syrian missionaries to reach out for Christ around the Middle East and North Africa.”

» Read full story.

» See also an encouraging story about New Movements of Christ in Thailand (World Outreach International).

Source: Mission Network News, May 12, 2016

Before [Chinese couple “Bo and Annie”] became believers, Bo ran a cross-border business delivering and trading goods with a North Korean partner, “Ju.” The business relationship appeared successful until one day Bo discovered an anomaly in the financial records. Ju had been cheating him out of a great deal of money. In heated anger, Bo broke off the partnership.

A few years passed, and by God’s grace Bo and Annie came to be followers of Christ. They were fully committed to their new faith and began to attend a secret Chinese Bible school. During those intense times of studying God’s Word, they received their calling to disciple and train North Koreans to be undercover house church leaders.

They knew the dangers they faced if their ministry was discovered. But with Bo’s North Korean business connections, they also knew they had access to people many others couldn’t reach. The couple knew God was leading them to disciple Ju, the very man who had caused so much bitterness in Bo.

Shocked that the couple would reach out in peace to him after so many years, Ju agreed to meet with Bo and Annie. The consequences they faced if Ju decided to turn them in to the authorities were severe, but Bo and Annie began to reveal the reasons for their heart change through the Gospel message. They ended by telling Ju that they had forgiven him. The couple’s unprecedented kindness led Ju to repentance and he accepted Christ as his Savior.

Soon Ju began taking his own risks by sharing the Gospel with his family and extended relatives. In just three years, Ju led over 20 families to Jesus and the group met together regularly to worship in secret.

Bo and Annie began covertly bringing members of Ju’s underground church into China for intensive three-week Bible training and discipleship sessions. During the sessions, the new believers would memorize dozens of Bible verses. Many wrote the most critical elements of their lessons on small pieces of paper. On returning to North Korea, the papers were hidden in deep recesses of clothing so they would not be discovered should anyone be captured. These pieces of paper became precious spiritual food for the other church members awaiting their return.

» Read full story, which came from the ministry of Global Advance.

Source: Business as Mission, May 10, 2016

Kingdom Business Community (KBC) is a network for Christian business people in Indonesia. Describing itself as a marketplace ministry movement with “business as mission” concerns, it is one of the largest networks of mission-focused business people in the world.

KBC began in 2005 with six business friends from the same church who dreamed of catalyzing transformation on a national level through the practice of business. Ten years later, KBC has trained thousands of business people and hosts 30 training camps each year in five different regions around the country.

» Read full story. See also another story from Indonesia on this site, Muslim Village Transformed through Prayer, Business People, and Owls.

Source: Preemptive Love Coalition, April 27, 2016

We had never met our Muslim hosts prior to visiting their suburban mosque. We had never met the pastors who chose to accompany us, either. We had no idea how the discussion would go.

One thing we’ve learned in our years of waging peace: talking with someone is always better than talking about them. So with the help of our friends at Peace Catalyst, we reached out to a Denver-area mosque. Without hesitation, the imam invited us to come—and to bring as many Christian leaders as we could.

We would later learn that our host, Imam ShemsAdeen, has a history of leaning into conversations like these, offering generous hospitality and welcome to anyone who is willing to engage.

On our ride to the Islamic center, we took a quick survey. Most of us (including myself) had never set foot inside a mosque before. Most of us did not have a single Muslim friend. In other words, we are a lot like our fellow Americans—nearly two thirds of whom do not know a Muslim personally.

» Read about what happened.

» See also The Muslim in My Attic (TallSkinnyKiwi). Next week’s Missions Catalyst will review a new book about this kind of peacemaking.

Missions Catalyst News Briefs 5.4.16

1. BURKINA FASO: Celebrating the San Bible
2. CHILE: Christian Churches Set Ablaze
3. PACIFIC RIM: Mobilizing Pacific Islanders
4. INDIA: Blacksmith Paid to Make Iron Crosses Learns Their Meaning
5. WORLD: The Portable Gospel and a Portable Dental Chair

Greetings,

In our last edition of News Briefs, we lauded Jordan for being the most hospitable nation (most refugees as a percentage of their population). This week I read that this region is also a place where sex trafficking is big business. CryOut reports from Lebanon that a large ring has been dismantled by security forces. (Praise God)!

So often the news reminds me of Fortunately, a favorite children’s story that starts like this:

“Fortunately, Ned was invited to a surprise party.
“Unfortunately, the party was a thousand miles away.
“Fortunately, a friend loaned Ned an airplane.
“Unfortunately, the motor exploded.
“Fortunately, there was a parachute in the airplane.
“Unfortunately, there was a hole in the parachute.”

Although much of this week’s news goes back and forth, we have this: Fortunately, God’s story ends gloriously for those who know and love him!

Say with me, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

Pat

Come, Lord Jesus (Lyric Video). Redemption City Church, Franklin, TN.

Source: United Bible Societies, April 18, 2016

“To have the whole Bible in San is for us a victory over the Enemy and over obscurantism. More and more Samo people (who speak San) are learning to read, and now they will be able to read God’s Word in their own language.”

These are the words of Thomas Traoré, President of the Eglise de l’Alliance Chrétienne (Church of the Christian Alliance) of Burkina Faso, at the publication of the first Bible in San—a language spoken by more than 230,000 people. The new Bible was dedicated in February, in Toma, Nayala Province, and was welcomed with great joy by the Christian community with prayers, singing, and dancing.

Work on translating the New Testament was started in 1982 by American missionary Richard Phillips and was later continued by the Bible Society and SIL. The New Testament was published in 1996, and work on the Old Testament began two years later.

“God speaks San and wants to talk to you in your language, so put your new Bible to good use,” [General Secretary of the Bible Society of Burkina Faso] Mr. Dramane Yankiné told the gathering of Samo Christians, urging them to use it as a tool to build their faith and to improve their literacy skills.

“The translation of the Word of God is in accord with the Spirit of Pentecost, when the apostles spoke in the mother tongues of the people around them,” he noted. “There is no sacred language in which God communicates; God speaks to each person in his or her language in order to be understood.”

» See full story with pictures.

» You might also enjoy reading about encouraging developments with access to the Bible in the West Africa’s Wolof language (SIM). On the other hand, please pray for Christians in Uzbekistan recently imprisoned and tortured, apparently for illegal possession of Christian literature (Forum 18 News Service).

Source: Worthy News, April 11, 2016

Last month two churches in Chile were set ablaze by supporters of the Mapuche—a Chilean movement that seeks to rid the region of religions contrary to their own indigenous beliefs.

According to International Christian Concern, the church attacks were two of five other arsons that occurred within 24 hours.

In the first attack, the Catholic Church of Santa Joaquina in the commune of Padre Las Casas was torched. Hours later an evangelical church—the Christian Union in Antinao—was also set afire. A pamphlet found at the site read: “We are going to burn all churches” and demanded that all Mapuche political prisoners be released.

» Read full story. See also related stories in Christian Times and Reuters.

» Readers might also be interested in an ASSIST News Service story about the Gathering of Nations, a native-American event that brings together 700 North American tribes (and some committed to native American ministry).