Day: March 23, 2016

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Source: United Bible Society, February 19, 2016

Nearly five years into the conflict in Syria, which has killed or displaced half the population, staff members of the Bible Society there are continuing their ministry to provide Scriptures for all who need them.

“The thirst for Scriptures among Christians here has only increased with all the unrest,” notes the Society’s director, who, along with other staff members, has stayed on despite the dangers. “The past five years have been very traumatic for Syrians in general and for Syrian Christians in particular. Every family has a sad story. With this loss of hope, people are turning to God’s Word for comfort and encouragement.”

Amidst this immense trauma and upheaval, the team has received far more requests for Scriptures than ever before. In 2010, the year before the conflict began, the Bible Society distributed just under 15,000 Scriptures. By 2014, the demand had increased tenfold, and nearly 159,000 Scriptures were distributed across Syria that year.

[Visitors to the Aleppo bookshop include] a steady flow of young people who are being offered free Scriptures through a joint project between the Bible Society and local churches.

» Read full story.

Source: GodReports, March 11, 2016

The temperatures in parts of Mongolia are below freezing from November to March, and -40 is common. (-40 degrees happens to be the point where the temperature is the same for both Fahrenheit and Celsius.) Many of the people still live in heavily insulated “yurts,” locally known as “gers” … round structures covered with tarps and animal skins with thick carpets inside and an oil or wood stove as the heat source.

Nazarene missionaries Sunny and Lisa Um moved to Darkhan, Mongolia, in 2012. In 2014, they obtained a long-term lease on property in a poor community outside of Darkhan. Sunny and Lisa observed that many people in that community were sick since their water sources were shallow wells or dirty streams.

In the dry, cold grasslands of Mongolia, water is a precious commodity. So one of their first projects was to drill a deep well on the property that would help provide water for the community. During the week, they charge a minimal fee for the water to help maintain the equipment. But on Sunday, the water is free to everyone! What a beautiful expression of the gospel message. “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink’” (John 7:37).

» Read full story from GodReports, or go right to the article in Engage, the global missions magazine of the Church of the Nazarene.