Day: May 25, 2016

Watch an inspiring video, Restoring Dignity through Business: Dignity Coconuts’ Story. For more videos, resources, and case studies, see Business as Mission.

In This Issue:

• EVENT: Business as Mission Conference
• CURRICULUM: Sunday School with Kate and Mack
• BOOK: Of Strangers and Enemies—A Pathway to Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims
• EVENTS: Upcoming Conferences, Training, and More

Greetings!

This edition of Resource Reviews highlights a number of events coming up in the fall related to BAM, the movement to integrate business and ministry. You’ll find two free webinars on the topic on the events calendar as well.

It’s also worth mentioning a new book about ministry and work. It’s called Scatter: Go Therefore and Take Your Job With You, by Andrew Scott, President and CEO of OM USA. I haven’t read it yet, but am seeing others recommend it and would love to hear what you think about its strengths and weaknesses, uses and limits. Thanks! See also A Better Way: Make Disciples Wherever Life Happens by Dale Losch of Crossworld. Ari Rocklin of Global Opportunities says of Losch’s book, “If there was a required reading book for all tentmakers, this would be it.”

Whether you serve in the marketplace, the ministry, or the mission field—or find such distinctions distracting—may the Lord bless you and make you a blessing wherever he may send you.

Marti Wade
Managing Editor

Source: BAM Training

The BAM (Business as Mission) Conference is a three-day event designed to give you a taste of what is happening around the world in business as mission. Key leaders, practitioners, and academics will come from around the world to share their insights into how God is using business to advance his Kingdom. See how the movement is gaining momentum as God inspires each of us to use the work and talents he has given us to spread the gospel to all peoples. This is the fifth conference held in the USA by BAM Training, which has served the BAM movement for 14 years and founded businessasmission.com and BAM Global.

When: September 16-18, 2016
Where: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Who should go: Anyone interested in BAM (reduced rates for students!)

» Learn more. For resources and case studies, see Business as Mission. A good place to start? The Ten Characteristics of a BAMer (infographic).

» Other upcoming events in the US for people interested in business ministries include an Entrepreneurial Readiness Workshop from the Navigators’ Global Enterprise Network (September 30 to October 1 in Colorado Springs, CO), the annual Open B4T Expo (October 13-15 in Chicago, IL), and Global Opportunities’ GO Equippped! tentmaking course (October 26-30 in Fort Myers, FL).

Source: Wycliffe Bible Translators USA

Want to teach kids about missions in your Sunday school class?

Sunday School with Kate & Mack is a free, five-week lesson plan that travels around the world with Kate—a Wycliffe missionary kid—and her best friend, Mack. Beginning with the concept that the Bible is an adventure book, these lessons take your kids to a different country and language group each Sunday. They’ll learn about God’s amazing love for each one of us and how he wants everyone to hear about that love through the Bible in their own language.

» Download the first lesson and sign up to receive the complete series.

» Looking for things to keep your kids busy this weekend or this summer? Check out lots of free, downloadable resources from Wycliffe to teach kids about countries, languages, cultures, and more, including Summer Around the World with Kate and Mack.

Source: Frienemies Books

Of Strangers & Enemies: A Pathway to Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, by J. Robert Eagan. Frienemies Books, 2016. 206 pages.

Of Strangers & Enemies explores what we can do in our daily lives to break down the divisions between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. History and Scripture, personal stories, and conversations illustrate what it is that creates these divisions, how to identify them within ourselves, and how to overcome them.

Much of this thoughtful book is composed of a survey of what the texts and traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each have to say about their followers’ interactions with neighbors, strangers, and enemies. The author calls us to imagine what it would look like if we all lived according to the best our religions have to offer.

Writing to Christians, Eagan proposes we pursue peace through “dialogical friendships”: not merely tolerating differences as if they do not matter but engaging one another in relationship that seek understanding and peace in our multi-faith world. The author shares his own journey and present struggles as well as making helpful suggestions for ways to connect across religious lines.

This book is self-published and has some ambitious goals; the results are a bit uneven. And some might find find its call to peace rather than evangelism a kind of falling short. If, however, you are up for reconsidering your own response to Muslim neighbors (or interested in strategies to see Muslims as neighbors instead of strangers or enemies), this book might be a great choice for you. A good read for Ramadan, which is just around the corner.

» Learn more or purchase from Amazon for US$8.99 (Kindle) or US$12.99 (paperback). See also the author’s website and check out his blog and podcast. Among other things, Eagan is cofounder of SE7EN FAST, a national event designed to get non-Muslims and Muslims in the same room to break bread together in the name of peace. See, for example, a recent article on how to host an interfaith iftar (fast-breaking) party (partnering with a ministry called Shoulder to Shoulder).

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

June 1-3, Crisis Management Seminar (Columbus, OH, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International.

June 3-4, The Justice Conference (Chicago, IL, USA). Annual event to promote dialogue around justice related issues such as human trafficking, slavery, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and human rights.

June 6-17, ACQUIRE (Joplin, MO, USA). Language and culture acquisition training for cross-cultural workers provided by TRAIN International.

June 6 to July 5, 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus (global).

June 6-11, Sketchboard Evangelism Training (Boston, MA, USA) Provided by Open Air Campaigners.

June 6 to August 14, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Course (online). Provided by the Perspectives Study Program.

June 7-11, Sahara Challenge (St. Paul, MN, USA). Intensive training for ministry to Muslims, from Crescent Project.

June 7-28, Mobile Ministry Course (online). Provided by the Mobile Ministry Forum several times a year.

June 13-18, Sketchboard Evangelism Training (Baltimore, MD, USA) Provided by Open Air Campaigners.

June 14, How Should Followers of Christ Respond to Radical Islam? (online). Free, web-based, interactive conversation from The Mission Table.

June 15, Business As Mission (online). Free webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen.

June 19, World Refugee Sunday (international). Churches praying for refugees and displaced people. Some also observing this event June 26.

June 20 to September 11, Encountering the World of Islam (online). Course on embracing Muslims with the love of Christ.

June 22 to July 2, Breathe Conference (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Ten-day retreat for renewal and encouragement for cross-cultural workers.

June 23-24, Legacy Conference (Grand Rapids, MI, USA). A conference about Muslims, missions, and the heart of God; provided by Horizons International.

June 23-25, National African-American Missions Conference (Vienna, VA, USA).

June 28-29, Support Raising Bootcamp (Plano, TX, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

June 28-30, Amplify Conference: Multiplying Evangelism in the Local Church (Wheaton, IL, USA). Sponsored by the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism.

July 3-14, Refresh! (Grenoble, France). Retreat for cross-cultural workers. Provided by Heartstream Resources.

July 3-22, Manarah (Detroit, MI, USA). Muslim evangelism training provided by Christar.

July 4 to November 6, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Course (online). Provided by the Perspectives Study Program.

July 10-15, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Re-entry and debriefing for singles, couples, and families provided by TRAIN International.

July 11-22, Engaging Islam (Boulder, CO, USA). Evangelism & discipleship training course provided by Horizons International (two one-week intensives).

July 12, Can Business As Mission Finish The Mission? (online). Free, web-based, interactive conversation from The Mission Table.

July 12-15, Thrive Retreat (Beaver Creek, CO, USA). For North American women serving cross-culturally.

July 16, Global Prayer Journey (various locations). Walk, run, and cycle through the world’s forgotten neighborhoods and pray; also a fundraiser. Organized by MoveIn.

July 16-18, Perspectives National Gathering (Timonium, MD, USA).

July 16-22 ReBoot Reentry Program (Kitchener, ON, Canada). For returning missionary kids, ages 17-20, transitioning to life in Canada.

July 20-22, Refugee Highway Partnership North American Roundtable (Toronto, ON, Canada).

July 23-30, New Wilmington Mission Conference (Western Pennsylvania, USA). Annual, week-long multi-generational mission conference; a tradition for more than 100 years.

» View the calendar or submit an addition or correction.