This short, educational video is designed to help kids understand how Muslims see and explain the world. It’s part of a package described below.
Source: Pioneers
On the lookout for winsome ways to explain world religions to kids or introduce them to missions? Last year Pioneers and Sonlight joined forces to create an intro-to-missions resource for homeschool families. Now Pioneers has revised and relaunched it for broader use. Worldviews is designed to help the whole family enjoy learning and includes several elements:
» Learn more and view, download, or purchase what interests you.
» Not quite what you’re looking for? Check out the many missions resources for kids from Weave.
Source: Caroline Cobb
Looking for music that tells the big story of redemption? In 2011, singer-songwriter Caroline Cobb gave herself a goal to write a song for every book of the Bible in a year. That year of writing set in motion a new passion to tell the stories of scripture through music.
Her latest work is a theologically rich, lyrical album called A Home and a Hunger: Songs of Kingdom Hope. It “traces the biblical themes of Eden and exile, restlessness and rest, and God’s upside-down kingdom.”
I found this artist through a music video of her song All the Stars, which is about God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham (see Genesis 22:17-18). The video, below, marks the 25th anniversary of Frontline Mission and includes clips from their documentary series, Dispatches from the Front. You might check that out as well.
» Buy a physical CD for US$10 from the artist’s website or listen wherever you get your music.
Source: Universal Pictures
Enjoy watching and discussing films about people in other cultures? Check out The Breadwinner, an animated film adapted from a best-selling young-adult novel/series by Deborah Ellis. It tells the story of Parvana, a young girl in Afghanistan who disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family. We discovered it through a review of the film from the International Mission Board. This is an animated feature but not for young children.
» Purchase or rent the film in several formats through Amazon. Download a study guide from the film’s website.
Source: Missions Catalyst
Brad in Michigan asks, “What book do you recommend to a church when they need a short general intro to missions? Who writes this stuff in a really good way?”
I’m not sure how to answer, though I have some ideas. What are your thoughts? Let’s make a list together.
It’s probably best if these books are not too long, academic, or narrow in focus. Books can’t accomplish their mission if people don’t read them.
» Suggest a book (or second someone else’s suggestion) and tell us why you appreciate it. I’ll compile a short list to share in a future issue.
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
May 1-3, International Wholistic Missions Conference (Phoenix, AZ, USA). An annual event.
May 3, How Do I Get My Pastor Engaged in Missions? (online). Webinar provided by Missio Nexus.
May 4-5, Without Borders Women’s Conference (Sioux Falls, SD, USA). Training for ministering among Muslim women. Provided by Crescent Project.
May 7 to September 9, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). Also offered June 4 to August 12 and with regular start dates throughout the year.
May 8 to June 6, Mobiles in Mission: Using the Tool in Everyone’s Pocket (online). Mentored course for field workers on leveraging outreach opportunities.
May 12, GOfest Global (Ware, Hertfordshire, UK). An annual missions conference.
May 15 to June 14, 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World (global). An annual prayer campaign.
May 16-17, Interchange Conference (Wayne, PA, USA). From Catalyst Services, bringing together church and agency mission leaders.
May 20, Global Day of Prayer (global). An annual event.
May 20, International Day for the Unreached (global). An annual event.
May 21-22, Personal Support Raising Boot Camp (Brea, CA, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.
May 24, Partnership and the Strategic Role of Networks (online). Webinar provided by Missio Nexus.
May 31 to June 2, ACMI Annual Conference (Philadelphia, PA, USA). An annual event from the Association of Christians Ministering to Internationals.
Source: United World Mission, April 6, 2018
Over ten years ago UWM missionaries Benjamin Hlastan and Todd Hunnicutt began to learn more about Slovenia’s [Protestant] Reformer, Primož Trubar. Together with other scholars and church leaders they rediscovered the simple, clear gospel that Trubar shared in the 1500’s, and they saw the potential for impact.
In 2008, the 500th anniversary of Trubar’s birth, they co-founded a Slovene non-profit organization to translate Trubar’s works into modern Slovene. Three key books have come out gaining attention from national media, one during the 450th anniversary of its original publication (originally published in 1564, republished in 2014). Materials are being used in educational settings, including various videos and an animated biography of Trubar. Countless events, lectures, and concerts with Reformation themes have followed in the years since.
2017 was the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation, and Todd and Benjamin worked with others to provide events and outreaches all year long [and] partner with the evangelical churches to distribute all 50,000 copies [of the Slovene New Testament].
One person who received a New Testament was literally going to commit suicide the day he got a copy on the town square, but said he knew this meant God is calling him. Another man who used to go to an evangelical church had fallen back into drugs; he was on his way to his dealer when we saw people from that church giving out Bibles. He stopped to talk and is now coming to church again! Churches have had people come to church who got a New Testament and then found out about a local church on the Bible website.
If 50,000 copies of the New Testament have been given out, that means, we can estimate that around 10% of Slovenia’s 500,000 households now have a copy.
Slovenia’s reformer is sowing seeds 500 years later that we trust will bring fruit in the years to come.
» Read full story to learn more about Trubar’s accomplishments and the face of ministry in modern Slovenia. What better use of history than to help people find help for today and hope for tomorrow?
» See also Deadly Chicken Soup, another story about an historical hero, this time in Colombia (Ethnos360).
Source: Forum 18, April 11, 2018
A research institute attached to the Religious Affairs Department of West Kazakhstan Region instructed some local registered religious communities to submit by April 10 [the] full names, ages, place of study, and personal state-assigned numbers of all people under the age of 18 who come to meetings for worship. The official who sent the letter claimed to Forum 18 the information is needed for “monitoring.” Kazakh human rights defenders have expressed concern about the move.
“It was not sent to Muslims, for example, just to Christians, and selectively,” an official stated.
After the deadline expired, the official who issued the instruction told Forum 18 that five religious leaders who replied had all refused to supply the personal data. “We accepted this,” he claimed. He added that he would apologize to them “verbally,” but defended his original instruction seeking the information.
A Deputy Head of the Religious Affairs Committee in the capital Astana, Balgabek Myrzayev, claimed to Forum 18 he knew nothing about the letter. He refused to say whether such a demand for personal data on people under 18 without their parents’ or guardians’ permission is legal or not.
Religious leaders risk prosecution if people under 18 attend meetings for worship against the wishes of at least one of their parents or guardians.
» Full story includes all the details and several links for those who want to understand the whole situation.
» For more positive news from Central Asia, see Three Women Share their Stories (FEBC).
Source: Mission Network News, April 4, 2018
The Barna Group recently conducted a survey and found that 51 percent of churchgoers do not know the term “the Great Commission,” which is found in Matthew 28:18-20.
The survey found that 17 percent knew the term and could identify what it meant as well as the scriptural passage it went with. Twenty-five percent of the people surveyed said they had heard of “the Great Commission,” but they didn’t know what it was, and finally, six percent said they couldn’t remember if they’d heard the term before.
Barna further shared five passages from the Bible with churchgoers and asked if they could guess or identify which passage was known as the Great Commission.
Thirty-seven percent answered correctly. Thirty-three percent weren’t sure if any of the passages referred to the Great Commission, and 31 percent answered incorrectly.
The study says this could mean the term is used less in churches or it could show a decrease in interest of working towards the Great Commission.
» Full story attributes the findings to biblical illiteracy and offers suggestions and resources for families.
» Editor’s note: It may be helpful to acknowledge that the term Great Commission is a man-made one. Many would say there are actually five Great Commission passages, not one.