Month: August 2020
VIDEO: How Your Prayers Help
Source: Wycliffe Bible Translators
Maybe you—or people who support your work—struggle to pray and know prayer makes a difference. Some Pioneers colleagues introduced me to this short video from Wycliffe. We’re going to try to do something like it to honor our own prayer partners. Maybe it will inspire you, too.
» See also Wycliffe.org/prayer.
BOOKS: Good Stories
Source: William Carey Publishing
Every now and then we just need some inspiration from brothers and sisters who have gone before us to do something awesome with the Lord. This is a collection of some of those great stories (about a dozen books in all). The prices are good, too. We’ve reviewed many of these in Missions Catalyst.
» Learn more.
» Know George Verwer of OM? He says a dream of his has come true: all but one of his books are now available for free download from georgeverwer.com and royhessionbooktrust.org.
ARTICLE: Five Ways to Share Your Faith Online
World Venture, August 10, 2020
Paul followed God’s calling to Antioch, Syria, Turkey, and Greece. And he wrote letters from prison. If Paul had the same access to the internet we have, what would he have done with it? Here are some ways to share your faith online:
- Rethink how you can use social media tools.
- Consider your motivation in online ministry.
- Use watch parties and “rooms.”
- Watch for gift opportunities.
- Choose your photos more intentionally.
» Complete article includes tips in each of these areas.
» See also Maintain Your Momentum (“25 ways to move church missions forward during COVID…and eight types of people who might do it”). Great ideas from our friends at Catalyst Services.
BLOG/BOOK: Disability in Mission
Source: Joni and Friends, Hendrickson Publishers, The Lausanne Movement
“I’m sorry, sir, that the only person who responded to your invitation to give themselves to serve the Lord in mission was the little crippled girl who could never do it.”
The apology came after a service in my little rural church. It was about me. When I was five years old, polio had profoundly weakened me. Now 12 years old, using my crutches and braces, I had walked down the aisle to say, “Yes, I believe the Lord wants me to be a missionary someday.” Logically, it looked like an impossible dream, but the speaker looked the other gentleman in the eye and said, “Whom the Lord calls, He will use.” Those words could not be a truer description of my experience of disability in mission.”
» That’s the story of Elinor Young, and one of several recently shared in a new blog series on disability in mission from Joni and Friends. To learn more about Elinor, watch World Team’s 2015 video, Bad Legs: A Story of God Using One Woman’s Weakness for His Glory (YouTube).
» Check out the Disability Concerns network at Lausanne, and/or pick up the 2019 book Disability in Mission: The Church’s Hidden Treasure, edited by David C. Deuel and Nathan G. John. Looks like these blog posts are excerpts from the book.
EVENTS: Happening Online in September
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
First, a couple of August items you might still want to catch, both on Thursday, August 27:
- Charitable Giving in the Wake of COVID-19. Webinar from Missio Nexus. Featuring findings from a recent survey of 1,000 major and mid-level donors.
- God’s Vision for All Peoples. Training session from Beyond. Part of a series offered regularly.
September 3, Spiritual Formation Integration for Ministry Leaders. Webinar from Missio Nexus.
September 3, Mobilizing People of Color, Part 2. Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen (watch Part 1).
September 7 to December 6, Encountering the World of Islam. Embracing Muslims with the love of Christ. Note: The first-ever Spanish-language EWI online course starts September 14.
September 8, It’s Bigger Than Short-Term Missions: Nurturing a Missions Ministry in a Disinterested Church. Webinar from the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.
September 8-12, Engaging Islam Institute. Training from Horizons International. Usually offered in Dearborn, MI, but this year you can catch it online.
September 10, Hope Conference. Explore God’s work in the Muslim world through this Crescent International event. Timed and designed for an American audience. A similar event will happen September 17 for those from Africa, Asia, and Europe. Material in English, Arabic, Spanish, French, and German.
September 10, Multiplying Prayer: Fuel for Movements. Training session from Beyond. Part of a series offered regularly.
September 16-17, People Raising Conference. Be equipped for raising personal support. Usually held in Oak Brook, IL; this year on Zoom.
September 17 to October 15, Foundations of Media to Movements. Learn to leverage media to start disciple-making movements. Course from Mission Media U.
September 22-24, Support Raising Virtual Bootcamp. Provided by Support Raising Solutions multiple times a year, usually in different parts of the US.
September 24, Focus2020 Spotlight. Online event from Missio Nexus in place of the network’s annual conference.
» View complete calendar. Submissions and corrections welcome. We will continue to make updates about canceled and postponed events.
Global Glimpses from India and Iran
- INDIA: Seven Generations of Disciples
- IRAN: Christian Prisoners With COVID-19
- NIGERIA: Muslim Moved by Christian’s Radical Kindness
- INDIA: Christian Hospitalized After Assault
- IRAQ: Prime Minister Urges Christians to Return
God transformed the life of an Indian woman and gave her a vision for multiplication that has led to seven “generations” of disciples making disciples. See story below. Source: Beyond.
INDIA: Seven Generations of Disciples
Source: Beyond, August 6, 2020
In North India, some women have been trained in making disciples. They have been faithful to apply what they’ve learned and are experiencing joy from bearing fruit. They have also cast a vision for disciple-making in six districts of their state.
One of the leaders of this group, a lovely and gentle woman, recently shared her testimony. Two years ago, she became a follower of Christ. She, her husband, and their children had been idol worshipers. Her family was “broken and terrible.” Then one day, she says, it was as if a light suddenly came on. That was the day she attended a Bible study in a nearby home. She loved it. After participating in the Bible study for three months, she wanted to start one in her own home. Soon, she and her whole family were baptized.
Today, through ongoing obedience to the Word and the application of its truths to their lives, this woman and her whole family have been changed. They actively share with others all that God has done for them. This one woman has started nine different Discovery Groups from which have come seven generations of disciples making disciples!
» Read full story and another about what happened when another group of believers decided to follow the example of the disciples in Luke 10. On August 27, Beyond will offer an online training session on God’s vision for all peoples through multiple generations. Learn more.
» You might be interested in learning about a Turkish man in the UK finding new opportunities to reach and disciple Turkish speakers there (OM).
IRAN: Christian Prisoners With COVID-19
Source: Church in Chains, August 13, 2020
Four Christian prisoners being held in crowded conditions in Evin prison in Tehran are feared to be suffering from COVID-19 following an outbreak of the virus in the prison.
Yasser Mossayebzadeh was one of twelve prisoners in Ward 8 in Evin Prison (which houses mainly religious and political prisoners) to test positive on August 10 during a random test of seventeen prisoners. About 60 prisoners are held in the ward.
Fellow-Christian prisoners of conscience Saheb Fadaie, Youcef Nadarkhani, and Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh were not among those tested, but each has been displaying symptoms.
Naser’s friends and family are particularly concerned about him as he recently turned 59 years old and remains in his crowded cell despite being laid low with fever for nearly a week.
» Read full story includes photos of the men and links to more biographical information. Let’s pray for them.
» See also Iran’s Covid Death Toll Three Times Higher Than Admitted, Says Report (The Guardian).
NIGERIA: Muslim Moved by Christian Kindness
Source: Christian Aid Mission, August 6, 2020
Idris had opposed the efforts of Christian workers for many years. A local ministry leader said Idris believed he had a divine mandate to stop all efforts to lure people away from Allah and his prophet, and he told local missionaries to leave the area.
“He was extremely hostile to all efforts and to our missionaries, leading to the persecution against all of our converts there,” the leader said. “Idris even promised to kill our missionaries if they would not stop reaching their communities and preaching the gospel.”
Recently his pre-teen son was hit with rashes, vomiting, and pain in his eyes, joints, and bones. Idris rushed him to a medical clinic but in that area of Nigeria, hospitals do not admit patients who cannot pay beforehand.
“No one was willing to loan the money to him,” he said. “Our missionary heard the news that Idris was stranded and that his son was dying, and our workers went straight to the hospital and gave him the equivalent of about 40 dollars.”
That amount was enough for doctors to treat symptoms for a few days, keeping the boy alive until the illness ran its course. His son returned home and recovered after several days’ rest.
The genuine concern for him and his son’s welfare from Christians he had hurt changed Idris’ attitude, the ministry leader said—they would have no illusions about him leaving Islam, Idris thought, yet they had gladly helped an enemy.
As grateful as he was astonished, Idris began to research Christianity; he had to try to find out what was behind such bizarre behavior.
» Read full story. See also a report from Christian Aid about how recent violence in Nigeria is affecting their ministry partners.
» Also from West Africa: Did you hear Mali has just had a coup? Lift up that country and its people.