Month: September 2025

Book and Video Series: A Journey of Worship Around the World

Source: Zondervan Academic

From the Rising of the Sun: A Journey of Worship Around the World, by Tim Challies and Tim Keesee. Zondervan, 2025. 192 pages.

This book is what happens when a pastor, speaker, and blogger teams up with a documentary storyteller to explore and share glimpses of the global church.

The journey starts in Fiji and follows the sun to Australia, Asia (Korea and Cambodia), Europe (Poland), Africa (Zambia and Morocco), and the Americas (Brazil, Chile, Mexico, USA). Along the way, you’ll meet brothers and sisters in Christ who worship amidst stunning landscapes, vibrant cities, and remote jungles. From the hymns sung in Korea’s bustling metropolises to the prayers offered in Zambia’s open plains and a house church in Morocco, you’ll see and feel the unity and diversity of God’s people. Each section includes interviews, background, and reflections on worship from Tim Challies with a couple of discussion questions.

When you buy the book in any format, you’ll also get a code for free streaming access to a high-quality, 12-episode series of videos (each about 20 minutes long) which are even better. 

Either the book or video series could stand alone; they cover the same ground. This is not set up as a small group or classroom curriculum but wouldn’t take you much of a step to get there.

Learn more or purchase. So well done; I think you’re going to love it. Watch the trailer.

Play & Pray: Unreached Peoples Card Deck (and More)

Source: Chasm Gaming

Previously, we shared about Chasm Gaming, the kingdom-minded card and board game company behind the Black Mission Legends and Pray4 – Unreached Peoples card decks. The playing cards might make a good gift for your kids, grandkids, friends, or supporters.

Now they’re giving away a couple of freebies, a simple curriculum you can use with a group to help make your game night a teachable moment and some Great Commission conversational starters. You could use these with your family, gaming buddies, homeschool group, or mission class.

Take a look.

See also their great new 2.5-minute video, which you can use on its own: 5 Ways to Join the Great Commission, also below.

Events: What’s on the Calendar for October

Source: Missions Catalyst Calendar

October 1, The European Digital Missionary Summit (online). A rallying cry for those reimagining how the gospel moves, from theChurch.digital.

October 1-2, Sacred Siblings Gathering (online). How singles and marrieds work together for the sake of the Kingdom. Provided by Thrive.

October 1-4, International Wholistic Missions Conference (Durres, Albania).

October 3-4, Evangelical Missiological Society Annual Meeting (Dallas, TX, USA and online).

October 6-8, Beyond Us: From Neighborhoods to Nations (Waco, TX, USA). Regional missions conference provided by a collaborative group of local churches.

October 6-8, Frontiers’ Pastors Track (Tempe, AZ, USA). In-person missions leaders’ cohort to multiply church sending.

October 9-11, B4T Expo (Fort Collins, CO, USA). Transforming people and nations through business.

October 10-11, Missions Fest Seattle (Renton, WA, USA). Free, annual community missions conference.

October 12-18, Recalibrate! (Aurora, IN, USA). Debriefing and renewal retreat for missionaries sponsored by Paracletos.

October 13-14, Support Raising Bootcamp (Dallas, TX, USA). Provided by Via in various locations throughout the year.

October 13-17, ABIDE debriefing (Joplin, MO, USA). Provided by TRAIN International.

October 21-22, Amplify Conference (Wheaton, IL, USA). An annual event from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

October 21-23, Standards Introductory Workshop (online). Make your mission trips better with the seven standards of excellence.

October 23-25, Velvet Ashes Equip Online Conference (online).

October 27 to November 22, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.

View the complete calendar, updated throughout the year. Your submissions are always welcome.

Nepal: We Pray for Peace and Stability

Source: Deomai: 7 Days of Prayer for the Unreached, September 13, 2025

We pray for stability and peace in Nepal. Student protests against corruption have toppled the Prime Minister, and no one is certain who governs now.

  • For leaders of integrity, “He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God” (2 Samuel 23:3).
  • For believers to bless their neighbors, “Seek the welfare of the city… for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7).
  • For the Church to shine with peace and integrity, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1).
  • For believers to show Christ’s love amid turmoil, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

Read this edition of Deomai, Justin Long’s weekly prayer email, for prayer points on six other places/topics. We encourage you to subscribe.

For more about Nepal:

Iran: A Secure VPN to Protect Believers

Source: Mission Network News, September 15, 2025

The internet is a great tool to learn more about the situation in the world, deepen one’s knowledge of a certain topic, or find an answer to a burning question. But under Iranian laws, some innocent searches can land a person in jail.

Despite the risks, Iranians search for news, popular movies and songs, and truth beyond Islam. They often turn to local VPNs—tools meant to hide their identity online. However, these are often unsafe.

Many local VPNs are run by the government to leak personal data. Whether it is a question about the divinity of Jesus or a desire to check the news from government-disapproved websites, a quick search may lead to years of trouble.

Transform Iran responded by offering a free VPN. “It is high speed, it’s reliable, it’s secure, but also our users can be confident to know that their data truly is secure and won’t be sold out to the government,” says [Transform Iran spokesperson Lana Silk].

Read the full story.

See also two more stories related to technology:

World: From Iran and Mexico to Discipling the Displaced Everywhere

Source: Global Partners, September 1, 2025

When Liz and Hamed first met in Central Europe, they brought together two distinct cultures and stories of God’s relentless pursuit of their hearts across borders. Both immigrants, their experiences ultimately shaped their calling to minister to displaced people across the world.

Hamed’s journey began in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hamed was exposed to the gospel through his brother, who had immigrated to the United Kingdom. After becoming a believer and getting baptized, Hamed began telling others about Jesus and started an underground church in his parents’ house.

Hamed was kidnapped by the secret police, tortured for three days, and told he would be executed. By God’s grace, he escaped and fled to Central Europe, where he received asylum.

Liz’s story began in Mexico, where she was born before immigrating to the United States as a teenager. She attended church for the first time in America and decided to follow Christ shortly after. At only 14 years old, she received her call to missions and has followed that call ever since.

Together, Liz and Hamed planted several international congregations with members from Iran, Syria, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. They held baptisms every three months with as many as 50 new converts each service.

In 2023, they moved to the United States, where Liz developed a curriculum to train ministry leaders working with diaspora groups and asylum seekers and made it available for anyone to use.

In 2024, they began discussions with Global Partners about training British pastors to reach immigrant communities using Liz’s curriculum. The couple plans to support immigrants living in Birmingham while addressing the spiritual and physical needs of the persecuted church.

The full, very multinational story includes contact info for those who want to learn more or access the curriculum.

See also How to Offer Jesus Naturally to Your Neighbors and the Nations (Jeannie Marie). This one-hour training video will only be available through Sunday, September 21, but Jeanie offers many other resources.

Australia: New Online Platform Launched for the Auslan Bible

Source: United Bible Societies, September 9, 2025

A significant step forward in Bible accessibility has been achieved with the launch of a new online platform making Scripture available in Auslan, the sign language of Australia’s Deaf community.

The Auslan Bible Translation Project has been steadily progressing for almost 30 years, led by the Auslan Bible Committee in partnership with Bible Society Australia. Since 1997, the goal has been clear: to ensure Deaf Australians can engage with God’s Word in their first language—fully, naturally, and clearly. In 2023, Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia joined the effort, further strengthening the translation work.

With the launch of the new website, the Auslan Bible has an accessible home. It offers video translations of Scripture, including the books of John and Acts, alongside a growing library of children’s Bible stories. A “passage of the day” feature provides daily encouragement, and the platform explains how translation happens and how the wider community can support the project.

Read the full story or visit the Auslan Bible website.

2025 has been a year of Bible  breakthroughs. As of August 1, just 544 of the world’s 7,396 living languages remain on the waiting list for Bible translation to begin. A year earlier, the number was 985 languages. In 2020, it was more than 2,000. In 1999, it was more than 5,000. To learn more, see 2025 Global Scripture Access (Wycliffe Global Alliance).

India: Between the First Believer and the Next One

Source: Mission Frontiers, September 2025

It was springtime in India, and the local Saraswati festival was quickly approaching. A new Hindu friend had invited me to join his family’s celebration at their home for this religious holiday. Saikat had quickly become something of a local host for me, and I was grateful to be invited to his extended family’s gathering.

After everyone had eaten, I told Saikat’s father how much I enjoyed being welcomed by his family and his many relatives. He looked a bit sad as I said this, so I asked if any relative was missing. “Only my brother,” Saikat’s father replied. “Three years ago, he became a Christian. Since then, he never comes to our home or visits us on any of the holidays.”

His words impacted me deeply. Here I was, a follower of Jesus who had left my family and hometown 8,000 miles away to share about Jesus with Hindu people. Yet the Hindu family that I was trying to reach had already experienced the hoped-for miracle that someone in their family might begin to follow Christ. Unfortunately, Saikat’s uncle’s conversion had left only painful wounds for the rest of his family. The gospel of Jesus, at least how Saikat’s family understood it, had been distinctly not good news.

Read more. Pray for movements that overcome cultural obstacles and extend from one family member to the next.

This issue of Mission Frontiers also includes articles about conversion and transformation among Muslims, Buddhists, and other groups.

20+ years in prison, hope for suffering Sudan, and more

  1. Eritrea: Letter Calling for Release of “The 7” Refused
  2. Nigeria: Delivering the Good News in 500+ Languages
  3. Russia: Baptist Activities Banned but Gatherings Continue
  4. Middle East: Believers from Muslim Backgrounds Offer Hope to Suffering Sudanese
  5. Pakistan: “We Are Watched All the Time”
  6. India: New Restrictions on Worship in House Churches

View or share the email edition, or scroll down for more.