In This Issue: Can you tell the story in your own words?
- BOOK: The Mystery of the Gospel
- FAMILY CURRICULUM: Around the World in 60 Days
- SUBSCRIPTION: Follow-up Tool for Mission Trip Participants
- BOOK: Ministering to Children with Disabilities
- EVENTS: Missions Conferences, Training, Retreats, and More
Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!
BOOK: The Mystery of the Gospel
Source: Westbow Press
The Mystery of the Gospel: Unraveling God’s Story, by Trip Kimball. Westbow Press (a division of Thomas Nelson), 2012. 240 pages.
How would explain the gospel to someone? What are the essential elements? We may speak of the incarnation, the atonement, and the resurrection without really understanding what it means that Jesus came, died, and rose again. Would we the helpful test of being able to explain those things in our own words? Since many lack a frame of reference for understanding the terminology and biblical references many Christians use, communication is blocked.
The Mystery of the Gospel focuses on the problems of Christianese and the value of biblical storying. It provides simple retellings and explanations of what the author refers to as the “essential gospel” without formulas or quotations and using non-theological terms. It is written to equip believers to share their faith, wherever they go, in their own words and in ways that others can understand.
Kimball has served as a church-planting pastor, overseas missionary, and Bible college instructor, teaching the Bible in both formal and informal settings. He writes with an American audience in mind but draws on examples and lessons learned through his own life and his international ministry, especially some 15 years in the Philippines.
» Learn more, read excerpts, or purchase from Amazon (or elsewhere) for US$14.00, or just US$.99 as an ebook. You might also be interested in Trip Kimball’s website.
FAMILY CURRICULUM: Around the World in 60 Days
Source: Thriving Family Magazine
Around the World in 60 Days can take you and your family on a virtual journey exploring 27 countries on six continents. Free downloadable materials (designed to be used over a period of 60 days) include a world map, itinerary, and passport with stamps that you can glue into it as you “visit” each country, as well as Bible lessons and cultural activities.
For example, you parents might appreciate an activity in the section about Latin America, explaining, “In Colombia, older members of the family are greatly respected for their wisdom. They are always served first at mealtimes. At your next meal, serve the people at the table in order from oldest to youngest. Leviticus 19:32.”
Registration is required to access downloads. And if you like what you see, you might be interested in subscribing to their marriage and parenting magazine (also free).
» Learn more or sign up for Around the World in 60 Days. And thanks to Stand4Kids for the heads-up.
SUBSCRIPTION: Follow-up Tool for Mission Trip Participants
Source: The Next Mile
Planning a short-term mission trip or sending others in the next few months? Sign up for The Next Mile E-Zine. It’s a free follow-up resource designed to help participants process their experience and consider their next steps. The series of 12 thoughtful emails, written by a diversity of mission leaders, cover topics like re-entry, talking about the trip, continuing to serve locally, staying connected globally, and exploring long-term opportunities. Materials were first released in early 2012 and have a contemporary flavor.
As a stand-alone resource, The Next Mile E-Zine is especially helpful for those who go out without a team or well-developed sending structure. But it can also take pressure off churches, team leaders, and mission organizations by making sure the important things get covered (no matter what happens with your other debriefing and follow-up plans).
You might be interested in other tools available from The Next Mile. It’s a partnership of ministries collaborating to address what they see as the “black hole” of short-term missions by providing resources for effective follow-through.
» Learn more or sign up for The Next Mile E-zine.
» See also Embark, a five-part email series from ShortTermMissions.com, designed to track with short-termers as they prepare and return from a mission trip. In the same way, it can reinforce other training/debriefing efforts or stand on its own. Subscribers enter their name and contact information, with dates of their trip, and emails are automatically sent at key times before and after they go.
BOOK: Ministering to Children with Disabilities
Reviewed by: Tami Snowden, Crisis Care Training International
Let All the Children Come: A Handbook for Holistic Ministry to Children with Disabilities, edited by Phyllis Kilbourn; 15 additional contributors. CLC Publications, 2013. 414 pages.
Let All the Children Come is a must-read for teachers, church leaders, friends, or parents of children with disabilities. Having worked in a developing country with children with disabilities, adopting my own child with disabilities, and having many friends with children with disabilities, I know how these children are hidden away. Jesus says, “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Children with disabilities are hindered, and God intends for them to live to their fullest potential. I was overjoyed to learn of this much-needed book.
Dr. Kilbourn explores the definition of disability, how it is perceived, and the consequences of living with disability. “We must eliminate barriers that exclude children with disabilities,” she says, “and eliminate the exploitation and various violations of a child’s rights that often force children with disabilities to the margins of society. Because such barriers can hinder children from developing their God-given gifts and potential, the church must join in advocacy and action for the elimination of these barriers, empowering children with disabilities to participate in all aspects of family, church, and community life.”
The book includes material addressing developmental needs of children with disabilities, intervention strategies, ideas for project development and advocacy, and caregiver issues.
» Learn more or purchase for US$11.99 from CCTI (or elsewhere). See their website for additional resources on related topics.
EVENTS: Mission Conferences, Training, Retreats, and More
Source: Missions Catalyst Calendar
Scan this list of items from our calendar for June and July – maybe some you need to know about or share with a friend!
June 1-2 – World Weekend of Prayer for Children at Risk (global).
June 10 to August 26 – Encountering the World of Islam (online). Twelve-week course will help you discover God’s heart for Muslims.
June 10-15 – International Conference on Computing and Mission (Upland, Indiana).
June 13-15 – Conference: Making Disciples among Muslims (Edmonton, Canada). Establishing and strengthening converts in their faith. Sponsored by Horizons International.
June 13-16 – South Asia Generosity Consultation and Training (Bangalore, India). Several events related to generosity, giving, and stewardship, provided by Lausanne/WEA’s Global Generosity Network.
June 14-22 – Single Vision (Gibraltar). Retreat, renewal for single missionaries.
June 15-22 – Sahara Challenge (St. Paul, MN, USA). Intensive training for ministry to Muslims.
June 16 – World Refugee Sunday (international). Churches praying for refugees and displaced people. Some also observing this event June 23.
June 17-21 – Lausanne Global Leadership Forum (Bangalore, India). Meeting of 350 global Christian leaders who are innovators, scholars, and strategists to assess progress with respect to the Cape Town Commitment. Hosted by the Evangelical Fellowship of India.
June 17-21 – Engaging Islam (Dearborn, MI, USA). Training in evangelism with outreach every afternoon. Provided by Horizons International.
June 17-22, 25-30 – Renewal Retreats (Huron City, MI, USA). Designed for missionaries and other global workers, including pastors and agency staff.
June 19-29 – “Breathe” Conference (Wilderswil, Switzerland). A ten-day retreat designed to refresh and renew cross-cultural workers. Provided by Catalyst International.
June 21-23 – Traction for God (Rocklin, CA, USA). Young adults “on mission” for God; ignite your vision.
June 23 to July 13 – Manarah Training (Dearborn, MI, USA). Learn about and reach out to local Muslims. Provided by Christar.
July 8 to August 2 – Strategic Institute for Muslim Studies (Boulder, CO, USA). Provided by Horizons International.
July 9 to August 7 – 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World (global). Join the millions of Christians around the world who have participated in this largest ongoing international prayer focus on the Muslim world.
July 20-27 – The New Wilmington Mission Conference (Western Pennsylvania, USA). Week-long multi-generational mission conference with a focus on youth 12-24. A tradition for more than 100 years.
July 21-26 – ReBoot (Kitchener, ON, Canada). For missionary kids (MKs) who have completed their high school education overseas and are transitioning to life in Canada.
July 22-26 – LeaderLink (Bangalore, India). Five-day workshop-based leadership training program for missionaries. Provided by MissioNexus.
July 26-26 – North America Refugee Roundtable (Vancouver, BC, Canada). The Refugee Highway Partnership’s annual gathering.
» View the whole calendar or tell us about a mission event.
Marti Wade is a writer, speaker, and project manager for the Church Partnerships Team at Pioneers. As a mission mobilizer, she has also trained and sent out many short-term teams to do relationship-based research to serve among the world’s least-reached peoples.
Marti has managed and published Missions Catalyst since 2004 and is the author of Through Her Eyes, a book about the lives of women serving cross-culturally in the Muslim world. She and her husband Chris live in Oregon.