Source: Access Truth
Should missionaries leave jungle tribes alone? Are they just fine the way they are? Certainly the vulnerable have been hurt by missionaries and mission efforts more than we like to admit, and it does us no good to cover that up. But the negative press that Christian and mission efforts get in our world is sometimes deeply flawed.
» Watch the seven-minute video Happy the Way They Are? from Access Truth (also on Facebook).
Source: Trevor Johnson, HeartCry Missionary Society
November 2018—a medically trained young man, John Allen Chau, was killed trying to go ashore to reach the unreached people of North Sentinel Island among the Andaman Island group. He is heavily criticized and even mocked online.
As Western civilization pulls away from its Christian moorings, we see a rising anti-missionary sentiment. This was brought home to me in a very personal way in September of 2018. After 12 years of service among the remote Korowai tribe, I was shocked to read this bold headline, “Ancient Tribe on the Brink of Being Wiped Out by Christian Missionaries.” In another newspaper I read these further accusations, “Fight for Survival: Ancient Jungle Tribe of Super-Strong Hunters Close to Being Wiped Out by Christian Missionaries.”
» Get Johnson’s take on the ancient tribe in question and the flawed assumptions behind the headlines. Article includes helpful links and addresses these myths:
Myth 1. Missionaries destroy cultures.
Myth 2. Missionaries coerce local people into Christianity.
Myth 3. Missionaries bring deadly pathogens which decimate tribal peoples.
Myth 4. Tribal people are pure, innocent, and in harmony with nature.
Myth 5. Secular reporters are unbiased and objective and report on these issues truthfully.
Source: B&H Books, LifeWay Press
Above All: The Gospel Is the Source of the Church’s Renewal, by J. D. Greear. B&H Books, 2019. 240 pages.
“Is gospel Christianity dead? Pundits are writing the obituary of historic, orthodox Christianity, but pastor and author J. D. Greear believes the postmortems are premature. Jesus promised to build his church. He said that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. The church is not going away. Along with this promise, Jesus gave clear instructions for how the church would prevail. He promised to build it on the rock of the gospel.
“The most pressing need for Christianity today is not a new strategy. It is not an updated message. It is a return to keeping the gospel above all.”
This is new and I haven’t had a chance to read it. If you want to use it with a group, pick up Gospel Above All: Bible Study Book (also available in a teen edition). That folds in discussion questions and a series of videos, most 20-30 minutes in length, in which Greear discusses the topic with other Christian leaders. I don’t think you can watch the videos without purchase, but I found clips on the author’s Facebook page.
» Learn more and download a sample chapter from the book website. On Amazon, the paperback is US$15.29, US$8.49 for the Kindle edition. See also Aren’t Short-term Mission Trips a Big Waste of Money? (episode from Greear’s podcast, Ask Me Anything).
» Looking for something to help you or your church get back to the basics when it comes to global outreach? Check out When Everything Is Missions, by Denny Spitters and Matthew Ellison. It packs a punch.
Source: Jennifer Brannon
How to Bless A Missionary: Practical Ideas for Your Church and Family, by Jennifer Brannon. Self-published, 2018. 160 pages.
This is a quick read, but as a book it goes into greater depth than other formats can provide on the topic of showing missionaries you care.
After a brief exploration of what it means to bless someone, the author unpacks more than 100 practical ideas, from the tried-and-true ways supporters blessed her family when she was growing up in Mexico to newer strategies you may not have thought of. It’s seasoned with stories and examples and also offers a gentle dose of how-to detail and tips on what not to do. The author has a blog, FamiliesforMissions.com, though it’s a little sparse.
» Learn more or purchase from Amazon at US$9.95 for the paperback or US$4.99 in the Kindle edition.
» See also Neal Pirolo’s Serving as Senders Today, or check out Mind the Gaps: Engage the Church in Missionary Care (David Wilson) or Well Sent: Reimagining the Church’s Missionary-Sending Process (Steve Beirn).
Source: SVM2
Maybe you know your primary calling is to mobilize others—your friends, church, network, or nation—for the Great Commission. But where do you get trained for that? A one-month program in Chiang Mai, Thailand November 3-29 may be just what you need. Apply by mid-September. The cost is US$700, though partial scholarships are available. And they have tracks in several languages.
» Learn more and apply online. By the way, SVM2 is in the midst of taking a name that better communicates what they do. Within a few months they will be the Global Mission Mobilization Initiative.
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
July to August, Beautiful Feet Boot Camp (Choctaw, OK, USA). Missionary training institute. Apply by May 31 (held annually).
July 1-19, Manarah (Detroit, MI, USA). Training for ministry to Muslims, from Christar. An annual event.
July 1 to November 3, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New classes start regularly, including two in August.
July 8-12, Cubs to Lions (Denver, CO, USA). Discipleship for Christians with a Muslim background; an annual event.
July 14-19, ABIDE re-entry debriefing for global workers (Joplin, MO, USA). Held several times a year.
July 14-19, Debriefing Retreat (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training. Retreats twice a year.
July 22-24, Crisis Management Seminar (Auburn, AL, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International; followed by one-day Security Orientation Workshop.
July 15-18, Thrive Retreat (Beaver Creek, CO, USA). For North American women serving cross-culturally; an annual event.
July 19-26, New Wilmington Mission Conference (Western Pennsylvania, USA). Annual, week-long multi-generational mission conference; a tradition for more than 100 years.
July 22 to August 17, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Mission Training International. Courses held throughout the year.
July 22-24, Crisis Management Seminar (Lake George, CO, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International; followed by a one-day Security Orientation Workshop.
August 10, Reaching Your Hindu Neighbors (King of Prussia, PA, USA). A one-day training where you discover simple ways to share your faith with Hindus via everyday relationships.
August 16-17, One More Conference (Rome, GA, USA). Missions conference for professional or lay leaders from any church desiring to attend.
August 28-29, Support Raising Bootcamp (Charlotte, NC, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.
» View the complete calendar. Contact us to suggest additions. Want to know more about a specific event? Contact the event organizers.
Source: World Relief, June 14, 2019
Behind every journey is sacrifice, love, and hope—behind every person is a unique story to be celebrated and honored. As refugee and immigrant families resettle into their new homes, lives are not only being rebuilt but hundreds of people are thriving through the love and support of community.
» Watch and learn about these journeys to a new land. This video is very gracious, but might stir up ire from those who see migration as a threat.
» World Evangelical Alliance and the Refugee Highway Partnership are offering downloadable resources for World Refugee Sunday (observed June 16 and 23 this year). Most could be easily repurposed to use at other times. Includes something for every age.
Source: SAT-7, June 13, 2019
The world has changed since the testimony of nine-year-old Myriam went viral in 2014. In an interview with SAT-7 Producer and Director Essam Nagy, she inspired audiences around the world when she forgave ISIS for displacing her from her home in Qaraqosh, Iraq, forcing her to leave everything she knew for a refugee camp in Kurdistan.
According to UNICEF, the United Nations children’s fund, 17 million children were displaced by conflict within their own country in 2017, and 13 million more children were forced to flee to other countries for refuge.
In 2014, there were three prayers on the heart of young Myriam and God has miraculously answered all of them: going back to school, reuniting with her classmate and friend Sandra, and returning to her childhood home in Qaraqosh.
This World Refugee Day [June 20], many are wondering what they can do to make a difference. Perhaps you want to connect with an immigrant in your own community but can’t find the words. Intercede in prayer and support ministries carrying the life-changing truth of the gospel to the ends of the earth!
» Full story includes pictures and links to a documentary about Myriam, now a young teen (watch 30-minute documentary or five-minute clip).
Sources: Various
Christian charity The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation reminds us of the healing power of sports and how we can help. See Football Pitch in Iraqi Refugee Camp Needs Urgent Funding (with video).
World Vision published a beautifully illustrated article about the Rohingya Refugee crisis, with five signs of hope from what has become the world’s largest refugee camp. Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh, is now home to one million refugees. Pray for them!
The Institute for Security Studies reports growing European pressure on Africa to take back migrants, though little success. Read article or watch a related video to see why.
Evangelical Focus tells us a large number of Latino and African migrants joined French Christians in a March for Jesus in France. They prayed for the nation, gave out Bibles in French and Arabic, and lifted up Jesus through posters, songs, and conversation. Wonderful.