SRI LANKA: Threats from Buddhist Extremists

Source: Barnabas Aid, September 16, 2013

Christian leaders from Sri Lanka have asked supporters to join them in prayer as their churches face a mounting threat from Buddhist extremists. In the latest wave of incidents, police asked at least seven churches to close on Sunday, September 8 because of threats from Buddhists.

At one of the churches, in Meegoda, Colombo district, 30-40 Christians had gathered for prayer when a mob led by three Buddhist monks forced their way into the premises.

One of the monks hit the pastor over the head with a guitar until the instrument broke and the pastor was knocked unconscious. His mother tried to intervene but was herself beaten by some members of the mob.

The congregation was told that it was a Buddhist village, and the mob demanded that their prayer meetings stop immediately.

Churches are being told by the authorities that they must obtain permission from the Buddhist and Religious Affairs Ministry, even though religious groups are not officially required to register with the state in Sri Lanka. This is proving extremely problematic for Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, because they are not recognized by the Buddhist and Religious Affairs Ministry.

So far this year, there have been 45 anti-Christian incidents. Many of them have involved church gatherings being attacked but pastors and individuals have also been targeted.

» Read full story.

BURUNDI: Amazing Fruit

Source: Simon Guillebaud, September 3, 2013

Editor’s note: We have reported several times on the ministry of Great Lakes Outreach in Burundi. August 3-17, they were part of an effort that sent out 761 evangelists in 42 teams around the country. The summary below is from their partner Onesphore, founder of Harvest for Christ.

  • 39,753 people were reached with the gospel, of whom 18,218 gave their lives to Christ. Numbers are down (!) a little on previous years because we didn’t preach exclusively but also did service projects
  • 60 Muslims and 28 witchdoctors were among the converts
  • 171 people were healed from regular sicknesses
  • 15 paralytics walked
  • 15 blind people recovered their sight
  • 8 deaf/mute people heard/spoke again
  • 20 demon-possessed people were delivered
  • 55 separated couples were reconciled and brought together
  • 8 divided families were reunited

“Zacharie is a young man whom witchdoctors said had been poisoned by his dad. So for the last twenty years, the two had been enemies, and Zacharie had tried many times to kill his father. By May 2013, Zacharie had become mad, and was living in caves. When our evangelists arrived, he tried to beat them, but they refused to be cowed, instead praying for him. After an hour of such prayers, he was miraculously healed. Immediately he was filled with love for his father and went off to find him. The village heard about it, came to see what had happened, and fifty of them gave their lives to Christ. His mum, who had divorced his dad, came and was reconciled with her ex-husband.

“In an area steeped in witchcraft, the team felt it best not to preach for the first week but to simply to serve the community in any way possible. They came to a big witchdoctor and offered to work in his field and cultivate for him. He was blown away after a few hours and allowed them to share why they were doing it. On the spot he and his family repented. He publicly burnt all his charms, whereupon 30 other people gave their lives to Christ too. When our team left, many came to see them off in tears.”

» See full story with picture.

Missions Catalyst 9.25.13 – Resource Reviews

In This Issue: Eye-opening infographics telling the story of global mission

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!

Marti WadeMarti 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.

NEWSLETTER: Missiographics

Source: Global Mapping International

Trying to mobilize people into mission? Thinking through a challenging mission issue? Increasingly our culture is gaining valuable insights from visual presentations of data. Yes, infographics!

Missiographics, from the mission researchers at Global Mapping International, is a new twice-a-month newsletter designed to bring together mission data and powerful visuals. Each issue will include an infographic with a link to download it, plus suggestions to help you think through the implications it may have for your life and ministry. Sound like something you can use?

This publication will launch in October, but you can get a sample by signing up now. It’s free.

» Subscribe to Missiographics Email Newsletter.

» Note: See how Pioneers used infographic strategies to visually communicate the results of a complex ministry effort.

BOOK: Telling the Gospel through Story

Source: InterVarsity Press

Telling the Gospel Through Story: Evangelism That Keeps Hearers Wanting More, by Christine Dillon. InterVarsity Press, 2012. 224 pages.

From the publisher’s website: “In an age when prepackaged gospel formulations leave people cold, well-told Bible stories can be used powerfully by God to touch people’s hearts and draw them to himself.

“After ministry in both Western and non-Western contexts, church planter Christine Dillon has discovered that Bible storying is far more effective than most other forms of apologetics or evangelistic presentations. In fact, non-Christians actually enjoyed storying and kept coming back for more. Storying provides solid biblical foundations so listeners can understand, apply, and respond to the gospel, and then go on to fruitful maturity in God’s service.

“This book includes practical guidance on how to shape a good story, how to do evangelism through storying, and how to lead Bible discussions. With particular insights for trainers and those working in cross-cultural contexts, this guide provides you with concrete steps for sharing the Story that everyone needs to hear.”

Outreach Magazine named this book to its list of 2013 Outreach Resources of the Year. The author, an Australian, serves as a church planter in Taiwan with OMF International.

» Preview or purchase this book from Amazon for US$10.45; US$9.93 for the Kindle edition.

» See also the related website, Storying the Scriptures. It includes links, videos, and other helpful resources.

 

Quotable

“About two-thirds of the Bible is preparation for Jesus. But we have a tendency to jump straight to proclaiming him. After all, we know that Jesus is the most important. Jesus is indeed the central point of the Bible and, indeed, all of history. The problem is that when we go straight to Jesus, most people’s hearts aren’t prepared. We want to proclaim, ‘Jesus is the answer,’ but many people are still asking, ‘What’s the question?'”

Christine Dillon, Telling the Gospel through Story

 

ARTICLE: Creating Missions “On Ramps”

Source: Catalyst Services

“The variety of missions opportunities has exploded,” says Catalyst Services, introducing the September 2013 edition of the monthly newsletter, Postings. “Some are nearby, others on the other side of the globe. Some last one day, others a lifetime. Some are appropriate for kids, others for youth, young adults, families, or seniors. But how are we getting people out of their seat and into the action? Is your church building multiple on ramps to use the untapped resources of your people?”

Postings talked to three church missions leaders who are creating new missions “on ramps.” Their goal is to mobilize their congregation by matching the gifts and interests of various ages with global opportunities, particularly focusing on fresh ways to connect younger generations.

» Download a PDF of the article.

BOOK: Internationals Who Live among Us

Source: Emmaus Road International

Internationals Who Live among Us: Doing World Missions at Home, by Neal Pirolo. Emmaus Road International, 2013. 224 pages.

Neal Pirolo, author of Serving as Senders Today, The Reentry Team, and several other works has published a new book dealing specifically with welcoming (and ministering to) internationals. Pirolo divides them into seven distinct groups: international students, undocumented aliens, visitors, business people, refugees, established ethnic communities, and (perhaps surprisingly) returned missionary kids. Each group gets its own chapter in this book.

While much might be said about needs and opportunities within each of these populations, Internationals Who Live among Us provides a good introduction and may help readers with compassion for one group to discover some of the others. Interviews, anecdotes, and observations invite the reader to identify with internationals and consider how they and their churches might better understand and engage with these groups.

The book is directed solely to an American Evangelical Christian audience and written with some eccentricities of style which might put off some readers. It is, though, full of little gems – resources, insights, and practical ideas for becoming personally involved in global outreach without leaving your town.

» Learn more or purchase this book from ERI for US$10.95. It does not seem to be available from other online sources like Amazon. A more extensive review is posted at Worldview Church.

EVENTS: Upcoming Training, Retreats, and Conferences

Source: Missions Catalyst Calendar

Our mission events calendar is full of events right now. Here’s what we have for October!
October 3 – Webinar: Contracting for Technical Solutions (online). Provided by Missio Nexus.
October 3-5 – OPEN Expo (Bentonville, AR, USA). Provided by the OPEN Network.
October 5 – Bridges Seminar (Grand Rapids, MI, USA).  A training event to help Christians connect with Muslims; provided by Crescent Project.
October 5 – Ignite Conference (Lancaster, PA, USA). Designed to assist church leaders to think intentionally and strategically to develop an increased capacity for sending missionaries. Sponsored by Calvary Church.
October 8-9 – Personal Support Raising Bootcamp (Harrisburg, PA, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.
October 8-10 – Faith Reliance Symposium (Cary, NC, USA). Topic: Instilling healthy interdependency. Sponsored by Trans World Radio.
October 10-12 – North American Central Asia Forum (Portland, OR, USA).
October 12 – Bridges Seminar (Pomona, CA, USA).  A training event to help Christians connect with Muslims; provided by Crescent Project.
October 13-16, 17-20 – Thrive Southeast Asia Retreats (Bali, Indonesia). Designed to refresh and encourage North American women serving cross-culturally. Provided by Thrive (formerly Women of the Harvest).
October 16-19 – COMMA Consultation (Lexington, MA). Learn about ministry to Muslims from Muslims who have come to Christ.
October 16-20 – GO Equipped TENTmaking Course (Fort Myers, FL, USA). Provided by Global Opportunities.
October 18-19 – ENGAGE Missional Life (Fresno, CA, USA).
October 18-19 – Missions Fest Seattle (Seattle area, WA, USA). Free, community-based mission festival for all ages.
October 19 – Children’s Mission ConneXion (Powell Butte, OR, USA). Learn how to nurture children’s heart for the world.
October 22-25 – Destination Zero (Minneapolis, MN, USA). The annual roundtable of the Global Muslim Ministries Network. Designed for senior and missions pastors, agency leaders, and missions advocates for the Muslim world.
October 23 – Raising Support for Short-term Missions (online). Provided by Delta Ministries.
October 25-26 – People Raising Conference (Oakbrook, IL, USA). Provided by People Raising.
October 31 to November 2 – Oasis Conference (Dallas, TX, USA). For Christians reaching out to Muslims in North America. Provided by Crescent Project.
October 31 to November 3 – GO Equipped TENTmaking course (Gothenburg, Sweden). Provided by Global Opportunities.

Missions Catalyst 9.18.13 – World News Briefs

In This Issue: A time of shaking, a time of rejoicing

Greetings!

“The world is experiencing an unusual period of shaking,” writes Richard Swenson, one of my favorite analysts of world events. “There is a volatility and soft-anarchy across the globe, and nowhere do we find a center that is holding.” Hear what he has to say about Syria at Swenson Trends.

In this time of “shaking,” God is also sending his ambassadors to teach the world rejoicing. See stories below of singing in Kosovo and North Africa and wedding parties as a means to share the Good News. Apparently God is not worried about the state of events.

Rejoice in the Lord…always,

Pat

About Us

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!

Pat

Pat Noble has been the “news sleuth” for Missions Catalyst since 2004. In addition to churning out the news, she is working to create a SWARM (Serving World A Regional Mobilizers) in Northern New York using the NorthernChristian.org website. You can connect with her at www.whatsoeverthings.com.

 

 

CANADA: Move In – Can It Get Any Simpler Than This?

MoveIn graphic

The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood. John 1:14

Source: Tentmaking Briefs, September 2013

MoveInners, in a nutshell, are people who decide to move into neighborhoods deemed a “no-go zone” for 99.9% of Christians. Even the police dread to enter these areas of our major cities. Calling 911 [emergency services] may be futile as too often no one will come.

Move-inners are mostly young “Generation Y” couples and singles deliberately moving into low income, crime-ridden neighborhoods, to integrate themselves with the people who have little choice on where to live. These areas are made up largely of recent immigrants from the so-called unreached areas of the world.

» Full story here. See also an interview with the founder of this Canadian ministry on 100 Huntley Street, then watch an eight-minute video with highlights from the wedding celebration he and his bride threw for some 1200 neighbors.