World: Your Invitation to Five Global Days of Prayer

Source: International Prayer Connect, January 11, 2026

Dr. Jason Hubbard, Director of International Prayer Connect, introduces five global days of prayer for 2026 in the video below.

  1. February 17: Buddhist people (during Lunar New Year)
  2. March 16: Muslim people (on the Night of Power)
  3. May 24: Pentecost Global Day of Prayer for the Worldwide Church
  4. September 21: Jewish people (on the Day of Atonement)
  5. November 8: Hindu people (during Diwali)

Consider also joining IPC in 10 days of prayer for revival and world mission, May 14-24, leading up to the global day. Download prayer guide.

You may ask: Isn’t Pentecost also the International Day for the Unreached? Yes, that too. And read on for one more event scheduled for this auspicious day.

UK: ‘Jesus March’ Returns to London for Pentecost

Source: Christian Today, May 2, 2026

Thousands of Christians from across the UK are set to gather in central London this Pentecost weekend for a large-scale public event celebrating the Christian faith.

The gathering, known as the Jesus March, will take place on Saturday, 23 May. The event is being coordinated by Ichthus Christian Fellowship in collaboration with a range of churches and Christian ministries.

Leaders behind the initiative are keen to view the “breadth, depth, and racial diversity” of the Church in the UK.

Organizers say the procession is expected to begin near Marble Arch and pass through Piccadilly before ending in Trafalgar Square, with a time of collective worship and prayer.

Framed around the theme “Hope in our Hearts, Joy on the Streets,” the event is intended as “a public and passionate celebration of Jesus,” bringing together believers from different church traditions, cultural backgrounds and age groups for praise and prayer in the heart of the capital.

Organizers say it comes at a time when many churches are noting a fresh surge of interest in Christianity and increased confidence in sharing the gospel.

Read the full article and check out the official website of Jesus March.

See also WOTS HUB, a YouTube channel devoted to worship on the streets. A National Day of Street Worship is also planned for May 9 in locations across the UK.

Speaking of Jesus, read Is Teaching About Jesus the Same as Training People to Follow Him? (Dare to Multiply).

South America: When Three Waves Come Together and Collaborate

Source: Catalyst Services, April 2026

As missions resources multiply around the globe, increasingly complex collaborations seek to maximize what each entity brings to the task. Indigenous leadership is proving key to the long-term success of these multifaceted partnerships.

The Three Waves Movement is one such collaborative effort seeking to combine three very different missional forces, or waves, in South America. These waves came sequentially, but each continues to impact missions endeavors across the continent today: the first—a foreign (largely North American) wave of missionaries and churches, the second—a wave of engagement by Latino/national churches and networks of churches, and third—a growing wave of visionary indigenous churches and networks.

Determined to collaborate better, churches, individuals, and networks from each of these three waves have come together under the Three Waves Movement banner to develop strategic alliances in six South American countries. Their shared vision is to reach and disciple the 400+ tribal nations of the Amazon and South American lowlands.

The full story includes interviews with facilitators from each wave and advice for those seeking to build partnerships.

For more stories about gospel collaboration, read Ethiopian believers prepare for freedom ministry conference (Mission Network News) and We’re all part of the gospel chain. Which link are you? (A Life Overseas).

Slovenia: Gaming Culture Leads to Gospel Connection

Source: International Mission Board, April 20, 2026

Daniel Bates couldn’t believe his eyes. But there it was, tucked between a pastel row of cafés and cobblestone alleys in downtown Ljubljana, Slovenia—a friendly local game store. He pulled [his wife] Heather through the door and into a world alive with colorful miniature role-play scenes and towers of board game boxes.

It had been hard for the family to make close local friends when [their church] first sent them to Slovenia through the IMB. Their Slovenian language skills were still a work in progress, so most interactions with parents at the kids’ school or with neighbors stayed polite and surface-level.

But in this game shop, the connection through board games was immediate. The owner invited Daniel to join a weekly game night in another town. The distance wasn’t an issue. Slovenia, after all, is roughly the size of New Jersey, and the gaming group drew people from every direction. They used a Discord channel to keep in touch during the week.

“We use different social platforms—Reddit, WhatsApp, Messenger, Discord—as part of our digital engagement strategy for ministry. This is where people gather, so we want to be there too,” Daniel said. “We’ve found most will never talk to you in person, but they will chat on the computer with you.

“But taking these relationships from digital to physical is hard,” he continued. “That’s what made this gaming group so different. It’s hybrid. They meet physically and use their Discord channel to keep in touch during the week.”

Read the full story. Always good to see people leveraging their interests to connect with those who enjoy the same things. Evidently Daniel loves board games (and Slovenians). 

Ethiopia: Taking the Gospel to People on the Move

Source: Mission Network News, April 15, 2026

Many ethnic groups in Ethiopia are still unaware of the hope found in Christ. The Argobba people are one of them—but reaching them comes with a unique challenge: They are constantly on the move.

The Argobba are a traveling people, an unreached Muslim group of no more than 250,000. Farming and trade shape their daily lives. However, external pressures (conflicts between majority people groups) continue to disrupt their stability.

“And you’ve got this small group like the Agobba, who just want to live peacefully and tend their plots of land. But others are coming in, pushing them out, and moving them from place to place. Those are the dynamics that make gospel witness very challenging,” [says Greg Kelley of Unknown Nations].

This is where [the] ministry partners with local believers who know their country. Kelley explains, “They’re distributing our solar-powered audio Bible in their local dialect, their local language, and listening groups are forming.” As a result, Argobba people are beginning to know Jesus as they hear the gospel.

Read the full story.

Another MNN story explores challenges to ministry in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). nd for another interesting read, see Nomads in the Shadow of Iran’s War (Nomadic Peoples Network).

India: Tribal Men Assault Pastor and His Family for their Faith

Source: Morning Star News, May 1, 2026

On April 13, two men of traditional tribal religion assaulted a pastor and his family for their Christian faith in an attempt to chase them from their land and home, sources said.

The two men came with a mob to his home [in Chhattisgarh], where his church meets, accusing Pastor Motu Sodi of luring villagers from their tribal religion and fraudulently converting them to Christianity. The two men assaulted the pastor, his wife, his non-Christian sister, and a niece.

The attackers warned, “We won’t let you stay in the village or on your own property. We want to chase you away,” he said.

After the assault on April 13, the two adherents of tribal religion filed a complaint against Pastor Sodi. Early the next morning, the two men returned, assaulted the family again and disclosed that they had filed a police complaint against them for fraudulent conversion.

Pastor Sodi then went to the police station and filed a counter-complaint against them for assaulting them.

Police registered the complaint as a “scuffle” between Pastor Sodi and the two men “related to a land dispute,” he said, denying that he fought back. “We told the police that we did not indulge in the assault but that they came and assaulted us brutally and injured us,” said Pastor Sodi.

He said he clearly told the officer that the two men targeted the family because of their faith in Christ, and that they had no argument or dispute over land. Police refused to listen.

The atmosphere in the village remains tense, he said.

Read the full story.

Meanwhile, in Egypt, a Coptic Christian YouTuber faces five years in prison and hard labor after sharing his faith online (ADF International).

Perspectives new edition, calendar, and Catalyst on sabbatical

  1. Note from the Editor: Catalyst on Sabbatical
  2. Book: Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Fifth Edition)
  3. Articles: World Cup Readiness, a Rule of Digital Life, and More
  4. Model: Measuring the Progress of the Gospel
  5. Podcasts: A Handful of Helpful Episodes
  6. Events: Conferences, Classes, Training and More in May

Read or share the email edition.

Note from the Editor: Catalyst on Sabbatical

Greetings!

This Friday, May 1, I begin a three-month sabbatical. The last one I took was 15 years ago. Since then, I’ve gotten married, started and finished a master’s degree, made three cross-country moves, survived a global pandemic (you, too?!), and more. Somewhere along the way, I also said yes to more interesting and strategic things than I can manage with just 24 hours a day, and now I’m struggling.

So, it’s time for a hard reset. I look forward to rediscovering who I am when not behind a keyboard and screen and spending more time with the Lord and other people. Could you pray toward that end?

This will be our last edition of Resource Reviews until August. You may get a few more editions of News Briefs. And in a few months, I expect to return refreshed and renewed, ready to follow God in what’s next.

Wishing you all the best,
Marti Wade

Book: Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Fifth Edition)

Source: William Carey Publishing

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader (Fifth Edition), edited by Ralph Winter, Steven C. Hawthorne, and Pam Arlund. William Carey Publishing: 2026. 558 pages.

Each year more than 10,000 students—in nearly 40 countries and 9 languages—participate in Perspectives courses, discovering their role in God’s story and joining his global purpose. Others use the Perspectives reader for teaching or training.

I think you’ll like the new edition. It includes 20% new content but is 25% shorter (by word count). The 150 contributors include more women and people from diverse backgrounds, and the whole book is more accessible for global audience than previous editions, with many articles updated and edited for greater clarity.

I got a pre-release version of the digital book and study guide and am impressed. Printed books are expected to begin shipping in early May, with the digital edition released more broadly in August.

Learn more or pre-order books. A Spanish edition will be available soon.

William Carey Publishing has many other new books you might appreciate, including a fun, pray-for-the-world alphabet book for kids called From Argentina to Zimbabwe, and, from Patrick Johnstone, God’s World to Win: The Story of Operation World.

Articles: World Cup Readiness, a Rule of Digital Life, and More

Sources: Various

The Nations Are Coming: Preparing for the World Cup Moment

Sources: Everywhere to Everywhere

Explore four simple ways to engage the nations as the world gathers for the biggest event on earth.

Read the article.

Also check out this outreach kit from Cru: Victory Beyond the Cup.

Five Digital Rules for Missionaries

Source: A Life Overseas

The digital world pulls us into its steady stream of consciousness, asking for as much as we can give, and then some. We are sorely mistaken if we think that as ministry workers we will avoid this.

Get some suggestions.

Also from A Life Overseas, read Confronting Risk and Managing Fear in the Uncertainty of War. It links to a bunch of helpful resources.

Rerouted and Reaffirmed

Source: Mission Frontiers

Longevity remains an appropriate goal in many contexts, but God is now moving his workforce around the globe with increasing frequency.

Consider the implications.

Also in this edition, read A Letter to the Returning Ones.

Ten Ways to Develop a Missions Culture in Your Church

Source: ABWE

We want every member to find and fulfill their role in the Great Commission, challenging the myth that missions is only for the elite. But how do you get there?

Read the ten ways. We featured this 2023 article previously.

See also On Different Pages, comparing how church mission leaders and mission agency leaders see missions (Ted Esler).