Category: Resource Reviews

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.

In this issue of Missions Catalyst Resource Reviews:

1. BOOKS: Global Lit for Kids
2. MAGAZINE: Lausanne Global Analysis
3. FILM: The Kingdom
4. STUDY GUIDES: Making the Journey to Global Missions
5. EVENTS: Coming Up in June

Give Your Child the World—Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time, by Jamie C. Martin. Zondervan, 2016. 224 pages.

Where I live, school’s almost out. I wonder how many moms and dads are starting to panic about inspiring their kids toward wholesome summer pursuits?

If that’s you—or if your kids just love good books— consider picking up Give Your Child the World. This reference guide to more than 600 books includes reading lists organized by region, country, and age range (4-12) along with helpful indexes. The author, a former missionary, home schools her multicultural family, and has written several books and blogs.

• Each listing includes a brief description of the book, its themes, and content Christian parents might want to know about.
• Most of the books are fiction but some nonfiction is included as well.
• Few of these volumes are actually written by authors from the country or culture they describe; you will have to dig deeper for that. On the other hand, American readers may be able to get many of these with just a library card. In fact, I found this book itself through my local library.
• Introductory material and sidebars throughout include other tips on raising globally minded kids.

» Learn more or purchase from Amazon (or elsewhere) at US$10.98 for the paperback edition and US$6.99 for Kindle. Looks like used copies are also readily available.

» You might also be interested in Becoming a World-Changing Family by Donna Thomas or The Mission-Minded Family and The Mission-Minded Child by Ann Dunagan.

Source: Lausanne Movement, May 2019

This month’s edition of the Lausanne Global Analysis includes articles you can sink your teeth into. Each is written by a subject-matter expert.

• The Rise of Hindu Fundamentalism: Implications for India and Global Mission
• The New Normal for Christianity in China: Adapting to a Tighter Political Environment
• Do We Care about Corruption? How Integrity Can Tame the Beast of Bribes and Extortion
• Creating and Sharing Wealth: Embracing our Mission of Holistic Transformation.

» Read the articles or subscribe. Prefer to listen? Check out the audio versions and follow Lausanne on Soundcloud.

» For thoughtful article on the mobilization side, see Life Stages and Missions (Catalyst Services). It walks us through challenges and opportunities of involving people in their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, and sixties in mission efforts.

Source: GemStone Media

Friends have produced a high-quality 82-minute “prodigal son” dramatic film set in the vineyards of Kosovo and beaches of Montenegro. In the aftermath of the human rights tragedies that Kosovo endured between 1998 and 2001, this family story offers a shining example of steadfast love that restores trust and instills hope for a better life.

The Kingdom is now available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Greek, Farsi, and Bulgarian, along with the original Albanian. More languages in the works include Russian and Romanian.

» Visit the film’s website to learn more and stream or download the film, trailer, promotional material, and a discussion guide from the movie website. All of this is free for you to use as a ministry resource. You might also be interested in The Traveler, another film from the same group and set in Central Asia. Watch the trailer.

» In January we wrote about a film telling the story of murdered Australian missionary Graham Staines. The Least of These is now available on DVD and digital download, and might be a good choice to watch and discuss with your church or small group.

Sources: Various

We’ve written about full-on classes like Perspectives, Pathways, and the Kairos Course, as well Bible studies like God’s Heart for the Nations (by Jeff Lewis), Missions: God’s Heart for the World (by Paul Borthwick), and Xplore, and missionary training books like Mission Smart (David L. Frazier) and Cross-Cultural Servanthood (Duane Elmer). Each has its uses, emphases, and limitations.

Now we want to let you know about a couple of helpful and fairly new small group studies on missions that almost slipped past us.

Journey to the Nations: A Greater Vision for Your Greatest Mission, by Mark Sigmon. Credo House Publishers, 2017. 40 pages.

• This workbook offers six 45-minute sessions you can do on your own or with a group, with ideas for several additional sessions.
• It’s mostly a Bible study but pulls in other material as well.
• I like that it’s designed for senders and goers alike and highlights but doesn’t exclusively focus on the priority of the unreached.
• There’s a video element, but the lessons aren’t built around the videos (which come from a variety of sources; YouTube links provided).
• Although a few of the suggestions feel dated, the study is solid overall. It’s enough to lay a good foundation without overwhelming and it provides next steps for those who want to learn or do more.

» You can get it on Amazon for US$11.99, or from Global Impact Services, the author’s ministry. Bulk discounts available.

The Path Series

Discovering Global Missions: Explore God’s Heart for the Nations, by Dave Guiles. Encompass World Publishing, 2017. 60 pages.

• Four chapters can be used for four sessions to do on your own or with a small group.
• With Matthew 28:18-20 as a starting point, the study covers the need to make disciples, the command to go to all nations, and how you can get involved.
• This booklet is not designed as a workbook; it has discussion questions but not much white space. All the scriptures are printed in the text. This gives it a more contemporary, professional look but may be overwhelming.
• Sessions are, in part, built around a series of videos from Global Frontier Missions. Anyone is free to use these whiteboard teaching videos; they seem to be very popular.
• Considering using this study? You can sign up to get a free copy.

Discerning Your Calling: Discover Your Place as a Global Worker, by John Ward. Encompass World Publishing, 2018. 70 pages.

• The booklet has six chapters plus an introduction and conclusion.
• The content covers questions of calling, setting direction, building a relationship with your church, finding an agency, and overcoming obstacles.
• Each chapter includes a story about someone else’s journey.
• Each chapter also includes questions and scriptures to consider for going deeper. You could go through this with a group; it might work just as well one-on-one with a mentor.

Although these materials includes a few references to the mission agency that published them, Encompass World Partners, I didn’t pick up on anything that would keep the rest of us from being able to use them.

The series also include a volume about setting up a mobilization team in your church. I haven’t seen that one. You can request a sample chapter from the publisher.

» Learn more about or purchase materials in the Path Series.

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

June 1-2, World Weekend of Prayer for Children at Risk (international). Coordinated by the Viva Network.

June 3-5, Enlace Global 2019 (Rockville, VA, USA). Lidera a tu iglesia para llegar a las naciones. Provided by Movilización Hispana.

June 3-29, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Mission Training International.

June 3 to August 11, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). Intensive version; regular course June 3 to October 6.

June 6-8, Emerge Business Summit (Colorado Springs, CO, USA). Be affirmed, confirmed, and empowered to do missional business in nations.

June 9, International Day for the Unreached (global). An annual event.

June 13-14, Support Raising Bootcamp (Wheaton, IL, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.

June 16-28, Second Language Acquisition Course (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training.

June 19-20, Standards Introductory Workshop (Vienna, VA, USA). Training in the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission.

June 19-22, Field Security Seminar (Lake George, CO, USA). Prepare to live, work, and travel in high-risk environments.

June 19-29, Breathe Conference (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Rest and renewal retreat for cross-cultural workers.

June 20, World Refugee Day (international). Many churches observe this with prayer the Sunday before or after.

June 20-22, The National African American Mission Conference (Vienna, VA, USA). An annual event.

June 25-26, Amplify Conference (Wheaton, IL, USA). Evangelism conference from the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College.

June 26-29, International Conference on Computing and Missions (Hannibal, MO, USA).

» View the complete calendar. Contact us to suggest additions. Want to know more about a specific event? Contact the event organizers.

Source: LifeNet Media Resources/Global Net

Have you seen this new, three-minute video designed to inspire a commitment to prayer and unity to reach the unreached? There’s also a longer version (nine minutes).

Could you show one of these to your church or group, then pray?

» See other short videos about the unreached—most of which we’ve featured here—as well as videos on related topics. Handy to have them in one place. Thanks, Joshua Project!

Source: Prayercast

On May 5, as Ramadan is about to start, Prayercast will begin releasing 130 new, short videos designed to stimulate focused, strategic, passionate prayer for the Muslim world.

Each video is four to five minutes long and led by a former Muslim who now follows Jesus, many sharing stories of healing and transformation. Prayercast will send you an email reminder each day of Ramadan with a brand new video to inspire you to praise and prayer.

Know someone you can invite to watch and pray with you?

» Learn more and sign up or look at other resources from Prayercast.

» See also 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World.