Poland: A Church Plant Grows From the War in Ukraine

Source: Lausanne Movement, August 1, 2022

Early one December morning in 2021, Zmicier and Anna Chviedaruk woke to loud knocking and shouting at the door. The Belarusian police⁠ had come.

“It was like in the movies, with armed guys holding shields and guns, shouting ‘Lie on the floor!’” says Zmicier.

The police beat Zmicier, pilfered through their belongings, and took him away. In the car, they used a taser to force him to record a video saying the police were polite to him.

“He was sentenced to 15 days in jail,” says Anna.

An hour after Zmicier was taken away, Anna learned she was pregnant with their first child. It was the beginning of a harrowing months-long journey that would take the couple from Belarus to Ukraine—at the outbreak of war—and finally to Poland.

The full story provides background on the situation in Belarus, includes an interesting snapshot of Zmicier’s experience in prison, and explains how the family ended up planting a multi-ethnic church for Russian-speaking refugees.

Another Lausanne article, this one from 2017, asks, Is God Reviving Europe Through Refugees?

See also Where Evil Abounds in Ukraine, the Church Is the Best Remedy (The Christian Post).

Myanmar: Criticism of Buddhism Will be Punished by Law

Source: International Christian Concern, August 1, 2022

The Burmese military’s Major General Zaw Min Tun spoke at a press conference in Myanmar’s capital city on July 26.

In his address, General Zaw Min Tun promised that any verbal, written, or online post insulting Buddhism will be punished according to law. Flaunting punishment for those who insult the religion is a clear attempt to galvanize religious extremists and nationalists into taking action against civilians.

Since the military’s takeover of Myanmar’s democratic government last February, the military junta has been working closely with Buddhist priests to stomp out civil unrest. The strategy’s effectiveness has fallen flat, however, as Burmese citizens accuse Buddhist priests of encouraging the military to carry out unjust punishment against civilians.

Read the full article.

Also read a story about churches being burned down, destroyed, or restricted from gathering in parts of the country (Open Doors).

From a neighboring country: A Thai Buddhist starts reading the Bible, but how will he respond when what it says collides with his culture? Read Panit’s Story: Challenges of Faith in Southeast Asia (Pioneers-USA).

World: More Than 32 Million Bibles Distributed in 2021

Source: Evangelical Focus, July 19, 2021

The distribution of Bibles slightly increased worldwide in 2021, the United Bible Societies recently reported in a press release.

According to their data, around 32.6 million complete Bible editions were distributed last year, “after the pandemic-related slump in Bible distribution in the previous year,” the situation has stabilized again.

Compared to the previous year (30.9 million copies), this was an increase of 5.5% in 2021.

Furthermore, around 20% of all full Bibles distributed were downloaded from the internet, so that the share of digital Bibles is lower than in the first “corona year” 2020, but is 15% higher than in 2019.

According to the report, the distribution of digital editions “is playing an increasingly important role, especially in crisis regions.”

Read the full story.

You might also be interested in a video-based story about the creation of a New Testament for the Yupik people of St. Lawrence Island in Alaska (Wycliffe Bible Translators; about seven minutes long).

Israel: Municipality Takes Messianic Ministry to Court

Source: Middle East Concern, June 23, 2022

Prayer is requested for a ministry caring for the needy in Sderot, near Gaza, and its associated Messianic congregation as they face two court cases and opposition from ultra-orthodox Jews.

City of Life Ministries (CLM) rents a large space in the industrial area of Sderot for humanitarian work and congregational meetings. In June 2020 CCTV picked up an ultra-orthodox Jew who had illegally entered the building and was using his phone to record videos. CLM reported the incident to the police and made an official complaint. However, at a July 2020 court hearing, the judge treated the intruder leniently, only forbidding him from approaching within 300 meters [of] the building for a one-month period.

Yad L’Achim—a Jewish organization opposed to evangelistic activity—staged a protest outside CLM in August 2020. A chief rabbi also visited the property owners to try to persuade them (unsuccessfully) to cancel the rental agreement. On August 12, 2020, CLM received a letter from the Engineering Department of the municipality summoning pastor Michael Beener for questioning following an “investigation” (though no one from the Engineering Department had actually formally approached CLM to inspect the premises). According to Michael, the questions focused more on CLM’s funding than the building or the humanitarian activities and congregational meetings.

Even though CLM hired an architect and surveyor to check and approve the building’s suitability for the ministry’s purposes, Sderot Municipality has brought two legal cases (against Michael and against CLM) claiming that as a public place of worship they do not meet zoning requirements. The first hearing was scheduled for June 23 but delayed until September 29 to allow the lawyer representing Michael and CLM time to prepare.

Read the full article with prayer points.

The ends of the earth | Inside Xinjiang

Photos used for the 2014 MAF US Calendar

In this edition: Inside Xinjiang, to the ends of the earth with mission aviation, and ways to pray for ultra-orthodox Jews. Image from MAF.

  1. Book: New China Chronicles Book Focuses on Xinjiang
  2. Documentary: Ends of the Earth (with MAF) Now on DVD
  3. Prayer Guide: Ways to Pray for Ultra-Orthodox Jews
  4. Short Takes: Found Around the Web
  5. Events: Helpful Mission-Related Training, Conferences & More

Read or share the email edition or scroll down for individual articles.

Book: New China Chronicles Book Focuses on Xinjiang

Source: Asia Harvest / Piquant Editions

Xinjiang: China’s Gateway to the World, by Paul Hattaway. Piquant Editions, 2022. 347 pages.

You may know what is happening to Uyghurs (and others) in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. But you might be surprised to learn more about why this region is significant to the nation, or its rich Christian history going back 1,400 years. It’s quite a story!

The China Chronicles series is an ambitious project to document the advance of Christianity in each province of China, decade by decade, from the time the gospel was introduced to the present day. The primary purpose is to bless and encourage the persecuted church in China. Yet the books are written first in English and are very accessible to a Western audience. Previous books focus on Shandong, Guizhou, Zhejiang, Tibet, and Henan.

This volume, the sixth, includes stories about Nestorian, Catholic, and Swedish mission efforts alongside those of people you may know, like George Hunter, Percy Mather, and the plucky team of CIM women called the Trio. But the focus is just as much on the Chinese missionaries and martyrs. Read the story of the Uyghur Bible and learn about the launch and impact of groups like the Back to Jerusalem Evangelistic Band and the Northwest Spiritual Band in the 1940s and 50s, as well as the ups and downs, breakthroughs and challenges of recent decades. Some of the stories are very sobering and many are inspiring.

Visit the Asia Harvest website to learn more and purchase this volume or others at US$9.99 for Kindle editions or US$18 for the paperbacks. These are great books!

By the end of October, you will be able to get all of them from William Carey Publishing, which has already published the first two at a lower price. So that may be the way to go.

On another note, William Carey has lots of good books, including a new one about mobilizing GenZ for missions. Check it out.

Documentary: Ends of the Earth (with MAF) Now on DVD

Source: Mission Aviation FellowshipImagine flying over breathtaking landscapes only to land on an airstrip hand-dug by local villagers on a remote mountain deep in the jungle. It sounds like an adventure movie, but it’s real life for the pilots of Mission Aviation Fellowship. Ends of the Earth brings viewers face-to-face with hard-to-reach villages, awe-inspiring landscapes, and the incredible people who are willing to risk it all for the sake of sharing Christ’s love.

Production and distribution of this film were much delayed by the pandemic, but it was released in theaters almost a year ago and later made available via streaming. Now you can get it on DVD. Looks like Vision Video has the best price (US$14.99).

Visit the film’s website to watch the trailer, learn more, or purchase.

This beautiful documentary might be a good addition to a mission conference or class or be something to watch with your family or small group.

Prayer Guide: Ways to Pray for Ultra-Orthodox Jews

Source: Jews for Jesus, The Lausanne Movement, and others

Orthodox Jews are one of the most unreached groups in a number of major cities around the world. The Lausanne Movement’s Jewish Evangelism Network, together with other Jewish ministries, has published a free prayer guide designed to mobilize a global movement of intercession for the Orthodox Jewish community (referred to here as the Heredim).

At 49 pages, this informative prayer guide features large pictures and an extensive bibliography along with scripture, stories, and prayer points related to history, culture, daily life, festivals, and more.

It looks like this booklet was designed for print but is only available here as a PDF download. Excerpts might make a good resource for a group prayer meeting, and you could offer the whole guide to those who want more.

Learn more or download the prayer guide.

Short Takes: Found Around the Web

Sources: Various

Missionary Advocate Teams for Local Churches

Advocate teams should provide ongoing presence and intentional care to their missionaries as well as be a voice for them to the church as a whole and to church leaders, says Nathan Sloan.

Read Advocate Teams, the Local Church Caring for Missionaries (Mission Frontiers). This edition includes other articles on missionary-care topics.

Three Ways to Pray for Missionaries

“Prayer is supplying missionaries with essentials for their survival… I’ve found that there are some simple prayer requests that are always applicable and always needed,” says Elliot Clark.

Read Prayer Will Win the Nations (Desiring God).

Talking With Kids About Poverty

Poverty. War. Famine. Disease. These are incredibly complex issues to understand as an adult, let alone for a child. But this era of social media and instant news means our kids are more exposed to these global realities than ever before. How do we tackle these tough conversations?

Read Tips for Talking With Your Kids About Poverty and Other Tough Stuff (World Vision).

Flying With Kids Internationally

Rebecca Hopkins says she now measures her worst nights of sleep against nights flying with kids. But she made a list of tips from friends and her own experience that can help you with those long-haul flights.

Read Flying With Kids Internationally: 25 Tips (Go.Serve.Love.)

Finally, on the Lighter Side…

What are duffling and metapacking? Have you ever suffered from the fortnightlies or bait and glitch, or been seated behind the passenger of imminent domain?

Read Because There Just Aren’t Enough Words to Describe the Overseas Experience, Here Are a Few More for Your Lexicon (A Life Overseas).

Events: Helpful Mission-Related Training, Conferences & More

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

August 1 to December 4, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly. A second online class will be offered from August 15 to December 18. Many in-person classes begin in August as well, though perhaps not at pre-pandemic levels yet.

August 1-5, Cubs to Lions (Dallas, TX, USA). Discipleship for Christians with a Muslim background offered annually by Horizons International.

August 3, From Harlem to the World – the Local Church Mobilized for Global Missions (online). Peer-to-peer event for church leaders from Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen.

August 9 to September 4, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Provided regularly by the Center for Intercultural Training.

August 11, Mobilizing Children and Families (online). Free webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen and Weave Family Ministries.

August 16, Contend: Monthly Day of Prayer For Mission Mobilization (global). Coordinated by GMMI and held the third Tuesday of each month. 

August 17-29, Field Security Seminar (Lake George, CO, USA). Prepare to live, work, and travel in high-risk environments. Offered by Crisis Consulting International. Also offered August 22-25.

August 18, Communications and the Mission of God: Aligning Organizational Communications with God’s Purposes (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

August 24 to October 5, Intro to Mobilization (online). Join Frontiers USA for a seven-week cohort exploring mobilization and ways to mobilize in your own context. Great idea!

August 25, Debriefing Short-Term Missions (online). Webinar from Sixteen:Fifteen and SOE.

August 26, A New Word: Redeploying Returning Missionaries Among Diaspora People (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

August 29 to September 11, ORIENT pre-field training for global workers (Eminence, MO, USA). Provided regularly by TRAIN International.

View the complete calendar, updated regularly. We welcome submissions.