Missions Catalyst is a free email digest designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. We’ve been curating and creating mission mobilization content for almost 30 years. Currently published 3-4 times per month.
NOTE: We are taking a three-month break in 2026 and will resume publication by the end of August. Apologies for any inconvenience!
Greetings!
I must confess that this week’s sleuthing for news briefs started out badly. I read a story that made me walk away from my keyboard and not want to go back. It was bad news. Very sad. I’ll be joining Marti for a three-month sabbatical, and until this week, I didn’t think I needed one. Maybe I do. Pray for Kalegeya Faruku and his family, who harmed him.
I’m tired of wading through so much bad news. God showed me he knows what I’m feeling, and he provided a song I’d never heard. Not Afraid of Bad News came across my feed at just the right time (see below). Are you sick of bad news? Afraid? Be encouraged. God is in control!
I’ll be reading the Psalms on my sabbatical. They always help with perspective. And I am starting a master’s degree in theology through Regent University! I appreciate your prayers. See you in August!
Pat Noble
Sources: Various
It is not too late to make your plan to raise awareness of the unreached. A Third of Us has lots of free resources in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish (though registration is required to access them).
And why just stick with one day? Download the Joshua Project Calendar and pray for a different people group each day all year. Or check out their new interactive prayer map.
Need some inspiration? Watch the music videos for Facing a Task Unfinished (Keith and Kristyn Getty) and I Then Shall Live (Gaither Vocal Band). The last verse that begins “The Bread of Life…” always gets me thinking about the unreached.
Source: God Reports, May 6, 2026
In a recent interview, author and mission leader Doug Cobb expressed renewed confidence that this generation is getting close to completing the Great Commission—the task Jesus gave us before he ascended to heaven.
Cobb, managing partner of The Finishing Fund, told God Reports there has been no change in his core convictions since the release of his earlier book, And Then the End Will Come. In fact, his new book, The Sprint to the Finish: The Global Push to Complete the Great Commission in This Generation, takes a much deeper look at what he calls the “three finish lines” of the Great Commission: every nation (ethnos/people group), every language, and every place.
“We’re nearing the end of the Great Commission race,” Cobb said, “and that will open the door, in my judgment, to the return of Christ.”
While the pace has slowed because the remaining groups are the most difficult to reach, breakthroughs continue to occur.
The most challenging part of the finish line remains “every place”—having a viable gospel witness in every village, neighborhood, and community on earth. A new collaboration called the Achieve Alliance (an acronym for “A Church in Every Village Everywhere”) is now working to map and reach every habitation on the planet.
This may be a good spot to fold in a few more music videos on this topic. Thanks to friend and subscriber Charlotte D. for pointing us to a short video on Frontier People Groups that explains the concept in terms kids can understand (available in four languages) and another, new but more traditional song that may stir your passion to see more come to know Jesus.
Finally, here’s one from Create International and GlobalCAST Resources, and is evidently part of a collection of mission mobilization songs. Maybe there’s a place you can use them?
Source: Middle East Concern, May 16, 2026
Prayer is requested for Mahshar Parandin, a Christian prisoner of conscience denied medical care.
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports that Mahshar, an artist, is serving a two-year sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison. She has been denied access to necessary medical care.
Mahshar suffers from a heart condition and two tumors, and an informed source claims that she requires immediate surgery. One of the tumors, in her brain, has affected her balance, movement, and speech. The second tumor, in Mahshar’s throat, is also reported to have grown visibly larger.
HRANA reports that Mahshar is eligible for parole, but the prosecutor has rejected her request for conditional release.
Please pray that:
See also Esther offers ancient hope in modern Iran (Mission Network News) and What’s Really Happening to the Church in Iran (Everyday Radical Podcast).
Source: Mission Network News, May 11, 2026
Good news out of Egypt: 191 more churches have received legal status.
Many Christian leaders had waited years for state approval. The decision comes under Egypt’s 2016 Law for Building and Restoring Churches. To qualify, churches must meet structural and safety standards, prove land ownership, and pay required fees.
Duane Friesen with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, “There is dramatic difficulty for the Christian community within Egypt, but to see a step toward allowing facilities for their weekly worship is a good step, and I hope it grows.”
At the same time, Friesen urges caution. As pressure for church registration grows, so can government oversight of Christian activity. Still, the process may also help strengthen Christianity’s legal standing in Egypt.
Please pray these developments would lead to greater acceptance and security for believers in Egypt and, as Friesen says, “that is equal citizenship within Egypt that they have the protections, the rights, and the freedoms to be what God’s called them to be.”
See also Egyptian Muslim Convert Tortured by Government for His Newfound Faith in Jesus (Back to Jerusalem). In case you missed it, our last edition linked to a story about an Egyptian Christian YouTuber sentenced to five years in prison and hard labor because of videos he created. He remains in prison but has filed an appeal.
Source: INcontext International, May 5, 2026
Ayman [is] a 28-year-old Egyptian man rescued in mid-April 2026 by the Ocean Viking, the rescue ship operated by SOS Mediterranee. He was one of thousands of migrants attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing in search of safety, work, education, or simply survival.
Following his father’s death, Ayman [had] became responsible for supporting his wife, children, mother, and siblings. Despite working in a medicine factory in Egypt, he could not make ends meet and eventually traveled to Libya, hoping to earn enough money to support his family.
Instead, smugglers took him to what he described as a “sort of prison” and demanded far more money than initially agreed. Ayman spent six months in Libyan detention centers run by smugglers. During that time, he was beaten, tortured, and extorted while his family back home sold everything they owned to pay ransom demands.
“I was kept in a place with many other people,” Ayman remembers, “and I saw no daylight for six months. We were barely fed, and we were given salty water to drink.”
When the money ran out, the smugglers forced them onto an overcrowded boat at gunpoint.
“When we were brought to the beach, we had to swim to the boat, with water up to our necks. The weather was very bad, with big waves, and we were all terrified. I thought I would rather die at sea… We were cold and lost at sea and were sure we were going to die.”
During the crossing, the engine failed, and the boat began taking on water in rough seas. Ayman believed everyone on board would die. He and his companions prayed what they thought would be their final prayer as waves crashed over the vessel and the cold intensified.
Instead, the passengers were rescued by the Ocean Viking. Ayman is now receiving medical and psychological care in Europe, although the trauma of the experience remains severe.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 990 migrants had died or gone missing in the Mediterranean by early April 2026. It marks one of the deadliest starts to a year since the organization began tracking migrant deaths in 2014.
Read the full story, which also reports that churches and Christian organizations have become heavily involved in supporting migrants and refugees arriving from the Mediterranean.
You might also be interested in an interview with World Relief representatives exploring ways churches can make a difference for vulnerable immigrants (Catalyst Services).
Note that June 20 is World Refugee Day. Roughly 1 in 70 people on earth have been forcibly displaced.
Read or share the email edition, or scroll down for more.
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.
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.
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).
