Nice article here about the Act One screenwriting program in Hollywood. Neat to hear about Christians working in Hollywood. Here is her blog.
Had breakfast with my friend Ryan, who is back from Melbourne Australia for a few weeks. Very cool just to catch up and here about Australia. He is there with Campus Crusade, who has a long term commitment to building college ministry in Melbourne. The most significant thing - 'People don't think about what happens when you die. When you ask them, they say they don't know and they've never ever thought about it. And the conversation just stops. That's where relational ministry becomes important because when they get to know you, they ask why you are so different.'
On the Urbana note, we got three cars volunteered up from families of kids that are going. Very great news. I have officially turned over the coordination to the couple that are going, which is great news also. Very excited for these kids though, my biggest prayer is that God will give them a new idea of success (that is not about the lies Satan tempts us with) and that they will get the gist of the essential task.
Listened to a tape from Perspectives again (I've listened to it many many times). Its a lecture on Elements of Historical Revivals and The Three Eras of Christian Missions. Again, so many many good things from it. Here are some key points:
- 24K people groups in the world, 10K unreached right now.
- The Moravians (more info here) and their missions had 4 senders for every missionary. So...
* 5 church planters for every unreached people group = 50,000 people
* 4 senders for every missionary = 200,000 people
* total = 250,000 people
* there are over 250,000 evangelical Christians in the state of Colorado alone.
** the American church could easily do this....
Monday, December 22, 2003
Sunday, December 21, 2003
Celebrated K's birthday and part of Christmas tonight with D's aunt and uncle and my parents. Very fun. Nice small party for the girlies. This was a big hit for Christmas, along with lots of Barbie stuff...
Had a potluck for our neighbors last night, very very fun. Lots of diversity here. In 8 families, two are Indian, three are Caucasian (one of them is a mixed-race Caucasian and Panamanian), one African American, one Korean, and then us.... Ha. Chinese, yes, definitely. A great part was having this whole mix of different kinds of food. Will be neat to see as the years go by what impact we make on them.
Had a potluck for our neighbors last night, very very fun. Lots of diversity here. In 8 families, two are Indian, three are Caucasian (one of them is a mixed-race Caucasian and Panamanian), one African American, one Korean, and then us.... Ha. Chinese, yes, definitely. A great part was having this whole mix of different kinds of food. Will be neat to see as the years go by what impact we make on them.
Saturday, December 20, 2003
Pray for the people from GCC going to Urbana. Specifically, in the next day or so, pray for two vehicles to be provided. Great group of kids, looking forward to seeing how the conference changes and transforms them. I guess the biggest thing I would like to see is a changing of their understanding for what success truly is.
Friday, December 19, 2003
Great challenge/encouragement from a youthworker here.
Key points include:
- "We have to grasp that, in this post-modern world, young people are far more engaged by people who 'do' the truth, rather than those who assert it."
Right on. I think thats all a part of true discipleship. Youth ministry has primarily been about youth group meetings, not neccessarily living your faith out. And I think when we talk about reaching the world for Christ, true missions, young people have missed out, because we don't talk about it, and we certainly, in most cases, don't model being a disciple, around town, much less around the world.
- "Imagine a small church where there is no youth leader and no youth meetings, just a handful of teenagers who help lead the Sunday School during the Sunday service."
I think that's it. What I love about GCC so much is that our ministry is leader-driven, student-led. Meaning students are up front as much as possible with leaders behind the scenes, doing that empowerment, encouraging, challenging. It really also fits in with the whole 'indigenous' leader idea that people in missions have been talking about of late.
- "We need to start telling these stories again, inspiring and challenging our young people with the rich resources of our Christian history."
This is something that I think I should focus on too. People LOVE to hear a good story. Chris Curtis, the guy that wrote this, said that he watched 52 movies in the year 2003, all for the purpose of looking at the whole story. Wow.
- Some final questions Chris asks:
1. What is more important in my youth work, what I achieve or who I am becoming?
2. What gets more of my attention and energy: the youth programme or the young people?
3. Am I prepared to admit to young people there is a dark side to my life?
4. Am I prepared to risk failure or do I play it safe?
I love question #1. In order to win students to Christ these days, we have to be authentic. A well run youth night with great games and a pretty good talk doesn't do it anymore, nor should it.
Key points include:
- "We have to grasp that, in this post-modern world, young people are far more engaged by people who 'do' the truth, rather than those who assert it."
Right on. I think thats all a part of true discipleship. Youth ministry has primarily been about youth group meetings, not neccessarily living your faith out. And I think when we talk about reaching the world for Christ, true missions, young people have missed out, because we don't talk about it, and we certainly, in most cases, don't model being a disciple, around town, much less around the world.
- "Imagine a small church where there is no youth leader and no youth meetings, just a handful of teenagers who help lead the Sunday School during the Sunday service."
I think that's it. What I love about GCC so much is that our ministry is leader-driven, student-led. Meaning students are up front as much as possible with leaders behind the scenes, doing that empowerment, encouraging, challenging. It really also fits in with the whole 'indigenous' leader idea that people in missions have been talking about of late.
- "We need to start telling these stories again, inspiring and challenging our young people with the rich resources of our Christian history."
This is something that I think I should focus on too. People LOVE to hear a good story. Chris Curtis, the guy that wrote this, said that he watched 52 movies in the year 2003, all for the purpose of looking at the whole story. Wow.
- Some final questions Chris asks:
1. What is more important in my youth work, what I achieve or who I am becoming?
2. What gets more of my attention and energy: the youth programme or the young people?
3. Am I prepared to admit to young people there is a dark side to my life?
4. Am I prepared to risk failure or do I play it safe?
I love question #1. In order to win students to Christ these days, we have to be authentic. A well run youth night with great games and a pretty good talk doesn't do it anymore, nor should it.
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
So Im possibly printing some christmas cards from the web, using some templates at HP.com. It's kind of cool, since I just bought a new photo printer this past weekend. Of course, did I really need a new printer? No, not really. It's a luxury. Anyway, K and I were joking about phrases to use on Christmas cards in our very well to do American society, keeping in mind the global condition of the rest of the world...
- hoping jesus is preached in your life this season
- so wow, 30 million don't have food today. when was your last week long fast?
- at least you have access to clean water
- be glad jesus doesn't care that you don't
- 1.2 billion lived on $1 today. i think it's time for a frappachino (this was my personal favorite)
- how do you feel drinking bottled water because your tap doesn't taste good? At least you don't get intestional problems from it.
Very pious huh? Well, it was funny at the time....
- hoping jesus is preached in your life this season
- so wow, 30 million don't have food today. when was your last week long fast?
- at least you have access to clean water
- be glad jesus doesn't care that you don't
- 1.2 billion lived on $1 today. i think it's time for a frappachino (this was my personal favorite)
- how do you feel drinking bottled water because your tap doesn't taste good? At least you don't get intestional problems from it.
Very pious huh? Well, it was funny at the time....
SEMP dates are now online. Baltimore is July 17 - July 23. Hott.
SEMP fits in, I think, to a long term strategy in that it is awesome training for sharing your faith in the same culture, which can lead to a cross-cultural experience once students are trained and have an experience in the same culture. I took a group to SEMP in 1999, in Baltimore, right down the street from where we live. Even though we go to the Inner Harbot all the time, and that is where I proposed to D, I will always still remember talking to people about Jesus right in front of the Hard Rock Cafe.
As they say, they are trying to raise a movement of youth evangelism. I think its working. They not only teach you about how to do it, very well I might add, they engage kids in dealing with their friends back home by praying for 3 friends months before the conference starts, writing letters to them while they are there, and actually sending them on the Thursday during the week. It's pretty intense when 600 kids are dropping their letters back home in a big bin, having a huge worship service around the idea, and then praying for this big bucket that is going right to the Post Office.
Along the same lines is DCLA, put on by Youth for Christ. DCLA only occurs every 3 years and last year it was in DC, LA and somewhere in the midwest, St. Louis I think. I went for a day last summer to DCLA with KN, my young padwan. It was pretty fun, but I dont think we got a real feel for the whole event because we were only there for one day. Most of our time was spent in the exhibit hall since we were adult volunteers. In all that time, I didn't think I saw one youth missions organization that really got it, by that I mean, understood the essential task for reaching unreached people groups. Out of 8000 kids in DC for that conference, if only 10% of them got the vision for the unreached, think of that potential.
The other thing I have thought, between Sonlife and YFC, not to bash one or the other... But Sonlife has this pretty cool setup with some international youth ministries and is really focused on at least church planting where there is no church. YFC doesn't seem to really get that. YFC has a big missions arm, but most of that seems to just take kids out to experience something cross-cultural. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against growing and discipling kids, but using 'missions' to do it, when we aren't being strategic, when we haven't worked with indigenous ministries, when we haven't been able to do something that has good followup, thats where we need to start doing some missions that is strategic but also accountable. It reminds me of the statistic that 33% of short term missions trips do harm to the people they try to reach. Of course, keep in mind, I don't have ANY first hand info about YFC mission trips, just the literature. So I could be WAAAAAY off base.
Some info here on Sonlife's International connection. Plus, I think their youth ministry training is top-notch, and Biblical.
SEMP fits in, I think, to a long term strategy in that it is awesome training for sharing your faith in the same culture, which can lead to a cross-cultural experience once students are trained and have an experience in the same culture. I took a group to SEMP in 1999, in Baltimore, right down the street from where we live. Even though we go to the Inner Harbot all the time, and that is where I proposed to D, I will always still remember talking to people about Jesus right in front of the Hard Rock Cafe.
As they say, they are trying to raise a movement of youth evangelism. I think its working. They not only teach you about how to do it, very well I might add, they engage kids in dealing with their friends back home by praying for 3 friends months before the conference starts, writing letters to them while they are there, and actually sending them on the Thursday during the week. It's pretty intense when 600 kids are dropping their letters back home in a big bin, having a huge worship service around the idea, and then praying for this big bucket that is going right to the Post Office.
Along the same lines is DCLA, put on by Youth for Christ. DCLA only occurs every 3 years and last year it was in DC, LA and somewhere in the midwest, St. Louis I think. I went for a day last summer to DCLA with KN, my young padwan. It was pretty fun, but I dont think we got a real feel for the whole event because we were only there for one day. Most of our time was spent in the exhibit hall since we were adult volunteers. In all that time, I didn't think I saw one youth missions organization that really got it, by that I mean, understood the essential task for reaching unreached people groups. Out of 8000 kids in DC for that conference, if only 10% of them got the vision for the unreached, think of that potential.
The other thing I have thought, between Sonlife and YFC, not to bash one or the other... But Sonlife has this pretty cool setup with some international youth ministries and is really focused on at least church planting where there is no church. YFC doesn't seem to really get that. YFC has a big missions arm, but most of that seems to just take kids out to experience something cross-cultural. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against growing and discipling kids, but using 'missions' to do it, when we aren't being strategic, when we haven't worked with indigenous ministries, when we haven't been able to do something that has good followup, thats where we need to start doing some missions that is strategic but also accountable. It reminds me of the statistic that 33% of short term missions trips do harm to the people they try to reach. Of course, keep in mind, I don't have ANY first hand info about YFC mission trips, just the literature. So I could be WAAAAAY off base.
Some info here on Sonlife's International connection. Plus, I think their youth ministry training is top-notch, and Biblical.
Being a youthworker, trends in the society for students always interests me. Looks like weblogs is certainly a trend that is here to stay. Of course I have one.... haha. Anyway, here is an interesting graph from livejournal, which shows the distribution of users by age. Notice why its a youth trend.
Good article about urban house church planting. Really great points, not just about church planting, but discipleship and mission as a whole:
- Recent studies of American Christianity have demonstrated the church in America talks about personal discipleship, but does not practice it (See George Barna, Growing Effective Disciples). In healthy home churches most of the members should either be trying to disciple others or be under discipleship by others.
- Leaders of an existing home church will look for ways to plant a new home church naturally, not artificially. By natural, we mean they will seek to keep young Christians together with those to whom they minister and with whom they have invested relationally.
- Our best church planting teams have regular times of prayer together for the mission of the church. A good prayer meeting should be based on a prayer list prepared in advance by one of the members. Praying for non-Christian friends by name as well as key goals in the home church will turn back the attacks of the evil one and unleash the power of God into the church.
- The refusal to plant a new church was usually based mainly on the fact that members didn't want to upset a situation they saw as very happy and wholesome. In our view, such groups are far from wholesome. They are desperately sick! The members have come to see the home church as something that exists for their well-being and happiness, not for accomplishing the will of God. A well-led home church sees itself as a team setting out to accomplish a mission, even at the expense of acute personal suffering. Members in a successful church-planting movement see themselves as participants in a vast, spiritual war. Both concern for the lost and excitement over the fact that we are going to win drive them forward to a position of self-sacrificial love.
- American church leaders tend to interpret the biblical picture of church planting in very superficial and non-demanding ways. Leadership in a home church is seen as something that must not significantly interfere with typical bourgeois American middle-class living. American culture already places heavy time demands on the modern family that may interfere with an adequate family life. (**Ouch, because its so true.)
- We have talked with quite a few churches who started a home group ministry, only to see the groups turn inward and lose evangelistic effectiveness. Such groups are mainly interested in blessing each other and have lost the excitement of evangelism. This pathology is desperate because it is extremely hard to turn around. If anything, we believe that groups who turn inward are in even worse shape than impatient or superficial groups.
Also, Xenos is also listed in Tom Telford's (from the ACMC) book Today's All Star Missions Churches.
- Recent studies of American Christianity have demonstrated the church in America talks about personal discipleship, but does not practice it (See George Barna, Growing Effective Disciples). In healthy home churches most of the members should either be trying to disciple others or be under discipleship by others.
- Leaders of an existing home church will look for ways to plant a new home church naturally, not artificially. By natural, we mean they will seek to keep young Christians together with those to whom they minister and with whom they have invested relationally.
- Our best church planting teams have regular times of prayer together for the mission of the church. A good prayer meeting should be based on a prayer list prepared in advance by one of the members. Praying for non-Christian friends by name as well as key goals in the home church will turn back the attacks of the evil one and unleash the power of God into the church.
- The refusal to plant a new church was usually based mainly on the fact that members didn't want to upset a situation they saw as very happy and wholesome. In our view, such groups are far from wholesome. They are desperately sick! The members have come to see the home church as something that exists for their well-being and happiness, not for accomplishing the will of God. A well-led home church sees itself as a team setting out to accomplish a mission, even at the expense of acute personal suffering. Members in a successful church-planting movement see themselves as participants in a vast, spiritual war. Both concern for the lost and excitement over the fact that we are going to win drive them forward to a position of self-sacrificial love.
- American church leaders tend to interpret the biblical picture of church planting in very superficial and non-demanding ways. Leadership in a home church is seen as something that must not significantly interfere with typical bourgeois American middle-class living. American culture already places heavy time demands on the modern family that may interfere with an adequate family life. (**Ouch, because its so true.)
- We have talked with quite a few churches who started a home group ministry, only to see the groups turn inward and lose evangelistic effectiveness. Such groups are mainly interested in blessing each other and have lost the excitement of evangelism. This pathology is desperate because it is extremely hard to turn around. If anything, we believe that groups who turn inward are in even worse shape than impatient or superficial groups.
Also, Xenos is also listed in Tom Telford's (from the ACMC) book Today's All Star Missions Churches.
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
from the Friday Fax...
Friday Fax 2003 Issue 48, 12 December
Has Bin Laden started a new search for Jesus?
Religious and ideological pressure is not going in the intended direction, so
"Osama Bin Laden may have helped many Muslims find Jesus", according to
missions expert and author Patrick Johnstone. "Tens of thousands of Iranians
came to faith in Jesus because of Ayatollah Khomeni. Since 11 September 2001,
the number of Muslims seeking alternatives has grown massively. Many are afraid
of extremism, and many are afraid to say anything at all, but many are secretly
searching. There have been breakthroughs in Northern Africa, Indonesia and
Nigeria, where the Gospel is bringing fruit. Thirty percent of India's Dalits
are considering a change of religion, and a growing number are finding Jesus.
Opinions Buddhism also has widely varying opinions, and is losing credit
because of developments in the past decade. Major ideological blocs are not as
impenetrable as we may initially believe," he said, calling for prayer for the
parts of the world opening for the Gospel, and on Western Christians to make
themselves available to God for long-term missionary work.
Source: Patrick Johnstone
Friday Fax 2003 Issue 48, 12 December
Has Bin Laden started a new search for Jesus?
Religious and ideological pressure is not going in the intended direction, so
"Osama Bin Laden may have helped many Muslims find Jesus", according to
missions expert and author Patrick Johnstone. "Tens of thousands of Iranians
came to faith in Jesus because of Ayatollah Khomeni. Since 11 September 2001,
the number of Muslims seeking alternatives has grown massively. Many are afraid
of extremism, and many are afraid to say anything at all, but many are secretly
searching. There have been breakthroughs in Northern Africa, Indonesia and
Nigeria, where the Gospel is bringing fruit. Thirty percent of India's Dalits
are considering a change of religion, and a growing number are finding Jesus.
Opinions Buddhism also has widely varying opinions, and is losing credit
because of developments in the past decade. Major ideological blocs are not as
impenetrable as we may initially believe," he said, calling for prayer for the
parts of the world opening for the Gospel, and on Western Christians to make
themselves available to God for long-term missionary work.
Source: Patrick Johnstone
A Biblical worldview, defined by Barna:
- that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life
- God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today
- salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned
- Satan is real
- a Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people
- and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings
Read more here.
The fifth one reminds me of the story Dr. Clive Calver tells of a wife he met in some Third world country (I forget specifically which one), there with her husband the pastor and her two young children. He asked her where her husband was, and she responded that he was out at the next village preaching Jesus. (This is all a paraphrase...)
"How long have you been here?"
"About a year"
"What happened to your predecessor"
"Well, he came to the village preaching this strange, different god. And then the drought came, and nobody had any water or food. So they killed him."
"And what motivated you to come here and do this?"
"We are Christians. Isn't that what all Christians do?"
- that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life
- God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today
- salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned
- Satan is real
- a Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people
- and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings
Read more here.
The fifth one reminds me of the story Dr. Clive Calver tells of a wife he met in some Third world country (I forget specifically which one), there with her husband the pastor and her two young children. He asked her where her husband was, and she responded that he was out at the next village preaching Jesus. (This is all a paraphrase...)
"How long have you been here?"
"About a year"
"What happened to your predecessor"
"Well, he came to the village preaching this strange, different god. And then the drought came, and nobody had any water or food. So they killed him."
"And what motivated you to come here and do this?"
"We are Christians. Isn't that what all Christians do?"
So the effective method of catching Sadam was "figuring out the former Iraqi president's clan and family support structures". Interesting how that works huh.... Read more here.
Also reminds me of the ideas taught in Perspectives about clans and family structures, how whole family to family ministry, especially outside the Western world, is one of the best ways to reach people and plant churches.
Also reminds me of the ideas taught in Perspectives about clans and family structures, how whole family to family ministry, especially outside the Western world, is one of the best ways to reach people and plant churches.
Saturday, December 13, 2003
Lots of links tonight and thoughts tonight... (It's a slow night covering a production release...)
=====
Here is a very interesting article about a former Playboy playmate doing incredible community development work in Haiti.
A few things got my attention:
- that she specifically went to the worst of the slums.
- it seems like she is not just throwing short term solutions but looking at long term methods (ie not just feeding them but teaching them how to feed themselves...)
- 16,000 children on $13,500 a month. wow.
- look at how she handles the finances, low to zero overhead
=====
A free DVD on missions, the IMB International Missions Emphasis 2003. Order it for free here
Very nice, could be a very good resource for discussing with people.
=====
Being a tentmaker and rebuilding Afghanistan here
- only 21% of women and 51% of men can read
- 40% of university professors are homeless
- "If tentmakers never open their mouths, I think that's deceptive. If I simply only use my credentials as an agenda to get me in, so I can start preaching to people, that's false. I don't live two lives. I'm a Christian with five degrees."
=====
Reaching out to prostitutes in Vancouver here
=====
Here is a very interesting article about a former Playboy playmate doing incredible community development work in Haiti.
A few things got my attention:
- that she specifically went to the worst of the slums.
- it seems like she is not just throwing short term solutions but looking at long term methods (ie not just feeding them but teaching them how to feed themselves...)
- 16,000 children on $13,500 a month. wow.
- look at how she handles the finances, low to zero overhead
=====
A free DVD on missions, the IMB International Missions Emphasis 2003. Order it for free here
Very nice, could be a very good resource for discussing with people.
=====
Being a tentmaker and rebuilding Afghanistan here
- only 21% of women and 51% of men can read
- 40% of university professors are homeless
- "If tentmakers never open their mouths, I think that's deceptive. If I simply only use my credentials as an agenda to get me in, so I can start preaching to people, that's false. I don't live two lives. I'm a Christian with five degrees."
=====
Reaching out to prostitutes in Vancouver here
Wow. Got some seriously cool things from the mail in the past few days. Suffice to say that 3 out of 4 items were financial windfalls, very awesome. But the 4th is just as cool - this book sent to me by my senior pastor, Pastor M. Wow, an awesome book from a great pastor!
I'm going through the book soon and will make some notes.
I'm going through the book soon and will make some notes.
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Just got comments working. Nice. Pretty simple. If you use HaloScan, make sure Step 1 code is outside of your style tags...
If you are reading this, would you please comment? I would appreciate that, because I think the only person I am writing to is myself. I mean, thats ok too...
Check out the conversation on youth mission trips over at NakedChurch I jumped in too and added my .02.
If you are reading this, would you please comment? I would appreciate that, because I think the only person I am writing to is myself. I mean, thats ok too...
Check out the conversation on youth mission trips over at NakedChurch I jumped in too and added my .02.
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
I can't get over some of the images found here. Reminds me of the book Good News About Injustice. It's pretty tragic. And we sit in the US and do virtually nothing.
Update -
more historical info on the genocide in Rwanda here. Be forewarned.
Update -
more historical info on the genocide in Rwanda here. Be forewarned.
Saturday, December 06, 2003
Series of articles on homeless in San Francisco. Be prepared to be heartbroken if you read it, its quite intense.
In total contrast with my principles and values, I watched this movie the other night.... I felt dirty. I made it up by making some notes from Piper . I think I redeemed myself. I've posted notes from it down below, its just from the Conclusion page. It's pretty heavy reading though, I definitely have to read it again.
Notes - Let the Nations be Glad!
The ultimate goal of God in all of history is to uphold and display his glory for the enjoyment of the redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. His goal is the gladness of his people, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
Worship
Therefore, worship is the fuel and the goal of missions. Worship is the goal of missions because in missions we aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. It is the fuel of missions because we can’t commend what we don’t cherish. We can’t call out, “Let the nations be glad!’’ until we say ,”I rejoice in the Lord.” Missions begins and ends with worship.
Prayer
Prayer puts God in the place of the all-sufficient Benefactor and puts us in the place of needy beneficiaries. Therefore, when the mission of the church moves forward by prayer, the supremacy of God is manifest and the needs of Christian missionaries are met. In prayer, he is glorified and we are satisfied. “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” John 16:24. The purpose of prayer is the Father’s fame and the saints’ fullness.
Suffering
The extent of our sacrifice coupled with the depth of our joy displays the worth we put on the reward of God. Loss and suffering, joyfully accepted for the kingdom of God, show the supremacy of God’s glory more clearly in the world than all worship and prayer.
Is Knowing Christ Crucial?
The aim of missions is to ‘bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations (Rom 1:5). God’s will is to be glorified in his Son by making him the center of all missionary proclamation. The supremacy of God in missions is affirmed biblically by affirming the supremacy of his Son as the focus of all saving faith.
People or Peoples?
Rather, God’s will for missions is that every people group be reached with the testimony of Christ and that a people be called out for his name from among all the nations. It may be that this definition of missions will, in fact, result in the greatest possible number of white-hot worshippers for God’s Son. But that remains for God to decide. Our responsibility is to define missions his way and then obey.
The ultimate goal of God in all history is to uphold and display his glory for the enjoyment of the redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. The beauty of praise that will come to the Lord from the diversity of the nations is greater than the beauty that would come to him if the chorus of the redeemed were culturally uniform or limited. Moreover, there is something about God that is so universally praiseworthy and so profoundly beautiful and so comprehensively worthy and so deeply satisfying that God will find passionate admirers in every diverse people group in the world. His true greatness will be manifest in the breadth of the diversity of those who perceive and cherish his beauty. The more diverse the people groups who forsake their gods to follow the true God, the more visible God’s superiority over all his competitors.
By focusing on all the people groups of the world, God undercuts ethnocentric pride and throws al peoples back upon his free grace rather than on any distinctive of their own. This humility is the flip side of giving God all the glory. Humility means reveling in his grace, not in our goodness. In pressing us on toward all the peoples, God is pressing us further into the humblest and deepest experience of his grace and weaning us more and more from our ingrained pride. In doing this, he is preparing himself a people – from all the peoples – who will be able to worship him with free and white-hot admiration.
Therefore, the church is bound to engage with the Lord of glory in his cause. It is our unspeakable privilege to be caught up with him in the greatest movement in history – the ingathering of the elect from every tribe and language and people and nation until the full number of the Gentiles comes in and all Israel is saved and the Son of Man descends with power and great glory as King of kings and Lord of lords and the earth is full of the knowledge of his glory as the waters cover the sea forever and ever: Then the supremacy of Christ will be manifest to all, and he will deliver the kingdom to God the Father, and God will be all in all.
In total contrast with my principles and values, I watched this movie the other night.... I felt dirty. I made it up by making some notes from Piper . I think I redeemed myself. I've posted notes from it down below, its just from the Conclusion page. It's pretty heavy reading though, I definitely have to read it again.
Notes - Let the Nations be Glad!
The ultimate goal of God in all of history is to uphold and display his glory for the enjoyment of the redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. His goal is the gladness of his people, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
Worship
Therefore, worship is the fuel and the goal of missions. Worship is the goal of missions because in missions we aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. It is the fuel of missions because we can’t commend what we don’t cherish. We can’t call out, “Let the nations be glad!’’ until we say ,”I rejoice in the Lord.” Missions begins and ends with worship.
Prayer
Prayer puts God in the place of the all-sufficient Benefactor and puts us in the place of needy beneficiaries. Therefore, when the mission of the church moves forward by prayer, the supremacy of God is manifest and the needs of Christian missionaries are met. In prayer, he is glorified and we are satisfied. “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” John 16:24. The purpose of prayer is the Father’s fame and the saints’ fullness.
Suffering
The extent of our sacrifice coupled with the depth of our joy displays the worth we put on the reward of God. Loss and suffering, joyfully accepted for the kingdom of God, show the supremacy of God’s glory more clearly in the world than all worship and prayer.
Is Knowing Christ Crucial?
The aim of missions is to ‘bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations (Rom 1:5). God’s will is to be glorified in his Son by making him the center of all missionary proclamation. The supremacy of God in missions is affirmed biblically by affirming the supremacy of his Son as the focus of all saving faith.
People or Peoples?
Rather, God’s will for missions is that every people group be reached with the testimony of Christ and that a people be called out for his name from among all the nations. It may be that this definition of missions will, in fact, result in the greatest possible number of white-hot worshippers for God’s Son. But that remains for God to decide. Our responsibility is to define missions his way and then obey.
The ultimate goal of God in all history is to uphold and display his glory for the enjoyment of the redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. The beauty of praise that will come to the Lord from the diversity of the nations is greater than the beauty that would come to him if the chorus of the redeemed were culturally uniform or limited. Moreover, there is something about God that is so universally praiseworthy and so profoundly beautiful and so comprehensively worthy and so deeply satisfying that God will find passionate admirers in every diverse people group in the world. His true greatness will be manifest in the breadth of the diversity of those who perceive and cherish his beauty. The more diverse the people groups who forsake their gods to follow the true God, the more visible God’s superiority over all his competitors.
By focusing on all the people groups of the world, God undercuts ethnocentric pride and throws al peoples back upon his free grace rather than on any distinctive of their own. This humility is the flip side of giving God all the glory. Humility means reveling in his grace, not in our goodness. In pressing us on toward all the peoples, God is pressing us further into the humblest and deepest experience of his grace and weaning us more and more from our ingrained pride. In doing this, he is preparing himself a people – from all the peoples – who will be able to worship him with free and white-hot admiration.
Therefore, the church is bound to engage with the Lord of glory in his cause. It is our unspeakable privilege to be caught up with him in the greatest movement in history – the ingathering of the elect from every tribe and language and people and nation until the full number of the Gentiles comes in and all Israel is saved and the Son of Man descends with power and great glory as King of kings and Lord of lords and the earth is full of the knowledge of his glory as the waters cover the sea forever and ever: Then the supremacy of Christ will be manifest to all, and he will deliver the kingdom to God the Father, and God will be all in all.
Thursday, December 04, 2003
Wiring Africa Is the Internet Africa's best hope?
World Christian Conference This looks fun. But only for Chinese people...
World Christian Conference This looks fun. But only for Chinese people...
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
Not neccessarily about missions per se, but certainly about paradigm change. The changing of a model, framework, etc. Pretty interesting names on there. I think my favorite is Madonna, and I think, strangely enough, her music is growing on me in recent years....
check this out
check this out
Sunday, November 30, 2003
update sent to the GCC - MTF. Notes are a little obscure....
SPACE
Students Prepared to Act for Christ’s Empire
LC/CpR Ministries
Background
• My background.
• LC/CpR stage of ministry
Goals
• Provide service opportunities for students to be involved in.
• Intelligently target kids who are not already involved.
• Another tool for discipleship – growing through serving.
• Teaching on various service/mission topics.
• Bridge the gap between different age ministries (LC/CpR/Fusion) - range of people serving together. (Leader issue)
• Enabling students to see their giftedness in a serving opportunity.
• Resource for administration, direction, implementation for holistic, progressive student missions trips that are tied with the overall mission direction of Grace.
Values
• All service lies somewhere in the realm of evangelism (I Cor 3), therefore, opportunities will be pointed towards interaction with people when possible.
• Devotionals and debriefs for every event.
• Constant evaluation via survey forms.
• Adult leaders/chaperones are integral.
• We tie service and missions together.
Pilot Year
• Launch F – 2003-09-27
24 people (all high school and leaders this time)
Teaching focused on homelessness and hunger around the world
Brought a bag lunch and then made at least another in the Warehouse before we left.
Had lunch with homeless people in two parks in DC. Saw three other church groups give away food but not engage the people. Our students noticed.
Over 20 significant conversations over lunch. Some students gave away all of their food and didn't eat.
Worked in the Capital Area Food Bank for three hours in the distribution warehouse.
Packed over 600 food packs.
Students most impacted by exposure to the homeless and engaging them in conversation over lunch.
Financials around $250 including bag lunches and transportation
• Launch L – 2003-11-08
33 students and leaders, middle and high school
6 houses and 12 townhouses raked
4 families within Grace, 3 outside of Grace, other neighbors were spur of the moment...
approx 200 bags of leaves raked
talk focused on being strategic, that we were doing more than just raking leaves, thinking about being thoughtful and what it feels like when you know someone is thinking about you (Is 49:15-16)
financials around $460 including school bus, lunch and lawn bags
• 3 December projects
- Adopt a Family with Grace Cares (7 families within LC/CpR)
- Salvation Army Kettle Bell ringing
- Blanket Drive
• January Launch
Right to life theme, in the midst of being planned
• Summer missions
Provided options for one grade for summer possibilities
See it as progressive for summer of 2005
Need to hone in on mission trips goals and policy
Overseas to only Grace missionaries?
Individuals doing their own thing ok?
Will take time to socialize, prioritize and implement – give 9th grade direction this summer
Service -> Evangelism Training -> Cross Cultural
• Core Team
Built a team of students and adults for planning, direction, implementation and service/mission on smaller scale
2 other leaders
11 students (lots of young students to shape and mold)
Where real transformation will occur first
• Urbana 2003
Not formally part of SPACE but is an outgrowth of CpR
16 total as of 2003-11-24
at least 2 seriously interested in missions, possibly careers
MTF helps in:
• Assisting in recruiting prayer partners for SPACE
• SPACE is an integral part of Grace’s missions strategy (?)
• Info to the congregation about missions includes something about SPACE
• Resources for summer missions
• Short term opps available from our missionaries (already started)
SPACE connects to MTF:
• Provides one concise list for all LC/CpR related summer missions.
• Implements the strategy among student trips.
Patterns:
• 10%.
• Will require students to take ownership. (Indigenous leadership in a sense)
• Overwhelming response and support.
• Youth min leadership
• Students
• Overall body
• Opportunity to change the type of students we grow.
• Will (not might) continue to evolve as God leads. Already God has directed.
SPACE
Students Prepared to Act for Christ’s Empire
LC/CpR Ministries
Background
• My background.
• LC/CpR stage of ministry
Goals
• Provide service opportunities for students to be involved in.
• Intelligently target kids who are not already involved.
• Another tool for discipleship – growing through serving.
• Teaching on various service/mission topics.
• Bridge the gap between different age ministries (LC/CpR/Fusion) - range of people serving together. (Leader issue)
• Enabling students to see their giftedness in a serving opportunity.
• Resource for administration, direction, implementation for holistic, progressive student missions trips that are tied with the overall mission direction of Grace.
Values
• All service lies somewhere in the realm of evangelism (I Cor 3), therefore, opportunities will be pointed towards interaction with people when possible.
• Devotionals and debriefs for every event.
• Constant evaluation via survey forms.
• Adult leaders/chaperones are integral.
• We tie service and missions together.
Pilot Year
• Launch F – 2003-09-27
24 people (all high school and leaders this time)
Teaching focused on homelessness and hunger around the world
Brought a bag lunch and then made at least another in the Warehouse before we left.
Had lunch with homeless people in two parks in DC. Saw three other church groups give away food but not engage the people. Our students noticed.
Over 20 significant conversations over lunch. Some students gave away all of their food and didn't eat.
Worked in the Capital Area Food Bank for three hours in the distribution warehouse.
Packed over 600 food packs.
Students most impacted by exposure to the homeless and engaging them in conversation over lunch.
Financials around $250 including bag lunches and transportation
• Launch L – 2003-11-08
33 students and leaders, middle and high school
6 houses and 12 townhouses raked
4 families within Grace, 3 outside of Grace, other neighbors were spur of the moment...
approx 200 bags of leaves raked
talk focused on being strategic, that we were doing more than just raking leaves, thinking about being thoughtful and what it feels like when you know someone is thinking about you (Is 49:15-16)
financials around $460 including school bus, lunch and lawn bags
• 3 December projects
- Adopt a Family with Grace Cares (7 families within LC/CpR)
- Salvation Army Kettle Bell ringing
- Blanket Drive
• January Launch
Right to life theme, in the midst of being planned
• Summer missions
Provided options for one grade for summer possibilities
See it as progressive for summer of 2005
Need to hone in on mission trips goals and policy
Overseas to only Grace missionaries?
Individuals doing their own thing ok?
Will take time to socialize, prioritize and implement – give 9th grade direction this summer
Service -> Evangelism Training -> Cross Cultural
• Core Team
Built a team of students and adults for planning, direction, implementation and service/mission on smaller scale
2 other leaders
11 students (lots of young students to shape and mold)
Where real transformation will occur first
• Urbana 2003
Not formally part of SPACE but is an outgrowth of CpR
16 total as of 2003-11-24
at least 2 seriously interested in missions, possibly careers
MTF helps in:
• Assisting in recruiting prayer partners for SPACE
• SPACE is an integral part of Grace’s missions strategy (?)
• Info to the congregation about missions includes something about SPACE
• Resources for summer missions
• Short term opps available from our missionaries (already started)
SPACE connects to MTF:
• Provides one concise list for all LC/CpR related summer missions.
• Implements the strategy among student trips.
Patterns:
• 10%.
• Will require students to take ownership. (Indigenous leadership in a sense)
• Overwhelming response and support.
• Youth min leadership
• Students
• Overall body
• Opportunity to change the type of students we grow.
• Will (not might) continue to evolve as God leads. Already God has directed.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
once again - not a post that is 100% missions, but, in honor of my magician friend M^3....
Jolly good, wot! Anyone for tennis? That'll be ten ponies, guv. You're the epitome of everything that is english. Yey :) Hoist that Union Jack!
Jolly good, wot! Anyone for tennis? That'll be ten ponies, guv. You're the epitome of everything that is english. Yey :) Hoist that Union Jack!
How British are you?
this quiz was made by alanna
Monday, November 24, 2003
ACMC Conf - Fairfield CT
OK - my notes from the Advancing Churches in Missions Commtiment New England Conference. It's going to be long, let me know if it was worth it....
Advancing Churches in Missions Commitment conference
ACMC – acmc.gospelcom.net
‘Flooding the World with God’s Word’
2003-11-22
Black Rock Congregational Church, Fairfield CT
Keynote
Clive Calver
World Relief
Not a lot of people working in relief, but not anyone who does it through the Church
6 ½ years as pres of World Relief
43K US Churches to serve other churches only through local churches
Temptations Facing Missions Today
Going for the jugular
Luke 4
Satan and Jesus meet in the desert
The wilderness is the classroom
30 miles x 15 miles – Judean desert
lowest places on earth
We assume Satan is a vague source of evil
Deliver us from the evil one – the Lord’s prayer which should be renamed as the Disciple’s prayer
Where Jesus will be tried and proven
Jesus was just at His highest point – baptized, mountain top experience
40 days without food
physical weakest
Why does God allow us to be tested?
Refining fire – impurities rise
Look into gold to see His reflection, in the hearts of His people
By His strength, we will win
Effective = Attacked
You are not alone.
The Holy Spirit took Jesus into the desert.
Scripture – Book of Deut
Story - The Iranian Church
5am Bible delivery
$60 = a lifesavings for Bibles
Kinds of Temptations
1. stone into bread
lots of limestone in the Judean desert, looks like bread
temptation to whine
look at your pain
use your power to feed yourself
80% of world resources are in the North American church
God trusted us to serve His church
Paul and Barnabas
Jerusalem famine, they went to Macedonia and sent back to Jerusalem
We need to rethink missions
Not a statement against expatriates
Evangelical churches don’t change quickly
19th century – sending
20th century – sharing, with indigenous
21th century – train the nationals, serving and enabling them
the serving is going to be incredibly unpopular
film about Sudan
2. temptation of compromise
All the kingdoms of the earth
Do it the easy way
The simple way
The greatest strength can become the greatest weakness
Americans are fix it people
Pioneering instinct
Sometimes it’s too easy
Not what we can do but what we can release
Most of the Christians around the world are spiritually deeper than us
Satan offers the wealth and the kingdoms of this world
Jesus strips you of what the world gives
A commitment to sacrifice
Story about the Iraqi church
Clive met a pastor’s wife
She told him her husband was preaching
He asked her what happened to the previous pastor
He showed up, a drought came, they killed him
He asked her what motivated them to come then.
She asked isn’t that what all Christians do?
‘Let a man deny himself’ – 7 times
Compromise is not the pattern of Jesus
3. Temptation to shine
Psalm 91 – aligned with the word of God
The Devil is the accuser of the brethren
Satan’s aim is the destruction of Jesus
The missions Rhode’s gallery (the wall of missionaries)
God called us to serve not to shine
‘I’ve never seen so little money going into missions. Other countries hope is in the US government when it should be in the US Church.’
You can earn the reward of service but not salvation.
Workshop #1
Ken Campbell – President – World Team Associates
Implementing a Missions Strategy in Your Church
I’m the 2nd youngest person here
The average age is easily in the upper 40s.
Affiliate of World Team
Service agency to missionaries
Church link division – connecting churches
Missions mobilization for 25 years
Wheaton IL, Wheaton Bible Church
- why have a strategy?
Communicate vision
Give focus
Establish direction
Answer questions
Enhance good stewardship
- Start with the church mission statement
Ask and answer
What is our history
What is our distinctive
Why was this church founded
What characteristics remain today
Any natural bridges to other cultures
In Wheaton, every Dunkin Donuts is owned by Pakistani people
- Misc
Gather facts about current missions commitments
Analyze data and discover current strategy
Take Perspectives course
Read _The Church is Bigger than You Think_
Subscribe to Missions Frontiers
- Select/Appoint Task force
Thinkers strategic planners
Research other churches in your network
Compare mission/strategy statements
Learn how they made changes
Analyze for what fits us
Allow time for the process
Involve key decision makers and leaders from the body
- Resources
ACMC
Denomination
Agencies
Other churches
Link to the missions strategy
Define missions for your church
- Paradigm shift in missions
Passive supporting
Proactive sending
Mission Focused/Synergistic
- How Churches View Missions (scale)
Problem -> possibility -> project -> program -> purpose -> passion
- Other Key Definitions
Church planting
Unreached
Unevangelized
Cross cultural
Domestic outreach
Support ministries
- Transition
Implement over time
Use natural attrition as part of implementation
Fire missionaries when necessary
Recruit to meet the strategy
Educate the congregation
Be gracious and generous
Communicate with present missionaries
Identify agencies that fit your strategy and partner with them
46 missionaries from 1 church with 1 agency
Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit
Workshop #2
Tom Telford, ACMC
Six Steps to Bring Missions Alive in Your Church
Many churches take a shotgun approach to missions
Focus that is strategic, defined, cooperative
Missions doesn’t fit into the American dream
- Add younger members to your missions team
Older generation – pray and pay
Younger generation – pray, pay, go
- Focus on integration versus information in Missions Programming
Missions is caught not taught
Concentrate on small groups, one-on-one
- Youth
Develop skills and passion systematically
Begin with local, physical assignments and progress to cross-cultural and international ministry
Solid training program
Debrief and move up
Short terms should be called vision trips
- Expand your involvement as senders
Evaluating call and readiness
Develop the support team
Prep field ministry
Spirit/emotional health
Family concerns
Home assignment needs
Survey of 50 churches:
20 had scholarship programs for the kids of their missionaries
48 send staff every year on a missions trip – missions minded pastor
be sensitive where you send them
*Chinese Urbana – 2004
10 essentials in a missions church
1. Outward Focus
2. pastor sold out to world evangelization
has a passion for it
3. church has a well defined missions strategy and policy
4. An effective international ministry team (missions committee)
5. A significant percent of the budget is for missions
One church gave a copy of Operation World to every person for Christmas
Resource a geography teacher
God is blessing churches that make sacrifices – economic climate
One church said if we run out of money, we fire the pastor first and the missionaries last – came upon a church property for 0 cost
6. Missions Education is for everyone
Covered basketballs as globes and gave to toddlers with the theme of hug a planet
Take your church and dip it into missions, sometimes you have to hold it down.
Drama – who wants to be a millionaire – all questions about missionaries – lifeline was one of their missionaries they called live – all money given to missions pastor at the end of the drama
7. church prepares and sends out missionaries
8. missionaries are well cared for
evaluation is part of this
missionaries child was sick. Church sent a doctor to the field. Couldn’t diagnose. Sent doctor and child to CDC in Atlanta. And then back to the field after treatment, church picked up the whole cost.
9. Broad personal involvement
10. The church prays for the world
Preachers kids are bad because they hang out with deacons kids.
Workshop #3
Doug Christgau
Everything you need to know to have effective short term missions trips
Inspire you all to do it with excellence
The kingdom would be better if we didn’t do the bottom 1/3 trips
Black Rock Church, Wheaton Bible Church, Valley Community Baptist – Avon CT
Missions Pastor
Fellowship of Short Term Leaders
1. Why Take short-term trips
a. Missionary encouragement
Do short term with your own missionaries
To encourage your own
If they have a need you can meet
b. Ministry with nationals
No just what we want
Think cognitively
Mutually designed by sending and going
c. Spiritual missions growth of members
Not a substitute for summer camp
d. Church mission passion
Church passion – debrief is huge for this
2. Before the trip – disciplined preparation leads to excellence
a. Church vs. short term agency organized
b. Financing
Should not come out of missions budget
Financed/partnered with people
If person wants to pay, let them
Giving begets giving
Can become a cash cow
c. Trip ministries and locations
Doug’s sampling of trips:
Construction trips
Rob economy – 5x the cost of a national
Nationals helping you
Work alongside
Not negative on construction trips if they are done right
Senegal
Muslims were their bosses
Will we submit?
Will we work hard
Will we be productive?
Good rapport and relationships
Sports Evangelism – Nicaragua – baseball fanatics
10 softball players
baseball clinics in the am
games with locals in the pm
evangelistic in the evening
Seeker Driven – Montreal
3 languages in city – international city
Family outreach – Indian reservation
Womens program
VBS
Youth programs
Same place for 7 years
Very good possibility of a church plant
ESL – Eastern Europe – Romania
Basic of English
Conversational English
Library software upgrades –
Software upgrade to library systems
Had special access to software in different languages
Business Education
American business practices
Believe it or not, other countries desire our standard of morality and code of ethics when it comes to business
Camp – Albania
Volunteer staff support – clean, dishes, etc.
Midpoint during their season
Muslim
There are 150K missionary kid schools around the world, virtually all are understaffed
MK schools are a great experience
Most MK schools have 50% unsaved, lots of expats have kids there
d. Training/equipping of leadership and participants
Thorough administration
8 hours of training
_Prepare Your Heart_ Cindy Judge – personal prep, any age
_Maximum Short Term Missions_ Peterson, Sneed
_Short Term Missions Workbook_ IVP
Training is critical
Hardy Personality test – have people choose one item and talk about it, in over 12 years, it helps on every team
Application/selection process
You don’t want a dysfunctional person on the trip
Missions trip are not reform school
Need a baseline of spiritual maturity – demonstrated in context of the local church
Ok for nonchristians to go
3. During the trip – direction amidst stops and starts
a. Pace of activity
b. Cultural sensitivity
c. Spiritual goals for trip members
d. Flexibility
e. Anticipate illness or stress
4. after the trip – yield from the investment
a. debrief on the plane
b. reunion with supporters included
c. tell your church
d. recruit for mission leadership at home
25% of short term members became missions volunteers
Standards of Excellent in Short-Term Missions
www.fstml.org
1. Releases God-centered kingdom growth
Expressed in the lives of all participants by:
- sound biblical doctrine
- persistent prayer
- integrity
2. is based on Partnership between sending and receiving sides
expressed by:
- primary focus on intended receptors
- planned outcomes which benefit all participants
- mutual acocountability
3. delivers a program which has been Mutually Designed by sending and receiving sides
expressed by:
- common philosophical base and alignment to long-term strategies/mission
- goer guests ability to deliver and receive
- hosts receivers ability to deliver and receive
4. provides Reliable Setup and Thorough Administration for all participants
expressed by:
- sound financial practices
- appropriate risk management
- program delivery and support logistics
5. screens, trains and provides Qualified Leadership for all participants
expressed by:
- pre-field through training and equipping leadership
- on-field through program delivery and support leadership
- post-field through debriefing and follow-up leadership
or expressed by:
- spiritually mature servant leadership
- competent interculturally experienced leadership
- empowering and equipping leadership
- prepared, organized and accountable leadership
6. is evidenced by Participants Trained and Equipped
expressed by:
- biblical, appropriate and timely for all participants
- commitment to continuous training (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
- qualified trainers
7. is commited to Thorough Debriefing and Follow-Up for all participants
expressed by:
- debriefing throughout entire process (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
- re-entry preparation for goer guests prior to leaving the field
- post-field follow-up and evaluations
or expressed by:
- spiritually mature servant leadership
- competent interculturally experienced leadership
- empowering and equipping leadership
- prepared, organized and accountable leadership
Advancing Churches in Missions Commitment conference
ACMC – acmc.gospelcom.net
‘Flooding the World with God’s Word’
2003-11-22
Black Rock Congregational Church, Fairfield CT
Keynote
Clive Calver
World Relief
Not a lot of people working in relief, but not anyone who does it through the Church
6 ½ years as pres of World Relief
43K US Churches to serve other churches only through local churches
Temptations Facing Missions Today
Going for the jugular
Luke 4
Satan and Jesus meet in the desert
The wilderness is the classroom
30 miles x 15 miles – Judean desert
lowest places on earth
We assume Satan is a vague source of evil
Deliver us from the evil one – the Lord’s prayer which should be renamed as the Disciple’s prayer
Where Jesus will be tried and proven
Jesus was just at His highest point – baptized, mountain top experience
40 days without food
physical weakest
Why does God allow us to be tested?
Refining fire – impurities rise
Look into gold to see His reflection, in the hearts of His people
By His strength, we will win
Effective = Attacked
You are not alone.
The Holy Spirit took Jesus into the desert.
Scripture – Book of Deut
Story - The Iranian Church
5am Bible delivery
$60 = a lifesavings for Bibles
Kinds of Temptations
1. stone into bread
lots of limestone in the Judean desert, looks like bread
temptation to whine
look at your pain
use your power to feed yourself
80% of world resources are in the North American church
God trusted us to serve His church
Paul and Barnabas
Jerusalem famine, they went to Macedonia and sent back to Jerusalem
We need to rethink missions
Not a statement against expatriates
Evangelical churches don’t change quickly
19th century – sending
20th century – sharing, with indigenous
21th century – train the nationals, serving and enabling them
the serving is going to be incredibly unpopular
film about Sudan
2. temptation of compromise
All the kingdoms of the earth
Do it the easy way
The simple way
The greatest strength can become the greatest weakness
Americans are fix it people
Pioneering instinct
Sometimes it’s too easy
Not what we can do but what we can release
Most of the Christians around the world are spiritually deeper than us
Satan offers the wealth and the kingdoms of this world
Jesus strips you of what the world gives
A commitment to sacrifice
Story about the Iraqi church
Clive met a pastor’s wife
She told him her husband was preaching
He asked her what happened to the previous pastor
He showed up, a drought came, they killed him
He asked her what motivated them to come then.
She asked isn’t that what all Christians do?
‘Let a man deny himself’ – 7 times
Compromise is not the pattern of Jesus
3. Temptation to shine
Psalm 91 – aligned with the word of God
The Devil is the accuser of the brethren
Satan’s aim is the destruction of Jesus
The missions Rhode’s gallery (the wall of missionaries)
God called us to serve not to shine
‘I’ve never seen so little money going into missions. Other countries hope is in the US government when it should be in the US Church.’
You can earn the reward of service but not salvation.
Workshop #1
Ken Campbell – President – World Team Associates
Implementing a Missions Strategy in Your Church
I’m the 2nd youngest person here
The average age is easily in the upper 40s.
Affiliate of World Team
Service agency to missionaries
Church link division – connecting churches
Missions mobilization for 25 years
Wheaton IL, Wheaton Bible Church
- why have a strategy?
Communicate vision
Give focus
Establish direction
Answer questions
Enhance good stewardship
- Start with the church mission statement
Ask and answer
What is our history
What is our distinctive
Why was this church founded
What characteristics remain today
Any natural bridges to other cultures
In Wheaton, every Dunkin Donuts is owned by Pakistani people
- Misc
Gather facts about current missions commitments
Analyze data and discover current strategy
Take Perspectives course
Read _The Church is Bigger than You Think_
Subscribe to Missions Frontiers
- Select/Appoint Task force
Thinkers strategic planners
Research other churches in your network
Compare mission/strategy statements
Learn how they made changes
Analyze for what fits us
Allow time for the process
Involve key decision makers and leaders from the body
- Resources
ACMC
Denomination
Agencies
Other churches
Link to the missions strategy
Define missions for your church
- Paradigm shift in missions
Passive supporting
Proactive sending
Mission Focused/Synergistic
- How Churches View Missions (scale)
Problem -> possibility -> project -> program -> purpose -> passion
- Other Key Definitions
Church planting
Unreached
Unevangelized
Cross cultural
Domestic outreach
Support ministries
- Transition
Implement over time
Use natural attrition as part of implementation
Fire missionaries when necessary
Recruit to meet the strategy
Educate the congregation
Be gracious and generous
Communicate with present missionaries
Identify agencies that fit your strategy and partner with them
46 missionaries from 1 church with 1 agency
Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit
Workshop #2
Tom Telford, ACMC
Six Steps to Bring Missions Alive in Your Church
Many churches take a shotgun approach to missions
Focus that is strategic, defined, cooperative
Missions doesn’t fit into the American dream
- Add younger members to your missions team
Older generation – pray and pay
Younger generation – pray, pay, go
- Focus on integration versus information in Missions Programming
Missions is caught not taught
Concentrate on small groups, one-on-one
- Youth
Develop skills and passion systematically
Begin with local, physical assignments and progress to cross-cultural and international ministry
Solid training program
Debrief and move up
Short terms should be called vision trips
- Expand your involvement as senders
Evaluating call and readiness
Develop the support team
Prep field ministry
Spirit/emotional health
Family concerns
Home assignment needs
Survey of 50 churches:
20 had scholarship programs for the kids of their missionaries
48 send staff every year on a missions trip – missions minded pastor
be sensitive where you send them
*Chinese Urbana – 2004
10 essentials in a missions church
1. Outward Focus
2. pastor sold out to world evangelization
has a passion for it
3. church has a well defined missions strategy and policy
4. An effective international ministry team (missions committee)
5. A significant percent of the budget is for missions
One church gave a copy of Operation World to every person for Christmas
Resource a geography teacher
God is blessing churches that make sacrifices – economic climate
One church said if we run out of money, we fire the pastor first and the missionaries last – came upon a church property for 0 cost
6. Missions Education is for everyone
Covered basketballs as globes and gave to toddlers with the theme of hug a planet
Take your church and dip it into missions, sometimes you have to hold it down.
Drama – who wants to be a millionaire – all questions about missionaries – lifeline was one of their missionaries they called live – all money given to missions pastor at the end of the drama
7. church prepares and sends out missionaries
8. missionaries are well cared for
evaluation is part of this
missionaries child was sick. Church sent a doctor to the field. Couldn’t diagnose. Sent doctor and child to CDC in Atlanta. And then back to the field after treatment, church picked up the whole cost.
9. Broad personal involvement
10. The church prays for the world
Preachers kids are bad because they hang out with deacons kids.
Workshop #3
Doug Christgau
Everything you need to know to have effective short term missions trips
Inspire you all to do it with excellence
The kingdom would be better if we didn’t do the bottom 1/3 trips
Black Rock Church, Wheaton Bible Church, Valley Community Baptist – Avon CT
Missions Pastor
Fellowship of Short Term Leaders
1. Why Take short-term trips
a. Missionary encouragement
Do short term with your own missionaries
To encourage your own
If they have a need you can meet
b. Ministry with nationals
No just what we want
Think cognitively
Mutually designed by sending and going
c. Spiritual missions growth of members
Not a substitute for summer camp
d. Church mission passion
Church passion – debrief is huge for this
2. Before the trip – disciplined preparation leads to excellence
a. Church vs. short term agency organized
b. Financing
Should not come out of missions budget
Financed/partnered with people
If person wants to pay, let them
Giving begets giving
Can become a cash cow
c. Trip ministries and locations
Doug’s sampling of trips:
Construction trips
Rob economy – 5x the cost of a national
Nationals helping you
Work alongside
Not negative on construction trips if they are done right
Senegal
Muslims were their bosses
Will we submit?
Will we work hard
Will we be productive?
Good rapport and relationships
Sports Evangelism – Nicaragua – baseball fanatics
10 softball players
baseball clinics in the am
games with locals in the pm
evangelistic in the evening
Seeker Driven – Montreal
3 languages in city – international city
Family outreach – Indian reservation
Womens program
VBS
Youth programs
Same place for 7 years
Very good possibility of a church plant
ESL – Eastern Europe – Romania
Basic of English
Conversational English
Library software upgrades –
Software upgrade to library systems
Had special access to software in different languages
Business Education
American business practices
Believe it or not, other countries desire our standard of morality and code of ethics when it comes to business
Camp – Albania
Volunteer staff support – clean, dishes, etc.
Midpoint during their season
Muslim
There are 150K missionary kid schools around the world, virtually all are understaffed
MK schools are a great experience
Most MK schools have 50% unsaved, lots of expats have kids there
d. Training/equipping of leadership and participants
Thorough administration
8 hours of training
_Prepare Your Heart_ Cindy Judge – personal prep, any age
_Maximum Short Term Missions_ Peterson, Sneed
_Short Term Missions Workbook_ IVP
Training is critical
Hardy Personality test – have people choose one item and talk about it, in over 12 years, it helps on every team
Application/selection process
You don’t want a dysfunctional person on the trip
Missions trip are not reform school
Need a baseline of spiritual maturity – demonstrated in context of the local church
Ok for nonchristians to go
3. During the trip – direction amidst stops and starts
a. Pace of activity
b. Cultural sensitivity
c. Spiritual goals for trip members
d. Flexibility
e. Anticipate illness or stress
4. after the trip – yield from the investment
a. debrief on the plane
b. reunion with supporters included
c. tell your church
d. recruit for mission leadership at home
25% of short term members became missions volunteers
Standards of Excellent in Short-Term Missions
www.fstml.org
1. Releases God-centered kingdom growth
Expressed in the lives of all participants by:
- sound biblical doctrine
- persistent prayer
- integrity
2. is based on Partnership between sending and receiving sides
expressed by:
- primary focus on intended receptors
- planned outcomes which benefit all participants
- mutual acocountability
3. delivers a program which has been Mutually Designed by sending and receiving sides
expressed by:
- common philosophical base and alignment to long-term strategies/mission
- goer guests ability to deliver and receive
- hosts receivers ability to deliver and receive
4. provides Reliable Setup and Thorough Administration for all participants
expressed by:
- sound financial practices
- appropriate risk management
- program delivery and support logistics
5. screens, trains and provides Qualified Leadership for all participants
expressed by:
- pre-field through training and equipping leadership
- on-field through program delivery and support leadership
- post-field through debriefing and follow-up leadership
or expressed by:
- spiritually mature servant leadership
- competent interculturally experienced leadership
- empowering and equipping leadership
- prepared, organized and accountable leadership
6. is evidenced by Participants Trained and Equipped
expressed by:
- biblical, appropriate and timely for all participants
- commitment to continuous training (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
- qualified trainers
7. is commited to Thorough Debriefing and Follow-Up for all participants
expressed by:
- debriefing throughout entire process (pre-field, on-field, post-field)
- re-entry preparation for goer guests prior to leaving the field
- post-field follow-up and evaluations
or expressed by:
- spiritually mature servant leadership
- competent interculturally experienced leadership
- empowering and equipping leadership
- prepared, organized and accountable leadership
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Wow - big changes happening at work. The cool gist of it is that people are going to get big opportunities to ask significant questions since their whole identity, the whole landscape of work, the project, the relationships are all thrown into flux. It's really as big as getting married, you are excited about the future, a little forlorn at leaving a chapter of life behind.
Pray specifically for CE, had an intense conversation with him about the purpose of life. It was great, better than I ever expected it to go.
Pray for the next two days, Thursday and Friday. Lots of farewell lunches on Thursday and the mass exodus is on Friday.
Also, pray for the missions conference K and I are going to. Pray esp for K, for direction and vision.
Pray specifically for CE, had an intense conversation with him about the purpose of life. It was great, better than I ever expected it to go.
Pray for the next two days, Thursday and Friday. Lots of farewell lunches on Thursday and the mass exodus is on Friday.
Also, pray for the missions conference K and I are going to. Pray esp for K, for direction and vision.
Monday, November 17, 2003
the missions conference that K and I will be traveling to this weekend - in Fairfield, CT.
should be some good times, God is going to continue to ignite.
should be some good times, God is going to continue to ignite.
Monday, November 10, 2003
GCC - SPACE - Launch L
- 33 students and leaders
- 6 houses and 12 townhouses raked
- 4 families within Grace, 3 outside of Grace, other neighbors
were spur of the moment...
- approx 200 bags of leaves raked
- talk focused on being strategic, that we were doing more
than just raking leaves, thinking about being thoughtful and
what it feels like when you know someone is thinking about
you (Is 49:15-16)
- financials around $460 including school bus, lunch and lawn bags
So, thanks for your prayers, I believe we challenged students
to be strategic in their lives....
- 33 students and leaders
- 6 houses and 12 townhouses raked
- 4 families within Grace, 3 outside of Grace, other neighbors
were spur of the moment...
- approx 200 bags of leaves raked
- talk focused on being strategic, that we were doing more
than just raking leaves, thinking about being thoughtful and
what it feels like when you know someone is thinking about
you (Is 49:15-16)
- financials around $460 including school bus, lunch and lawn bags
So, thanks for your prayers, I believe we challenged students
to be strategic in their lives....
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
Monday, November 03, 2003
interesting link about elementary school aged kids celebrating Ramadan and how schools are helping them out. I wonder, would the public schools be that interested in forms of Christian rituals?
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Now that we are in the beginning of Ramadan, this site has some cool resources to pray for Muslims. And you can get an email everyday during Ramadan for what to pray for. Very good info.
Thursday, October 16, 2003
wow. that world map thing is much much cooler than i thought at first. if you are into world geography, frontier missions or mobilization, you need to bookmark it. Check out the interactive digital atlas.
World Map Very cool, maps of evangelization and bible translation for all the countries (or most of them) in the world. Can also search by country profiles.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Thinking about the best way to convey to the SPACE team (mostly students) that service is not an end to itself and this whole thing can be much bigger than just service projects. It has the potential to change the way students see others, the way they live day to day, the way that they view the world, not only around them, but the global world, knowing that most of the world still has never heard the name of Jesus.
“As I travel, I have observed a pattern, a strange historical phenomenon of God “moving” geographically from the Middle East, to Europe to North America to the developing world. My theory is this: God goes where he’s wanted.” - Phillip Yancey
. As quoted in The Next Christendom
. As quoted in The Next Christendom
Faith based service holds incredible appeal for the next generation of believers. In an email poll of the campus chaplains at evangelical Christian colleges, fifteen of seventeen respondents said they had seen a significant rise in student interest in service projects and missions trips in recent years. Short-term mission trips are particularly popular among today’s teenagers and young adults: the number of people taking them has increased exponentially, from about 25,000 in 1979 to 120,000 in 1989. By 1995, the number of short-term missionaries had swelled to 200,000.
The New Faithful Colleen Carrol
The New Faithful Colleen Carrol
Saturday, October 11, 2003
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Was doing some research for a small group leader at GCC for summer student mission for 2004. Looking at things that fit his criteria as well as being strategic, progressive (preparing his team for 2005) and taking care of logistics (meals, housing, etc.). Found some very cool other sites as well:
K - this one is for you. Destination Summit - Part of New Tribes Mission - specific to reaching the unreached.
Network for church planters among the unreached
Reaching the unreached people groups of NYC
K - this one is for you. Destination Summit - Part of New Tribes Mission - specific to reaching the unreached.
Network for church planters among the unreached
Reaching the unreached people groups of NYC
Sunday, October 05, 2003
Thursday, October 02, 2003
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Saturday, September 27, 2003
Launch F summary:
24 people (all high school and leaders this time)
Brought a bag lunch and then made at least another in the Warehouse before we left.
Had lunch with homeless people in two parks in DC. Saw three other church groups give away food but not engage the people. Our students noticed.
Over 20 significant conversations over lunch.
Some students gave away all of their food and didn't eat.
Worked in the Capital Area Food Bank for three hours in the distribution warehouse.
Packed over 600 food packs.
Students most impacted by exposure to the homeless and engaging them in conversation over lunch.
Some also impacted by being hungry while working and relating that to being without food for an extended period of time.
24 people (all high school and leaders this time)
Brought a bag lunch and then made at least another in the Warehouse before we left.
Had lunch with homeless people in two parks in DC. Saw three other church groups give away food but not engage the people. Our students noticed.
Over 20 significant conversations over lunch.
Some students gave away all of their food and didn't eat.
Worked in the Capital Area Food Bank for three hours in the distribution warehouse.
Packed over 600 food packs.
Students most impacted by exposure to the homeless and engaging them in conversation over lunch.
Some also impacted by being hungry while working and relating that to being without food for an extended period of time.
Friday, September 26, 2003
Our first event for SPACE is tomorrow. Feeding the homeless and working at a food bank. Should be lots of fun. We'll see how it goes for the first one. Pretty exciting to try to start a movement of service and missions among high school and middle school.
Text of a Missions Newsletter I get. Kind of cool. I'm not a youth pastor but sometimes I pretend...
RESOURCES--2003-09-09 (Top Recommendations)
Below are the responses I received to the question: WHAT RESOURCES HAVE
YOU USED IN A CHURCH AND FOUND EFFECTIVE IN MOBILIZING PEOPLE TO
ENGAGEMENT IN WORLD MISSION? I was a little disappointed at hearing back
from only 20 people, but those 20 people had quality recommendations. In
each section (Books, Curriculum, Periodicals, Seminars, Websites), I put
at the top of the list the resources that were recommended by more than
one person (using the asterisk for a bullet), then the rest of the entries
for the category follow in alphabetical order (using the plus sign as a
bullet). Usually children’s resources are made into a separate category,
but I combined them with the rest. ~Nate Wilson, Editor
BOOKS
* CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN AND NOW - published by YWAM, biographies for
kids written by Janet and Geoff Benge - about a dozen in the series -
around $6 ea.: www.YWAMPUBLISHING.COM (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM and Pete
and Esther Errington - Mission to Unreached Peoples)
* LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD! The Supremacy of God in Missions by John Piper
(From: Bob Kuseski - ACMC & Jerrid Stelter - YWAM)
* OPERATION WORLD by Patrick Johnstone. Information and prayer requests on
every country in the world. (Kid’s version is WINDOW ON THE WORLD by
Daphne Spragett) www.operationworld.org (From Jerrid Stelter - YWAM and
Nate Wilson - Caleb Project)
* SERVING AS SENDERS by Neal Pirolo Contact Emmaus Road Int'l. 7150
Tanner Ct San Diego CA 619-252-7020--A practical guide to helping
Christians serve as "senders". and THE REENTRY TEAM - 14 translations, 12
custom editions and the ERI edition - 400,000 copies out (From: Bob
Kuseski - ACMC and Neal Pirolo - author)
+ CAT & DOG THEOLOGY by Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison
http://www.jealousgod.org/ (From: Bob Kuseski - ACMC)
+ HEALING THE BROKEN FAMILY OF ABRAHAM: New Life for Muslims by Don
McCurry. (From: Durwood Busse - Presbyterian Church)
+ MAGNIFYING YOUR VISION FOR THE SMALL CHURCH by John Rowell (From: Dave
Bunnell - GMF)
+ MAXIMUM IMPACT SHORT-TERM MISSION by Peterson, Aeschliman and Sneed
(From: Durwood Busse - Presbyterian Church)
+ MISSIONS IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM - 21 Key trends for the 21st Century.
The best book I have read on current mission trends and issues. The author
is Stan Guthrie. Publisher is Paternoster Press. Copyright is 2000. (From:
Chris Alexander - Missions Pastor)
+ THE CHRISTIAN AND THE "OLD" TESTAMENT by Walter Kaiser (From: Durwood
Busse - Presbyterian Church)
+ TODAY'S ALL-STAR MISSIONS CHURCHES by Tom Telford (From: Durwood Busse
- Presbyterian Church)
CURRICULAE
* GREAT COMMISSION TOOLBOX CD: Includes "Bright Ideas!" binders from
Wycliffe with various activities and projects to help people understand
missions better. For PRESCHOOLERS, for GRADES 1-6, and for TEENS & ADULTS.
Full instructions and reproducibles for each activity. Available from
www.wycliffe.ca or info@wycliffe.ca (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM and Pete
and Esther Errington - Mission to Unreached Peoples)
* KIDS AROUND THE WORLD World Religions and culture studies from a
missionary perspective, for ages 5-12. Includes fantastic videos and
curriculum books. THUMB focus. 10 W. Dry Circle, LITTLETON CO 80120
http://www.calebproject.org/KAW.htm. (From: Jill Harris - Caleb Project
and Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
* M & M KIDS by Jill Harris, Teaches biblical basis & strategy of
missions to kids. This has stood the test of time in children’s curriculum
and provides a good Biblical foundation to any subsequent material on
missions. 4663 Crown Hill Rd., Mechanicsville, VA 23111. 1-888-661-9920;
EMAIL:ordersonly@juno.com (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM and Jill Harris -
Caleb Project)
* PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT 15 lessons which give a
broad overview of missions and equip students with Biblical, historical,
cultural, and strategic knowledge for mission involvement. For adults of
all ages. Any church can host the official course, or the material can be
adapted for a variety of settings - as it already has been adapted with
Worldwide Perspectives, Perspectives Exposure, Life from God’s
Perspective, Vision for the Nations, Path to God’s Glory, Perspectives on
the World of Islam, etc. Perspectives mobilizes more churches and
missionaries than anything else. www.perspectives.org (From: Durwood Busse
- Presbyterian Church, Nate Wilson - Caleb Project)
* WORLD CHANGER CURRICULUM - Through the Bible Publishers, 1133 Riverside
Ave. FORT COLLINS CO 80524; 1-800-284-0158 www.ThroughTheBible.com
Preschool & Levels 1-6 (Corresponding to grades one through six) State of
the art visual materials. Missions woven through out, with 13 week units
on missionary heroes and Church history. (From: Nancy Tichy and Jill
Harris - Caleb Project)
+ EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW and ALL GOD’S CHILDREN by Kathy Felty.
Available through Caleb Project. Sessions to build Biblical world view in
the lives of preschool children. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ GLIMPSE: by Paul Van Der Werf (4-week small group study) contact:
werf@fuller.edu (From: Brian Klotz - thebodybuilders.net)
+ GOD’S GOT STUFF TO DO And He Wants Your Help - Created to expose kids
to what can be done to help share Jesus with the nations. It is designed
as a follow-up to Kids Around the World or other missions curriculum.
13-week curriculum includes detailed lesson plans, a video, and student
booklets for kids to write in and take home.
http://www.calebproject.org/KAW.htm (From: Jill Harris - Caleb Project)
+ GOD'S HEART FOR THE NATIONS - great resource. It is an interactive
Bible study that takes people from Genesis to Revelation, showing God's
heart for the nations in the Bible. The last lesson is about how to
incorporate a global perspective into the spiritual disciplines. I have
been through this twice and taught it two more times. I highly recommend
it. 52 pages, 2003 “In eight lessons, author and global activist, Jeff
Lewis, lays bare the heart and mind of God as he combines powerful Bible
passages with challenging and provocative questions. Each lesson is
followed by a time of meditation and focus on an unreached people group.”
http://www.calebproject.org/tools.htm (From: Mark Rogers - Baptist
Church)
+ GREAT COMMISSIONARY KIDS by Pete Hohmann (417)862-2781 FAX:
(417)862-0503 Email: The-Great-Commissionary Kids@ag.org “They don’t have
to wait until they grow up!” Everything you need to know to mobilize kids
for ministry. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ KIDS ON A MISSION - major blocs of unreached peoples: Christian &
Missionary Alliance P.O.Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500 (719)
599-5999 Three ring binder, reproducibles, lesson plans, and video
presentations for each of eight sessions. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ THE GREAT KIDMISSION Editor: Mary Gross Gospel Light Pub. At your local
Christian bookstore. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ THE TRAVELING TEAM’S 12 Lessons “Challenge to Become a World Christian”
http://www.thetravelingteam.org/2000/world/lessons.shtml (From: Brian
Klotz - thebodybuilders.net)
PERIODICALS
* MISSION FRONTIERS, from USCWM, in Pasadena. www.missionfrontiers.org For
readings and articles to stay abreast of mission thinking and strategy.
(From: Brian Johnson - Mission Committee and Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
* MISSION MOBILIZERS E-ZINE - Equips Christian leaders to mobilize for
missions. Includes articles, resource lists, Q&A forum, and world
newsbriefs. (From: Brian Johnson - Mission Committee and of course Nate
Wilson - Caleb Project)
+ ASK A MISSIONARY www.askamissionary.com Explore recommended resources &
links on becoming a missionary and portals for short termers, senders,
intercessors, welcomers. Post questions and read answers on
Support-Raising, Selecting an agency, The Call, Tentmaking, Training,and
Singles/Families. (From: Brian Johnson - Mission Committee)
+ BRIGADA TODAY by Doug Lucas. The mother of all mission Email
newsletters. www.brigada.org or subscribe at
brigada-today-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Brief profiles on technical
resources and all sorts of other mission resources. (From: Brian Johnson -
mission committee)
+ CMDNET WEEKLY UPDATE from Bob Hall from New Zealand. This offers more
general and current news about mission happenings and resources (and a
smile :-) e-cmdnet@strategicnetwork.org (From: Brian Johnson - mission
committee)
+ GOD'S MISSION PROMISES: A weekly e-column written by Phil Bickel,
Produced by LCMS WORLD MISSION. This offers a story/anecdote that leads to
a wee Bible study and a couple of penetrating questions, and it has very
limited Lutheran content, making it appropriate for anyone.
www.lcmsworldmission.org/mp (From: Brian Johnson - mission committee)
+ NAME (Network of Australian Mission Enthusiasts) The School of Cross
Cultural Mission at Sydney Missionary and Bible College in Australia has a
monthly e-zine for mission secretaries and mission enthusiasts in local
churches. Contains biblical reflections on the role of the local church in
world mission, practical ideas on how to raise mission awareness in a
local church, and news on appropriate resources. Email:
smbc@ozemail.com.au with the message "subscribe-NAME" (From: Brian Johnson
- mission committee)
SEMINARS
* MISSION MOBILIZATION SKITS by Caleb Project. 22 popular skits (4-15
minutes each) including the revised and updated World-View Demonstration
will enable you to provide entertaining and impactful presentations that
adults and youth will enjoy. The accompanying video demonstrates six of
the presentations and includes training. Topics include: priorities,
distractions from missionary service, awareness of unreached people
groups, the power of prayer, God's heart for all nations, and many more.
Tap into more than a decade's worth of powerful experience in church
mobilization with these skits. www.calebproject.org/tools.htm#SCVC (From
Jerrid Stelter - YWAM and Nate Wilson - Caleb Project)
* UNVEILINGLORY - The new "Cat & Dog Theology" from Bob Sjogren that
replaces the old Destination 2000 series. This is a fast-paced multi media
PowerPoint presentation; he has trained several other speakers to give the
presentation. Check out http://www.catanddogtheology.com or
http://www.gospelcom.net/unveilinglory/ (From: Bob Kuseski - ACMC and Nate
Wilson - Caleb Project)
+ DAY OF DISCOVERY (www.dayofdiscovery.org) From: Jim Allen
[pointman@aristotle.net] (ACMC)
+ GLOBAL FOCUS (www.globalfocus.org) From: Jim Allen
[pointman@aristotle.net] (ACMC)
+ Ken Williams' and International Training Partners' interpersonal
relationship skills seminar and website at
http://www.relationshipskills.com/ (From: Pete and Esther - Mission to
Unreached Peoples)
WEBSITES
* OPERATION WORLD: http://www.gmi.org/ow/ Make it your home page! They
have a daily devotional and it's like getting an email daily, except they
don't have to manage a mailing list! http://www.gmi.org/ow/# (From: Brian
Johnson - mission committee and Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ GODSKIDS.ORG You’ll love this one. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ JORDONCOOPER.COM Blog from a pastor in California named Jordon Cooper
(From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ LEADINGDYINGCHURCHES.COM (From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ MISSION ONE: www.mission1.org - Some good studies downloaded from there
for students (From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ PEOPLEGROUPS.ORG (From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ SAMARITAN’S PURSE: www.samaritanspurse.org Highly recommended prayer
tool, especially good for weekly use in families: PRAYER POINT published,
free, every other month by (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ THE TRAVELLING TEAM http://www.thetravelingteam.org - A ministry that
travels to college campus to mobilize college students. Some good studies
on there too (From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
RESOURCES--2003-09-09 (Top Recommendations)
Below are the responses I received to the question: WHAT RESOURCES HAVE
YOU USED IN A CHURCH AND FOUND EFFECTIVE IN MOBILIZING PEOPLE TO
ENGAGEMENT IN WORLD MISSION? I was a little disappointed at hearing back
from only 20 people, but those 20 people had quality recommendations. In
each section (Books, Curriculum, Periodicals, Seminars, Websites), I put
at the top of the list the resources that were recommended by more than
one person (using the asterisk for a bullet), then the rest of the entries
for the category follow in alphabetical order (using the plus sign as a
bullet). Usually children’s resources are made into a separate category,
but I combined them with the rest. ~Nate Wilson, Editor
BOOKS
* CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN AND NOW - published by YWAM, biographies for
kids written by Janet and Geoff Benge - about a dozen in the series -
around $6 ea.: www.YWAMPUBLISHING.COM (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM and Pete
and Esther Errington - Mission to Unreached Peoples)
* LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD! The Supremacy of God in Missions by John Piper
(From: Bob Kuseski - ACMC & Jerrid Stelter - YWAM)
* OPERATION WORLD by Patrick Johnstone. Information and prayer requests on
every country in the world. (Kid’s version is WINDOW ON THE WORLD by
Daphne Spragett) www.operationworld.org (From Jerrid Stelter - YWAM and
Nate Wilson - Caleb Project)
* SERVING AS SENDERS by Neal Pirolo Contact Emmaus Road Int'l. 7150
Tanner Ct San Diego CA 619-252-7020--A practical guide to helping
Christians serve as "senders". and THE REENTRY TEAM - 14 translations, 12
custom editions and the ERI edition - 400,000 copies out (From: Bob
Kuseski - ACMC and Neal Pirolo - author)
+ CAT & DOG THEOLOGY by Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison
http://www.jealousgod.org/ (From: Bob Kuseski - ACMC)
+ HEALING THE BROKEN FAMILY OF ABRAHAM: New Life for Muslims by Don
McCurry. (From: Durwood Busse - Presbyterian Church)
+ MAGNIFYING YOUR VISION FOR THE SMALL CHURCH by John Rowell (From: Dave
Bunnell - GMF)
+ MAXIMUM IMPACT SHORT-TERM MISSION by Peterson, Aeschliman and Sneed
(From: Durwood Busse - Presbyterian Church)
+ MISSIONS IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM - 21 Key trends for the 21st Century.
The best book I have read on current mission trends and issues. The author
is Stan Guthrie. Publisher is Paternoster Press. Copyright is 2000. (From:
Chris Alexander - Missions Pastor)
+ THE CHRISTIAN AND THE "OLD" TESTAMENT by Walter Kaiser (From: Durwood
Busse - Presbyterian Church)
+ TODAY'S ALL-STAR MISSIONS CHURCHES by Tom Telford (From: Durwood Busse
- Presbyterian Church)
CURRICULAE
* GREAT COMMISSION TOOLBOX CD: Includes "Bright Ideas!" binders from
Wycliffe with various activities and projects to help people understand
missions better. For PRESCHOOLERS, for GRADES 1-6, and for TEENS & ADULTS.
Full instructions and reproducibles for each activity. Available from
www.wycliffe.ca or info@wycliffe.ca (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM and Pete
and Esther Errington - Mission to Unreached Peoples)
* KIDS AROUND THE WORLD World Religions and culture studies from a
missionary perspective, for ages 5-12. Includes fantastic videos and
curriculum books. THUMB focus. 10 W. Dry Circle, LITTLETON CO 80120
http://www.calebproject.org/KAW.htm. (From: Jill Harris - Caleb Project
and Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
* M & M KIDS by Jill Harris, Teaches biblical basis & strategy of
missions to kids. This has stood the test of time in children’s curriculum
and provides a good Biblical foundation to any subsequent material on
missions. 4663 Crown Hill Rd., Mechanicsville, VA 23111. 1-888-661-9920;
EMAIL:ordersonly@juno.com (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM and Jill Harris -
Caleb Project)
* PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT 15 lessons which give a
broad overview of missions and equip students with Biblical, historical,
cultural, and strategic knowledge for mission involvement. For adults of
all ages. Any church can host the official course, or the material can be
adapted for a variety of settings - as it already has been adapted with
Worldwide Perspectives, Perspectives Exposure, Life from God’s
Perspective, Vision for the Nations, Path to God’s Glory, Perspectives on
the World of Islam, etc. Perspectives mobilizes more churches and
missionaries than anything else. www.perspectives.org (From: Durwood Busse
- Presbyterian Church, Nate Wilson - Caleb Project)
* WORLD CHANGER CURRICULUM - Through the Bible Publishers, 1133 Riverside
Ave. FORT COLLINS CO 80524; 1-800-284-0158 www.ThroughTheBible.com
Preschool & Levels 1-6 (Corresponding to grades one through six) State of
the art visual materials. Missions woven through out, with 13 week units
on missionary heroes and Church history. (From: Nancy Tichy and Jill
Harris - Caleb Project)
+ EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW and ALL GOD’S CHILDREN by Kathy Felty.
Available through Caleb Project. Sessions to build Biblical world view in
the lives of preschool children. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ GLIMPSE: by Paul Van Der Werf (4-week small group study) contact:
werf@fuller.edu (From: Brian Klotz - thebodybuilders.net)
+ GOD’S GOT STUFF TO DO And He Wants Your Help - Created to expose kids
to what can be done to help share Jesus with the nations. It is designed
as a follow-up to Kids Around the World or other missions curriculum.
13-week curriculum includes detailed lesson plans, a video, and student
booklets for kids to write in and take home.
http://www.calebproject.org/KAW.htm (From: Jill Harris - Caleb Project)
+ GOD'S HEART FOR THE NATIONS - great resource. It is an interactive
Bible study that takes people from Genesis to Revelation, showing God's
heart for the nations in the Bible. The last lesson is about how to
incorporate a global perspective into the spiritual disciplines. I have
been through this twice and taught it two more times. I highly recommend
it. 52 pages, 2003 “In eight lessons, author and global activist, Jeff
Lewis, lays bare the heart and mind of God as he combines powerful Bible
passages with challenging and provocative questions. Each lesson is
followed by a time of meditation and focus on an unreached people group.”
http://www.calebproject.org/tools.htm (From: Mark Rogers - Baptist
Church)
+ GREAT COMMISSIONARY KIDS by Pete Hohmann (417)862-2781 FAX:
(417)862-0503 Email: The-Great-Commissionary Kids@ag.org “They don’t have
to wait until they grow up!” Everything you need to know to mobilize kids
for ministry. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ KIDS ON A MISSION - major blocs of unreached peoples: Christian &
Missionary Alliance P.O.Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500 (719)
599-5999 Three ring binder, reproducibles, lesson plans, and video
presentations for each of eight sessions. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ THE GREAT KIDMISSION Editor: Mary Gross Gospel Light Pub. At your local
Christian bookstore. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ THE TRAVELING TEAM’S 12 Lessons “Challenge to Become a World Christian”
http://www.thetravelingteam.org/2000/world/lessons.shtml (From: Brian
Klotz - thebodybuilders.net)
PERIODICALS
* MISSION FRONTIERS, from USCWM, in Pasadena. www.missionfrontiers.org For
readings and articles to stay abreast of mission thinking and strategy.
(From: Brian Johnson - Mission Committee and Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
* MISSION MOBILIZERS E-ZINE - Equips Christian leaders to mobilize for
missions. Includes articles, resource lists, Q&A forum, and world
newsbriefs. (From: Brian Johnson - Mission Committee and of course Nate
Wilson - Caleb Project)
+ ASK A MISSIONARY www.askamissionary.com Explore recommended resources &
links on becoming a missionary and portals for short termers, senders,
intercessors, welcomers. Post questions and read answers on
Support-Raising, Selecting an agency, The Call, Tentmaking, Training,and
Singles/Families. (From: Brian Johnson - Mission Committee)
+ BRIGADA TODAY by Doug Lucas. The mother of all mission Email
newsletters. www.brigada.org or subscribe at
brigada-today-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Brief profiles on technical
resources and all sorts of other mission resources. (From: Brian Johnson -
mission committee)
+ CMDNET WEEKLY UPDATE from Bob Hall from New Zealand. This offers more
general and current news about mission happenings and resources (and a
smile :-) e-cmdnet@strategicnetwork.org (From: Brian Johnson - mission
committee)
+ GOD'S MISSION PROMISES: A weekly e-column written by Phil Bickel,
Produced by LCMS WORLD MISSION. This offers a story/anecdote that leads to
a wee Bible study and a couple of penetrating questions, and it has very
limited Lutheran content, making it appropriate for anyone.
www.lcmsworldmission.org/mp (From: Brian Johnson - mission committee)
+ NAME (Network of Australian Mission Enthusiasts) The School of Cross
Cultural Mission at Sydney Missionary and Bible College in Australia has a
monthly e-zine for mission secretaries and mission enthusiasts in local
churches. Contains biblical reflections on the role of the local church in
world mission, practical ideas on how to raise mission awareness in a
local church, and news on appropriate resources. Email:
smbc@ozemail.com.au with the message "subscribe-NAME" (From: Brian Johnson
- mission committee)
SEMINARS
* MISSION MOBILIZATION SKITS by Caleb Project. 22 popular skits (4-15
minutes each) including the revised and updated World-View Demonstration
will enable you to provide entertaining and impactful presentations that
adults and youth will enjoy. The accompanying video demonstrates six of
the presentations and includes training. Topics include: priorities,
distractions from missionary service, awareness of unreached people
groups, the power of prayer, God's heart for all nations, and many more.
Tap into more than a decade's worth of powerful experience in church
mobilization with these skits. www.calebproject.org/tools.htm#SCVC (From
Jerrid Stelter - YWAM and Nate Wilson - Caleb Project)
* UNVEILINGLORY - The new "Cat & Dog Theology" from Bob Sjogren that
replaces the old Destination 2000 series. This is a fast-paced multi media
PowerPoint presentation; he has trained several other speakers to give the
presentation. Check out http://www.catanddogtheology.com or
http://www.gospelcom.net/unveilinglory/ (From: Bob Kuseski - ACMC and Nate
Wilson - Caleb Project)
+ DAY OF DISCOVERY (www.dayofdiscovery.org) From: Jim Allen
[pointman@aristotle.net] (ACMC)
+ GLOBAL FOCUS (www.globalfocus.org) From: Jim Allen
[pointman@aristotle.net] (ACMC)
+ Ken Williams' and International Training Partners' interpersonal
relationship skills seminar and website at
http://www.relationshipskills.com/ (From: Pete and Esther - Mission to
Unreached Peoples)
WEBSITES
* OPERATION WORLD: http://www.gmi.org/ow/ Make it your home page! They
have a daily devotional and it's like getting an email daily, except they
don't have to manage a mailing list! http://www.gmi.org/ow/# (From: Brian
Johnson - mission committee and Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ GODSKIDS.ORG You’ll love this one. (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ JORDONCOOPER.COM Blog from a pastor in California named Jordon Cooper
(From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ LEADINGDYINGCHURCHES.COM (From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ MISSION ONE: www.mission1.org - Some good studies downloaded from there
for students (From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ PEOPLEGROUPS.ORG (From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
+ SAMARITAN’S PURSE: www.samaritanspurse.org Highly recommended prayer
tool, especially good for weekly use in families: PRAYER POINT published,
free, every other month by (From: Nancy Tichy - USCWM)
+ THE TRAVELLING TEAM http://www.thetravelingteam.org - A ministry that
travels to college campus to mobilize college students. Some good studies
on there too (From: Tony Sheng - Youth Pastor)
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Planting New Churches. Some good stuff there, the idea of a missional pastor, indigenous, etc. Neat.
Friday, September 19, 2003
Megachurches. Does this fit what Jesus did? How does this get interlaced with the task of building viable, indigenous churches?
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Monday, September 15, 2003
Friday, September 12, 2003
The most important thing a pastor (missionary, church planter, Christ-follower) does is who he is. - Eugene Peterson
Thursday, September 11, 2003
Tips for Having a Serious Talk Definitely some good tips. Ministry requires the guts to say the hard things, the right way.
Interesting assessment for people consider church planting. Church Planter Leadership Competencies Tool I think each person interested in being a GOER needs to at least take a look at some of these skills. Note - its Baptist centric, just so you know....
Friday, September 05, 2003
Beyond the Box Interesting list of comparisions, i think totally relevant to thinking about youth missions movements...
Thursday, September 04, 2003
UPDATED ...
hello K!.
In other news, kickoff for the service/mission team....
Some goals and values...
Goals:
• Provide service opportunities for students to be involved in.
• Intelligently target kids who are not already involved.
• Another tool for discipleship – growing through serving.
• Teaching on various service/mission topics.
• Bridge the gap between different age ministries (middle school/high school/gen X) - range of people serving together.
• Enabling students to see their giftedness in a serving opportunity.
• Provide support and focus for strategic, progressive, graduated student missions. (longer term goal)
Values:
• All service lies somewhere in the realm of evangelism (I Cor 3), therefore, opportunities will be pointed towards interaction with people when possible.
• There is a correlation between service and missions.
• Devotionals and debriefs for every event.
• Constant evaluation via survey forms.
• Adult leaders/chaperones are integral.
hello K!.
In other news, kickoff for the service/mission team....
Some goals and values...
Goals:
• Provide service opportunities for students to be involved in.
• Intelligently target kids who are not already involved.
• Another tool for discipleship – growing through serving.
• Teaching on various service/mission topics.
• Bridge the gap between different age ministries (middle school/high school/gen X) - range of people serving together.
• Enabling students to see their giftedness in a serving opportunity.
• Provide support and focus for strategic, progressive, graduated student missions. (longer term goal)
Values:
• All service lies somewhere in the realm of evangelism (I Cor 3), therefore, opportunities will be pointed towards interaction with people when possible.
• There is a correlation between service and missions.
• Devotionals and debriefs for every event.
• Constant evaluation via survey forms.
• Adult leaders/chaperones are integral.
Monday, September 01, 2003
sorry its been a little while.
here is what is new:
1 - my padwan, K, went off to college, his freshmen year. good choice of schools. in his first few days, he was feeling a disconnect between people talking about being successful at school/career and his calling for strategic missions. interesting, huh? more to come about that.
2 - the Missions Task Force at GCC has asked me to coordinate a group going to Urbana this Christmas break. a great thing for me to be doing, mobilization wise. this event can take my former high schoolers to a level that i simply could not, in terms of mobilization, calling, exposure, teaching, etc. very cool. so far, there are about 5 from 03, which was the grade i helped shepherd.
3 - kickoff for the service/mission team at GCC, our first meeting tomorrow night. we have a leaders retreat we go to this coming weekend to announce and socialize with. we'll see how that goes, but its pretty cool.
here is what is new:
1 - my padwan, K, went off to college, his freshmen year. good choice of schools. in his first few days, he was feeling a disconnect between people talking about being successful at school/career and his calling for strategic missions. interesting, huh? more to come about that.
2 - the Missions Task Force at GCC has asked me to coordinate a group going to Urbana this Christmas break. a great thing for me to be doing, mobilization wise. this event can take my former high schoolers to a level that i simply could not, in terms of mobilization, calling, exposure, teaching, etc. very cool. so far, there are about 5 from 03, which was the grade i helped shepherd.
3 - kickoff for the service/mission team at GCC, our first meeting tomorrow night. we have a leaders retreat we go to this coming weekend to announce and socialize with. we'll see how that goes, but its pretty cool.
Sunday, August 10, 2003
Saw this ad for getting a free book. Revolution in World Missions. A free book by one of the guys on staff with Gospel for Asia. Signed up for it, and the organization looks pretty above board - native, indigenious missionaries, reaching unreached peoples. Cool.
HW for K...
Session 5.
1. finish the studies about The Story of His Glory
2. email the list of 5-7 questions to two or three missionaries you or your family
support. also send me the list and I get to send them out to two or three that
I support.
3. Do these studies based on Paul and his missionary journets.
(If you are reading this blog, somehow, and are interested in these studies,
email me and I will send them to you. However, they are based on material
covered in Perspectives.)
K leaves for college in 10 days or so, so I think the final step would be to put
together a survey to see what he found the most helpful.
That would be kind of fun.
In other developments, met a guy named Dan the other night from
a local church, who came and did a presentation about God's Mission to the
college age worship night at GCC. Very cool. And then they showed the
video for Urbana 03. I think the majority of my dteam guys are interested,
very very cool. I think Dan and I might dialogue about mobilization, which would
be great.
Session 5.
1. finish the studies about The Story of His Glory
2. email the list of 5-7 questions to two or three missionaries you or your family
support. also send me the list and I get to send them out to two or three that
I support.
3. Do these studies based on Paul and his missionary journets.
(If you are reading this blog, somehow, and are interested in these studies,
email me and I will send them to you. However, they are based on material
covered in Perspectives.)
K leaves for college in 10 days or so, so I think the final step would be to put
together a survey to see what he found the most helpful.
That would be kind of fun.
In other developments, met a guy named Dan the other night from
a local church, who came and did a presentation about God's Mission to the
college age worship night at GCC. Very cool. And then they showed the
video for Urbana 03. I think the majority of my dteam guys are interested,
very very cool. I think Dan and I might dialogue about mobilization, which would
be great.
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
more HW for K:
Session 3
1. studies from Mission 1 that are short studies based on Perspectives. Specifically, The Story of His Glory. (register for download)
Session 4
1. finish the studies about The Story of Glory
2. list out between 5 and 7 questions that
you would have for real life missionaries,
questions that would probe their experiences
to help you as you think about the future.
3. Joshua Project People Group Listing of Liberia
Session 3
1. studies from Mission 1 that are short studies based on Perspectives. Specifically, The Story of His Glory. (register for download)
Session 4
1. finish the studies about The Story of Glory
2. list out between 5 and 7 questions that
you would have for real life missionaries,
questions that would probe their experiences
to help you as you think about the future.
3. Joshua Project People Group Listing of Liberia
Monday, July 21, 2003
Here is some homework I have given K.
K is a student in the small group ministry that I ran for the past 4 years. He just graduated high school and is going off to college in a few weeks. At the beginning of the summer, he told me he was seriously thinking about missions and wanted to meet with me through the summer to learn, discuss, etc.
So I've been giving him some hw.
Session 1
1. The Problem of Success
2. Summary of William Carey. He truly made disciples, not just converts.
3. Being a Tentmaker Thoughts of being a tentmaker.
Session 2 (this is also posted below)
1. God Centered Motivation for Missions - by John Piper.
2. The Essential Task - by Ralph Winter.
3. Missions, Music and Mobilization Music and mobilizing.
K is a student in the small group ministry that I ran for the past 4 years. He just graduated high school and is going off to college in a few weeks. At the beginning of the summer, he told me he was seriously thinking about missions and wanted to meet with me through the summer to learn, discuss, etc.
So I've been giving him some hw.
Session 1
1. The Problem of Success
2. Summary of William Carey. He truly made disciples, not just converts.
3. Being a Tentmaker Thoughts of being a tentmaker.
Session 2 (this is also posted below)
1. God Centered Motivation for Missions - by John Piper.
2. The Essential Task - by Ralph Winter.
3. Missions, Music and Mobilization Music and mobilizing.
so K (student in the HS ministry I volunteer in) and I went to DCLA for a day yesterday to help volunteer. pretty cool. quite a setup. we saw the Big Room, which had some great visuals, worship and teaching, although we misssed other integral pieces of the event, such as Deeper Learning, which I'm sure had more depth to the teaching. One thing that kind of made me sad, 0 mission organizations in the exhibit hall. 0, none, nothing. Of course, Compassion was there, and students could pick up material on YFC's missions trips. But there was nothing in terms of strategic missions, like the 10/40 window, unreached people groups, etc. One organization even quoted their mission statement saying they were about "blah blah blah and providing students a quality mission experience." Since when did we desire to send students to missions trips to give them a quality experience? Not to be a snob, but I'm pretty convicted that we could be doing student missions better. A lot better. I'll post some pictures later maybe.
Here is a picture of great volunteer in our JH ministry - Kelly volunteering at DCLA. Kelly is on the right, an awesome youth ministry servant.
Here is a picture of great volunteer in our JH ministry - Kelly volunteering at DCLA. Kelly is on the right, an awesome youth ministry servant.
Thursday, July 17, 2003
a few articles that i have been reading and discussion with one of my graduate high school small group members.
1. God Centered Motivation for Missions - by John Piper. Talks about desire, passion and the worship of God as the motivation for missions.
2. The Essential Task - by Ralph Winter. Talks about the real task of missions and the core definition. Viable, indigenous, church planting. Good framework for strategically thinking.
3. Missions, Music and Mobilization Music and mobilizing.
1. God Centered Motivation for Missions - by John Piper. Talks about desire, passion and the worship of God as the motivation for missions.
2. The Essential Task - by Ralph Winter. Talks about the real task of missions and the core definition. Viable, indigenous, church planting. Good framework for strategically thinking.
3. Missions, Music and Mobilization Music and mobilizing.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Missions Mobilizer Calendar - from Nate Wilson's home page, a missions mobilizer with The Caleb Project.
The Traveling Team - a college team that travels around to mobilize college students to think about missions. Great studies on the web site.
www.mission1.org mission1 - check out Operation Worldview, which includes studies that are summaries of the Perspectives class. good stuf.
Sunday, May 25, 2003
Dteam 03
May 30 Extravanganza Details
==========
DEPART:
From Grace.
Friday May 30
5pm.
(Grabau, Obrien, Taliano, Dickens, Bowen - your alternate
plans are fine but I'll need your perm form
before Friday)
YOU NEED:
(Don't come without these...)
- Bible
- Notebook/journal
- Multiple writing instruments
- Blue parental permission form (write me back
if you still need one)
- $20 cash
- sturdy shoes
NICE TO HAVE:
- sleeping bag
- change of clothes
- extra spending money
EVEN MORE LUXIRIOUS:
- tent
- pillow
- other camping stuff
- extra spending money
RETURN
To Grace
Saturday May 31
5pm
===========
May 30 Extravanganza Details
==========
DEPART:
From Grace.
Friday May 30
5pm.
(Grabau, Obrien, Taliano, Dickens, Bowen - your alternate
plans are fine but I'll need your perm form
before Friday)
YOU NEED:
(Don't come without these...)
- Bible
- Notebook/journal
- Multiple writing instruments
- Blue parental permission form (write me back
if you still need one)
- $20 cash
- sturdy shoes
NICE TO HAVE:
- sleeping bag
- change of clothes
- extra spending money
EVEN MORE LUXIRIOUS:
- tent
- pillow
- other camping stuff
- extra spending money
RETURN
To Grace
Saturday May 31
5pm
===========
Monday, May 19, 2003
Monday, February 17, 2003
some links to note:
is my neighborhood plowed yet?
http://snow2.co.ho.md.us/
tony blair's speech about war - look for the statistic about afghani girls now in school.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110003084
junior high pastor . com
http://www.juniorhighpastor.com/
an interview with george barna
lead lead lead
http://www.ginkworld.net/current_7q/archives_7q_2002/7_questions_04012002.htm
is my neighborhood plowed yet?
http://snow2.co.ho.md.us/
tony blair's speech about war - look for the statistic about afghani girls now in school.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110003084
junior high pastor . com
http://www.juniorhighpastor.com/
an interview with george barna
lead lead lead
http://www.ginkworld.net/current_7q/archives_7q_2002/7_questions_04012002.htm
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