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It is time to address this argument.  I’ve heard it SO much I have to respond.  My thinking is this. Christ says that we are the light of the world.  If the true church shines its light across the globe, does not the light that shines farthest shine brightest near? I would argue that if an American or other Westerner that calls him/herself a Christian and reaches across the globe to alleviate suffering, but doesn’t act on a known need next door, withholding compassion, when it is in his or her power to do good, then that person, no matter how much they do oversees, is not a light, as Jesus defines his followers.  In other words I doubt their claim to be a Christ follower.  So the argument that Christians do this, assumes that the light can shine far while not shining near, an impossibility.  I am not suggesting Christians need to do equal amounts of ministry in their “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth” but that IF they walk by an opportunity to do good like the lawyer or the priest in the story of the good samaritan, they are not a true follower of Christ. If God calls you to minister to the homeless in the US wonderful!! Do it with joy and know you are where you are supposed to be!  Let your light shine bright! And consider shining further as he enables and directs.  Putting boundaries on how far your light shines would be putting it under a bushel, no?

My favorite Christmas carol is officially now “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” by Charles Wesley.  The words (and music) were so powerful, almost overwhelming me this morning as I listened, really listened, in a way it is sometimes hard to do with a song that is so familiar.  It was so powerfully moving me that I said to myself, shake it off Patty, it is a song, not SCRIPTURE!  But as I meditated on the words it seemed like God must have inspired Mr. Wesley, carefully choosing each one, as surely he knew how enduring it would be.  Try to read this without singing it.  Makes it less ‘familiar.’

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th’ angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th’ incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

As I listened this morning I felt like all of heaven was saying ‘JOIN US!’  By the way, me second favorite hymn is “O Come Let Us Adore Him” for that very reason.  It invites others.  The more you witness God’s glory the more you want others to come adore, join the angelic hosts, proclaim him King!  My heart this morning was broken over those that have not heard.  Jesus prayed for our joy to be full and I think mine won’t be full until all have had an opportunity to see/know his glory!  Could that be what Jesus meant?  For my joy seems to always be mixed with a sorrow.

I am finishing up the book of Jeremiah and reading the parallel verses in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.  It occurred to me that the removal of Jews to Babylon was a land redistribution of sorts. Only the poor were left in the land.  A generation would pass before the return of Ezra and Nehemiah and anyone who could claim land rights.  This makes me think that some major property shifts took place.  Undoubtedly some laid claim to grandpas’ or dad’s land.  God spoke through Jeremiah to Zeddekah to set slaves free as required on the 7th year.  It was done and then retracted.  Indeed the 70 years we a sabbath or jubilee of sorts that was long overdue. BTW that oft used verse “I know the plans I have for you, to prosper you…” was for a people, his people, God was leading into captivity!!  He told them to bless the city…BABYLON!! Wow!  Ever hear a sermon on that?

I am also impressed how God sent all of the ‘learned’ ones to be ‘servants’ (teachers?) of Nebudchadnezzer and his sons.

This story surely is not only about Israel and maybe not even primarily about them.

Two things happened that I’ve feared.  (Not my greatest fears, mind you.)  I told a friend recently that I’ve had a recurring dream about loosing teeth.  She, an X-ray tech or the closest thing to a bone expert that I know, said these dreams are very common.  Phew!  I thought I was being vain!  Yesterday my front tooth broke off AND with the arrival of my statement I discovered my card was stolen and I was over $2000 in debt!

Funny thing is that I can’t really get too upset about these minor things.  (a benefit of being a news junkie)  I’m not in the Horn of Africa right now, I don’t own any stocks or investments and my kids are not rioting or looting in the UK! I am not fighting to overthrow a dictator or languishing in a shipping container!

Some people think that what they fear will come upon them.  That God makes this happen to grow us.  I don’t think scripture supports this.  I think he is much more gentle with us that most of us give him credit for.  This is a strange thought coming from one steeped in the prophetic books right now.  I suppose the greatest and most common fear we all have is God’s judgement.  I agree with the late Mike Yaconelli who wrote a unique Statement of Faith (scroll all the way down to read it.) I talking about the Father’s love he says “…He’s also about justice with a capital J, but we’ll take our chances that, in the end, justice will feel like love.”  “Severe Mercy” is not an oxymoron.

I can actually feel God loving me through the embarrassment of a goofy looking smile and in his “I told you so” (I thought my credit card was just misplaced)

Oh, how he loves us! Does he use the things we fear?  Most definitely YES!  Does he make these things come upon us?  Probably not. Maybe sometimes.  But he IS always a  gentle father!

What do YOU fear?  Hand it over to your Father.  He’ll be gentle with you.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

Last Tuesday I posted a scripture  from the book of Jeremiah on FB.  I did not know that the very day I posted it was the day Jews mourn the destruction of the temple.  So on Tisha B’Av I posted God’s word to the Jews through Jeremiah the prophet.

Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ -Jer 7:4

Now lest you think these words are about mourning the loss of the temple go and read the context.  God was SENDING a nation to destroy the temple.  He was saying to the Jews-don’t trust in the temple! Your time is up!

And today the 30 Day video was an excellent BBC video about the Dome of the Rock and the Temple Mount.  THEN someone forwarded to me an article from PMW that claims that Palestinians deny the Jewish temple ever existed. (I don’t think it is quite fair for PMW to make this claim of all Palestinians. Just as our leaders don’t speak for all of us, so the PA does not speak for all Palestinians.)

The temple is gone but the mount is still the focus of many pious people.  Even some Christians devote their lives to rebuilding it to bring the messiah back.

I did not set out to study the temple.  It just was part of my chronological reading that I noticed.  But it seems to be coming at me from all directions.  So I am thinking on these things.

Before you jump on the temple rebuilding bandwagon I hope you watch this.

Last week my cousin shared with me the name of an artist that brings her very close to a ‘religious’ experience.  This artist, Amidon, of Vermont, she says, does the ‘Broken Hallelujah’ song the BEST.  I’ve loved that song ever since I saw the movie Shrek.  (She’d never seen Shrek and I told her not to as it may ruin the song for her.)  I greatly respect this cousin so I looked for the Amidon version but could not find it. But I did download the Jeff Buckley version and found the lyrics. I didn’t know it was about King David!! The last verse is disappointing but so TRUE for many people. While surfing at Amazon I also found “A New Hallelujah” by Michael W. Smith.  What a refreshing song to follow the beautiful psalm-like song, Broken Hallelujah!  These two songs, listened to together, are so much like David’s psalms.  Very honest, despairing and yet hopeful!  My ‘broken hallelujah’ has been made new. Is your hallelujah broken? Watch the African Children’s Choir with MWS!  I hope you will join them in singing “A New Hallelujah!”

I am working on a list of stories that tell the biblical narrative as a unified message.  While this project is for children ages 6-13 it should be very useful for all ages.  Other than the careful choosing of which stories will be age appropriate, the teachings will not be different than for teens or adults. The chosen stories should…

• express God’s heart for all nations
• demonstrate God’s power as he uses it to glorify his name among all peoples
• fit into a grand narrative
• age appropriate for 6-13 yrs
• result in a good grasp of the history of Israel AND the surrounding nations

I am open to your suggestions.

It seems very embarrassing to be asking this question when I have spent two decades of my life as a mobilizer.  Have I changed or has the mandate changed or been rediscovered lately?  I am a little troubled (I recognize that to be made uncomfortable can be very good for me) by some of the ideas I’ve seen lately.   I am reading a book that I will write a review on soon but I am asking this question with all sincerity.  Right now here is what I feel pretty sure of..

• God has invited us, the church, his bride, to be part of his redemptive plan for the world
• This redemption can be seen in its completion in Revelation 7:9
• We are to do this by making disciples of all ethne
• We are to do this by proclamation and demonstration
• Jesus said he would return after the gospel is preached to all ethne
• His kingdom is here and also not yet
• God is not done with Israel and they will have a special place in unfolding future events (not necessarily the state of Israel)

What I am not so sure of are these ideas…

• God’s redemptive plan is to use us to transform societies, countries and nations
• things will get better if we have a ‘Christian’ form of government
• His kingdom will be ushered in by something we do (even ‘preaching the gospel to all ethne may only be a prerequisite and not a ‘trigger’ per se)
• If churches just get this ‘missional’ thing everthing would get better. (Note I said missional not missions)

I’d love your thoughts.  Do you believe we should be working hard at changing cultures, societies and nations or does this happen as a result of the gospel going forth into these places? Is God waiting for us to get it right?  Am I missing the mandate if I think God didn’t lay out a ‘template’ out for us?  Am I simply a pessimist?

In This Issue: 101 Ways to Reach Your Community

• BOOK: 101 Ways to Reach Your Community
• MANUAL: Vamos! Missionary Preparation in Spanish
• TRAINING: Communicate God’s Message through the Arts
• EVENTS: June Missions Events
• REVIEWS: And There’s More…

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please share it freely!

BOOK: 101 Ways to Reach Your Community

Source: NavPress

“While only a small percentage of us may picture ourselves as prototypical evangelist types, 100 percent of us have gifts of serving. How do I know that? The Spirit of the Servant dwells inside of us. As we encourage and unleash the gifts of serving present in each believer, and then aim those gifts toward the world, powerful forces for good begin to draw those we serve into a relationship with Christ.”

101 Ways to Reach Your Community, by Steve Sjogren. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2001. 112 pages.

Looking for ways to reach out and bring others along with you? Pastor Steve Sjogren’s 2001 book explains the rationale, addresses pitfalls and objections, and focuses on ideas that are timeless as well as practical and inspiring. 101 Ways to Reach Your Community presents simple, effective ways your church or small group can demonstrate the love of God to your community. The activities in this book can be used during outreach events, missions activities, and evangelism.

>> Purchase from NavPress for US$6.29. Download a free chapter from the website or visit the author’s Servant Evangelism site for lots of ideas and some great articles you could discuss with your small group or ministry team.

>> See also the related title, 101 Ways to Help People in Need.

MANUAL: Vamos! Missionary Preparation in Spanish

Source: SIM

In March 2012, the SIM Spanish Communication team in Lima, Peru, presented the new interactive missionary preparation manual in Spanish called Vamos! (Let’s Go). The 85 international leaders at the SIM Global Leaders Forum gave an overwhelming response.

A month earlier the new training manual was presented at the Latin American Mobilization Conference, and the response was beyond what was expected. Comments included: “Everything is in one place!” and “Some manuals have said that they are interactive, but this one really is!”

More than 350 pages, 23 chapters, and lots of outside resources (PowerPoints, videos, readings) are now available to Latino missionaries from any mission agency (or church).

The SIM Paraguay team plans to make 2,000 copies to help pastors mentor their missionary candidates. A mission agency in Costa Rica will use it in all of their missionary training. A Guatemalan pastor says this is exactly what he was praying for as he starts discipling a group of 40 young people interested in missions.

>> Sorry, no web store where you can buy this directly, but request more information or materials from SIM. To learn or share about it in Spanish, visit Missiones SIM.

TRAINING: Communicate God’s Message Through the Arts

Source: Global Christian Worship

Interested in the role of the arts in worship and ministry? A few months from now Wycliffe/SIL will offer four weeks of training in Oxford, England (August 20 to September 14).

The course content is similar to what is offered through the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (GIAL) in Dallas, Texas, and is being used by past students all over the world. The focus is learning how to encourage communities around the world to communicate God’s message through their own art forms. Build on any training or experience you may have had in music, dance, drama, storytelling, or visual arts.

>> Learn more or register. If you scramble, you can get to Dallas, Texas, for a taste of this sort of thing at GIAL’s one-week course, Arts for a Better Future (June 17 to 22).

EVENTS: June Missions Events

Source:  Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

June 04 to August 26 – CLASS: Encountering the World of Islam (online). Twelve-week course will help you discover God’s heart for Muslims.

June 08 to 15 – CLASS: Perspectives One-week Intensive (Valley Forge, PA, USA). Alternative to the regular semester class. Curriculum workshop (coordinator training) to be held following the class.

June 10 to 20 – RETREAT: Refresh (Grenoble, France). Provided by Heartstream Resources for Cross-cultural Workers.

June 12 to July 02 – CLASS: Perspectives Three-week Intensive (Pasadena, CA, USA). Alternative to the regular semester class.

June 15 to 17 – CONFERENCE: American Society of Missiology (Techny, IL, USA).

June 16 to 24 – RETREAT: Single Vision (Gibraltar). Renewal for single missionaries.

June 17 to 22 - CLASS: Arts for a Better Future (Dallas, TX, USA). Learn to use the arts to minister in various cultural contexts.

June 20 to 30 – RETREAT: Breathe (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Ten days designed to refresh and renew cross-cultural workers. Provided by Catalyst International.

>>  View the whole calendar.

Editor’s note: Readers might also be interested in the list of conferences and events curated by the Medical Mission Exchange.

QUICK REVIEWS: And There’s More…

Sources: various

We don’t have time and space to do justice to all the interesting resources we hear about, but here are some links you can follow if the titles catch your eye:

Christian Personal Finance has recently published three articles for donors (What Is a Charitable Remainder Trust?, What Is a Donor Advised Fund?, and Donating Retirement Assets) and another on How to Raise Support for Short-Term Missions.

William Carey Library has released new editions of two titles with proven effectiveness: Patrick Cate’s missions study guide Through God’s Eyes and Thomas Hale’s book On Being a Missionary.

R. T. Kendell has a new book out: Unashamed to Bear His Name: Embracing the Stigma of Being a Christian is written for Westerners struggling to come to terms with the stigma of being Christian in increasingly secular environments.

Teaching on the topic of social justice (especially for a younger audience)? Stephen Davies’ Introduction to Social Justice PowerPoint presentation is free to download. It includes biblical foundations, examples from history, and suggestions for video clips to complement the presentation.

Finally, Daniel Bays’ A New History of Christianity in China looks well worth the read.

Marti Smith is a writer, speaker, and project manager for the Church Partnerships Team at Pioneers. Since the mid-90s she has helped prepare cultural research teams to explore unreached communities and mobilize efforts to serve them.

Marti manages and publishes Missions Catalyst and is the author of Through Her Eyes, a book about the lives of missionary women in the Muslim world.

In This Issue: Gathering a harvest in Pakistan

•  PAKISTAN: Reaping the Harvest
• SAUDI ARABIA: Glimmers of Light
• HORN OF AFRICA: Lost Christians
• IRAN: Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s Letter from Prison
• INDONESIA: World Prayer Assembly Happening Now

Quotable

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

John 4:34-38

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!

PAKISTAN: Reaping the Harvest

Source: OM News and Information, May 11, 2012

In one Pakistani city, a revolution is taking place in the church. Three and a half years ago, a small OM Pakistan team settled down in the city, in answer to God’s call. The local church welcomed them, saying, “We are very glad you are back here, working again in the city doing outreach. We will do the praying; you do the outreach.”

Instead, the OM team coordinator visited the churches and offered a partnership: they would teach church members selected by the leaders about how to do outreach in the local community. Church members were invited to a weekly Bible class for three months, and 18 students came.

One particular volunteer came for three months to learn alongside the team and then returned home to his family. His short stint with the team seemed purposeless. A while later, though, when the team coordinator was visiting the [former] volunteer’s hometown, he was asked to visit him and his family. Although the coordinator was tired and short of time, he went.

The man, his parents, and his brother welcomed the coordinator. “We understand what our son has shared from everything you taught him, but something is missing. Can you share with us?” they asked.

The team coordinator used a bracelet of beads to share the truth of the gospel, and the brother asked if he could pray to confess his sin and accept Jesus into his life. The team coordinator took the [bracelet] off his arm and gave it to him. The brother rejoiced and thanked him: “Now I won’t forget,” he explained, and asked if they could go to his married brother’s house. At the end, everyone in the room said they wanted to give their lives to Jesus.

“What about our other brother?” asked the ex-volunteer. ”Can we go and visit him now?” Again they set off, the group getting bigger each time.

That night 13 people came to know Jesus.

>> Full story.

SAUDI ARABIA: Glimmers of Light

Source: Open Doors, May 10, 2012

In Saudi Arabia, where conversion to any religion other than Islam is a capital crime, the Internet is making an impact, leading to both conversions to Christ and increased persecution. Recently the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia demanded that former newspaper columnist and pro-democracy Saudi activist Hamza Kashgari be tried in Islamic court for three of his Twitter posts.

The lack of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia was underscored last month when the grand mufti declared the necessity of destroying all churches in the region. This fatwa, a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader, prompted a Filipino human rights watch group to advise migrant workers from the Philippines, many of whom are Christian, to exercise caution while conducting religious activities in their homes.

>> Full story.

>> Listen to a recent debate, Arabs Tell Governments to Protect Religious Minorities (Doha Debates). The moderator was unusually tough on both sides. Also read about the Malaysian Christian using social networking for electoral reform: Twitter, Texting, and Facebook Bring Malaysia’s Street Protests to Worldwide Audience (BeliefNet).

HORN OF AFRICA: Lost Christians

Source: Baptist Press, April 16, 2012

“Orthodox Christians are the Horn of Africa’s ‘hidden lost,’” said Aaron Shaw (pseudonym). “They appear to be Christian, and on maps that show a country’s religious makeup, this place is marked as a Christian region.”

The faith of their fathers was pure at the beginning, Shaw said. Christianity first came to the region nearly 2,000 years ago, just after the death of Christ.

For centuries, Christ was at the center – until outsiders wove a macabre legend into their religion, Shaw said. In the folk story, a man was approached by Satan in disguise and asked to sacrifice his son.

“Delighted to have been found worthy like Abraham, he did what they asked, cooked and prepared his son for them to eat,” Shaw said. “Satan and the men with him asked him to take the first bite of his own son, and when he did, Satan revealed himself.”

He eventually was sent to hell, Mary “tipped the scales in his favor with her mercy” and redeemed him to heaven.

Another Christ follower in the area said people’s spiritual need in the Horn of Africa is exponentially larger than any physical need they may have.

“This land has a deep spiritual famine,” he said. “People are hungering for the Word, but there are not enough people to take it to them.”

>> Full story. See also a story from another part of the Orthodox world, Russian Orthodox Church Leads National Day of Prayer amid Attacks (Christian Post).

IRAN: Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s Letter from Prison

Source: Jason DeMars, Present Truth Ministries, May 9, 2012

I have received a letter from brother Youcef Nadarkhani regarding his current condition, his thoughts about his persecution, and his response towards the burning of Qu’rans. I am very blessed by what he writes and am sincerely thankful for the testimony he is maintaining through the power of God. I am reminded of the Scripture, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you” (Colossians 4:18).

Letter from Prison

“Greetings from your servant and younger brother in Christ, Youcef Nadarkhani.

“To: All those who are concerned and worried about my current situation.

“First, I would like to inform all of my beloved brothers and sisters that I am in perfect health in the flesh and spirit. And I try to have a little different approach from others to these days, and consider it as the day of exam and trial of my faith. And in these days which are hard, in order to prove your loyalty and sincerity to God, I am trying to do the best in my power to stay right with what I have learned from God’s commandments.

“I need to remind my beloveds, though my trial due has been so long, and as in the flesh I wish these days to end, yet I have surrendered myself to God’s will.

“I am neither a political person nor do I know about political complicity, but I know that while there are many things in common between different cultures, there are also differences between these cultures around the world which can result in criticism, which most of the times response to [these] criticisms will be harsh and as a result will lengthen our problems.”

>> Keep reading. For a report of this story that includes more history and context, see Youcef Nadarkhani Pens Letter to Supporters, Expresses Perseverance, Faith in God (Christian Post).

INDONESIA: World Prayer Assembly Happening Now

Source: Joel News, May 2012

Christian leaders from across the globe gather at the World Prayer Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 14-18, 2012. This historic event is taking place as millions of Indonesians are connected in prayer for their nation. Thousands of prayer, mission, and marketplace leaders, along with on-fire youth and children, seek the Lord together for his strategies of “prayer-action” for the world.

On May 17 there will be a gathering in the national stadium in Jakarta with 100,000 others, including 20,000 children and 20,000 youth, with simultaneous gatherings in 300-400 cities of Indonesia, connected by live television. Tens of millions more will join in across the world by satellite TV and Internet streaming.

The full program is now available on the conference website.

>> Subscribe to Joel News.

Pat Noble has been the “news sleuth” for Missions Catalyst since 2004. In addition to churning out the news, she is working to create a SWARM (Serving World A Regional Mobilizers) in Northern New York using the NorthernChristian.org website. You can connect with her at www.whatsoeverthings.com.

In This Issue: Six keys to promoting global outreach

• FEATURE: Six Essential Keys to Promoting Global Outreach Events at Your Church
• SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: The Power of a (Nearly) Impossible Mission

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!

FEATURE: Six Essential Keys to Promoting Global Outreach Events at Your Church

By Shane Bennett

In the next five minutes you’re going to get an amazing crash course in how to promote a global awareness event at your church. For free. What a deal. I think this is going to help you because I know it works. I know it works because I saw it. I was a bit player in a Global Outreach Weekend in Ohio a few weeks ago. The event was held on Friday night and Saturday morning. And get this: 100 of the 400 people at the host church participated! Yeah … 25% buy-in for a two-day outreach training. I mean, we hope for 100%, but 25% is amazing.

Two people were key to that rate of participation. I’ll call them Mike and Mary because, well, because those are their names. Mike is the senior pastor and a really cool guy. His job was essential, but simple: flip the green light switch and do what Mary asked him to. (He and his wife also attended the entire seminar, which made me forever proud and grateful.)

Mary’s role was more extensive, but she was apparently more than up to the challenge. She agreed to let me share with you the basics of what she did that resulted in so many of her folks participating in this key weekend. Here you go:

1. Pray.

Now I know you’re saying, “Dang, I never would have thought of that.” I hear you, but get this: Mary says, “First, I prayed over the packet The Mission Society sent me [and asked] ‘Is this what God really wants me to do?’ With all doors opening, I moved forward.” I contrast this with my tendency to see a cool idea and go after God like a kid in Wal-Mart: “Please, oh, please, can I have it?!”

So the first promotional idea is asking God if the event should even happen. Mary added to that wisdom the recruitment of a prayer team, early on.

2. Start early.

Again, self-evident to you, but so hard for me. I want to do stuff now, because what if I got hit by a truck and was killed?

Mary set the date for the weekend eight months out. Go, Mary.

3. Develop a marketing plan.

Seriously? Yes, in December, ahead of an April event, Mary put together a plan both to get the word out and to get people signed up.

4. Talk a lot.

Unless you get Gabriel or the guy who did that cool Darth Vader VW commercial on your team, expect that you will need multiple opportunities to get your message across. Here’s the sad reality: most people don’t care about your event as much as you do. So when your brain says, “If people just know this is happening, they’ll totally do it,” it’s lying to you. It is, in its own crazy way, reassuring you that you’re into cool stuff. You are, but others are going to take some convincing.

Here’s what Mary did: In January and February she met with every small group and class in the church! Using a flier and a promo video, she talked about why they were planning this weekend, who it was for, and what would happen. Then she passed a clipboard and asked for commitments.

Her first meeting was with the men’s ministry; she called on them to lead their families into learning about the Great Commission. Bam!

At the end of February Mary sent out an all-church email, explaining the who, what, when, where, and why, and asking, “Have you signed up yet?” She also began to push the weekend on the church website. When I saw it, it was one of four rotating images on the main page.

In March the effort grew to include a Facebook page and promotion from the pulpit on Sunday mornings. Additionally, nice framed posters were hanging in the restrooms (prompting the question, “Is no place sacred?”) A 16-foot banner hung in the foyer.

5. Form teams.

Moses had Joshua and the craftsmen (a good name for a folk band, by the way). David had his mighty men. Mary here, she had her teams. In January Mary began putting together work groups to promote and keep things alive. There were teams for registration and for lunch and snacks, setup and tear-down crews, and office help. One special group was called the “talking it up” team and included the church’s staff and key leaders, equipped with all the information they needed in early January. They were asked to commit to both being at the event and to talking with people in their circles of influence.

6. Clear the calendar.

Finally, the church cleared the calendar ahead of the event. All else was “no.” They made the Global Outreach Weekend a top priority. The fact that the church did this indicates serious commitment. Without senior leadership buy-in, this would not have happened. (If you don’t have senior leadership buy-in, maybe slow down, grimace, and go back to number one.)

Bonus: watch your words.

Arguments from silence are risky, but consider this: as far as I can tell Mary promoted her event without using one of our favorite words (hint: It rhymes with fishin’). I have done the same in this article. Many of our pew-sitting pals have well-earned queasiness about the word or they hear it and simply, logically assume the information is addressed to someone else. If it is for them (and is going to be excellent), call it something, and promote it with words they can respond to.

>> Have some raging, great promo ideas of your own? We’d love to see them in the comment section for this article. Know of someone with an event they need to promote? Hit the forward button and let Mary teach them a thing or two.

SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: The Power of a (Nearly) Impossible Mission

Several buds and I are looking for people to raise up teams to go live among and love the lost in some of the most challenging places on the planet. These places are hot, maybe dangerous, and more than a few miles off the main tourist routes.

It seems to me that our mobilization efforts take something of a two-pronged approach. We start by highlighting the difficulty of the role, in hopes of sparking curiosity in the minds of high-capacity people and inspiring them to rise to the challenge. We talk about being the first, about being a pioneer. We may even imply that lesser people will probably not make the cut. Jesus seemed unafraid to use this approach, sometimes highlighting the difficulty of following him. One time he famously waved farewell to those who wouldn’t “eat my flesh and drink my blood.”

I also recognize the risk inherent in this approach: pride. And nothing incites the spiritual sharks like the smell of hubris in the water! So while we stress dependence on God as the antidote to self-confidence grown too large, we’re still looking for people with the faith and chutzpah to try something that hasn’t been done before.

This brings us to the second prong of this approach: because trying something truly new (if, in fact, we are) is terrifically difficult, we look for ways to connect here to there.

My agency’s Big Cheese recently shared with me a new metaphor he’s working on. “Shane,” he said, “what we’re doing is building a zip line, a way to fly over some of the rough and uneven terrain between here and there.” We’re doing that by placing a few sharp people in key cities. They serve as hosts, receiving pastors, potential team leaders, and others. They help them launch out from the main city to areas where (as far as we can tell) no one is living for the sake of the gospel.

So, on the one hand, we make it easy. Like Jesus saying, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” On the other hand, we point out the hardness. Follow me, but remember, “the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

>> How do you use these motivations or similar ones?

Shane Bennett has served in missions mobilization since 1987, much of his energy going to recruiting, training, and sending short-term teams. He’s been on research teams in Bangkok, Bombay, and Turkey. He coauthored Exploring the Land, a guide to researching unreached peoples, and has written numerous articles.

Shane now works as a public speaker for Frontiers and helps his church, Commonway, follow God to the nations. He and his wife, Ann, have five school-aged children. They live and work in Indiana.

In This Issue: Ministries all over the world bearing fruit

• MIDDLE EAST: Internet Evangelism Bears Fruit in Libya, Saudi Arabia
• INDIA: Women at the Heart of Apatani Church
• DENMARK: Making Disciples
• NIGER: Sowing Seeds of Change
• HIMALAYAS: A Commitment to Tibetans

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!

Quotable

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people – the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world – just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. (Colossians 1:3-6)

MIDDLE EAST: Internet Evangelism Bears Fruit in Libya, Saudi Arabia

Source: Arab World Media, January-March 2012

Excerpts from AWM’s quarterly report:

We received 223,907 visits to maarifa.org from Saudi Arabia this quarter; 45 percent of these were to our new mobile site. We interacted with 148 spiritual enquirers, and five people were passed on for face-to-face follow up. There were 825 downloads of the book What Do You Think of Jesus the Messiah?; 6,253 downloads of the Bible; and five enrollments in online Bible studies.

[In Saudi Arabia] we are roughly a third of the way to reaching our target for spiritual enquirers (450) and have exceeded our target for Bible downloads (1,000) by more than 5,000! We hope to see more spiritual enquirers in face-to-face follow-up later in the year.

We received 41,369 visits to maarifa.org from Libya this quarter. We interacted with 112 spiritual enquirers who filled in our “contact us” form, and there were many more informal discussions on our Facebook page. There were 248 downloads of the book What Do You Think of Jesus the Messiah?; 1,643 downloads of the Bible; and one enrollment in online Bible study.

[In Libya] we are over halfway to reaching our target for spiritual enquirers (200). We have also exceeded our Bible downloads target (100), this time by over 1,500. Libya is a challenge for face-to-face follow-up, so we expect this to take [more] time.

>> Full story.

>> See also and pray about this story: Grand Mufti Declaration and Reaction (Window International Network).

INDIA: Women at the Heart of Apatani Church

Source: United Bible Societies, April 20, 2012

The Apatani Church in northeast India may still be small but it is growing steadily, thanks in part to the dedication of women who are sharing their faith with their families and communities. And this year, with the imminent launch of the New Testament in their language, Apatani women are even keener to share the Bible message.

Around five percent of the 25,000 Apatani speakers, who live in the Ziro valley in the mountainous state of Arunachal Pradesh, are Christians – most of them first-generation believers.

It is usually women or girls who become Christians first and gently share their new faith with their families. Older women work alongside younger women in the churches. Together they collect funds, care for the needy, and organize literacy classes for the many women, especially the older generation who cannot read.

“We cannot wait for the New Testament to arrive so that all these women can read it!” says [one]. “I find my joy and courage from the Bible, and I love helping other women to do the same and to serve God.”

>> Full story with pictures.

DENMARK: Making Disciples

Source: Joel News International 815, April 24, 2012

Evangelist Torben Sondergaard reports that in the past two years in Denmark, 110 people have been baptized after being healed on the street, in shopping centers, and in workplaces.

“We know it’s not us, but Jesus who heals,” says Sondergaard. “It’s a good way for people to experience God.” He relates the story of two girls he met in McDonald’s. He asked them: “Would you like to really experience God? There’s only one condition: in the next 15 minutes you have do everything I tell you.” The girls agreed, he took them outside and asked passersby whether they were ill and open to receive prayer for healing. He told the girls: “Put your hand on this person and ask Jesus to heal them.” They hesitantly obeyed, but what a shock when Jesus healed, leaving the girls completely overwhelmed. They had experienced God hands-on. “In China 70 percent of the people come to Christ through a healing in the family,” says Sondergaard.

“When people want to follow Jesus, I get my iPhone and immediately ask them to become friends on Facebook so we continue the relationship,” says Sondergaard. “When I upload the movie I made of their healing, they can spread it easily to their friends.” Some of his movies have been watched over 10,000 times. He also forms simple church groups with the new believers, so they continue as a missions team.

>> Learn more about or subscribe to Joel News.

>> See Tina from Denmark, who has never prayed for people before, learn how to heal in Jesus’ name: Miracles in Denmark (YouTube); and Miracles in Sweden (even better in my opinion).

NIGER: Sowing Seeds of Change

Source: SIM, April 2012

Biodiversity and food security have been decreasing at an alarming rate in the Sahelian zone of Niger due to land clearing, soil erosion, and population pressure. This in turn leads to water loss, crop failure, and famine.

“Sowing Seeds of Change in the Sahel” conducts on-site research into sustainable agro-forestry farming systems appropriate to the region, and communicates the results through hands-on training and demonstration farms. It also provides training in nutrition, infant and maternal health, and hygiene to improve the overall well-being of the community. Trials have shown that income has increased two to three times over traditional farming methods.

A village survey on acacia food showed that this high-protein food supplement has been widely and enthusiastically accepted in the villages which the project serves. The food brings significant benefits such as increasing strength, helping staple foods to go further, and increasing the milk production of nursing mothers.

>> Full story with pictures.

HIMALAYAS: A Commitment to Tibetans

Source: Global Recordings Network, April 2012

Much work over the years has been carried out without much fanfare by friends of the ministry who, with a love for God, have quietly gone about making him known. Stephanie Vernon was a missionary who used gospel recordings as a key entrance to Tibetan hearts before she passed away at age 92.

Stephanie first went to India on a tourist visa with only US$100 in her purse. While there she felt that she needed to evangelize as many Tibetans as she could. And that is what she did for the next 20 years. Gospel recordings and Christian literature were her tools of evangelism. Moving from village to village and temple to temple, she brought the good news to countless Buddhist monks.

Stephanie was so careful with her funds that she often went without food in order to buy and transport Scripture portions and recordings. She could afford only one [porter]. So, rather than carry food, her literature and recordings were the most important part of her luggage.

Ask God to raise up more workers with a true commitment to do whatever it takes to get his Word to all peoples.

>> Full story with pictures.

>> See also this story of another Christian woman’s commitment to serve: Kidnapped Swiss Christian Freed amid Mali’s Unrest (Compass Direct).

Pat Noble has been the “news sleuth” for Missions Catalyst since 2004. In addition to churning out the news, she is working to create a SWARM (Serving World A Regional Mobilizers) in Northern New York using the NorthernChristian.org website. You can connect with her at www.whatsoeverthings.com.

In This Edition: Recognizing untapped potential

• ARTICLE: Untapped Potential
• VIDEO: The Fuel of Death-defying Missions
• BOOKS: Member Care Resources for Missionaries
• VIDEOS, ILLUSTRATIONS: Resources from GemStone
• EVENTS: May/June Missions Events

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please share it freely!

ARTICLE: Untapped Potential

Source: Catalyst Services

“The untapped potential sitting dormant in every church is power ready to be released for the Kingdom of God. Yet too many times it is wasted, often because it isn’t even recognized,” writes Ellen Livingood. The February issue of the Catalyst Services Postings can help you identify some of the hidden treasure God has invested in your people for global outreach. For example, during certain periods of life, people can more easily invest significant amounts of time in global ministry:

Gap year: More and more teenagers are investing a year in missions between high school and college (a certain level of maturity required).

Recent college graduates: While the recession has made finding a job difficult, young adults can invest time in overseas ministry, especially if their church will help with college loan payments.

Teachers: Sabbaticals may be harder to snag, but most teachers have several months during the summer that they could invest in missions.

Businesspeople: Today some of the highest-impact ministries are carried out by businessmen and women who can arrange their schedules to spend several weeks at a time, several times a year, in overseas ministry.

Retirees: Since “70 is the new 50” for many senior adults, their potential productivity during retirement years is huge. Opportunities abound!

>> Read the rest of the article.

>> See also an article from another source that asks, “Can a small church have a robust missions program?” (The Missions Moment).

VIDEO: The Fuel of Death-defying Missions

Source: Together for the Gospel

In 2006, four long-time friends began sponsoring a pastor’s conference called Together for the Gospel. David Platt’s presentation at the 2012 event hit the ball out of the park (as we Americans might say).

Find something you can preach or teach or show to others in the hour-long recording of Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-defying Missions. Rather read? See Pastor: Global Evangelism Tragically Neglected, or check out the transcript.

>> Readers, maybe you could let us know of any great sermons and other online sessions on topics like this one which you’d recommend.

BOOKS: Member Care Resources for Missionaries

Source: Missionary Care

The last time we featured the Missionary Care  website we told you they had six free books online, books to help missionaries understand reentry, parenting, and navigating the common struggles of cross-cultural living. Since then the list has doubled to a dozen. Most originated as series of brochures or articles; they tend to be simple, practical, timeless, and direct.

Here are 12 book-length resources you can download and/or share with others:

What Missionaries Ought to Know

Missionary Marriage Issues

Missionary Singles Issues

Psychology for Missionaries

Understanding Adolescence

Third Culture Kids and Adolescence: Cultural Creations

Raising Resilient MKs

Coming “Home”: The Reentry Transition

Before You Get “Home”: Preparing for Reentry

We’re Going Home: Reentry for Elementary School Children

I Don’t Want to Go Home: Parent’s Guide for Reentry for Elementary Children

Reentry after Short Term Missionary Service

>> This may be a good time to put in another plug for Member Care Media, which produces daily radio programs on these topics and more. Lots of encouragement and helpful suggestions for cross-cultural workers and the rest of us as well.

VIDEOS, ILLUSTRATIONS: Resources from GemStone

Source: GemStone Media

Our friends at GemStone Media (a ministry of Greater Europe Mission) have created some excellent (and free) media resources you might be able to use, too. The Voice tells the story of a Bulgarian believer who makes the choice to pursue and trust God completely. Reach the World illustrates the multiculturalism of Europe.

Need a good, simple evangelism tool? The Creation to Christ Story is a simple way that you can share a summary of the Bible’s basic message with people who have heard little or nothing about the gospel. One of GemStone’s graphic designers made a series of 20 original illustrations to help.

“Each image contains visual prompts that will help guide the teller throughout the story and also provide a way for the viewer to better remember and interact with what they are hearing.” You can download the illustrations in several formats to use them on your phone or tablet to share the gospel with friends and acquaintances in small group settings and one-on-one conversations. Good stuff.

>> Readers might also be interested in Ludmilla, one of the beautiful short films from Deidox. It’s about prayer and hospitality in the life of an elderly Czech woman. The latest from Deidox is Kimberly, an exploration of integrating faith and work. And if you’re interested in Bible storying tools and principles, see The 70%: Orality and the Mission of the Church (Lausanne).

EVENTS: May/June Missions Events

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

May 07 to 09 – CONFERENCE: Consortium on the Support of Indigenous Ministries (Phoenix, AZ, USA). A gathering for learning and networking focused on cross-cultural partnership.

May 09 to 11 – CONFERENCE: Hispanic Connection (Rockville, VA, USA). Connecting US agencies with the US Hispanic church.

May 14 to 18 – MEETING: World Prayer Assembly (Jakarta, Indonesia).

May 15 to 16 – CONFERENCE: Church. Agency. Now. (Kansas City, MO, USA). Avant Ministries event explores new ways churches and mission agencies can partner together to build the kingdom.

May 18 to 20 – RETREAT: The Journey Deepens (Philadelphia, PA, USA). Sense God is calling you into missions, but need help in discerning your direction? The Journey Deepens Retreat is a great next step.

May 20 – SEMINAR: Tentmaking Business as Mission (Portland, OR, USA). Free. Provided by Global Opportunities.

May 23 to 25 – CONFERENCE: Global Children’s Ministry Equip Conference (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Coordinated by Kidzana.

May 24 – WEBINAR: Ten Commandments to Counteract Dependency – A Peruvian Case Study. A learning initiative from Missio Nexus.

May 27 – EVENT: Global Day of Prayer (international).

May 30 to July 11 – CLASS: Kingdom Expansion 101 (online). Six-week intro-to-missions course provided by DualReach.

June 04 to August 26 – CLASS: Encountering the World of Islam (online). Twelve-week course will help you discover God’s heart for Muslims.

June 08 to 15 – CLASS: Perspectives One-week Intensive (Valley Forge, PA, USA). Alternative to the regular semester class. Curriculum workshop (coordinator training) to be held following the class.

June 10 to 20 – RETREAT: Refresh! (Grenoble, France). Provided by Heartstream Resources for Cross-cultural Workers.

June 12 to July 02 – CLASS: Perspectives Three-week Intensive (Pasadena, CA, USA). Alternative to the regular semester class.

June 15 to 17 – CONFERENCE: American Society of Missiology (Techny, IL, USA).

June 16 to 24 – RETREAT: Single Vision (Gibraltar). Renewal for single missionaries.

June 20 to 30 – RETREAT: Breathe (Wilderswil, Switzerland). Ten days designed to refresh and renew cross-cultural workers. Provided by Catalyst International.

>> View the whole calendar.

Marti Smith is a writer, speaker, and project manager for the Church Partnerships Team at Pioneers. Since the mid-90s she has helped prepare cultural research teams to explore unreached communities and mobilize efforts to serve them.

Marti manages and publishes Missions Catalyst and is the author of Through Her Eyes, a book about the lives of missionary women in the Muslim world..

In This Issue: Many ready, but yet to be reached

• CHINA: Millions Ready to Believe
• AFGHANISTAN: Parliament Members Embracing Christianity?
• WORLD: Day of Digital Outreach
• UGANDA: A Night in a Kraal
• EGYPT: Sending Out Missionaries

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!

CHINA: Millions Ready to Believe

Source: Baptist Press, April 11, 2012

“Carter Hubbs” [a Christian in China's western city of Chengdu], believes that God wants to use his interaction with people in Chengdu whose hearts he has opened.

In talking to a lady at a clothing store, Hubbs asked if she had ever seen a Bible or knew anything about Christianity.

“No, never seen a Bible, don’t know anything about Christianity. But I am open,” the woman said.

“And that just seems to be the case here right now. We are sitting on 16 million people [in the larger metropolitan area of Chengdu] and maybe 1 to 1.5 percent believe, so [there are] 12-15 million people that don’t believe,” Hubbs said.

Hubbs tells of one Chengdu resident, “Song Li,” who took a seat in the back room of a building where a training session for church leaders was underway.

The first thing she said to him: “Is it stupid for me to believe in this? Is it silly for me to even ask questions?”

He learned that Li was consumed with sadness and bitterness. She had been through trial after trial. Seeking solace, Li had tried other religions but nothing soothed her hurting soul.

“I am just empty,” she lamented. “Can Jesus help?”

In the next hour, Hubbs explained the loving nature of God and how Li could have peace with God despite the turbulent circumstances of her life through a relationship with him bought by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

“What do I do now?” Li wanted to know. “I’m ready for this.”

The Hubbses rejoice over Li’s salvation but know that many more are yet to be reached in the city of millions.

>> Full story with pictures. With more than half of the world’s population now living in cities, Baptist Press is taking a multi-part look at a number of the world’s major metropolises such as Chengdu.

AFGHANISTAN: Parliament Members Embracing Christianity?

Source: ASSIST News, April 1, 2012

Mohabat News said, “Informed Afghan authorities acknowledge that Christianity has obtained a special place not only among youth, but also among various layers in society. (In addition) house churches are growing tremendously.”

An independent Shi’ite website in Iran has quoted a knowledgeable Afghan official as saying, “There is evidence of widespread Christian propaganda in Afghanistan, and the existence of more than ten churches that operate secretly in residential houses have been proven.”

New reports indicate that the Christian faith is spreading among Afghanistan’s movers and shakers. Some members of the country’s parliament have embraced Christianity.

Mohabat News said, “Farsi News Service of AghanTelex, also published a report on the conversion of some members of the Afghani Parliament to Christianity and wrote, ‘Evangelism and Christian propaganda is taking place in the country at a high level, but this is the first time that those who call themselves representatives of the Afghani people not only have become ‘apostates,’ but have joined Christian ministries to evangelize. This time they want to present their Christian services to Muslim people through parliament.’”

>> Full story.

>> See also: Don’t Underestimate the Supernatural Power of Conversion (Charisma Magazine).

WORLD: Day of Digital Outreach

Source: Internet Evangelism Day, April 2012

“An incredible new technology enables the transmission of text on a worldwide basis. It rapidly reduces production and distribution costs and for the first time allows large numbers of people to access text and pictures in their own homes.”

What is this referring to? You’ve guessed it. The invention of the printing press by Gutenberg! It transformed education, communication, and evangelism. It has shaped the world culture we know today.

The computer revolution and the Internet are also changing the way we communicate forever. This will impact Christian evangelism and discipleship in ways which are only just beginning. Just as the Roman road system in New Testament times enabled the rapid spread of the gospel, so also the Internet is becoming an effective worldwide channel for evangelism.

The sad thing is relatively few Christian groups are using the Web for real evangelism. There are perhaps 60,000+ English-language Christian websites, but the overwhelming majority are targeted entirely at Christians. There are over 150,000 church websites, but again, most are written largely for their own members.

>> Full story with lots of resources. April is “Digital Outreach Month” leading up to April 29, Internet Evangelism Day. Watch for some giveaways on that day.

>> See also Iraq Emerges from Isolation as Telecommunications Hub (New York Times).

UGANDA: A Night in a Kraal

Source: Pioneers, April 2012

With the Milky Way painted across the night sky, a couple of elders gathered around our fire to sit and talk with us. They questioned us, why would rich mezungus (white people) choose to spend the night with them in the cattle kraal? My teammate was able to share our love for them and the love that we have for the Word of God.

As we sat there surrounded by thousands of head of cattle, unknown numbers of men and boys, and even more flies, Tom began to share the story of David and Goliath. This is a story that I have heard many times before, but on this night, the image of David as a shepherd boy took on a whole new meaning. As the Philistines taunted the Israelites, I could imagine the Karamojong warriors facing one another in tribal raids.

The elders were also making cultural connections and often interrupted the story to identify with David as a shepherd boy who bravely cared for his sheep. At the end of the story, the elders declared that what was spoken was true and right. They asked us to come and share more stories with all of the people, rather than just the few elders that were gathered around the fire.

>> Full story. For more stories like this, consider signing up for Pioneers’ free, monthly BottomLine Update.

EGYPT: Sending Out Missionaries

Source: ASSIST News, April 12, 2012

“This is one of the most exciting opportunities I’ve seen in 49 years of missionary ministry,” says Dr. Howard Folz, the founder of AIMS. “Please join with me in releasing a powerful flow of missionaries to the Middle East and North Africa.”

The first thought that comes to many people when they consider the Middle East is warfare and terrorism. However, Dr. Folz wants believers to consider a different vision. “Please remember, Paul was also a terrorist against Christians, and yet he became the greatest missionary the world has ever seen. Can we believe God for miracles like this in the Middle East and North Africa? Even Jihadists coming to Jesus!” he suggests.

“On my first trip to Egypt, our partner Mustafa (a pseudonym) gave me a completely new view of the Middle East and North Africa. He said, ‘Howard, we have a huge reservoir of Egyptian missionaries just waiting to be sent out to this part of the world.’

“‘We are in a special ‘window of opportunity,’ Mustafa continued, ‘to gather together 600 plus pastors and leaders. Our goal is to send out hundreds of missionaries from Egyptian churches. Fifty-six missionaries have already been sent, and miracles, signs, and wonders are happening for God’s glory,’ Mustafa says.”

>> Full story.

>> Editor’s note: This story is consistent with the principles and anecdotes reported in the recent book Miraculous Movements. Evidently many Muslim leaders and radicalized Muslims are finding new life in Jesus! See our April 28 review.

Pat Noble has been the “news sleuth” for Missions Catalyst since 2004. In addition to churning out the news, she is working to create a SWARM (Serving World A Regional Mobilizers) in Northern New York using the NorthernChristian.org website. You can connect with her at www.whatsoeverthings.com.

In This Issue: Being honest when you don’t succeed

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!

Succeed by Being Honest When You Don’t Succeed: The Humbling, Scary, Liberating Power of Admitting Failure

By Shane Bennett

Introduction

I hung up the phone this morning and swore under my breath (just a Christiany “near swear”). The Athens trip was officially cancelled. Dang. I’d had high hopes about a small group of people learning about and loving the growing community of Afghan refugees in Athens this summer. I’d envisioned us hearing stories of hope and heartache, and spending hours trading thoughts on the lasting hope that Jesus promises. But it’s not going to happen.

Trouble is, I failed to find the people to go. That’s about it in a nutshell. It pains me to say it. I suppose part of me says it so some of you will say, “Oh, come now, it wasn’t your fault.” But it was, at least enough for me to say, “I failed.”

Truth be told, I’m not a total stranger to failure. In my notes for this article I have a dandy list of examples. Some would take too long to tell, some are too embarrassing, and some would simply bore you. I’m not proud of them. And I don’t talk about them often. I feel safer if I keep them to myself.

Admitting Failure

But lately I’ve been thinking a lot about failure, and not just my own. This was sparked by my recent preparation for some Perspectives classes. I was learning about community development and came across a video by a young Canadian engineer. Watching it would be a very good investment of 13 minutes of your life. He tells how his failure in India helped lead his organization to a much more open stance regarding their failures. They began to publish an annual report on them. Then, realizing no one reads annual reports, they developed a website. Admitting Failure is absolutely brilliant! It’s a growing depository of stories of relief and development efforts gone wrong. Anyone heading into that field would be a fool to not thoroughly digest the entire site.

Why We Hide

It’s easy to read about the failures of others, but why is it so hard for me (and maybe you) to admit my own? Last week in the car I asked Ann and the kids, “Why do you think it’s hard to admit failure?” Their answers were the same that you’d likely give: We’re proud. It hurts. People will define us by our failures. Admitting our failures will expose the falseness of the image we project. Ouch. It hurts. But it’s not rocket science.

Recognizing and confessing failure in our mobilization efforts is further hindered by the muddy complexity of what we do. Cause and effect in mobilization don’t always tightly correlate. What looks like your failure may simply come from the reality that those you hope to mobilize have not been able to escape the gravity of their own safe and normal world. On the other hand, over the years you may have forgotten the taste of that fear and really did fail to address it.

What about this diagnosis: “It wasn’t the Lord’s will for this project to succeed.” Sometimes true. Sometimes the lamest excuse of the year. One good thing about being an atheist is that that arrow’s not in your quiver!

What It Costs Us

It feels safer to hide our foul-ups, but really it’s much more dangerous. Think of what we give up by failing to share our failures.

1. The Chance to Learn from Failure

First, we diminish the chances that we’ll learn personally from the failure. And we’ll almost certainly prevent others from learning from it. Now you might intuit the inherent risk that goes with taking two pastors to four cities, in four countries, highlighting three major religions and eight major people-group clusters, all in nine days, even if I didn’t tell you how I made that mistake one time. But not everyone’s as smart as you! For me to admit that failure just might spark smarter thinking in others.

2. The Opportunity to Live without Pretense

Further, by hiding our failure we surrender an important opportunity to be real with each other. Some of my favorite people are those who say without pretense, “I’m a screw-up, from a race of screw-ups. But I know the one who’s making all things new and he likes me.” There is life in the twin discoveries that (1) we all fail, and (2) quality people – the really good ones – know this. They will stay with us even when we fail.

3. The Favor of God

Finally, owning our failure, not hiding it or diminishing it, puts us on the right side of a very important equation: “God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” Solomon, Peter, and James all stress this dynamic. I don’t want God opposing me, so I’m opting for the scenic drive down Humble Avenue.

Out of the Dust

Added to our humility, we have this great good news: God causes all things to work together for the good. God masterfully works through our failures, redeeming them and knitting them into his grand design for the redemption of all things.

I’ve seen this work out in real life: I once spent three months with a research team in India. We failed our way through a convoluted series of bad choices, faulty decisions, messy relationships, hubris, sickness, despair, procrastination, and pride, finally pulling together a few dozen pages of information on Muslims in Mumbai. A Muslim who loves Jesus took the information, put it into action, and subsequently started a series of churches across northern India. God indeed makes beautiful things out of the dust.

If it’s not sacrilege to add to William Carey’s great aphorism, I would make it say this: “Expect great things of God. Attempt great things for God. Fail miserably. Admit your failure, learn from it, and try again.”

How about Admitting Missions Mistakes?

If you’re game to admit some failure in your efforts to mobilize, or really in any mission effort, how about this: let’s put together a page of failures on Facebook. It will be a collection of mobilization missteps, Great Commission goof-ups, and evangi-blunders! You get the point. We’ll call it Admitting Missions Mistakes. Go here and tell your story. We’ll all be healed and helped. God will be honored and he’ll lift you up.

Shane Bennett has served in missions mobilization since 1987, much of his energy going to recruiting, training, and sending short-term teams. He’s been on research teams in Bangkok, Bombay, and Turkey. He coauthored Exploring the Land, a guide to researching unreached peoples, and has written numerous articles.

Shane now works as a public speaker for Frontiers and helps his church, Commonway, follow God to the nations. He and his wife, Ann, have five school-aged children. They live and work in Indiana.

In This Issue: Living and telling the story of his suffering

• MALI: Military Coup, “It’s Personal”
• NORTH KOREA: Global Day of Prayer
• YEMEN: Youth on Slain American, “We Love You, Joel”
• BURMA: Army Ransacks Church

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!

Greetings!

I was carefully watching for a story that had an Easter or Lenten theme to give you this week. In thinking about the suffering of Christ it dawned on me that the stories of our brothers and sisters in North Korea, Yemen, and Burma are “passion” stories. They “participate in the sufferings of Christ.” As you meditate on the suffering of Christ this passion week, please remember them.

Thanks to blogger Ann Smith for pointing me to the beautiful Lutheran hymn (YouTube) by Thomas Kelly (see sidebar).

See The Story of Jesus for free print and audio downloads you might be able to use. I plan to send a link to this one out on Sunday with some Easter e-cards!

Speaking of stories, you may remember our previous mention of a collection of Bible stories told Malian style. I’ve downloaded the 16 pictures and made them a slide show on my computer as a reminder to pray for Mali at this critical time.

Telling the story … He lives!

Pat Noble

Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
See him dying on the tree!
‘Tis the Christ by man rejected;
Yes, my soul, ’tis he, ’tis he.
‘Tis the long-expected Prophet,
David’s Son, yet David’s Lord;
By his Son God now has spoken:
‘Tis the true and faithful Word.

>> Read all four verses.

MALI: Military Coup, “It’s Personal”

Source: Baptist Press, March 27, 2012

I sat stunned for what felt like hours when I read the first email from Bamako, the capital of Mali, from one of our Southern Baptist friends. Something I had known might happen – but prayed wouldn’t – had indeed occurred. In that frozen moment of time the morning of March 22, hundreds of memories raced through my head: the people I had encountered, the places I had been, the smells, the sounds – hundreds of memories.

When I was in Mali in February, I told the believers in our village the day may come when we could not get to them. Either the economy, or more likely political unrest in their country, may prevent us from being able to get to their village. I challenged them to continue to assume responsibility for sharing the Word of God with their family, other villagers, and neighboring villages. Now I sat wondering, “Was that my last trip?”

>> Full story.

>> Also read Is There a Solution to Tuareg Insurgency? (Institute for Security Studies), and take a look at this interactive map of the Sahel region (Sydney Morning Herald).

NORTH KOREA: Global Day of Prayer

Source: Open Doors, March 2012

The “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-Il promised his citizens that North Korea will be a strong and prosperous nation in 2012, right on time for the 100th anniversary of the [birth of] “Eternal President” Kim Il-Sung. Kim Jong-Il passed away before he could live up to his promises. His son, Kim Jong-Un, inherited a country where between two and three million people have died of hunger and that still holds hundreds of thousands prisoner in infamous labor camps, including scores of [known] Christians.

Because of this, Open Doors calls on Christians worldwide to participate in a global day of prayer and fasting on Kim Il-Sung’s birthday, April 15, 2012.

>>  Full story and resources.

>> Also watch reporter Euna Lee’s moving testimony about her imprisonment (Q), and another missionary and former prisoner Robert Park’s North Korea: The World’s Principle Violator of the Responsibility to Protect (Carnegie Council).

YEMEN: Youth on Slain American, “We Love You, Joel”

Source: CBN News, March 25, 2012

Protestors and young students in Yemen are demanding justice for Joel Shrum, the American English teacher executed by terrorists this week in the city of Taiz. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the killing, accusing Shrum of trying to convert Muslims.

Meanwhile, the people Shrum devoted his life to are demanding the murderers be caught and tried. Hundreds of young protesters marched in honor of their teacher this week, holding posters that read, “We Love You, Joel.”

The young Yemenis said Shrum was gunned down in his car for no good reason. He had worked in the Islamic nation for the past two years, teaching poor people English and vocational skills.

“Mr. Joel came all the way from the United States of America, having nothing but good intentions to help and teach the people of Taiz. And I believe he did nothing to be killed for,” one young student said in a video of the protest posted on YouTube.

>> Full story.

>> Also read Slain American Teacher Honored in Yemen (CBS News), and watch Shem, Sanaa and Jesus (PTAP). Pray for the local prophecy about Jesus to come true!

BURMA: Army Ransacks Church

Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide, March 26, 2012

On March 13 the Burma Army ransacked [a] Baptist church. According to Reverend Jangmaw Gam Maw, pastor of Pang Mu Church, soldiers from the 33rd battalion of the Burma Army’s 88th Infantry Division burned Bibles, destroyed church property, and stole a video player, loudspeakers, and villagers’ belongings. The soldiers claimed that the property belonged to a Kachin Independence Army outpost. They also took money from the church donation boxes.

The pastor and over 1,000 church members from Pang Mu village had abandoned the village for Mai Ja Yang IDP camp on November 19, 2011.

On March 10, Burma Army soldiers disrupted a Christian conference and threatened a Member of Parliament (MP) at gunpoint in western Burma’s Chin State, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO).

More than 1,000 delegates from 80 local branches of the Mara (Chin) Evangelical Church at Sabawngte village, in a remote area of Matupi township, southern Chin State, had gathered for the conference, which had official permission. CHRO reports that several Burma Army soldiers disrupted the meeting and rebuked the village headman for not reporting the event to the army camp. When Pu Van Cin, an MP from the Ethnic National Development Party, saw the soldiers confronting the village headman and tried to intervene, he was threatened at gunpoint.

>> Full story.

Pat Noble has been the “news sleuth” for Missions Catalyst since 2004. In addition to churning out the news, she is working to create a SWARM (Serving World A Regional Mobilizers) in Northern New York using the NorthernChristian.org website. You can connect with her at www.whatsoeverthings.com.

In This Issue: Miraculous movements, language learning tools, and more

• BOOK: Miraculous Movements
• ARTICLE: Status of Global Mission
• BOOKLET: Bible Story Coloring Book
• WEBSITE: Everyday Language Learner
• EVENTS: April Missions Events

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!

Quotable

“She was an ordinary village woman; she was in a newly planted church. She started teaching them the stories, especially the women, with songs, and the most important thing she taught them to do was to obey the truth.”

Jerry Trousdale, Miraculous Movements

BOOK: Miraculous Movements

Source: Thomas Nelson

Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims Are Falling in Love with Jesus, by Jerry Trousdale. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012. 208 pages.

Miraculous Movements recounts an amazing change taking place within Muslim communities where the truth of Jesus Christ is turning around the lives of many thousands of Muslims from more than 20 people groups. Discover through the sometimes humorous, often sobering, but always enlightening and encouraging true stories how imams, sheiks, and entire mosques are forsaking Islam and embracing Christ.

This close look at what the Lord is doing to spread the gospel highlights the key scriptural principles that help Christians reach out in love to share the gospel in their own community. The author outlines the principle of service to others that opens doors of opportunity to the work of the gospel.

Author Jerry Trousdale works with CityTeam International, an organization dedicated to helping disciples make disciples through CityTeam’s own ministry and through training other ministries in more than 30 countries.

>> Purchase the book for $US9.99 from Amazon (US$7.99 for the Kindle edition). Learn more at Miraculous Movements. See also a mission leader’s review (Ted Esler) and an interview with the author, Missions Leader on Thousands of New Church Plants in Muslim Areas (The Christian Post).

>> Editor’s note: I recently finished another (older) book that illustrates some of the same disciple-making principles but primarily in an American context. See Felicity Dale’s An Army of Ordinary People.

ARTICLE: Status of Global Mission

Source: Justin Long, January 31, 2012

The 2012 issue of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research is out, and it features the latest Status of Global Mission page. IBMR is free to download.

“Among the many other bits that are shown on this page year after year is the addition of data for AD 1800, thus giving us a 225-year window onto the progress of the missionary task, and the most current estimate of the global total of unevangelized individuals: 2,066,504,000. This number is still rising right now, at a rate of about 1.01% per year. The remaining task is getting larger. More workers are needed! By 2025, it is estimated that the total of unevangelized individuals will top 2,261,675,000-in other words, between now and then, we will have added another 200 million unevangelized souls – roughly the equivalent of the total population of Brazil.”

BOOKLET: Bible Story Coloring Book

Source: OSCAR

Editor’s note: Readers, what do you think of this? A tip of the hat to OSCAR, the UK information service for world mission. Editor Mike Frith writes:

“We like to feature simple resources that can be used by missionaries in cross-cultural situations. One such resource used by a number of missionaries working with children, is the Colour Bible. It’s a simple printed resource which consists of 10 stories from the Old Testament and 10 from the New Testament, each with text in simple English and a picture to colour in. The Messianic promise develops as you progress through the stories. It’s the gospel in a nutshell, simple but effective.

“There is no copyright on the Colour Bible, so you can print as many copies as you like or use it as part of your own outreach material. A Spanish version is also available and a version in the Swahili language is in preparation.

>> Download the Colour Bible.

>> See also: new downloadable lesson plans to help you teach kids about the world from Stand4Kids.

WEBSITE: Everyday Language Learner

Source: Everyday Language Learner

Want to have more fun learning language? Poke around the Everyday Language Learner site. The page on language learning activities has some great ideas to get you started or keep you going, whether you are studying on your own, working with a language helper one-on-one, or learning as part of a group. See Ten Essential Tools for Everyday Language Learners. EDLL’s latest tool is a free email series called the Ten-week Journey. Check it out.

>> Editor’s note: If language learning is going to be your full-time or part-time job for a while, especially if you won’t have close supervision to keep you going, consider additional training in language acquisition. Programs like MTI’s PILAT course are pricy but priceless.

EVENTS: April Missions Events

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

Looks like a busy month for mission events. Here’s our listing. Let me know if I’ve missed something that ought to be included so we can put it on the calendar. Thanks!

April 2 to June 24: CLASS: Encountering the World of Islam. Online classes are offered regularly; twelve weeks long.

April 4 to May 9 – CLASS: Leading Change & Managing Transitions. A web workshop from Missio Nexus (six sessions).

April 5 – WEBINAR: Cultivating a Missions Culture in the Local Church: Inculcating Values that Bring Missions to Life. A learning initiative from Missio Nexus.

April 9 to 17 – CLASS: Perspectives Intensive (Minneapolis, MN, USA). One-week alternative to the regular semester class; designed for pastors and business leaders.

April 11 to 12 – CLASS: Personal Support Raising Boot Camp (Milwaukee, WI, USA). Provided by The BodyBuilders.

April 12 to 14 – CONFERENCE: MissionFest Toronto (Toronto, ON, Canada). Free, annual, community-based missions conference in the Missions Fest tradition. Largest missions gathering in this part of Canada.

April 16 to 19 – CONGRESS: Call2All Western Europe Congress (Amsterdam, Netherlands). Bringing together Christian leaders to focus and strategize together on completing the Great Commission in our lifetime.

April 19 – WEBINAR: Above Reproach: Sins that Ministries Tolerate and What to Do about It. A learning initiative from Missio Nexus.

April 19 to 21 – CONFERENCE: Ethnic Ministries Summit (Spartanburg, SC, USA). A coalition of ministries encouraging local churches to share Christ’s love with the growing ethnic diversity in our communities. Sponsored by the Ethnic America Network.

April 20 to 21 - CONFERENCE: Mission ConneXion Alaska (Fairbanks, AK, USA). Free, community-wide mission conference formerly known as Mission Fest Alaska.

April 20 to 22 – CONFERENCE: Hindu Ministry Consultation (Chicago, IL, USA). Promoting the birth and development of Christ-centered movements in Hindu cultures and communities. Sponsored by the Rethinking Forum.

April 20 to 22 – RETREAT: The Journey Deepens (Portland, OR USA). Sense God is calling you into missions, but need help in discerning your direction? The Journey Deepens Retreat is a great next step.

April 23 to 27 – CONFERENCE: Global Member Care Conference (Chiang Mai, Thailand). The Global Member Care Network provides a platform to hear global voices about member care in a borderless world, which is characterized by increasing hostilities and schisms.

April 27 to May 1 – CLASS: GO Equipped TENTmaking Course (Bergen, Norway). Provided by Global Opportunities.

April 29 – EVENT: Internet Evangelism Day (global). Website also provides resources you can use year-round.

>> View the whole calendar.

Marti Smith is a writer, speaker, and project manager for the Church Partnerships Team at Pioneers. Since the mid-90s she has helped prepare cultural research teams to explore unreached communities and mobilize efforts to serve them.

Marti manages and publishes Missions Catalyst and is the author of Through Her Eyes, a book about the lives of missionary women in the Muslim world.

In This Issue: Overcoming fear to build relationships

• USA: Evangelicals and Muslims
• SOUTH SUDAN: 2,200 New Refugees
• UGANDA: Child Sacrifice
• LAOS: Officials Confiscate Church
• ISRAEL: Hate Crimes against Christians

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!

Mosque in Boston, MA. Source (Wikimedia Commons)

USA: Evangelicals and Muslims

Source: The Christian Post, March 12, 2012

How should evangelicals view Muslim growth in the U.S.? Is it the harbinger of more conflict in an increasingly polarized American experience, or is it the dawn of a new age of evangelism and witnessing for Jesus Christ?

[The Christian Post will publish] a multipart series titled “Evangelicals and Muslims: Oil and Water or Fertile Ministry?” The series intends to cover the major aspects of evangelical life with a growing Muslim community, including efforts by some of the larger churches in the U.S. to build bridges to the community, the fears that some Christians have with Muslim law and Islamic radicals, and the theological underpinnings of the biblical tension between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael.

>> Full story. See part one, Few Churches Overcome Fear to Build Relationships.

>> Readers might also be interested in the new website from COMMA (Coalition of Ministries to Muslims in [North] America), as well as a quiz from the Christian Science Monitor, Sunni and Shiite Islam: Do You Know the Difference?

SOUTH SUDAN: 2,200 New Refugees

Source: Mission Network News, March 7, 2012

As clashes have heated up over the border between South Sudan and its ex-wife Sudan, the number of refugees from the disputed region has increased daily.

Gill Reitsma with Africa Inland Mission confirms that the influx of refugees in recent days has been large. She says Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir has been increasing military forces to the area, going as far as bombing refugee-ridden regions.

“He has definitely stated that he wants to cleanse this area. So there’s been a huge buildup of military,” says Reitsma. “The Nuba people have largely fled. Half of them have either been killed or displaced, or have gone into a refugee camp over the border or in Bentiu.”

The Nuba make up the majority of those living in the disputed border area. For their sake, says Reitsma, “I’m just praying that the rains come early – they come in April – and that will stop any military offensive.”

>> Full story.

>> You may have heard about George Clooney’s recent trip to the Sudan and his arrest at the embassy in Washington. But have you heard about “The Man Who Stayed”? Watch this nine-minute video about a former Samaritan’s Purse worker. Better yet, follow him on Twitter!

UGANDA: Child Sacrifice

Source: Pat Noble

A BBC story picked up by our friends who compose OM’s NewsBytes reports that school children in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, are being closely guarded and their families and communities warned about the danger that they will be abducted by witch doctors for use in child sacrifices. Yikes! As the NewsByte states,

“‘Child sacrifice has risen because people have become lovers of money…’ explains Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries Church. ‘They have a belief that when you sacrifice a child you get wealth, and there are people who are willing to buy these children for a price.’”

On a related note, Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 campaign sure has people talking. See On Kony and Viruses or “How Should We Respond to Bad Guys?” (Reaching Africa’s Unreached), Why Joseph Kony Is Trending (Christianity Today), and Blind to Reality: Invisible Children and the LRA (Carnegie Council).

I started to wonder about media and methods myself when the movie Machine Gun Preacher came out. What is going on? After reading up on this issue, be sure to also check out the new network Helping without Hurting (thanks Brigada for the heads-up!).

LAOS: Official Confiscate Church

Source: Christian Aid Mission, February 24, 2012

The following information from Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF) was sent by a Christian Aid-assisted indigenous ministry impacted by current developments in Laos:

“On February 21-22, 2012, a group of 4-5 Saybuli district officials traveled to Kengweng village and conducted a seminar entitled ‘Tricks of the Enemy.’ Officials and villagers of Kengweng were asked to join the seminar. At the end of the seminar, on February 22 at around 4:00 p.m., district officials summarized the teaching sessions and ordered the confiscation of the Kengweng church building and prohibited Christians from using it, which went into effect immediately. The confiscation of Kengweng Church took place in less than two months after officials confiscated Nadaeng Church in the same district.”

>> Full story.

>> More reports from HRWLRF.

ISRAEL: Hate Crimes against Christians

Source: The Christian Post, March 19, 2012

The Roman Catholic Church has made a formal request for Israeli president Shimon Peres to get involved and help put a stop to the vandalism of Christian places of worship that has been taking place in Israel over the past several weeks.

Nearly a week ago, a Baptist church in the center of Jerusalem was vandalized. Israel Today reports that graffiti reading “Death to Christianity,” “Jesus was a son of a whore,” and “We will crucify you,” was spray-painted on the outside of the church. Cars parked nearby had their tires slashed. Also spray-painted on the church were the words “Price Tag,” which refers to a radical group that has been attacking churches and mosques in recent weeks. Similar graffiti was seen on the walls of a Greek Orthodox church within the city.

Price Tag is the name of a group of militant Jewish extremists who are mostly known for committing violence toward Israeli and Palestinian peace activists. The New York Times describes Price Tag as a group that wishes to “exact a price from local Palestinians or from the Israeli security forces for any action taken against their settlement enterprise.”

>> Full story.

>> Readers might also be interested in videos and reports from a conference held earlier this month entitled Christ at the Checkpoint: Hope in the Midst of Conflict (Bethlehem Bible College).

Pat Noble has been the “news sleuth” for Missions Catalyst since 2004. In addition to churning out the news, she is working to create a SWARM (Serving World A Regional Mobilizers) in Northern New York using the NorthernChristian.org website. You can connect with her at www.whatsoeverthings.com.