19951119 Brigada Today

Now with over 1440 Participants!
News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
[Pass this issue to a friend! To subscribe, see instructions at end.]

In this issue….

“DAG” TO THE DOCTOR! CROSSCONNECT EXPLAINS HUB DIFFICULTIES

This past week, CrossConnect leadership sent out apologies for the recent and tremendous slow-downs in email traffic across their key hub, affectionately known among CrossConnect insiders as “DAG”. Why did the slowdown occur? According to the announcement, delivered to all paid CrossConnect subscribers (those with XC.org addresses), “In essence the sheer volume of email (sending out 30000 messages per day or more), and especially conferencing email, on our hub, led to the machine slowing down almost to a standstill because of a large number of email messages queued at one time.” Obviously, CrossConnect wants to continue to be of service to the missions community — and to conference families like Brigada. So what kinds of steps is parent organization MAF taking to prevent these slowdowns and glitches in the future? “A new, faster hub machine with more than twice the disk space has already been purchased,” wrote Jonathan Marsden, CrossConnect’s Senior Technician. “It is hoped to have this in service by the end of 1995. The current hub will then be used as a backup hub. Additional technical and customer support staff are also being recruited.” So never fear . . . Cross connect is here to stay. And thanks for your patience during the slow-down! [During the downtime, CrossConnect respectfully asked that, if at all possible, we not mail a Brigada Today last Friday. This missing issue is the first Friday missed since Brigada opened this past March 21st! Thanks to MAF and its leadership for taking the slow-down seriously!!! Within hours, they had flown a tech to the hub site in Columbus, Ohio. Thanks to their fast and caring response, the downtime was limited and very brief.]

PRAY FOR “THE LAUNCH”

Beginning next Tuesday (Nov. 28 – Dec. 2), AD2000 & Beyond mission leaders will gather in Colorado Springs to consider, pray for, and facilitate the beginnings of church planting movements among some 1685 people groups by Dec. 31, 2000. For those interested in daily updates from on-site in Colorado, send email to hub@xc.org with only the following line in the body of the message text:
subscribe brigada-pubs-gcowenews

Although this conference was originally designed for use at GCOWE ’95 in Seoul, we’ll be using it for daily reports on events and announcements at “The Launch”, beginning this coming Monday.

BETHANY SAYS THANKS FOR THOSE PITCHING IN!

Gabriella Araya wrote this past week to say thanks for those who had volunteered to help prepare people/prayer profiles for the Joshua Project. Thanks to everyone in the Brigada family for pitching in. By the way, I suspect she still wouldn’t turn you away. . . 102132.52@compuserve.com if you can help!

GET YOUR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT BUT GET IT AT THE RIGHT ADDRESS!

Just after mailing the last Brigada Today, Ray Holt wrote to correct his address from [RayMHolt@ix.net.com] to his true address which is RayMHolt@ix.netcom.com . Once again, Ray helps Brigada participants get computer equipment and software at cost + 10%. If you tried and were “rejected”, try again at the real address!

PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Justin Long (again) for asking, “Let’s pray for the Bangri of India, also known as the Deswali or Hariani. With 5.7 million members, they are less than 1.6% Christian and less than 25% evangelized. They have no resources, and few mission agencies and churches are at work among them. Over 4 million have yet to hear the Gospel. Let’s pray for a translation of the JESUS film and the Bible in their heart language!” Thanks again Justin!

ON THE HEALS OF THE “GOOD TIMES” HOAX COMES “AOL GOLD”

FOR REAL! — If you’ve received a few bulletins on “Good Times”, a “hoax” virus being submitted on America Online, you’ll be happy to know it’s just a trick, probably designed by fiber optics sales people to sell more cable for INTERNET bandwidth! However, this past week, the Wall Street Journal carried a report re: AOL’s newest virus . . . “AOL Gold”. This time it seems for real!!! The virus comes packed as an attachment to a normal email . . . so, bottom line, if you get email from someone with “AOL Gold” written in the subject line or as an attachment, skip it . . . It’s definitely a loser! It renders your hard drive useless! Since viruses like this are only going to become more and more common, we owe it to each other to practice safe computing!

Get some virus software and use it on each and every executable file (*.bat, *.com, *.sys, and *.exe) that you download from the INTERNET and check every diskette no matter how harmless it appears. Don’t take chances. Otherwise, eventually we could all suffer!

THE REAL WAY TO SUBSCRIBE TO BRIGADA-PEOPLES . . .

If you want to learn about people groups and the people reaching them, you’ll want to subscribe to Brigada-peoples . . . but don’t forget the hyphen! An earlier paragraph (HAVE YOU HEARD . . . [from the Nov. 3 edition]) contained a mistake in the sign-up instructions. The proper approach is to send email to hub@xc.org with only the following line in the body of the message text:
subscribe brigada-peoples

The earlier message is missing the hyphen!

KNOW ANYONE ON-LINE IN NICARAGUA???

An MAFer assigned there would appreciate the chance to email anyone in Nicaragua-land. Write him with the address at TimHays@XC.Org .

PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Justin Long JDavidLong@aol.com for the “People of the Week”! “Let’s pray for the 41 million Turks in Turkey. They are a borderline World A people — nearly half evangelized. There are many efforts focusing on them resources directed among them. The Turks have a JESUS film, numerous mission agencies and denominations, and a substantial awareness of Christianity. In October, one church conducted a major outreach among them and saw several converts. Nevertheless, the Turks remain less than 1% Christian.”

GO RUSHIN’ INTO RUSSIAN BIBLE STUDY!

Thanks to Chris Alexander, leadership trainer in Kherson, Ukraine, who referred us to the following Russian Bible resource:
The total cost is $130. There are sixteen diskettes in all. These include the following … an installation disk, a program disk, and two dictionary disks – (English/Russian and Russian/English). Bible versions included are the authorized “Russian Orthodox” (Synodalnaya Version) in Russian, the King James and New International versions in English, the New Testament in the old Slavic Language and one also in Greek, the Old Testament in Hebrew, plus the program disks for using the version simultaneously. . . . There are two possible contact addresses…
Ukraine 339008
Donyetsk Oblast
Makeyevka (city)
Likacheva 51 (street and number)
Victor Anatoliyevich Yakubovsky

Telephone (06232) 6-46-47

Ukraine 340055
Donyetsk (city)
Gurova, 2 (street and number)
Yevgenia Vaciliyevich Marchenko

Telephone (0622) 35-71-75, 35-78-71
Fax (0622) 35-41-46
E-mail: Mar@nepro.donetsk.ua

Thanks for the referral, Chris!!!

SET YOUR HEART ON “HEARTLAND!”

Those interested in short-term missions, long-term opportunities, as well as sending others, will want to attend the next Heartland MissionsFest, February 15-17, 1996, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Last year’s drew 1,400 participants from 95 agencies, 12 states, nine schools and over 100 churches, including Baptists, Charismatics, Lutherans, Methodist, Pentecostals and Presbyterians,” wrote co-organizer John McVay hmf@xc.org . “Designed to inform, inspire and involve those interested in career missions, short-term missions trips or sending others, the three-day conference includes a variety of workshops targeted toward individual interests. Sessions include Steps to the Field, Support-raising, Cross-cultural Communications, International Business, Medical missions and Missions Strategies. Participants can learn from 50 workshops and 100 missions agency exhibits. In addition to the primary speakers, several local, regional, national and international speakers and exhibitors will be present.”

GLOBAL GLIMPSE

“In Central Asia, God is using a former KGB member to build His Church. Once part of an organization which persecuted the Church, today he is leading the way in discipling new believers of a Muslim unreached people group in a former Soviet Republic. His past experience is of great value to both national Christians and workers from the West in knowing how to go about ministry there. Together, both national believers and expatriate workers are teaming up to see the Gospel spread in this Central Asian republic.”
Thanks to John Hanna for this week’s Global Glimpse.
Source: Field report from Central Asia, 11/14/95.
John Hanna. Caleb Project, Littleton, CO

NEW RESOURCE ON UNDERSTANDING ARABS

Interested in Arabs and their homelands??? Don’t miss “The Real Story: A Christian’s Guide To The Arab World,” a brand-new six-part Video series with a comprehensive Study Guide. It will counter stereotypes of the Middle East, and give us a heart for Arab Muslims. According to Paul Filidis, who works with YWAM Communications, “Each of the six programs is under 20 minutes in length, ideal for individuals, Small Group Bible Studies, Adult Sunday School Classes, Conferences or Missions Emphasis Weeks. Dr. Dudley Woodberry of Fuller Seminary says: “[This Video] should be in every church and Christian College Resource Center.” Produced by Vision 3 Productions, the cost is U.S. $79.95.
For more information, call (719) 442-6409 or fax: 1 (719) 380-0936 — or simplest of all, e-mail to wcn@xc.org .

NEED TRAINING FOR SHORT-TERM MISSIONS?

. . . then don’t miss Miami ’96 in Orlando! (Maybe they outgrew Miami???

) According to co-organizer Bill Stearns, “The Friday evening through Sunday afternoon training conference features workshops, general sessions and networking with everybody who’s involved in North American short-term ministry.” The program runs Jan. 26-28 (’96). For more info., call Mark at 305/754-9541 or write “Miami ’96”, 602 NE 96th St., Miami FL 33138.

Have a great week!

TO SUBSCRIBE TO BRIGADA TODAY, send email to hub@xc.orgwith only the following message:
subscribe brigada

TO UNSUBSCRIBE (maybe you’re switching service providers?), send email to hub@xc.orgwith this line in the text:
unsubscribe brigada

BRIGADA TODAY IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE FOLLOWING TEAM OF REGULAR VOLUNTEERS:

Global Glimpses: John Hanna, Caleb Project, jhanna@cproject.com
People of the Week: Justin Long, GEM/Barrett Office, JDavidLong@aol.com
ADVANCE: Mark A. Kelley, Kainos Press, 70420.1057@compuserve.com
Web Wizard: Bob Mayhew, Brigada Volunteer, mayhew@xc.org
Web Art: Patti Mayhew, pmayhew@discover.net
Technical Development: Jonathan Marsden, CrossConnect jonathan@xc.org
Compiler: Doug Lucas, Team Expansion & Brigada, DLucas@TeamExpansion.org
and many other occasional contributors too numerous to mention! But thanks for working together! That’s the dream of Brigada!