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Brigada Today
14 Sep 2007
In this issue...
- TRAINING ON MICROFINANCE AND MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
- MISSIONTRAVEL.ORG OFFERS DISCOUNT AIRFARE FOR MISSIONS
- CHURCH MOBILIZATION TOOL
- YOUR BEST SOURCES FOR RENTING VEHICLES?
- CALLING ALL USA-BASED CHRISTIAN WORKERS: TALK TO THE IRS
- 24/7 PRAYER MISSIONS TRAINING
- SHORT-TERM MISSIONS WITHOUT LONG-TERM HARM
- WHERE WOULD YOU TURN FOR ADDING SUBTITLES
- SO THANKFUL FOR GIFTS
- HELP US HELP YOU
- THE BACKPAGE: JOIN 30 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD
- CLOSING STUFF
- TRAINING ON MICROFINANCE AND MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT -- The
Chalmers Center for Economic Development offers low-cost email-based
distance learning courses on how to minister to the poor without
creating dependency. This training "helps the church to help the poor
help themselves." A course called "Principles and Practices of Christian
Microfinance and Microenterprise Development" gives you an overview to
microenterprise development and microfinance and orients you to the
selection and design of a holistic intervention appropriate for your
ministry context. Cost of this seven-week course is $199 (USD) plus the
cost of separately ordered course material. The course will be offered
on Jan. 7 - Feb. 22, 2008.
The prerequisite course is called "Foundations and Principles of
Holistic Ministry." It helps you understand appropriate goals and
strategies for conducting Christian development in poor communities.
Cost of this four-week course is $75 (USD) plus the cost of separately
ordered course material. The next offering is scheduled for Oct. 22 -
Nov. 16, 2007. It also will be offered on February 4 - February 29,
2008.
Because the courses are email-based, slow dial-up speed will not limit
participation. Also note that you may spend 8-10 hours per week on
course work.
To learn more, including information about a discount for Two-Thirds
World participants, or to register, visit
http://www.chalmers.org
or call 1-706-419-1805. When registering, use Reference Identifier BRN-
09/07.
- MISSIONTRAVEL.ORG OFFERS DISCOUNT AIRFARE FOR MISSIONS -- Christian
owned and operated online travel business exists to save missions time
and money through discounted international airfare. Supporting
missionaries, churches and mission organizations, MissionTravel.org
focuses on the Great Commission and helps those serving around the
world. Dedicated to supporting global missions, qualifying groups of 10
or more may also be eligible to receive contributions from
MissionTravel.org owners. Pass the word. Visit and share
http://www.missiontravel.org
or call 1-888-849-8850 in the USA or email
quote(at)missiontravel(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our
contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at)
with @ and (dot) with .]
- CHURCH MOBILIZATION TOOL -- DualReach has developed the Design Your
Impact Workshop, a five-hour seminar that enables church leaders to
discover their congregation's key characteristics and resources (their
DNA) and identify a strategic missions focus that can unleash powerful,
new global dynamic from their church. Workshops are led by trained
individuals with extensive teaching resources: 7 video clips of model
churches, 2 animation clips, PowerPointŪ, Facilitator's Manual and
Participant's Notebook. The next training date to become a Workshop
facilitator is Friday, November 12, in Brentwood, CA (East of San
Francisco). Learn more at...
http://www.dualreach.org/missions/resources/index.shtml
or email info(at)dualreach(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for
our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace
(at) with @ and (dot) with .]
- YOUR BEST SOURCES FOR RENTING VEHICLES? -- Got a favorite source for
renting that car or van overseas? This request might sound "off the
wall", but one Brigada participant just asked how he might discover this
sort of thing. So, for example, if you know of a good "chain" or
website, or even a particular favorite *local* vehicle rental agency
somewhere in the world, list it at the link below, then click on "Add
Comment":
http://brigada.org/brigade/?p=33
- CALLING ALL USA-BASED CHRISTIAN WORKERS: TALK TO THE IRS -- The IRS
has just released a significant redesign of Form 990 - Return of
Organization Exempt from Income Tax. They are proposing that it take
effect in the 2008 tax year. Part of this Form would be a new Schedule F
- Statement of Activities Outside the United States. This would ask for
specific disclosure of the countries where a nonprofit organization has
activities. Organizations would be required to list the number of bank
accounts and offices in those countries, the number of employees located
in each country, the activities conducted in each country, and the total
expenditures in each country. Disclosure of this sort of information
could easily compromise the safety and security of missionaries working
in some countries. Under this proposed form, what they do and where they
work will have to be disclosed to the public. Because of the significant
issues raised by this new form, a tax attorney in Dallas, TX, has
created a special issue of his "Legal Memos" newsletter that he is
making available free to anyone who would like a copy. It explains some
of the major proposals in the new Form 990, the consequences of public
disclosure of Schedule F, and what action you can take to help keep
those disclosures private. To get a copy, just go to the Nonprofit and
Church Law Ministries website at
http://www.nonprofitchurchlaw.org
to download a copy of the Special Issue: IRS Releases Major Redesign of
Form 990.
- 24/7 PRAYER MISSIONS TRAINING -- Elijah Company will join with as
many as 300 local believers in the south of Spain in an area called
Campo de Gibraltar to conduct a second 24/7 House of Prayer. This is a
strategic area sandwiched between Europe and North Africa. An
International School of Prayer will be conducted along with a Missionary
Training Camp. The objectives of this event are to seek the Lord for
this strategic area and mentor others into a stronger missions/prayer
focus. Participants can come for any duration. For details see
http://www.elijahcompany.org
and
http://www.campo247.com
or call (757) 226-3507 or email
elijah(at)elijahcompany(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our
contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at)
with @ and (dot) with .]
- SHORT-TERM MISSIONS WITHOUT LONG-TERM HARM -- In addition to its
distance learning courses on economic development, the Chalmers Center
also offers an email-based distance learning course on the issues
surrounding short-term missions (less than one month) in the context of
the socio-economic poor. This course presents frameworks for
considering these issues so that the benefits of missions projects are
maximized and potential harm is minimized. It is designed for those
involved in short-term missions to locations in the U.S./Canada and
throughout the world. The training is appropriate for: 1) sending
churches and denominations, 2) host churches and missionaries, 3)
missions project leaders, and 4) missions team members.
Cost of this three-week course is $55 (USD) plus the cost of separately
ordered course material. The November offering of this course is full.
The next available offering is scheduled for March 10 - March 28, 2008.
Because the course is email-based, slow dial-up speed will not limit
participation. Also note that you may spend 6-8 hours per week on
course work.
To learn more, including information about a discount for Two-Thirds
World participants, or to register, visit
http://www.chalmers.org
or call 1-706-419-1805. When registering, use Reference Identifier BRN-
09/07.
- WHERE WOULD YOU TURN FOR ADDING SUBTITLES -- Suppose you had to add
Czech subtitles to a multimedia presentation. How would you start? Whom
would you contact? If you know of someone, just click to
http://brigada.org/brigade/?p=34
And click on "Add Comment" to list your favorite resource.
- SO THANKFUL FOR GIFTS -- We're humbled and encouraged by the gifts we
receive from new friends of Brigada. This past week, we received $25
from MissionTravel.org. They wrote, " Thank you for leading the way to
equip believers serving in the missions community. We are happy to help
in this way as you advance His kingdom. God bless, MissionTravel.org
owners." If you don't mind, please give them a try in the near future,
if at all possible. Thanks!
http://www.missiontravel.org
- HELP US HELP YOU -- Want to undergird Brigada? It's easy. Send any
amount to help us reach our goal. Just click on the "Donate" page:
http://www.brigada.org/donate.html
You can pull the money from your PayPal account or from any major credit
card. Or if you prefer, send a check payable to Team Expansion to: Team
Expansion (Brigada secretary), 11327 Jefferson Trace Blvd., Louisville,
KY 40291. (Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so for USA
citizens, your checks made out to Team Expansion are tax-deductible.) As
always, be sure to let us know if you'd like us to promote any
particular service or ministry, or if you'd prefer your gift be
anonymous. And thank you in advance for helping.
- THE BACKPAGE: JOIN 30 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD -- In the
July 6th edition of Brigada Today, we mentioned the "30 Days Muslim
Prayer Focus" ("THE BACKPAGE: MORE FOR THE SAKE OF PRAYER"). This year,
the USA supplier completely sold out, then ordered 10,000 extra copies,
then sold completely out of those too. Our own church distributed well
over 400 of these to church members who were, for the first time,
lifting up the needs and futures of Muslims worldwide.
Is it a good sign that tens of thousands of us are praying for our
Muslim friends and neighbors worldwide? You bet. To me, it's a great
indicator that there's a strong interest in helping Muslims come in
contact with the power of Jesus Christ in a positive way.
Is it too late for you and your church to get involved? Not at all! Here
are some additional resources from the web:
http://www.30daysfire.net/pgs/Home.php
Click around the page, select a date, click on a video, show a map, (the
"download a PDF" link didn't work for me on the 13th or 14th).
Basically, even without the book, you can still pray from the same text.
See the "sights and sounds" at:
http://www.30-days.net/reveal/sights/
Hear the call to prayer, ... and see the "What is Ramadan?" video.
See the page at:
http://www.30-days.net/shop/download.htm
which is offering free resources there throughout the month, including a
PDF download of the children's booklet in several languages. See the
calendar at:
http://www.30daysprayer.com/muslim/2007/default.htm
which lets you click on one day at a time and really see the regional
organization.
Using these online resources, booklet or not, you can keep pace with
life-changing, world-impacting prayer.
- CLOSING STUFF --
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COPYRIGHT -- This issue of _Brigada Today_ is Copyrighted 2007.
However, permission is granted to freely redistribute these materials,
including those available on the Brigada website, provided that
such redistribution is to those who will help the Good News of Jesus
Christ to reach the unreached.* To copy or reproduce _Brigada Today_
for any other reason is illegal and is not permitted.
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