- LOOKING FOR TRAINING IN USING MUSIC IN CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXTS? --
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary offers a new, interactive
workshop May 31-June 6, 2008 in ethnodoxology, the cutting-edge field
integrating ethnomusicology and the arts with worship applications. The
course "Introduction to Ethnodoxology: Connecting Global Worship to
Global Mission" will be taught by a team of scholars and global song
experts from the International Council of Ethnodoxologists (ICE). The
course equips students to cultivate culturally appropriate, biblical
worship in international or multi-ethnic contexts. Better act fast if
you want the early registration discount (postmark by May 15) --
$375.00. If you wait 'til after May 15, it's $100 more. The workshop Fee
is for noncredit. Graduate credit (3 hours) is also available. See
http://www.sbts.edu/ethnodox
or for more information, call 1-800-626-5525 (extension 4115) or email
ecrookshank(at)
sbts(dot)edu. [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in
the preceding email address, please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .
then reassemble the address onto one line.] And thanks to "ICE" for
sending a gift this past week to Brigada!
- NEW MEMBER CARE RESOURCES -- Here are three new resources to help
Christian workers stay healthy in difficult places. (Thanks, Kelly and
Michele O'Donnell, for thinking enough of Brigada to send these our
way.)
*** Ethne-Member Care-Updates -- This monthly report contains important
resources regarding member care plus relevant materials from the
international humanitarian, business, and health fields. The January
2008 issue is on health/dysfunction in the mission community. The
February and March isues are on the role of sender care and
encouragement.
http://www.ethne.net/membercare/updates
*** Reality Dose!-A new web site -- This web site has materials on
member care for the mission/aid community. The initial resource is a
special article on discipline/dysfunction, available in 12 languages.
Special links can help organisations develop guidelines for handling
grievances and whistle blowing.
http://MCAresources.googlepages.com/realitydose
*** CORE Member Care - A practical weblog -- This is an international
weblog, with weekly entries to provide "Reflections and Resources for
Good Practice." Recent topics are on health, dysfunction, perseverance,
and the role of beauty.
http://www.COREmembercare.weblog.com
- FALL CONFERENCE FOR LEADERS IN SHORT-TERM MISSION -- If you send or
receive multiple short-term mission personnel (teams or individuals),
circle October 15-18 on your fall 2008 calendar. Your expertise is
needed in Atlanta, GA (USA) at the networking, training and empowering
conference of the Fellowship of Short-Term Mission Leaders. This four-
day conference/retreat at the Lodge at Simpsonwood is a gathering of
executive-level STM leaders -- lay and paid -- from colleges and
universities, mission agencies and local churches. This year's
conference will feature Brent Lindquist and Bruce and Donna Warren and
will focus on member care for short-term missionaries and practitioners.
Further info, including online registration, is at
http://www.fstml.org
Or, you can e-mail the conference chair: jtucker(at)
extendglobal(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our
contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at)
with @ and (dot) with . then reassemble the address onto one line.]
- FREE CHURCH MISSIONS SOFTWARE -- Compu-Books of Glendale, AZ is
offering their Church Missions 3.0 software free to Christian churches
and Mission organizations. This solution tracks church mission projects
with missionary information, contribution records, communication log and
reports. They give you a free single-user version - a contribution
receipt for the donation is requested in return ($99 value). It's
available for Mac and Windows. Visit their website 'products' page to
request your free copy:
http://www.compu-books.com/products.html
Or email them directly at
info(at)
compu-books(dot)com and mention that you heard about it from Brigada!
[As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding
email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with . then
reassemble the address onto one line.]
- CAN ANYONE REALLY KNOW THE FUTURE? -- The Bible book of Daniel is the
thrilling story of a young Jewish exile to whom God showed the future of
the world. You can read Daniel's biography, translated by Cynthia Green
into EasyEnglish Level A (1200 word vocabulary) with helpful notes. Go
to
http://www.easyenglish.info
Click on "Choose a Bible book", select Daniel and then click on "God's
man Daniel." You will discover a great example of communication between
God and a young man.
- WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE SHELL BOOKS? -- They are a collection of
practical manuals to help improve local standards of living all over the
world. Wycliffe Associates have a web site that contains over 500
titles, all freely available for you to download. The base language is
English but many of the books have been translated into French,
Portuguese and Spanish. Go to
http://www.shellbooks.org
to see the wide range of titles. Download whatever you want or ask for a
free CD with all the books.
- HELP ETHNIC GROUPS DEVELOP APPROPRIATE CHRISTIAN MUSIC -- Come to the
summer graduate ethnomusicology classes at Bethel University (MN, USA).
5 courses run as follows: Applied Ethnomusicology (emphasis on
missionary applications): June 2-13. Seminar in African Music: June 16-
20. Seminar in Native American Music: June 25 - July 1. Transcription &
Analysis: July 7-11. Worship & Culture: July 14-17. Audit fees are $200-
300 per course, graduate credits are more. More information is at
http://gs.bethel.edu/musicology/courses.html
or contact
j-benham(at)
bethel(dot)edu [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in
the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot)
with . then reassemble the address onto one line.]
- STRATEGY COORDINATOR TRAINING -- Don't miss the 4-week Strategy
Coordinator Training in Singapore from 1-25 July, 2008. Asia Pacific
Mission (APM) and Singapore Centre for Evangelism and Missions (SCEM)
are conducting a full-time training course for Strategy Coordinators in
Missions. The cost is US$600 per single person or married couple.
Accommodations can be arranged on request. The course deals with People
Group Research, Network, Outreach, Platform, and Church-Planting
Movement (CPM) Development, Partnership Development, and writing a
Master Plan to reach an Unreached People Group/Region/City. For more
info: Contact Frank
strategycoordinator(at)
gmail(dot)com with Subject: SCT '08. [As a means of preventing spam for
our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace
(at) with @ and (dot) with . then reassemble the address onto one line.]
- CENTRAL ASIAN SCHOOL NEEDS TEACHERS -- Kazakhstan International
School, located in Almaty, Kazakhstan needs godly Christian teachers and
a principal. Positions are open in the elementary and middle school.
KIS has children from 28 countries and an international faculty. This
is a great tent-making opportunity! They provide housing, a generous
stipend, and a round trip air-ticket once a year. Learn more at
http://www.kisnet.org
or contact Philip
spotty4(at)
kisnet(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in
the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot)
with . then reassemble the address onto one line.]
- HELP FOR THOSE HAVING LOST A LOVED ONE -- Here's a Brigada reader
that lost a son-in-law this last year. If you have had to endure a
similar loss recently, he recommended these great books on grief:
*** Holding on to Hope - Nancy Guthrie (a personal story & study on
Job)--excellent for any grief issue... easy read)
*** A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis (more philosophical, but still a
rather brief essay--and not, more about the grief than answers)
*** A Grace Disguised - Gerald L. Sittser (lost a wife/mother/daughter--
all in one day. Very thorough covering of the subject from a philosophy
professor--but still easy to follow)
Thanks Topeka, KS!
- FREE SPANISH CHRISTIAN VIDEOS FOR USE IN MINISTRY -- Here are
hundreds of Spanish Christian videos (vhs only, no dvd's) for use in
ministry in Spanish speaking countries, absolutely free. This offer is
for evangelical pastors, missionaries and evangelists to use in any
Spanish speaking country for ministry purposes. If the videos can't be
picked up in south Texas, there might be a charge to pay for shipping
costs. For more information, please contact Brian at
shalomunto(at)
aol(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the
preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .
the reassemble the address on one line.]
- HUMBLED BY THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO SHARE: $2.49 FROM CENTRAL EUROPE --
We're always humbled here by those who choose to share from what God has
given them. Here's a Brigada reader serving the Lord as a missionary
with ABWE in Brazil, enclosing a note that reads, "when I see a resource
on Brigada that I think will be useful to someone, I pass it on. Thanks
so much!". She anonymously enclosed $50 from her heart. That's what
keeps us going in the middle of the night sometimes, sending out these
Brigada Todays... because it's obvious that some people want to jump in
there and partner with us to make this happen. How can we ever quit? One
friend from Arkansas sent $2.49 (we greatly appreciate all sizes of
gifts!). His wife and he work in Central Europe among the Roma people
(gypsies). This gift was leftover in his PayPal account from a sale on
eBay. Great idea. Some faithful friends at OMF's office in Denver sent
$200. We're bowled over by their partnership. Another reader from Topeka
sent $50 more. Having lost a son-in-law this past year, he also enclosed
the items above on grief. We also received a $25 gift from a Michigan
Criminal Defense Lawyer. See the URL at
http://www.michigandefenselaw.com/
Another $25 came from a Wycliffe worker. He hoped his gift would prompt
others in Wycliffe to match him. A reader from Oregon gave $100. Now I
know why they call it the *Great* Pacific Northwest! Thanks to "ICE" for
the $50 gift. They wrote, "The International Council of Ethnodoxologists
(ICE) -- a network for culturally appropriate Christian worship -- has
been delighted to partner with Brigada from our very inception. Because
we are a non-profit ministry, Brigada has been the primary way that we
could afford to spread the news about our most significant events and
services. You are a unique and irreplaceable partner in ministry, and we
are grateful beyond words for your faithfulness." (Learn more about them
by reading the item in the #1 spot above.) Thanks also to the Canadian
who gave $100! She wrote, "I do want to say to you how very much I have
appreciated reading Brigada for - at least - the last 10 years. I glean
at least 2 - 3 items each time that I think might be useful to me or
people in my sphere of influence. I've wanted to give something for a
long time. ... Typically I use Visa but until you included a note about
Paypal and the choice on your website to click on a credit card instead,
I didn't think I could use your website to make a "secure" payment. So
I thought, 'Aha! I can do this!' " To our Canadian, and all other
friends, thank you!!!
- MAKE A GIFT TO BRIGADA AS A MEMORIAL TO A LOST LOVED ONE -- If you'd
like to give a gift dedicated to the passing of a loved one, we would
happily send a printed note and sympathy card to the family of the
deceased on your behalf. Just let us know the situation and the address
and we'll make it clear that your gift is a memorial. We'll also mention
your memorial in Brigada. And please don't forget to pray for Brigada,
pass it on to a friend, suggest to your staff and team members that they
subscribe. If you'd like to give, just click "Sponsor/Donate". If you want to use a credit card (and not PayPal), then when it asks for
your PayPal account, just erase the user name and password, then, at the
bottom of the page, where it says "Use any major credit card", just
click there and fill it out like a normal form at any other payment web
form. On the other hand, if you want to use PayPal, just fill in the
info for your account. Or if you prefer, just send an old-fashioned
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: RAMPING UP MISSIONS -- In the past, when playing
various card games, I've heard my friends use the phrase, "Go big... or
go home!" I'm here in Trujillo, Peru, where a Team Expansion worker
applied that advice to missions. Shew... makes me tired just thinking
about what they're doing here. Simultaneous outreaches to 7 barrios,
university students, and professionals. They've built 7 community
centers, psychological counselling for those who need it, assistance to
beaten and battered women, "CHE" and a medical clinic (with another one
on the way), micro-economic business start-ups, and even larger business
start-ups to provide jobs to those in the barrios with some of the
profits being used to sponsor new leaders in local churches. One
business, a snail farm, has grown so rapidly that it is now said to be
the 3rd-largest snail production facility in all of South America.
They've got a dairy farm, a new guinea pig operation coming on line, and
they do Bible storying (orality) like it's going outa' style. They teach
"Character First" to every member of the staff and virtually every new
worker and believer. There's a new women's village in the works for
ladies that have been abandoned. They're involving Peruvian
professionals in reaching out to the poor in their own city, which gives
them all the more help addressing citywide problems. We've noticed a
distinct change in the people in the barrios we've visited. As a result
of the teaching, they seem to have much more dignity and a higher self
esteem than they would have had otherwise. There are sports outreaches
in the works, educational groups, kids outreaches, a new "Amigos en
Accion" outreach that pulls together buddy groups, a car wash business,
flower vender carts, and even knitting groups. The list goes on.
Now all this would be impressive under any circumstances. But what I
have a hard time understanding is how they've launched all this in less
than 3 years! Shew. Makes me tired just thinking about it.
All of which caused me to ask, what *does* it take to ramp up missions
today? What will it take to make this kind of *incredible* impact on a
city of 1 million people. I'm doing some thinking about that. One of the
key conclusions I've drawn is -- it takes a mover and a shaker who will
allow God to work through him or her... to become a vision-caster for
the project. Then it takes a battalion of people coming alongside the
vision-caster, each taking his or her slide of the pie, carrying out his
or her role with excellence. Only God could have caused all this to come
together in such a short time... but he chose to do all this through the
hands of hard-working visionaries. Only two of these families are from
the USA. The rest is being carried out by Peruvians, with the help of a
few Chileans along the way. It's astounding.
Makes me think that sometimes we underestimate what God can do. Makes me
admire those who will tirelessly labor, and makes me want to tell them
that their labor will not be in vain.
Your labor won't be in vain either. Let's all turn our work over to God,
ramp it up as much as we're able -- for His glory and His glory alone --
and let's finish the task of the Great Commission so that His Name will
receive the credit it deserves.
- CLOSING STUFF --
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COPYRIGHT -- This issue of _Brigada Today_ is Copyrighted 2008.
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
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