19950625 Brigada Today

News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
Compiled byDLucas@TeamExpansion.org
[Pass this issue to a friend! To subscribe, see instructions at end.]

In this issue….

IF YOU CAN FIND FOUR MORE FRIENDS TO SUBSCRIBE TO BRIGADA TODAY

… we’ll cross that 500 mark!!! That’s right, as of this moment, there are 496 subscribers to the “top level” of Brigada. In honor of what will be an historic event (our 500th subscriber), we’ve decided that the lucky person (“Mr. or Ms. 500”) will receive his/her subscription to Brigada absolutely free. (Of course, so did the other 499!

) For information on how to sign up those missing four participants, see the end of this mailing.

CHALLENGE YOUR AUDIENCES WITH “THE CHALLENGE…”

If you attended GCOWE, then you probably haven’t forgotten the effective 11-minute video presentation entitled, The Challenge of Our Unfinished Task. Now you can order the very same video that you and others viewed in Seoul! Available from WorldChristian News&Books for $14.95 (including US postage!), this video won’t let you down. If you’re given two chances to preach, say, morning and evening, in the church you’re visiting this Sunday, show them Light the Window during one service and The Challenge… during the other. For more information or to order, email Paul Filidis at wcn@xc.org or write P.O. Box 26479, Colorado Springs, CO 80936.

CHECK BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

Thanks to Sherm Pemberton, missions prof. at Pacific Chr. College, for bringing us up to date on a new service that apparently will soon be available only from your Sabre-equipped travel agent. Thanks to the folks at Kroll Associates, MCI and Sabre, you’ll be able to get a “safety report” on traveling to any one of some 250 cities around the globe via the Sabre computer system. Here’s the best part — the report is evidently updated on a daily basis!!! Included will be general safety suggestions; information about currency, transportation and weather; emergency numbers; details about customs; and updates on special conditions and events. Evidently, after the six month premier of this service, the providers might renegotiate to send the service over other lines (e.g., online services???), but for now, as mentioned above, you’ll need a Sabre-equipped travel agent on this one. (Once again, thanks Sherman!)

STILL TRAVELING, IN SPITE OF THE WARNINGS? GET THIS CALLING CARD

We’re still wondering in disbelief. Thanks to Jeff Pike for filling us in on a special calling card that’s apparently free! Here’s the note from Jeff: “Hey travelers! [Want a] free Calling Card with no surcharge and a flat rate of 17.5 cents per minute? Money Magazine, July 1995 issue, pronounced it the “best buy now” in calling cards. NO SURCHARGE. (AT&T, Sprint and MCI all add a hefty 80 cent surcharge on each call) [This] card is absolutely free. [Plus…] no monthly minimum, and no credit card billing or surety. This is a stand-alone card–no need to change your long-distance carrier. Just get billed for what you use at the flat rate of 17.5 cents per minute (state to state). Competitive International rates also. Provided by LDDS, the 4th largest long distance company in the US and backed by 24-hour Customer Service, 7 days a week. For a simple and quick flyer with enrollment form, please send a self-addressed and stamped RETURN ENVELOPE to: Discount Calling Card, 7540 SW Miner Way, Portland, OR 97225.” Thanks to Jeff for this note. Readers, please fill us in after you’ve been billed for a month or two. Almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it!? Guess that’s why Jeff is “going places”!!!

UPDATE ON “GLOBAL PRAYER DIGEST APPROACHES THE CENTURY CLUB!”

In the June 16 edition of Brigada Today, we reported that the GLOBAL PRAYER DIGEST was about to join the “century club” with over 100 subscribers. We’re happy to add that the GPD crossed that mark and now has 107 subscribers. To make it 108 — and get a daily prayer reminder for some unreached group — send email to hub@xc.org with only the following words in the text of the message:
subscribe brigada-pubs-globalprayerdigest

“FUN FACTS TO KNOW AND TELL”

And what’s more, during June (talk about “clockwork”), exactly 30 “daily readings” were emailed to those 100 or so participants for a total of some 3180 messages!!! That makes the GPD the “busiest” conference on Brigada! The “next busiest” is this “top level” conference, with weekly messages sent to around 500 subscribers – – resulting in about 200 messages less by the end of the month: 2970. (Thanks to Jonathan Marsden of CrossConnect for programming our statistics report.)

MODERATOR SECURED FOR BRIGADA-CITIES

25 of you are still waiting for your Brigada-Cities conference to take wing! But God has answered our prayers! On June 2, we asked (in the Brigada Today) for prayer that someone would moderate this conference on behalf of the AD2000 & Beyond Cities Track to build further momentum and help network those who have a heart for the city. Thanks to those who prayed! Mark Shelly, the coordinator for Lincoln Christian College’s new urban study center in Chicago, has prayerfully volunteered to fill this important role. He’s finishing his doctoral dissertation at the moment, but hopes to begin this task just in time for the 100 Gateway Cities prayer campaign in October. And what better place for the base!!! He’s just down the street from Ray and across town from tons of other urban consultants. For now, though, We’ll let Mark go back to his books … but will look forward to his partnership to begin in just three short months! Thanks Mark! (Yahoo, Viv! We’re finally in business!

) Now — if we can just see a similar answer for Brigada-Peoples!!!

BIG NEWS! AD2000 & BEYOND CONDUCTS SURVEY

Here’s the biggest news since May 25th. AD2000 & Beyond (more specifically, Luis Bush) is busy surveying GCOWE participants to put together a plan that would allow the production of prayer profiles and strategy helps for reaching the least evangelized groups remaining in the world. Currently being referred to as “The On-Site Peoples Research Project”, the background rationale is stated like this: “In order to pray effectively and to launch strategic mission efforts to the approximately 2500 significant least evangelized peoples of the world, we must have accurate data and assessment. This will provide the information needed for the production and update of the prayer profiles required for churches and for the October 1997 global AD 2000 prayer initiative [on the least reached peoples of the world]. It will also create an awareness resulting in a new wave of mission effort both by On-Site Peoples Research Project participants as well as supporting churches and missions.” [Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!] [We’re not in any way excited about this, naturally.] The resulting purpose statement? “The purpose of the On-Site Peoples Research Project is to gather information for intercession and church planting efforts. Teams will visit each of the approximately 2500 significant least evangelized peoples composed of both national and expatriate workers. The results of these visits will be compiled. …[Information and profiles will be gathered to ensure that there is a prayer profile for each of these groups by April 30,1997.” Here are the action steps currently in the hopper:

Clean-up of the list of significantly large least evangelized peoples.
Development of the questionnaires with consultation of primary users.
Recruitment of participating organizations and consultative committee.
Resource development for the project.
Letter written to national and regional coordinators requesting their involvement.
Preparation of a training manual for the on-site research project participants.
Assignment of peoples, countries and regions in consultations.
Visits to the significantly large least evangelized peoples by teams.
Update of computer information on these peoples.
Production of updated prayer profiles.
Distribution of prayer profiles.
Production of profiles for local church adopt-a-people program, for mission’s agency and country-wide church planting efforts.
Convene consultations for mission agency leaders to present challenge and profiles for local church adopt-a-people program, for mission’s agency and country-wide church planting efforts.”

Here’s how you can help today: Pray that God will empower this new effort. Pray that He will allow the participants to overcome all the efforts that Satan has invested in past attempts to gather this information. Ask God for victory in a battle that has been years in the making. Pray that participants will not rest until step 14… [and beyond] is completed. Ask God for harmony among the varying opinions and approaches that we as human beings seem to naturally bring to the table every time we join a new project. [soapbox mode on] Truthfully, if you ask me, this is one battle that Satan has been winning… up ’til now. So, prayer warriors, please take me seriously. If we’re to be ready for an earnest effort to muster volunteers to adopt the least reached peoples during October, ’97, this is the plan we’ll need to start today! Please pray. [soapbox mode off]

TO SUBSCRIBE TO BRIGADA TODAY

Simply send email to hub@xc.org with only the following two words in the text of the message:
subscribe brigada

There are now nearly 40 different ” conferences”meeting as a part of the Brigada family of networks. (Note that you get to choose which one to join, based on your interests. To see a full list of the choices, send email to hub@xc.org with only the word
conferences

in the text of the message.) This Brigada Today is the one place (the “top level”) where all participants meet, share ideas and swap resources.

Have a great day!!! BRIGADA TODAY — 30 of June, 1995
In just six months, the final decade in the millennium will be 50% completed. Whew… I hope he tarries until Dec. 31, 2000! We’ve got a lot of work to do yet.