Now with 1921 Participants!
News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
[Pass this issue to a friend! To subscribe, see instructions at end.]
[Just 5 more weeks ’til we’re one year old!]

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In this issue….

* MISSIONS IS ALIVE AND WELL
* BRIGADA-PEOPLES-CAUCASUS READY TO LIFT NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES
* THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK ON COMPUSERVE’S DECISION RE: PORNOGRAPHY
* MISSION 2000 DESTINED TO ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE
* BRIGADA-PEOPLES-KAZAKH READY TO SERVE
* NEED SOME ORIGINAL MISSIONS ARTWORK OR ILLUSTRATIONS?
* GOT ANY GOOD RESOURCES ON DEVELOPING MISSION PARTNERSHIPS?
* “WORKING YOUR WAY TO THE NATIONS”
* A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE COMPUTER… AROUND THE WORLD!
* GLOBAL GLIMPSE
* TO SUBSCRIBE TO BRIGADA TODAY

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MISSIONS IS ALIVE AND WELL
I’ve just returned from a week at a college and seminary in central Illinois where I’ve received much encouragement! I was invited to go there to speak to them, but I’m afraid they spoke volumes to me, giving me back tons more than I could ever hope to contribute. The seminary has a full-time church growth prof. (Ph.D.) from Fuller, a full-time Islamics prof. (Ph.D.) from Zwemmer, a full-time cross-cultural communications prof coming within the year from Zambia (who will have just finished his Ph.D.), a full-time staffed urban “lab” in “Chicago (led by a guy who will soon finish his Ph.D.) and a Dean who eats, sleeps, breathes, and prays missions (I know because that’s where they housed me! :-)Among other things happening in his life right now, his son is teaching English in China and he couldn’t stop talking about a new international extension on their M.Div. program.) (By the way — he’s a Ph.D. too). The undergrad college has full-time staff people who have served in Europe, Africa and who knows where else and the president of the whole shootin’ match has just been nominated to serve as president of Envision ’98. This place reeks of urban emphasis, even though it’s miles out in the corn fields of central IL. You walk into their visitors center and see beautiful portraits of Chicago and the campus is abuzz with interest in the INTERNET. Several were not only aware of Brigada, they are using its resources for exploring the world of the unreached. (They have every room on the campus already wired with fiber optics ready to throw the switch to connect the whole campus to a full T-1 connection to the INTERNET sometime this summer.) And… oh… did I mention the students? Literally dozens are majoring in missions and/or bivocational missions. Nine walked forward to make first-time commitments this past week but there are dozens more who have done so in the past. The campus has committed to loading up at least 100 of them and shipping them out to Envision ’96 this November in Lexington, Kentucky, and they’re committed to registering 100% of their student body “one way or another” :-). Several want to be involved in Joshua Project 2000 trips or full research expeditions. Can you tell I’m encouraged? :-) So I asked the secret and most attributed the excitement to the impact of

1. on-campus special missions events (like the Week of WorldWide Witness, which features 3 chapel services and over a dozen workshops on missions)
2. short-term trips (featured annually)
3. a faculty and staff committed to missions
4. integrating “mission” into every class they teach
5. prayer
6. prayer
7. prayer

Can you duplicate some of those at your college or seminary??? You bet. Is every college or seminary doing it?? Unfortunately, “nyet”. When they do, you’ll hear about it. Wow. You can’t help but hear about it. The place is crawling with folks wanting to be missionaries. Scary. Plum scary! This coming week they start an elective 6-week class on prayer where they’ll teach half the class and pray for half the class. I’d venture a guess that the room will be packed. And guess what… that one’s not even for credit! They’re just doing it “for fun”, because they know that’s what they’re supposed to be doing. They had me speak in 3 chapel services and the whole college turned out. Plus there were 14 workshop presenters there from all over the world. International students gave testimonies in every session. The architect of the week, a prof named Mike Nichols, just got back from nearly a decade in Zaire. And he has his origins previously in their youth ministry department Scary. Plum scary. :-) Lincoln Christian College/Seminary. I could give you any number of addresses — but here’s the Christian Service guy…, a former missionary, by the way — but then, that shouldn’t surprise you, right? Curt Nordhielm cwnordhi@prairienet.org. Scary. Plum scary. :-) Who says missions is fading into the sunset. If this is any sign of what the future missions movement is going to be like, where do I sign up? Scary. Plum scary. :-)

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BRIGADA-PEOPLES-CAUCASUS READY TO LIFT NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Do you have a special prayer burden for the people of the Caucasus??? Join Brigada-peoples-caucasus and find those with a common mind. Doug Larson DougLarson@XC.Org and others stand ready to help you find the answers to your questions and brainstorm about how to share hope with the people of the Caucasus. To join, send email to hub@xc.org with only the following line in the body of the message text:
subscribe Brigada-peoples-caucasus

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THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK ON COMPUSERVE’S DECISION RE: PORNOGRAPHY
It does relate to who we are and what we’re doing, as Christians. But for the time being, we hope you’ll forgive us if we zero in on material more central to the focus of Brigada’s major heartbeat… reaching the least reached peoples of the world together!

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MISSION 2000 DESTINED TO ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE
Between 150 and 200 people from Germany, the Czech Republic and the Belarus are expected to come to the first German Mission Mobilizers conference (Febr. 27.- March 2, 1996) organized jointly by YWAM Germany (Jan Schlegel) and AIMS Germany (Kerstin Hack). The conference will be held in German and English. The main focus of the conference is to train church leaders in mobilizing and involving people/churches for missions. Speakers include Bill and Amy Stearns (USA), John Rogers (interdev-GB), Lars Widerberg (Intercessors network, Sweden) and many others. For more information, contact Kerstin at 100711.2622@compuserve.com.

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BRIGADA-PEOPLES-KAZAKH READY TO SERVE
Talk about a group of go-getters! This partnership features a regular on-line magazine, a full-time USA-based mobilizer (non-resident missionary or people-specific advocate), and on-site specialists plugged in all the time. Plus, have you heard about the hopes they have for a ship for the Caspian Sea??? If not, join them today by sending email to hub@xc.orgwith only the following line in the text of the message:
subscribe brigada-peoples-kazakh

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NEED SOME ORIGINAL MISSIONS ARTWORK OR ILLUSTRATIONS?
Contact Mary at wcn@xc.org and you’ll be working with the artist who illustrated You Can Change the World (Johnstone), “Praying Through the Window II” Prayer Calendar, and the new Perspectives material from Meg Crossman. We’re told her prices are very reasonable and that some people end up sending literally double what they’re asked to pay, just because they’re so satisfied. For more information, call (719) 442-6409 or Fax (719) 380-0936 or email wcn@xc.org.

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GOT ANY GOOD RESOURCES ON DEVELOPING MISSION PARTNERSHIPS?
Steve Wibberley 73621.2232@compuserve.com would like to know! He’s involved in forming one and needs some extra insight. Please email him directly and, if you don’t mind, copy us at DLucas@TeamExpansion.org in case there’s something for the next inquirer! Thanks!

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“WORKING YOUR WAY TO THE NATIONS”
About 100 delegates from Malaysia and at least 8 foreign countries assembled in Penang for a “Working your Way to the Nations” conference. Dr. Bill Taylor of WEF was the featured speaker and he challenged those attending to commit their lives to Christ for the sake of the Gospel. Workshops were conducted on various regions of the world where tentmaking is the primary missions strategy. Aspiring tentmakers were also helped by the practical workshops on problems related to tentmaking. The sponsoring organizations are now investigating how to set up a permanent tentmaker fellowship in Malaysia. For more info., contact Ken Smith at KSmith@gati.wa.com. Thanks Ken!

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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE COMPUTER… AROUND THE WORLD!
Remember those books… A Day in the Life of America, …. of China…, etc.??? Well apparently the author/editor is the same guy who has done Passage to Vietnam (top-rated CD) and now, . . . something even more innovative! YWAM Photographer Dennis Fahringer photo@uofn.edu tells us that the www site http://www2.cyber24.com/html is 24 hours in Cyberspace. Apparently, the site just opened literally 48 hours ago (Feb. 8) and will soon close — so if you want to see this one you’d better act fast. After collecting the material, the editors will reopen the site on a permanent basis on March 17. It might even have already closed by the time you get this. Dennis says there are several key sections by Christians, including:
http://www2.cyber24.com/html/4_2.html (a missionary pilot in Tanzania)
http://www2.cyber24.com/html/4_302.html
http://www2.cyber24.com/html/4_144.html
Thanks Dennis!!!

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GLOBAL GLIMPSE
Wycliffe Bible Translators passed a milestone in their effort to translate the scriptures for unreached peoples around the world. Recently their 400th New Testament was completed for the Barai (buh-RAY-“i”) people of Papua New Guinea. Wycliffe began translation work 60-years ago. Director of Wycliffe Bible Translators, Hyatt Moore, says they currently have more than 5,200 active members, but he says more are needed. Wycliffe hopes to recruit 500 new members each year by the year 2,000.
(Source: Mission Network News, 1/22/96 and 2/5/96; http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn. Mission Network News is an outreach ministry of Cornerstone College, Gospel Communications Network (GCN) and Online Christian Resources.
John Hanna Caleb Project Littleton, CO)

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

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unsubscribe brigada

(Hope to see you again!)

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

Global Glimpses: John Hanna, Caleb Project, jhanna@cproject.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, MAFxc jonathan@xc.org
Brigada Customer Service Manager: Revis Ann Massey, RevisAnnMassey@xc.org
Brigada Coordinator: 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!