19980712 Brigada Today

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News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
On the WorldWide Web, browse https://brigada.org or http://www.eGroups.com/list/brigada-today
Brigada Today is “the missionary helper newsletter!”
Compiled by Doug Lucas <DLucas@teamexpansion.org>, Louisville, KY
[Pass this issue to a friend! To subscribe, see instructions at end.]

In this issue….

“HOW DO WE GET JOHNSTONE’S THE CHURCH IS BIGGER THAN YOU THINK

That’s got to be one of the key questions of July, at least in MY incoming email. Just after the notice from a couple of issues ago, Johnstone’s agent apparently changed distributors in the USA – so many Brigada Today readers were confused when they came away empty-handed from the supplier we had provided. Well it’s all been cleared up now I think. Apparently the need for the book is bigger than they thought.

Anyway, if you want 1000 copies or more, contact CFP at
Geanies House,
Feam, Tain, Ross-shire, IV20 1TW, Scotland, UK

If you’re a bookstore, order from Riverside Distributors at 1-800-247-5111 in the USA.
If you’re ordering individual copies, go with
Clifton Book Co.
122 North Ave. Dr.
Box 511,
Clifton, TX 76634, USA
Tel : 1-800-228-0939

There. I hope that’s all cleared up. One hitch: We’ve heard through the rumor mill that the book might not be available here ’til September!

[USA] GENTLEMEN (AND LADIES), MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

It’s going to happen Sept. 23-25, ’99 in Virginia Beach, VA. That’s Thursday evening Supper through noon Saturday. It’ll take place at CBN’s conference center near Regent University. There are only 1000 seats. There’s probably one with your name on it. Trouble is, people will want to come from all over the USA and I’m wondering how they’ll all fit! But that’s reality for the last great missions consultation of the millenium (in the USA, anyway). It’s AD2000 & Beyond sponsored, Mission America 2000 initiated, and it’s going to include key leaders from most EFMA and IFMA missions agencies, together with leaders from denominations and non-denominations of every stripe. The question is this: “Where did we drop the ball?” That is, which people groups did we not approach with the gospel in the AD2000 push. The hopeful outcome? To agree on finishing the task and figure out how to do it. That’s the mandate of the “National USA Meeting on Unreached People Groups.” Bill Waldrop, formerly CEO of ACMC, is a key player in making this happen and I believe he can do it. My question to him this past week was, “Where’s the beef?” (Remember the old Wendy’s marketing campaign?) In other words, how is this consultation going to be different than others which have share the similar purpose statement. His answer intrigued me: “Help us make it different.” So there you have it, gang. Mark your calendars. Other countries are putting together similar consultations. In fact, sometimes I think the USA is woefully behind in asking the same question. So now it’s up to us. Will we be there or not. No need to send any response anywhere yet. Bill and company are still revving the engines in the command center for this thing. But it’s coming… so be ready.

FROM THE MAILBAG

This past week we rec’d a note from a Brigada participant, “In the next issue of Brigada Today, why don’t you include a little ‘blurb’ or short synopsis of the need, the organization (how it works), and the budget so that anyone interested can present this ‘blurb’ to the church mission committee for evaluation and action. Just a thought.” It’s a great one, Dale. Thanks for asking! We haven’t wanted to ever make financial appeals in Brigada Today. In fact, when someone writes with an appeal, the answer is always the same… we just don’t do that because most all of us are missionaries anyway. Brigada operates through volunteers, mostly. People like Don & Judy who do the administrating of the conference, Bob who lays the text out on the web, John Hanna who prepares the Global Glimpse, Mark Kelly who puts together the monthly Advance, and . . . for the most part, Doug Lucas who compiles general nuggets from contributors who write from all over the world. The goal is to build a global network of special interest groups, who focus on specific unreached groups — and Brigada Today is like a totem pole around which all can gather to read notes of general interest to all. The very word “Brigada” comes from the Russian (and Spanish) word meaning “Brigade” . . . as in “bucket brigade.” The idea is that we all stand shoulder to shoulder to put out an emergency fire . . . one which has engulfed the world in its flames… the flames of an untold world who does not have a personal relationship with the Savior, the King of Kings. The budget?

$400/mo. (Doug’s time parsing through about 50 Brigada email messages per day)
$300/mo. that we WOULD spend on marketing Brigada in Christianity Today and other magazines and web sites (if we had the money, that is)
$200 per year for the web site to MAFxc
$200 per year for the corporate MAFxc membership

So — if you ever run across a grant for $400 per year or $700/mo., it would be GREAT to send it to Team Expansion, 3700 Hopewell Rd., Louisville, KY 40299. Thanks!

CATCH A BENGALI CONSULTATION

It’s not too late to register for the International Christian Consultation on Bengali People, planned for the 30th of July to the 2nd of August 1998 in Calcutta. For more information, contact Susanta Patra at jlove@cal.vsnl.net.in.

WANTED: MORE RESEARCH ON THE CITY

David Dale ddale@mail.one.net is impressed with the amount of work that’s been done to understand the city. But in his quest to finish a major thesis, he wants more! If you’d like to help him, email him directly and dialogue with him about how to raise the bar all the more on understanding the world’s cities.

GLOBAL GLIMPSE FROM TURKEY

Even though secularism and radical Islam are both at work in Turkey, the church has a time of peace for the moment, and has been allowed to legally register. This has increased confidence in the local believers and changed the government’s posture toward the church. Eleven years ago there were only two fellowships regularly meeting in Istanbul, today there are 16; some smaller cities also have churches. In Istanbul a Christian FM radio station broadcasts 24-hours, reaching a potential audience of at least 20,000,000 people. The number of New Testaments distributed in the last year was more than in the previous ten years combined, all largely through local believers. Next year’s plans include a major distribution campaign for the newly translated Old Testament.
(Source: AD2000 report: Luis Bush in Istanbul, June 14, 1998, http://www.ad2000.org)

AND ANOTHER GLOBAL GLIMPSE FROM SAUDI

On June 15 while Pino Aguilar, a Filipino Saudi resident, was away, Saudi Religious police raided his home, taking his pregnant wife, Yolai. Two days later, after hours of intense interrogation, she gave birth to a son, Elisha. Yolai is one of 10 Filipinos and a Dutchman who have been taken away without charges and without diplomatic access. Christian leaders in Riyadh believe the captives are being abused for information about Christian activity. Significant church growth has been reported there since the Gulf war.
(Source: IMB News Stories, Thursday, July 02, 1998, International Mission Board, SBC, http://www.imb.org)
Global Glimpse is compiled each week by John Hanna, Caleb Project, Littleton, CO.

FAST – FAST!!! – FOR THE PARSEES

We’re in the middle of a planned 40-day fast for the Parsees. For more information on who they are, see http://www.ad2000.org/profiles/parsee. For more information about the fast in particular, contact love-parsee@integritynetwork.net.

WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO BE A ‘LOAN’

Anyone have any leads on any organization that loans money to home buyers and invests a portion of the interest it receives back to missions? If so, Jeff Morgan jsmorgan@bmi.net would like to know. He’s putting together a compendium of possibilities and will publish the outcome with us here in Brigada Today.

HERE’S AN OFFER YOU CAN SINK YOUR TEETH INTO

Get this . . . a dentist in Oregon who would like to give away some big-time equipment (including maybe an x-ray machine), as long as it can go for a Christian cause. Interested??? Contact Dr Brian Spencer at 541-963-2520. Hurry — it won’t be around long!

LET’S GET GRAPHIC

Looking for the ways and means to graphically express yourself or your mission project? Have you tried Kingdom Graphics? They’re committed to creative mission materials that will assist you in promoting & strengthening support for Global Missions. They specialize in:

Mission Clip-Art
Mission Computer Papers … to create your own brochures and booklets
Mission Note Cards … themes of … “Partnership”, “Thank You”, “Encouragement”, etc.
Mission Prayer Cards … creative designing & low cost printing
Mission Note Pads
Mission Place Mats …
Mission Design & Layout Services … to meet your custom needs!

Check them out at: http://www.kingdomgraphics.com or write to
2713 Mt. Vernon Ave.
Willow Grove, PA 19090
Tel: 1-800-618-3133 (in the USA or using Net2phone)
Fax: 215-657-5888
e-mail: kingraph@navpoint.com.

ADVANCE READY TO “GET”

You can download the full text of Advance from the Brigada document server.

Here’s a summary:
THE GOSPEL FOR EVERY PEOPLE — Two previously unknown tribes discovered in Irian Jaya; the Central Khmer of Cambodia; the Tu of China; the Mina of India; the Arabs of Yemen; the Luri of Iran; audio version of the Jesus film being revised for broadcast; spiritual breakthrough in Turkey; earthquake relief in Afghanistan; the Jesus film introduced in Buddhist country

THE PERSECUTED CHURCH — Believers arrested in Saudi Arabia; church leaders threatened, beaten in Myanmar; Pakistani believer charged with blasphemy; new Uzbekistan religion law; new apostasy law in Malaysia; Christian girls kidnapped in Pakistan; Morocco fines expatriate believers; Mongolia threatens churches with destruction of buildings; church building in Indonesia attacked

SPIRITUAL FORCES OF DARKNESS — New technique allows abortions eight days after conception; Lord’s Resistance Army kidnaps 40 girls; the annual Amaranth pilgrimage in India; pagans and occultists converge on Timonium, Maryland; House of Commons votes to lower age of homosexual consent;

REJOICE! — Swedish missionary couple released; dead girl testifies in India’s Bihar state; 750 decisions for Christ in Khmu villages; prayer for the persecuted at March for Jesus rallies; Kingdom advance in Sudan; Christian film broadcast in Muslim nation; Myanmar believers reach out to Bama people group; Turkish Muslim accepts Christ, returns home; Hindu priest accepts Jesus; two court decisions protect unborn children; Salvation Army sacrifices income for Christian principle

NETWORKING — Earthquake relief efforts in Afghanistan; registering protests over arrests in Saudi Arabia; International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church; “The Church Is Bigger Than You Think;” Praying Through the Window IV; gospel broadcasts for all major people groups in languages they can understand; prayer profiles of 1,739 unreached people groups; sharing the gospel with international students; urgent e-mail warning about computer virus

LOOKING FOR AUDIO SCRIPTURES?

Try a new zip. A couple of issues ago in Brigada Today (“GIVE THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING!” from July 3rd edition), we had them located in Escondido, CA at zip code 42046. Ahem. Apparently it’s supposed to be 92046-0634. Slightly on the other side of the country — sorry about that.

JESUS FILMS CONTINUE TO BE BELL-RINGERS

We’re STILL getting thank-you notes expressing appreciation to the Jesus Film project for the offer of 5 free videos for anyone who would use them with unreached peoples. The latest came this past week from a group in the Philippines: “Please pass on the message to the Jesus Film Project and Campus Crusade for Christ for the video on Jesus which has arrived yesterday. It will be a great help for our film outreaches all over the Philippines. May the Lord continue to use the project in order to be able to reach more souls for Christ all over the world. May you richly be blessed! In His Love, Christ’s Ambassadors in Action (CAIA).” Another wrote, “I am so thankful to have the Jesus Films arrive. Thanks for being a channel through which we could get these ministry tools FREE!” 3 Cheers for the Jesus Film people!

JUMP ON BOARD THE BERLIN PRAYER LIFT

Now you can be involved in the Berlin Prayer Lift. It’s all about raising the roof in prayer for Berlin.

WANT TO BRUSH UP ON YOUR PUNJABI???

Now you can. A School of Language and Culture Studies is being set up in Chandigarh, India offering studies in various North Indian peoples. Now you can study Punjabi language, Punjabi culture, Sikh religion, and Hindi beginning November, 1998. For more info, write JoelDavid@XC.org.

WE DIDN’T DROP THE BOMM DATABASE

In fact, it’s just been updated! Check it out at http://www.ris.net/~nwilson/dbindex.htm on the web. The BOMM database is an organized collection of all the missions information that has been shared over the Brigada-orgs-missionmobilizers email conference. It is a gold mine of information with over 200 practical articles on missions! Nate Wilson is the compiler and he has recently done some major updates to the BOMM database. It’ll be of great help to any mission consultant or leader of a mission committee or mission emphasis group. Nate works for (who else) Caleb Project and can be reached at NateWilson@XC.org. If I’m good, then maybe when I go to Heaven I can work for Caleb Project too.

CHINA IS BIGGER THAN YOU THINK

So maybe you need a map? Well now you can get it! Target Ministries has just put together a newly published China Minorities Prayer Map! This one is printed in Chinese. It is 2′ X 3′ map that features ten of the unreached minority peoples of Southwest China. Target wrote us this past week, “We published it for the purpose of raising awareness of Chinese Minorities, and for gaining prayer support for them and for the workers serving the Lord among the minorities.” They have priced the Maps at a very special price for those who subscribe to Brigada: $3.00 U.S. plus shipping and handling! For more information, write to KEVTARGET@AOL.COM for information as well as all of the particulars on purchasing the prayer maps.

(Remember, Brigada does not recommend you giving out your credit card information over the open Internet. Use Fax or encrypted email instead.)

“BRIGADA JOE” NEEDS YOU AT HIS AUGUST 8 MEETING IN DALLAS

Remember the zealous Brigada Today reader last year who put us to the challenge of directing him to the least reached people group on planet earth? Well, he (we’ll call him “Brigada Joe”) took the people group you most suggested (we’ll call them the “Bazooka people” — not their real name [duh!]) and moved his family to live close to the Bazookas who are a people group of over one million with only one known Christian. Brigada Joe wrote this week and said he is feeling a little under-qualified for this strategic work and wants to know if Brigada readers can help. He is hosting an all-day strategy meeting for the Bazooka people on Saturday August 8th in Dallas, Texas. Churches are needed to adopt to Bazookas. Web page design help is needed to attract Bazooka people who Brigada Joe has found surfing the Web. Also needed are people who will knock on the door of Bazookas who Brigada Joe has located in the USA. Prayer warriors are needed as is almost any other kind of service you might bring to the table. For his intense security setting, Brigada Joe will need a short paragraph about your conversion and your church name and your pastor’s name and pastor’s work phone number. Brigada Joe will send you an invitation to this all-day meeting. (All program and food costs for just $15!) E-mail Brigada Joe at afm@xc.org and even if you can’t attend the meeting, volunteer your help for the Bazookas.

BEEN TRYING TO “GET BRIGADA CALEB”???

Try again. It’s up and running now. To receive a full catalogue of missions mobilization materials from Caleb Project.
Disclaimer: I don’t work for them. Wish I did of course. Maybe when I get to Heaven.

ARE YOU CURIOUS IDOP?

Me too. We didn’t put the date in last week’s Brigada Today. We don’t even know when it is! Sorry! Anybody got the date for the upcoming International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church?

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COPYRIGHT — This issue of Brigada Today is Copyrighted © 2001. However, permission is granted to freely redistribute these materials, including those available through email autoresponders, provided that such redistribution is to those who will help the Good News of Christianity to reach the unreached. But please include this phrase: “For a free subscription of Brigada‘s weekly missions publication, write <brigada-today-subscribe@egroups.com>.”
IMPORTANT: To copy or reproduce Brigada Today for any other reason is illegal and is not permitted.

DISCLAIMER — Please note that there’s no way we can possibly screen all the text on all the web sites or items we recommend. We try to check them out first… but if we miss something, please don’t assume that the opinions on those sites are identical to those of the Brigada family of networks. “Eat the corn, leave the cob!”
For subscription questions or problems, write help@brigada.org.

SUBMITTING CONTENT — To submit content or ideas to Brigada Today, first please get a copy of “Guidelines for submitting items to Brigada” Then, once you’ve composed your item in keeping with those guidelines, send your item for Brigada Today to DLucas@teamexpansion.org.
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Emphasis is placed on items relating to unreached peoples and challenges faced by those reaching them cross-culturally.

PLEASE DON’T SUBSCRIBE US TO YOUR LIST — It’s always better to ask before manually force-adding anyone to your list-serve or mailing list. Recently, tons of well-meaning people have been subscribing Doug to their lists. Since he often travels overseas, he doesn’t join many of those, for obvious reasons (like being charged big-time for overseas access). So as a general rule, please don’t bulk-mail us! See the note above if you’d like to submit items for Brigada Today. Thanks for understanding. Bottom line: We will never create Brigada Today items from bulk mail. Bulk mail gets deleted immediately — sorry. Nothing personal. We suggest you apply the same standard to everyone. Ask first!

WARNING ABOUT FORWARDING EMAILS — Please, before forwarding any kind of request (even if it says “please send this to all your friends”), please check to make sure it has a VERIFIABLE ORIGIN, a VERIFIABLE PURPOSE, and a VERIFIABLE CLOSURE (OPC). By following this simple approach, many “email viruses” could be nipped in the bud… at least in the Brigada family. More information about the full Brigada OPC protocol is available. Thank you.

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

Global Glimpses: John Hanna, Caleb Project, jhanna@cproject.com
Brigada Website: Bob Mayhew, WebServant@brigada.org
Brigada Customer Service Manager: help@brigada.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!