20010318 Brigada Today

In this issue….

OPEN LETTER FROM OPERATION WORLD AUTHOR

Here’s your chance to help bring out a new edition of Operation World, one of the most effective and time-tested ways to mobilize and pray for global missions. This past week, we received this note from Patrick Johnstone, the author of OW:

“Greetings, and thanks for Brigada!

“Thought I would drop you a line about progress towards completion of OW.

“For prayer: Operation World nears completion, but in the final months before our deadline of 30 June 2001 we must squeeze in about 6 months of work! We value prayer. The huge printing press in the USA is booked for July and we cannot miss our long-fixed slot. Publication is due in early September and the book will be launched on Logos 2 in London Sept 8 and at the EFMA/IFMA jamboree in Florida a few days later. Pray that this may happen! It involves five of us working flat out – me often 14 hours a day.

“Progress to date. We have now completed the draft of the text for every country, and these have been distributed to thousands of respondents for checking. This edition will be the most checked of any hitherto – because of the gift of e-mail, but mistakes, unnecessary errors needlessly painful comments are all possible for we are human! Please pray for objectivity and incisiveness as well as speed!

“We are now writing up the Special Ministries and the Regional summaries. I have just completed Africa and am now tackling the Americas then comes massive, complex Asia.

“In this edition we are beginning the text on most countries with Answers to Prayer – God has done so much in our world over the past decade and we want to ensure He gets the glory for His power revealed in answer to our prayers! Regional totals emerging show that for Evangelicals the 1990s was probably the greatest harvest ever.
Yours in Jesus,
Patrick Johnstone

Here at Brigada, we hold Patrick in the highest respect, so when he takes time to personally write and ask for prayer, we listen! So we urgently covet your prayers on his behalf and on that of the entire OW staff! Please take a moment right now to remember his requests!

GREAT RESOURCE FOR MISSIONS MOBILIZATION MATERIALS

Here’s a great resource for missions mobilization materials if you happen to live in the USA or know someone who does: 8MORE-BOOKS (866-732-6657) or Fax 706-554-7444 or email order@omlit.om.org. Ask for a catalogue. (Remember that we highly discourage using email for credit card orders.) Noting the obvious lack of a website, we wrote them and they were nice enough to respond, saying that one was in the works. In the meantime, http://www.omlit.om.org says two words “OM Literature”

ENCOURAGEMENT / DISCERNMENT DEVOTIONALS

If you have any suggestions on devotionals or studies that would help missionaries recharge and refocus, Paul needs your help. In approximately three weeks, he is leaving on a ten-day journey to visit missionary friends who are in a time of transition and who seek the Lord’s clarity in their current location. Send suggestions to michalik@texas.net.

TENTMAKER TYPES TAKE NOTE

Thanks to Ken kennethwes@aol.com, the tentmaking archive has just been significantly upgraded. To get your copy, send a blank email message to: tentmaking@brigada.org. The rest is automatic. You’ll receive a copy of the 16K file in your inbox… in minutes. Thanks Ken!!!

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO HTML

Here’s a great website for enlightenment on the good news: http://www.thegoodnews.org/HeresHope/default.htm This is produced by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. (Thanks for the tip, Mark!)

‘PARADOX’ IN MONTREAL

“Connected to culture, conformed to Christ” will be the theme of a two-month experimental missions internship in the Canadian city of Montreal this summer. Sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board and North American Mission Board, “Paradox” is designed to deepen students’ devotion to Christ and develop a team for innovative evangelism in a postmodern, cross-cultural setting through arts, personal relationships and other formats.

Participants will be ministering in the largest city in Canada’s predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec, which several evangelical ministries have labeled as the least evangelized area of North America. For more information, contact David at brazzeals@canada.com or check out http://www.prayforquebec.com.

PRAYER FOR CHILDREN AT RISK

“The WorldWide Day of Prayer for Children at Risk”, held on the first Saturday on June each year, is sponsored by Viva Network, PO Box 633, Oxford OX2 0XZ. A prayer information pack is available by mail or on the web at http://www.viva.org. The pack is free and has lots of imaginative suggestions for organizing a prayer event including stuff for the kids. Don’t miss the 2nd June 2001. Contact Alan areed@viva.org.

SEMINAR ON THE WORLD CHRISTIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA

The second edition of this 2-volume reference work is now hot off the press. The WCE2 gives detailed information on the status of Christianity and the status of evangelization in every country, religion, people group, language, city, and province in the world – as well as many other valuable resources. It is a goldmine of strategic information for world evangelization. It is also big, complicated, detailed, and sometimes technical. ACMC, Caleb Project, and CBInternational are co-sponsoring an interactive, half-day seminar on the WCE2, on 27 April in Littleton, Colorado. It will be led by Michael Jaffarian, an Associate Editor of the Encyclopedia. For more information, contact Lauri Dennis at LDennis@cproject.com. If you would like to see the seminar offered in your city (even outside the USA), contact Michael at michaeldawna@earthlink.net.

GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTREACH ADDS “E-MAIL ONLY” INTERFACE

Those with unreliable or expensive Internet service can now interface with GEO by e-mail. GEO recruits Christian craftsmen, hobbyists, artisans, and professionals to give practical information and assistance to missionaries. “Email only” clients can begin by sending an email to Index@teamgeo.org; an automated response will give further information. Those preferring secure communications can send an email to Smalltalk@teamgeo.org; this automated response contains no sensitive language or information. All others should interface with GEO through their website http://www.teamgeo.org or regular e-mail address mail@teamgeo.org.

INFORMATION REQUESTED ON MINISTRY TO THE DEAF

The Wollongong (Australia) Deaf Church is interested in knowing where in the world there is established ministry to the Deaf, particularly in relation to their planned visit to a Russian Children’s Camp in July 2001. Thousands of Russian children go to the summer camps. This particular camp has about 200 deaf children, who have never ‘heard’ the Gospel. They want to be sure that the Deaf children reached at the camp can properly be followed up. Send replies about this region and others to Michael churchesma@cyberelectric.net.au and they will be compiled into a single report for use by Brigada members. People who are able to share in prayer support for this venture should also contact Michael as above. Thanks Michael!

NO MORE WARNINGS ABOUT MADALYN MURRAY O’HAIR

Brigada readers are reporting having received several warnings recently about a supposed effort by atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair to have the word “God” banned from the airwaves by the FCC. This would supposedly result in the termination of the television program, Touched by an Angel. These and all future warnings are bogus. Ms. O’Hair has passed on to the hereafter. See the article in the Wall Street Journal’s obituary page: http://www.opinionjournal.com/wsj/?id=85000748. Apparently she was kidnapped, forced to withdraw money from the account of her organization, and then sadly murdered… Not a great ending. But the Wall Street Journal piece is well worth the read. Check it out! (Thanks Justin!)

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

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