In this issue…

  1. MISSION HELP – FOR MISSIONARY AGENCIES
  2. HUMAN RESOURCE AND MISSIONARY TRACKING PROGRAM NEEDED
  3. ENGLISH FOR MISSIONARIES (EFM)
  4. CD-ROM RECRUITMENT: IS IT EFFECTIVE?
  5. CHRISTIAN MISSIONS AND THE KURDS . . . BEFORE SADDAM!
  6. ANSWERING ISLAM CD-EDITON NOW AVAILABLE
  7. AVIATION MINISTRY IN CENTRAL ASIA
  8. WANT TO LEARN HOW TO RAISE FUNDS?
  9. LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SERVE?
  10. UNIQUE PLAYER HELPS ILLITERATES TO HEAR THE GOSPEL
  11. LIGHT TO THE NATIONS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN EUROPE
  12. JAMA 2003 NEW AWAKENING CONFERENCE
  13. ASIA PACIFIC INSTITUTE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES
  14. INTERESTED IN REACHING KAZAKHS?
  15. ACCREDITED TESOL
  16. CLOSING STUFF

  1. MISSION HELP – FOR MISSIONARY AGENCIES — Mission Help is designed as a tool to help facilitate questions and responses from one missionary agency to many missionary agencies. Occasionally, one missionary agency will find a better way to do things that may be of some benefit to other mission organizations. To exchange ideas, subscribe to Mission Help and join in emailing questions and responses to members. You may also visit Mission Help’s website to see some of the resources available by going to http://missionhelp.injesus.com

  2. HUMAN RESOURCE AND MISSIONARY TRACKING PROGRAM NEEDED — Brian <bmasters@caminternational.org> is looking for a good program to track missionaries, their ministries, their vital information, their education, etc.? (HR stuff). If you’ve got a lead, please drop him a note… and he’ll report back here in a couple of weeks.

  3. ENGLISH FOR MISSIONARIES (EFM) — Here’s a seminar being offered from September 8 to December 5, 2003 at Gateway Missionary Training Centre near Vancouver, Canada. EFM is an intensive course designed to take advanced learners (IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL 500) to university entrance level (IELTS 6 or TOEFL550). It is also meant for missionaries who need a higher level of English in order to work more effectively on a multi- national team. Each week twenty-one hours of instruction are given. The course fee is $2100 Canadian or approximately $1400 US. The fee includes tuition, room, board, textbooks, internet access and transportation to and from the airport. Health insurance, long distance phone calls and other personal expenses are not covered. The course is open to twelve students. For more information or applications write or log on at: http//www.gatewaytraining.org info@gatewaytraining.org>

  4. CD-ROM RECRUITMENT: IS IT EFFECTIVE? — Brian <bmasters@caminternational.org> would like to know the effectiveness of CD-Rom recruitment tools that many ministries use. Has anyone studied the return on investment for this medium? How many people joined or found out about the organization because of the CD? Is the CD the main tool or does it supplement other materials? What type of response is your organization receiving because of the CD? Are the people responding in their 20’s-30’s; 30’s-40’s; 40’s-50’s; etc.? How has it affected donations? Jot him a note… and he’ll report his findings back here in a couple of weeks.

  5. CHRISTIAN MISSIONS AND THE KURDS . . . BEFORE SADDAM! — Here’s a book resource for understanding the church’s approach over the centuries to the people of Kurdistan which includes Northern Iraq and Eastern Turkey. “Ethnic Realities And The Church: Lessons From Kurdistan, A History of Mission Work”, 1668-1990, by Robert I. Blincoe, 1998, 263 pp., is essential reading for those wishing to take the gospel to a post-Saddam Kurdistan. Ethnic Realities can be purchased from the Presbyterian Center for Mission Studies, 1605 E. Elizabeth Street, Pasadena, CA, 91104 for $12.95 plus S & H. Website: http://www.prescms.org/pcms_resources.html or email <pcms@pcusa.org>.

  6. ANSWERING ISLAM CD-EDITON NOW AVAILABLE — Looking for a comprehensive resource on all things Islamic? Here is what you need: The CD edition of Answering Islam ( http://www.answering-islam.org ) gives you some 270 MB of resource material on understanding Muslims and Islam, evangelistic tracts designed for Muslims, articles defending the Christian faith against the attacks of Muslim polemics, answers to common and uncommon Muslim questions regarding the Bible and the position of Jesus Christ, more than a hundred testimonies of converts from Islam to Christ, an analysis of the political side of Islam and much more. It’s a vast library of some 5,000+ articles and classical out-of-print and hard-to- get books, mostly English, but includes material in eight languages (even a ninth in the first downloadable update to the CD). And the best: The CD comes with the permission to freely copy and distribute it (as long as that is done free of charge) plus regular free internet updates of the CD content as this is a fast growing site. Price: US-$ 15.00 plus shipping. Order the CD: http://www.answering-islam.org/ordercd.html For further questions, email (please manually remove the two _ characters before emailing)

  7. AVIATION MINISTRY IN CENTRAL ASIA — An aviation group dedicated to meeting the needs of believers (encouraging isolated folks, reaching many unreached groups via many organizations) as well as a blessing to the region (medical and food drops, ambulance flights) is starting in central Asia. Future plans include reaching all of the “-stans” with low-cost flights and cargo deliveries — stuff the commercial guys don’t handle. For less than the cost of an aviation engine in the West, they’ll be flying a freshly refurbished plane, as well as employing locals. If you’d like to fly for them — or pray for them — contact Robert at <roberts@vpn2000.net>.

  8. WANT TO LEARN HOW TO RAISE FUNDS? — See if you can get a spot at “The Jesus Film Project Development Training Seminar”, to be held in San Clemente, from 1:30 pm until 5:30 pm on Thursday, April 24, and 9:00 am until 3:30 pm on Friday. The new $50 registration fee must be received by March 31. If you are planning to attend, please make your check payable to The Jesus Film Project and send it to the attention of Marlene Leake, The Jesus Film Project, 910 Calle Negocio, Suite 300, San Clemente, CA 92673.

  9. LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SERVE? —- Do you hanker for the time when people worked with their hands and went to bed tired? Are you in need of a place that is so remote that visitors have to be flown in? How long has it been since you encountered a bear on the way to breakfast? Join the saints of SERVE to work on a retreat facility at Kako in far western Alaska. The time will be spend preparing for a summer of family camps by sawing and dressing wood, building out buildings, cleaning and repairing cabins and cooking for the workers. You will come away refreshed, strong and with a clear certainty that you have been doing the Lord’s work. Dates: May 20-June 5th. Contact Tom <tlc@gatetek.com> or see the web site: http://www.serve-intl.org.

  10. UNIQUE PLAYER HELPS ILLITERATES TO HEAR THE GOSPEL — The long awaited shipment of TapeTalk hand-wind players has arrived at Gospel Recordings. These unique cassette players do not need batteries or external electricity in order to play. They can be supplied along with cassettes containing gospel messages in over 5,500 languages and dialects. The players can be sent to your missionary, or used in your Sunday School class to help children pray for Unreached Peoples. For more information on the players and a full listing of the available languages, check out the Gospel Recordings web site at http://www.gospelrecordings.com or email <orders@gospelrecordings.com>. In the USA, you can call 1-888-44-GRUSA toll free.

  11. LIGHT TO THE NATIONS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN EUROPE — The Norwegian tentmaking organisation Tent Ltd together with Global Opportunities is arranging the first Light to the Nations course in Norway. Light to the Nations is known as one of the best and most compact courses for anyone who wants to serve the Lord as a tentmaker. This course takes place in the beautiful city of Bergen on the Norwegian westcoast form April 30th till May 4th. The course-fee is USD 250, which includes several meals. Tent can organise private accommodation in Bergen. If you want to take part in this course you can contact Tent at <post@tent.no> or visit their website at http://www.tent.no You will also find information on the Global Opportunites website at http://www.globalopps.org/ltn .

  12. JAMA 2003 NEW AWAKENING CONFERENCE — Head to Atlanta, GA from July 1 – 5, 2003 for the JAMA 2003 New Awakening Conference! Plenary speakers include John Piper (Desiring God Ministries), Louie Giglio (Passion), Loren Cunningham (YWAM Founder), and Ken Davis. Worship led by Chris Tomlin and the David Crowder Band. Conference tracks include Missions, College Students, Professionals, International Students and Scholars, Family Ministry, Youth Leadership, and Intercessory Prayer. For more information, go to http://www.newawakening2003.com, or email <national@jamaglobal.com>.

  13. ASIA PACIFIC INSTITUTE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES — If you are interested in special training for ministering to people influenced by Buddhist worldviews, the Asia Pacific Institute of Buddhist Studies is offering 4 two week modules at the campus of Asia Pacific Theological Seminary (APTS) in Baguio, Phillipines, June 2-July 25. Course 1 June 2-13 “Introduction to Buddhism” (Dave Oleson, Northwest College); Course 2 June 16-June 27 “Ancient Wisdom, Modern World: Christian Responses to Tibetan Buddhism” (Hugh Kemp, Dean of Studies at the Manuwatu Centre of the Bible College of New Zealand); Course 3 June 30-July 11 “Japanese/Mahayana Buddhism” (Mark Dominey, missionary to Japan with OMF); Course 4 “Church Planting Among Buddhist Peoples” (Alex Smith, Minister-At-Large to the Buddhist World, OMF). Courses can be taken for graduate credit with APTS. Request a pre-application form from Linda Moises <guestservices@apts.edu>.

  14. INTERESTED IN REACHING KAZAKHS? — Interested in knowing what is going on with this people group? May 1-3, 2003, Christian Fellowship Church of Evansville, IN will be hosting the 2003 Kazakh Consultation. Visit our website http://www.k-consult.org to access more information. Spaces are still available for table and ministry displays.

  15. ACCREDITED TESOL — Sea English Academy International provides accredited TESOL training courses around the world! The next TESOL course runs 16th June to 11th July 2003 in Brisbane, Australia. In the past few years Sea English Academy has trained over 500 English teachers now working in over 35 nations around the world. For applications and more information visit the website at http://www.seaenglishacademy.com or email <info@seaenglishacademy.com>.