In this issue…

  1. BRIGADA READERS STEP UP TO THE PLATE
  2. INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF ETHNODOXOLOGISTS
  3. NEED A GREAT INTERNATIONAL CALLING PLAN?
  4. THREE BRIGADA SPONSORS SUBSCRIBE TO BLESSED HOPE LONG DISTANCE
  5. CORRECTION ON GETTING THE “DICTIONARY”
  6. SEND A GOSPEL GREETING
  7. TRAVEL SITES OFFER VARYING DEGREES OF SERVICE
  8. THE NAMA/DAMARA PEOPLE
  9. DON’T GO TEACH ENGLISH WITHOUT TRAINING
  10. BIHAR, INDIA UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS CONFERENCE
  11. ENCOURAGEMENT FOR WIVES/MOMS WORKING CROSS-CULTURALLY
  12. THE HERERO PEOPLE
  13. SPECIAL PRICING FOR PEOPLE RAISING 6-HOUR VIDEO
  14. FREE DISCIPLESHIP MATERIALS
  15. CHECK OUT THIS RESOURCE FOR MISSIONS NEWS AND GIFTS
  16. NEW BOOK ON MISSION TO NEW RELIGIONS
  17. BEWARE SWIFTPAY.*
  18. THE BACK PAGE
  19. CLOSING STUFF
  1. BRIGADA READERS STEP UP TO THE PLATE — Thanks to Information & Learning Systems International for their gift of $1350, based on what must have been some 280 CDs they sold to Brigada readers during the special “pre-release-to-Brigada” month of October. Remember, although the Countries and Peoples of the World CD is no longer being offered exclusively to the Brigada family at a specially discounted price, it’s still a great tool for researching unreached peoples. See it at:

    http://www.ywam.org/books/countries_and_peoples.htm

    Thanks also to another “Kingdom business bent on making a difference in missions” who threw in an additional $50 this past week, and yet another sponsor for $50, the International Council of Ethnodoxologists (ICE) a new organization for those seeking to encourage the use of the creative arts in worship, worldwide. They are only two months old but check them out at http://www.worldofworship.org See their item below (#2). In addition, the brother who thought up the “subscribe” tool sent his second monthly gift of $10. He inspired the new “subscribe” button at:

    https://brigada.org/sponsor.html

    which reminds you once a month to give a $10 sponsorship. If you’d like to join him in pitching in $10 per month, just use the PayPal “Subscribe” button at the top of the Sponsors page to register your intent. This brings our total for the year to $11,875! Our new Brigada secretary makes $15,600/year… so less than $4000 to go!

  2. INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF ETHNODOXOLOGISTS — This Association for Global Christian Worship group provides unique networking opportunities and a platform for Christian ethnomusicologists and others involved in worship and the arts world-wide to voice their mission, research, and concerns. ICE offers a web-based forum for members, a free one-year subscription to EthnoDoxology (the only published ethnomusicology journal with a focus on contextualized Christian music ministries), and an Ethnomusicology Consulting Network. ICE is offering discounted prices for partnership until Nov. 15, 2003. There are several categories of partnership, including an inexpensive partnership category of “International Associate” for non-native English speakers. Check out http://www.worldofworship.org or write to information@worldofworship.org for more information on this unique organization. (Thanks to ICE for their sponsorship of our new Brigada secretary!)
  3. NEED A GREAT INTERNATIONAL CALLING PLAN? — Try an international calling service that reportedly has the cheapest country-to-country phone rates in the business. Learn more at https://brigada.org/phone.html (By the way, Andy, our contact at this service, says that so far, 30 Brigada readers have signed on! Yahooo! He’s estimating that his first sponsorship check to us will come in December [for November use] and will be somewhere around $100! So … if you’re one of the Brigada users that have signed on, please talk away! Remember, every minute you talk to someone overseas, you’re going to be helping Brigada!!! :-) )
  4. THREE BRIGADA SPONSORS SUBSCRIBE TO BLESSED HOPE LONG DISTANCE — This past week, three Brigada participants moved their long distance service over to Blessed Hope. By doing so, they’re creating what we hope will be a monthly fountain of help for our new Brigada Secretary. See:

    http://www.lowermyphonebill.com/brigada

    Granted, with long distance bills being what they are these days, maybe Brigada will only receive $1/month per subscriber, but if a couple of *hundred* Brigada readers signed up, that’s $200/month! Besides, if you live in the USA, it’s a great plan — state-to-state is just 4.9 cents/minute with 6-second billing, NO fees and NO minimums. You can find your instate rate and international rates at the website.

  5. CORRECTION ON GETTING THE “DICTIONARY” — Still trying to get that dictionary we told you about a couple of weeks ago (item 10, DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGICAL TERMS IN SIMPLIFIED ENGLISH, in the Oct. 24 Brigada Today)? As it turns out, here’s one book *not* available at Amazon.com. The Dictionary of Theological Terms in Simplified English ($14.95) and Student Workbook ($9.95) are only available at http://www.emisdirect.com or by calling 630/752-7156, or e-mailing emis@wheaton.edu The books are published and sold by EMIS- the Evangelism and Missions Information Service, publishing department of the Billy Graham Center, Wheaton, IL. Again, sorry for making the assumption that Amazon.com had everything! Please forgive any inconvenience.
  6. SEND A GOSPEL GREETING — Thanks to the Brigada participant who tipped us off to http://www.gospelgreeting.com/ Looks like they have a great Christian greeting card thing going — for evangelism, encouragement, and more. (Great find, Nathan!)
  7. TRAVEL SITES OFFER VARYING DEGREES OF SERVICE — Traveling somewhere? Make your *living* by traveling? :-) If so, check out these travel sites on the web:
    http://www.frommers.com If you have time to check out only one site, go to this one. They offer everything from maps, discounts, tips, and news. They recently won PC Magazine’s pick for best travel site.
    http://www.lonelyplanet.com with reviews, advice, advisories
    http://tripadvisor.com: research, links, articles, reviews,
    http://www.concierge.com complete with [largely inactive] message boards and more
    http://www.epinions.com with lots of travel research & reviews
    http://www.fodors.com with brochures, great links, promising future
  8. THE NAMA/DAMARA PEOPLE — This group of central and southern Namibia in Africa – closely related to the Bushman, having a similar Khosian language, light skin and small frame – continue to carry on much of their reliance on stock farming, crafts, tribal traditions and a multitude of superstitions. Even though there is outward evidence of the 1840’s Rhenish Missionary work – identification with Christianity and women even wearing Victorian traditional dress – most show no understanding of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are a forgotten people. To partner with the IMB in adopting the Nama/Damara People or for more information, check out their site on peopleteams.org: http://www.forgottenpeoples.info or email swacsc@iafrica.com
  9. DON’T GO TEACH ENGLISH WITHOUT TRAINING — Invest three weeks in practical TESOL training and ensure that your teaching is effective and your ministry with students is enhanced. During Essentials of TESOL, July 12-30, 2004, at Biola University in southern California, you will learn methods and techniques for teaching English language skills, be introduced to the sound and grammar systems of English, discover teaching materials, explore cultural issues, and learn appropriate ways of being a Christian teacher. You will also get supervised experience teaching non-native speakers. Earn a certificate for less than $1500 (tuition, room and board, materials). Call 562/903-4844 or contact kitty.purgason@.biola.edu or visit http://www.biola.edu/academics/sics/essentials_tesol.cfm
  10. BIHAR, INDIA UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS CONFERENCE — The Friends of Bihar are hosting a Strategy Coordinators conference in Houston, Texas December 1-5, 2003. Strategy Coordinators are individuals who adopt a single unreached people and focus their all of their efforts and resources towards seeing a Church planting movement launched among their specific people group. This training prepares individuals to partner with other believers around the world to be a part of reaching an unreached people group for Christ. The conference has as its goals to 1) Teach the principles of Strategy Coordination, 2) Coordinate efforts and strategies for Church planting, 3) Build a Network of Churches, Pastors, and Lay people committed to the evangelization of Bihar, India, 4) Focus on Unreached peoples in Bihar and take definitive steps towards their evangelization. For more information, contact Chad friendsofbihar@cs.com or you can visit http://www.friendsofbihar.org
  11. ENCOURAGEMENT FOR WIVES/MOMS WORKING CROSS-CULTURALLY — Peter’s Wife has added “PW Community” to its website. Check out the new community to see their current topic and add your comments. Log on at http://peterswife.org/nucleus2.0/index.php To receive their monthly email newsletter, email: joinb@peterswife.org
  12. THE HERERO PEOPLE — This group of central and eastern Namibia in Africa – a pastoral cattle breeding nation, popularly known for the women wearing long Victorian gowns introduced by German missionaries in the 1800s – maintain strong tribal traditions. These Bantu-speaking people subsist on herding for meat and milk. Unique for southern Africa, each Herero identity is defined through specific fraternal and maternal family beliefs or property. Today they combine Christian dogma with ancestor worship and magical ceremonies. They are a forgotten people. To team up with the IMB in adopting the Herero People or for more information, please visit their peopleteams.org site at http://www.forgottenpeoples.info or email swacsc@iafrica.com
  13. SPECIAL PRICING FOR PEOPLE RAISING 6-HOUR VIDEO — People Raising is offering special pricing through November 30th on its 6-hour premiere video Kit. It is valued at $299.99 now available at $199.99. This 6-hour training program is designed to help reduce the fear as well as reduce the time needed to raise funds. These tools are based on the popular Moody Press book People Raising now in a 10th printing. George Verwer says, “I believe this is one of the most important and practical books in the history of world missions.” The Premier Video Edition includes: 4 90 min. videotapes, 4 90 min. audiotapes, a 72-page Study Guide, a Facilitator’s Guide, a Presentation Reminder Card, and a copy of People Raising: A Practical Guide to Raising Support. To take advantage of this special pricing go to the following link and enter special discount code V69879 http://www.peopleraising.com/purchase.cfm or email Bill@PeopleRaising.com .
  14. FREE DISCIPLESHIP MATERIALS — Get some in English, Spanish, Burmese, Bulgarian, Chinese, Finnish, French (France), French (Congo), Japanese, Kikuyo, Korean, Lingala, Paite, Russian, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, or Tenyidie. Jerry Reed, Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Seminary in Chicago, recently finished an updated version of the Discipleship Web Site that is hosted on the NPU server and linked to it from www.discipleship.info or from http://www.discipulado.info This new version now contains 18 language versions of the Discipleship Encounters (version 3.5) as well as Jump Start and other resources for evangelism and discipling. They can be downloaded in three different formats: Microsoft Word, PDF, and/or HTML at no charge. The Covenant Resource Center (1-800-IDEA) carries the paper copies of the English, Spanish, and Korean. For those who do not like to wait for downloads, the whole web site is available on a CD from Jerry Reed jreed@northpark.edu The CD costs $5.00, and the check should be made out to Jerry Reed.
  15. CHECK OUT THIS RESOURCE FOR MISSIONS NEWS AND GIFTS — World Pulse brings you what the secular news doesn’t. Learn how global events affect the church around the world, read about unique ministries, delve deeper into God’s heart for the nations. This season, treat your family, your friends and your colleagues to these special subscription offers (until 12/31/03) to World Pulse: Six months (10 issues) of worldpulseonline.com for only $7.95, regularly $14.95 for one year. OR six months of World Pulse in print for only $9.95, regularly $20.95 for one year for new subscribers. An ideal gift for missionaries, overseas workers, pastors, students or anyone who’d like to expand their view of God’s work around the world. Check it out at http://www.worldpulseonline.com e-mail info@worldpulseonline.com or call this US number: (630)752-7156.
  16. NEW BOOK ON MISSION TO NEW RELIGIONS — Here’s a new book by Kregel Publications titled “Encountering New Religious Movements: A Holistic Evangelical Approach.” This book’s contributors, including noted missiologist David Hesselgrave, propose that the most effective way to reach new religions is to view them missiologically as different people groups and to approach them with a cross-cultural mindset instead of following more traditional methods that merely confront biblical heresies and doctrinal aberrations. The book’s international contributors include sections on biblical and historical considerations, methodology, and practical contextualization ideas for reaching Latter-day Saints, New Spirituality, Wicca, Mother Goddess, Satanism adherents and others. Order the book at Amazon.com http://tinyurl.com/j47k or learn more by contacting one of the editors at JMorehead@watchman.org
  17. BEWARE SWIFTPAY.* — So… what’s up with the Swiftpay scams? They send you an email saying someone has donated $950 to you. All you have to do is create an account at Swiftpay.us: or swiftpay@usa.com. The next thing you know, they ask for your bank info., so they can transfer the money into your account. The *next* thing you know, your account is being hit for some small amount. You decide not to fight it… and they make thousands of dollars. Read more at:
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/32301.html
    http://www.thelocalbbb.org/alerts/alerts.html?newsid=212&newstype=1
    The internet has created more scam opportunities than any other creation in history. Yikes.
  18. THE BACK PAGE — This past week, I was scanning some articles on the state of computing. The author was writing about the search for “the True Right Way” to do something. (The author was Peter Coffee of _eWeek_. You can scan his whole article, if you’re interested in that sort of thing, at:
    http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1362954,00.asp
    ) His focus was that the “True Right Way” is “dangerously seductive to those who enjoy the technical exercise.” I pondered that concept as I tried to apply it to our own “industry.” It just occurred to me that it would be possible to get so hung up on trying to do things perfectly… that, in our stymied state, we might never do much at all. Peter Coffee went on to make his point. “The Good Enough Way” can be more than sufficient, he argued, especially when cost and time are critical factors. I’ll have to admit: sometimes it’s tempting to wait ’til we get “all of our ducks in a row.” That’s all well and good… unless we miss a limited opportunity while waiting for the stars to line up perfectly. Doing mission well probably means a combination of searching for excellence with all the passion and precision we can muster, while bolderdashedly trudging through the tall weeds when we sometimes won’t be able to see exactly where our next step will land. That’s part of what Proverbs 16:3 means to me: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” And just a few verses later, in Prov. 16:9, the writer adds, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” May we always commit to working as effectively and as efficiently as possible. But may we never become obsessed with finding only “the True Right Way”, when the “Good Enough Way” will allow more souls to come in contact with the message of Christ.
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