20050109 Brigada Today

In this issue…

1. DONORS HELP US CRANK OUT BRIGADA
2. NEED A NEW CELL PHONE? TRY BLESSED HOPE
3. ELIJAH COMPANY MISSIONARY TRAINING
4. LOOKING FOR A SINGLES RETREAT FOR MISSIONARIES?
5. MOROCCO SUMMIT
6. GOT TESOL?
7. YWAM CROSSROADS DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING SCHOOL
8. CROSS-CULTURAL CHURCH PLANTING SEMINAR
9. GO TO THE NATIONS… AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER
10. SCHOOL OF FRONTIERS MISSIONS IN BEAUTIFUL JACKSONVILLE, FL
11. FOR ACADEMICIANS: REVIEWING MOREHEAD’S “NEW RELIGIOUS MOV’TS”
12. THE BACK PAGE: THREE CHEERS FOR THE BACKSTAGE WORKERS

1. DONORS HELP US CRANK OUT BRIGADA — Cool! Here’s $120 from Family Circus Ministry, $46 from an anonymous donor who gave via Missionary Training Service (MTS). Learn more about their work at http://www.missionarytraining.org In addition, $25 from an anonymous donor in Fort Collins, CO, and $5 from a Christian worker in Sweden. May God bless each of these!!!
2. NEED A NEW CELL PHONE? TRY BLESSED HOPE — If you’re in need of a new cellular plan, don’t forget to check out the plans by Blessed Hope Communications (a Brigada sponsor). You can get service through most major providers; plus free phones, free accessories and even cash back are part of most plans. For every new order activated through Blessed Hope, Brigada receives a $40 sponsorship. (Whoa!) Please visit http://www.lowermyphonebill.com/brigada for more details and to configure a plan that works for you.
3. ELIJAH COMPANY MISSIONARY TRAINING — Here’s a four day preparation consultation from February 24-27 near Valentine, Virginia. The consultation introduces realities, necessities, models and methods. A close look is given to the personal profile of the missionary and developing relational abilities. The goal is to help provide a road map into missions involvement and motivation for the journey. Prayer is central to the training. Skills are also presented. Furloughing missionaries and missions leaders have also found this time to be of great value for resolving difficult issues. The Elijah Company manifesto is posted on the newly edited web site at http://www.elijahcompany.org . You can get more information and applications by writing to info4(at)elijahcompany(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]. The Elijah Company office phone (757) 226-3507.
4. LOOKING FOR A SINGLES RETREAT FOR MISSIONARIES? — Try the interagency retreats hosted by MET in the Czech Republic and South Africa. They bring together an excellent seasoned staff will daily facilitate times of Biblical meditation, prayer, teaching and worship song. Every afternoon MET offers personal relaxation time with the option of benefiting from one to one debriefing and / or counseling. Attend 21 – 28 April 2005 in Czech Republic or 20 – 27 October 2005 in South Africa. For registration or more info, write OfficeMET(at)aol(dot)com . [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] The deadline for application is: Czech Republic – 31 January 2005 ; South Africa 31 July 2005. Applications are dealt with on a first come, first served, basis.
5. MOROCCO SUMMIT — Want to learn what others are doing in Morocco? Looking for tips on how to begin ministry there, what to do, or how to do it better? Whether you are just considering an outreach or are already ministering in North Africa, the Morocco Summit is for you. Arise Shine Morocco invites missionaries, interested individuals, mission agency and church representatives to meet together in Southern California for two days in April to learn from one another and to explore together what has been done in the past and what might be done in the future. Workers with decades in Morocco will share from their experiences and teach on reaching Muslims within the Moroccan context. Panel and group discussions will address specific issues and opportunities. The overall thrust will be to unify, inform, inspire, encourage, equip and empower participants for effective ministry in Morocco. Discounted early registration is available until February 15. For more information write: asm(at)interum(dot)org
6. GOT TESOL? — 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 11-29, 2005, 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. Non-credit tuition is only $515. Dorm space is available for early applicants. Visit http:www.biola.edu/academics/sics/essentials_tesol.cfm for more info and call 562/903-4844 or contact kitty[dot]purgason[at]biola[dot]edu for an application. [As a means of preventing spam, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
7. YWAM CROSSROADS DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING SCHOOL — Are you looking for greater intimacy with God and a taste of cross-cultural missions? If you are age 30 or more, or a family with children, consider taking the Crossroads DTS at Youth With A Mission at Lebanon PA USA. This 20 week program includes 12 weeks of lectures, with speakers who focus on such topics as the father heart of God, how to hear God’s voice, intercession, spiritual warfare, and relationships. Students then have the option to minister in Ukraine for 8 weeks, a very practical cross- cultural ministry experience. Lecture phase is from March 21 to June 10, 2005 with outreach to Ukraine immediately following. Details and application forms are on website http://www.ywampa.org. E-mail questions to ywampa(at)comcast(dot)net. [replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
8. CROSS-CULTURAL CHURCH PLANTING SEMINAR — Worldview Resource Group (WRG) is conducting a cross-cultural church planting seminar August 29 – September 2, 2005 at the Mission Training International center in Palmer Lake, Colorado, USA. The seminar provides training in cross- cultural church planting methodologies based on a worldview approach to ministry. Facilitators include: Dr. David Hesselgrave; Dr. Tom Steffen; George Walker, co-founder of WRG; and Mark Zook, featured in the Ee- Taow video. For online information about the curriculum, costs, and logistics go to http://www.wrg3.org You can register online. USA callers can dial toll- free 1-866-750-WRG3 (9743). Also, you can email WRG at info(at)wrg3(dot)org. [replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
9. GO TO THE NATIONS… AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER — Here’s a 4-week TESOL course in effective English teaching techniques, sponsored by Youth With A Mission in Lebanon PA USA. February 28 to March 25, 2005. Details, application forms, and alternate dates listed in website at http://www.ywampa.org. E-mail questions to ywampa(at)comcast(dot)net. [Replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
10. SCHOOL OF FRONTIERS MISSIONS IN BEAUTIFUL JACKSONVILLE, FL — The SOFM is an intensive Christian training course beginning with a 12-week lecture/teaching phase followed with an overseas internship in the 10/40 window. The purpose of the SOFM is to give student’s essential principles and tools needed to start long-term effective church planting movements among unreached people groups. Some of the topics we will be studying are: Principles of church planting among unreached peoples groups, The Power of Team Leadership, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries, Chronological Bible Presentation, History of Missions and much more! Scholl starts in April 17th. For more information contact Jose at myglobito(at)yahoo(dot)com or call (904) 221-5990. You can also check
http://www.ywamjax.com. [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
11. FOR ACADEMICIANS: REVIEWING MOREHEAD’S “NEW RELIGIOUS MOV’TS” — If you’re the seminary type, you might enjoy a good heady review of John Morehead’s article which appeared in Encountering New Religious Movements: A Holistic Approach. Eds. Irving Hexham, Stephen Rost & John Morehead II (Kregel, 2004; ISBN#: 0-8254-2893-9). Mr. Morehead’s article is titled “Where Do We Go From Here?: Transforming Evangelical Responses to New Religions.” The review is by Jeff Downs. Find it at: http://www.rctr.org/transformingreview.htm
12. THE BACK PAGE: THREE CHEERS FOR THE BACKSTAGE WORKERS — Sometimes the hardest workers get the least glory. Do you know the type? Take Bill Morrison, for instance. He’s been a full-time self-funded volunteer for the last five years at JoshuaProject.Net. http://www.joshuaproject.net He’s the “other member” of the Joshua Project “team”. (Truth is, there are only two of them. Dan Scribner is the more well-known, and it’s Dan we normally highlight, but Dan will be the first to tell you that Bill is the one who faithfully and meticulously manages all Joshua Project data, statistics and computer application. Dan’ll go on to point out that Bill is the one who “disassembled” the Bethany profiles into the photo, map and text elements and carefully cataloged each element so we could build the new web profiles. Dan would add that after getting permissions, Bill is the one who spent weeks carefully going through Paul Hattaway’s new Buddhist World people profile book incorporating all the relevant data into the Joshua Project database (this new Buddhist info should be on the Joshua Project website by the time you get around to reading this). Bill is the one who made 150 language maps one-by-one for an Indian researcher. And that is only the beginning. Dan would say, without Bill there is no Joshua Project.

He is the kind of behind-the-scenes servant that would never want us to mention him. Dan Scribner tells folks that Bill “will have a very heavy crown in heaven and a front-row seat.” And you know what? You probably know one too. In Dan’s office, they go by the name of Bill. In my own, they answer to names like Penny, Melanie, Wayne, Julie, Bob, Aaron and others. How ’bout finding one of them in your world today — and say thanks.

Because this is a “Back Page” about the “back stage”, the workers we all know but say so little about. In fact, for all of you today, we give thanks to the Father of Lights, who illuminates the caverns of our minds so we can clearly see through the empty space in our heads to the beauty of the jewels in yours! To all those backstage workers, we give thanks and praise to God!