In this issue…
1. :-( WE STILL NEED 300 OR SO MORE SURVEY-TAKERS :-(
2. CHRISTIAN COMICS TRAININGS IN US AND CANADA
3. WELCOME, BRACKENHURST CENTER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION
4. SEEKING GLOBAL DIAL-UP SERVICE
5. NEW RESOURCE TO KEEP CHURCHES IN TUNE WITH MISSIONS
6. AIMS APPOINTS THREE NEW VPs
7. PEOPLE RAISING SHORT TERM SUPPORT MANUAL
8. EVERYTHINGMISSIONS.COM: EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR THE FIELD
9. ADVENTURES WITH INTERACT MINISTRIES
10. THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS!
11. WOULD YOU HELP UNDERGIRD BRIGADA?
12. PLEASE HELP WITH SURVEY
13. THE BACK PAGE: WHICH IS IT
14. CLOSING STUFF
1. :-( WE STILL NEED 300 OR SO MORE SURVEY-TAKERS :-( — Thanks to the 200 or so people what have logged on at:
http://brigada.org/followership/
where they’ve taken a 5-minute survey that will hopefully allow Doug to finish his dissertation. Trouble is, he needs about 300 more people… 500 in all. One reader wrote this past week, ” Hi, Doug! Can you use my Filipino staff for your dissertation? Most of them are professionals, they raise some of their own support & we are definitely an evangelical mission organization!” The answer? Most definitely. If you’d like to help… or if you know someone (or 300 someones) who can, send them to:
http://brigada.org/followership/
2. CHRISTIAN COMICS TRAININGS IN US AND CANADA — The COMIX35/ROX35 ministry will hold back-to-back Christian comics seminars in August 2005. Lifewerks will host the US event at Bible Baptist Church in Claymont, DE (greater Philadelphia metro area) on August 8-10. Concept Erya will host the Canadian event at The Baptist Church of Longueil in Longueil (Quebec) from August 12-14. These seminars are for Christian communicators who want training in the specifics of creating Christian comics for evangelism and discipleship. Sessions include Scripting, Storyboarding, and Visual Storytelling. Attendees do not need to be illustrators. For the US event please contact Lifewerks at KieffJ5(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 .] Canadians may register for the Quebec event online at http://www.concepterya.com/coursbd.asp To learn more about the COMIX35/ROX35 training ministry, visit their web site at http://www.comix35.org
3. WELCOME, BRACKENHURST CENTER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION — Reader Ed Brown reports that he and colleagues in Kenya have just formed this new organization to pursue ‘a God-centered response to environmental crises that brings glory to the Creator.’ The US base is in Madison, WI, and the organization has one project running in Kenya. Ed and colleagues hope to be a resource to fellow mission organizations while mobilizing the church toward a meaningful and effective, God glorifying response to environmental challenges. Resources for other ministries will eventually include seminars on such topics as appropriate responses to environmental problems, and using environmental outreach as entry strategies in limited access areas. Consultations are available now. Ed would love to hear from you! Check out their website: http://www.careofcreation.org or write to Ed at careofcreation(at)gmail(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
4. SEEKING GLOBAL DIAL-UP SERVICE — Has anyone a recommendation for a good, economical global internet dial-up service offering multiple connections in Africa and Asia. AT&T has cut back on international numbers. Barb is now using MaGlobe, which is charged by the minute ($8 hourly in Africa). I’ve used GRIC and Skype. Is there anything better? IPass? Others? Please reply to: barb(at)joshuaproject(dot)net [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] We’ll ask her to assemble a report so we can present it hear at a later date.
5. NEW RESOURCE TO KEEP CHURCHES IN TUNE WITH MISSIONS — Are you looking for a resource that can not only keep missions in front of your church, but also encourages missions involvement? Mission Network News, a service of Cornerstone University, is now producing a monthly church bulletin insert subscription service. The annual subscription provides your church with the latest news from the field each month, plus opportunities to pray and physically help. These stories are taken right from their radio broadcast and are only days old by they time they’re delivered. Go to http://www.MNNonline.org/ and click on the bulletin insert to see a sample and subscribe.
6. AIMS APPOINTS THREE NEW VPs — Accelerating International Mission Strategies (AIMS) has added three new leaders for its global outreach team: Bill Fast, Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer; Donna Fast, Vice President of Financial Operations and Chief Financial Officer; and a new Vice President of International Ministry (omitted for security reasons). Learn more about AIMS at http://www.aims.org
7. PEOPLE RAISING SHORT TERM SUPPORT MANUAL — Now there is fundraising help for those going on short term missions trips through a specially designed 16-page People Raising support manual by William Dillon, author of “People Raising: A Practical Guide to Raising Support.” This manual captures the nuts and bolts of People Raising and puts it in a way to be the most help to short termers. It is concise and offers 7 key steps that will walk anyone quickly through the support raising process. It is designed to reduce the fears many people have as well as dramatically reduce the time needed to raise the funds. To order multiple copies for your ministry go to http://www.peopleraising.com/tools.cfm#stm or e-mail
8. EVERYTHINGMISSIONS.COM: EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR THE FIELD — This place very well could become your missions outfitters and suppliers discount superstore. They handle short and long term missions supplies, resources and needs.
For more info contact Matt http://www.everythingmissions.com
matt(at)everythingmissions(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
9. ADVENTURES WITH INTERACT MINISTRIES –- Do you feel the “call of the wild,” or are you just feeling called to the Great White North? Then InterAct Ministries may be a perfect fit for you. InterAct plants churches along the North Pacific Crescent, which includes Western Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. They offer short terms trips (Impacts) every summer and have a wide variety of full-time positions available. Check out their website: http://www.interactministries.org For more information, email Shawn at shawn.strannigan(at)interactministries(dot)org .
10. THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS! — Thanks to COSIM (Coalition on the Support of Indigenous Ministries) for their very kind $100 gift. Learn more about their 2005 conference at http://www.cosimnet.org Thanks, too, to the anonymous encouraging friend who sent $50 with a note attached: “Thank you for your faithful service to us all. No acknowledgement desired.” (glow) :-)
11. WOULD YOU HELP UNDERGIRD BRIGADA? — If you’d like to help make Brigada a reality for next week and beyond, just log on at https://brigada.org then click “sponsor” in the top menu (to use PayPal or a credit card), or just send a check payable to Team Expansion to: Team Expansion (Brigada secretary), 13711 Willow Reed Dr., Louisville, KY 40299. Thanks! As always, be sure to let us know if you’d like us to promote any particular service or ministry, or if you’d prefer your gift be anonymous. These gifts help us cover costs like webspace, part-time secretarial help, and a small amount of advertising. Our goal is to raise $16,576 for 2005 and so far, we’re up to $5,328.22.
12. PLEASE HELP WITH SURVEY — Will you take 5′ to help Doug finish his doctorate? It’s free! :-) Just click here to get started: http://brigada.org/followership/ Doug’s making progress. About 180 or so have completed the survey. He has set a goal to finish the entire project during the next 6 months. Please, please tackle a 5-minute survey so Doug can finish this degree! :-) Thanks!!!
13. THE BACK PAGE: WHICH IS IT — A “SIGN” OR A “SINKHOLE” — The mission with which I work, Team Expansion, has recently acquired 61 acres where we hope to build a prayer, retreat, and training center for missionaries and those who send them. In a couple of basins on the property, we have sinkholes. Think of these babies as ‘caves in formation.’ They may be interesting geologically… but they’re kind of a hassle practically. Our volunteers can be walking along through a patch of high weeds and suddenly just vanish. It’s definitely a negative motivator for recruiting new volunteers. (OK… I’m exaggerating just a bit… but only a bit.)
How are we supposed to view these sinkholes? Does it mean God didn’t intend for us to purchase this property? Unlikely… By God’s grace, the project went from start to finish — all 61 acres — 100% paid for in less than 16 months, all by means of a unique strategy that didn’t even require a capital funding campaign. (That’s the subject of another “Back Page”. :-) ) So it’s obvious to us that God has been “in it.” Besides… there are only 2 relatively small areas where they occur… and we’ve already started mitigating both areas with input from a geologist from the US Dept. of Natural Resources (using special forms of French drains). In short, we’re kind of glad they’re there. As I say — they’re kind of an interesting feature. (I say that even as we work to eliminate or lessen their impact on the basin where they occur. :-) )
So if they’re not a “sign” to turn back, what are they then? I look at them like a track runner looks at hurdles. They’re just something else we have to jump over (kind of literally! :-) ).
Sometimes it’s helpful to remember these sinkholes as we tackle other more “spiritual” projects. Having trouble entering a new country? Somebody at the conference table inevitably says, “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.” Maybe. Maybe not. You see, what I’m trying to say is … I don’t believe each and every apparent difficulty is put there as a spiritual signpost to tell us to turn back.
So if you can’t buy the first storefront for your new church facility, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not supposed to buy a storefront. It just might mean you can’t by *that* one. Take Paul for instance. He certainly didn’t stop his missionary journeys when he ran into just any ole adversity. He was shipwrecked, stoned, and even nearly killed — but still felt the power of the Lord urging him forward. (II Cor. 11:23-27, 12:10) When Peter and John encountered arrests and other roadblocks, they actually took them as a kind of ‘dare’, praying to God for all the more boldness (Acts 4:29). Any more, I kind of *savor* the chance to “smile into the face of stress”. By that I mean… when I begin to become aware that stress is building in my life, I break out in this telltale confident grin. In fact, sometimes I think — we must *reeeally* be on to something now, if we’re encountering this kind of challenge. (Satan isn’t going to give up these territories without a fight, you know.)
So — signs or sinkholes — you decide (but only with a lot of prayer). In the meantime, smile into the face of stress. You’ll be glad you did… because it’s a jungle out there. :-) Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go search for those volunteers. I know they’re here somewhere. :-)
Doug
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