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News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
On the WorldWide Web, browse https://brigada.org
Compiled by Doug Lucas, Louisville, KY
[Pass this issue to a friend! To subscribe, see instructions at end.]
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In this issue….
* GET MORE INFO ON PIT-STOP RALEIGH
* LOSING SOMETHING IN THE TRANSLATION
* WEB EVANGELISM AND ‘USEFUL FONTS’ ITEMS READY TO “GET”
* MORE ON EMAIL FORWARDING SERVICES
* INVITATION TO ALL MISSIONS MINDED MUSICIANS & ARTISTS
* FROM THE “I’VE SLICED MY THUMB BEFORE, TOO, DOUG” MAILBAG
* CHURCHMART (ACMC) TOLL-FREE NUMBER
* MISSIONSFEST PERTH 98 INVITES THE WORLD
* MALARIA’S DESTRUCTIVE GRIP
* HAVE FRIENDS WHO THINK THE 10/40 IS A GRADE OF MOTOR OIL?
* LATEST EMAIL VIRUS LEGEND
* THE MYSTICAL ART OF FINISHING WHAT WE START
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GET MORE INFO ON PIT-STOP RALEIGH
Want more info. on Pit-Stop Raleigh, Sept. 19-20 in Raleigh, NC? Now you can get it! Just send an email message to hub@xc.org with only the words,
get brigada psraleigh
in the text of the message. You’ll learn about speakers, costs, purposes, etc. This event hopes to equip new adopt-a-people visions (“PACE” projects) with the tools and skills they need to be most effective! Also see the web site at https://brigada.org/pace.
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LOSING SOMETHING IN THE TRANSLATION
. . . or maybe . . . just losing the translation all together! :-) That’s what we did last week in the item entitled, “CURSO DOMINICAL LISTO PARA SERVIRTE.” It described a new curriculum available in Spanish only, . . . so we put the item in Spanish since, well, if you couldn’t read the item, then the curriculum wouldn’t be much good to you . . . or so we thought. Actually, one Brigada participant wrote to point out that he serves as a resource referral worker for hundreds of other missionaries, many of which do work in Spanish-speaking environments. So even though he doesn’t read Spanish, a lot of them do! As a result, we’ve made a resolution to never speak publicly in a foreign language without a proper translation. (Yikes – almost sounds biblical! :-) ) Now. . . back to last week’s item…
Sunday School Course to serve you! — To be useful to God and to serve his people, Editorial Comunión invited more than 50 missionaries, college profs and native new witnesses, from five countries to write a special new course. Designed to work with six different graded levels, with an extensive & detailed exegetical teacher’s commentary. Designed especially to help communities reach all people, all nations. For more information, contact Ernesto Fuentes comunion@mexnet.mcsa.net. Available in Spanish only.
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WEB EVANGELISM AND ‘USEFUL FONTS’ ITEMS READY TO “GET”
Want more information about using the Worldwide Web for evangelism, at home or abroad??? Check out our new info. file by sending a message to hub@xc.org with only the words,
get brigada web-evangelism
in the text of the email message. Even contains some case studies on the web from real live top notch pages. To get the info. on fonts and browsers that can work in other languages, replace those words with
get brigada fonts
Thanks to SOON Educational Publications, Derby, England! A big thanks to Tony Whittaker!
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MORE ON EMAIL FORWARDING SERVICES
Don’t forget http://www.hotmail.com. We haven’t mentioned it since this past April . . . and it’s one of the best. And as always, don’t forget MAFxc. They’re not free, but they offer tons of extra features, including a way to forward your outbound email through their server so your “From:” box contents converts to your XC.org address automatically! Pretty slick. They do charge $52/year for the full conferencing/forwarding service, but “forwarding only” is available for just $20 or so per year. Those funds are all used to keep MAFxc on the cutting edge… complete with human tech support and no ads! So when you’re evaluating forwarding services don’t overlook MAFxc, especially if you might eventually get into handling your own email conferences. Size of the list is of no consequence to the folks at MAFxc. Got 15 people who need to chat? They can handle it. Got a group of 6000? No problem. That’s Brigada! :-)
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INVITATION TO ALL MISSIONS MINDED MUSICIANS & ARTISTS
The AD2000 Worship & Arts Network is an international resource network with the following vision: “To declare the supremacy of Christ by raising up a generation of godly artists committed to the task of seeing God restore all nations to His original intention by means of their unique artistic expressions especially among the unreached people of the earth so that all peoples might worship Him.” If this describes the vision on your heart as well, or if you are interested, contact Grace Wiebe at gracew@idmail.com for more info.
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FROM THE “I’VE SLICED MY THUMB BEFORE, TOO, DOUG” MAILBAG
Apparently quite a few others have “sliced their thumb” on less-than-best tools too! (See last week’s item, ” THUMBS UP FOR GOOD TOOLS”) For example, one Brigada participant wrote, “Brother Doug, thanx again for your convincing, if not convicting, insight in your ” Thumbs Up….” editorial on mission tools. My wife and I serve in East Africa and are not just a little guilty of the “first-thing-we-can-get-our-hands-on” philosophy/praxis concerning field ministry. As you mentioned, it seems like an expeditious way to implement a God idea, but, in the long run (which IS what we are in this for!!), it is neither time-, cost- nor energy-efficient and, therefore, the Spirit inspired methodology is not nearly as effective as it would have been had we taken time to acquire the right tools. We need to remember that His calling is ALWAYS accompanied by His equipping. Ours is to trust and be sensitive/obedient to the leading of the Spirit Who will guide us into His provision for EVERY ministry need. In this way He assure/ensures us that every God idea WILL achieve its maximum potential effectiveness.”
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CHURCHMART (ACMC) TOLL-FREE NUMBER
We published the wrong number for Churchmart. Toll-free directory assistance gives 800-576-8159 — but as of this morning, there’s a fax on the other end of that number – 800-233-0001. Course, if you want to send them a fax, the price is right! ChurchMart is apparently handling all ACMC requests at this point. Remember that toll-free numbers only work in the USA. Write ACMC at 763771.2066@compuserve.com.
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MISSIONSFEST PERTH 98 INVITES THE WORLD
Totally organized by local churches (but inviting all orgs.), this 3-day missions Fest is set for the May 1-3, 98, with international speakers, seminars and workshops, missions displays, and a Children’s Fest. Albert Gentleman wrote, “Our aim is see many people here in isolated Perth be raised up to full-time or part-time missions and move out north, east and west of Perth. Also we hope to increase missions awareness in the church in Perth so that more people can pray, send, support, and be involved in some aspect of missions nationally or internationally. We need your prayers and more volunteers.” They’ve got 18 sponsoring churches on board… and tons of enthusiasm. For more info., ask Albert Gentleman gentle@tpgi.com.au or call down under to 61-08-94505627.
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MALARIA’S DESTRUCTIVE GRIP
Did you see the recent news release on malaria? We heard about it from several readers who were awestruck by the power and destructive nature of the disease. “HYDERABAD, India, Aug 20 (Reuter) – Some 700 scientists, public health experts and executives are meeting in southern India this week to take stock of malaria exactly a century after the discovery that mosquitoes transmit the disease. This info was released by the New York-based Malaria Foundation:
* About 2.5 billion people — at least 40 percent of the world’s population — are at risk in more than 90 countries.
* Malaria causes or contributes to three million deaths and up to 500 million acute clinical cases a year.
* Almost as many people die of malaria every year as have died of AIDS in the past 15 years.
* There are 20 times more deaths every day from malaria than from the 1995 ebola epidemic in Zaire.
* Four children die of malaria every minute.
* More than 20 million Western travelers risk malaria every year.
* The World Health Organisation predicts an extra 80 million cases of malaria each year by the end of the century, or a 16 percent increase in three years.
* Climatic conditions and increased immigration mean malaria could spread to Florida within 10 years. There have been reported cases in New Jersey, California, Georgia, Michigan, New York and Texas.
* Three decades ago malaria had been eradicated or dramatically reduced in 37 countries but the situation has been rapidly reversing itself.
* The direct annual commercial cost in Africa due to malaria is about $1.8 billion.
* Today there are few effective anti-malarial drugs. Most tropical countries rely on chloroquine, which is increasingly ineffective, primarily due to the low cost and limited alternatives.
* The main malaria parasite species are sufficiently different from each other that a vaccine based on one will probably not prevent malaria by another.
* For every person who died of AIDS in 1990, the world spent $3,274 on research into the disease. For malaria, the global research expenditure per fatal case was $65.
[The above was relayed via Reuters. Thanks for forwarding it, Bill!]
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HAVE FRIENDS WHO THINK THE 10/40 IS A GRADE OF MOTOR OIL?
Two fast paced 6-minute video’s (The 10/40 Window for Adults & The 10/40 Window for Kids) are putting a face to God’s heart for churches across America. They are available from Joey and Fawn Parish, 6673 Sora St. Ventura Ca. 93003 (805) 650-3511 on a suggested donation basis. Also available, Prayerwalking for Kids, (How to Pray For Your City). Write Joey and Fawn at jparish@jetlink.net.
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LATEST EMAIL VIRUS LEGEND
The newest email virus legend is circulating in the form of “Join the Crew.” For proof that this (and virtually all other email virus warnings are a hoax, do a search on “Join the Crew” at your favorite web page search engine and see for yourself the volume of writers trying to get the word out. It’s always a good idea to do such a search before circulating any such warnings. Most of them turn out to be hoaxes.
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THE MYSTICAL ART OF FINISHING WHAT WE START
“Finishing.” In soccer, it means that you always try to wrap up every play with a goal. Imagine a player who out-dribbled his/her opponent, heard the cheers from the crowd, and enjoyed them so much that he/she decided to just turn around and dribble the other way [in the wrong direction] just to try to evoke more attention from the stands! The coach would not be very happy.
Last month, our family led classes at a VBS in Alaska. While there, we visited the headquarters for the Iditarod sled-dog race in Wasilla. Wow! What an experience. We heard old-timers recount their memories of that first great relay race to carry medicine by sled-dog to Nome in January, 1925. During some segments of the run, the storms were so fierce that the mushers (sled drivers) couldn’t even see their lead dogs, let alone the trail! They literally had to blindly trust the lead dog to lead them down the right trail all the way to save the children from Diphtheria epidemic. The Disney movie, Balto is about just one of those dogs. A statue in Central Park, NY, NY, commemorates his courage and fidelity in the face of danger. The lives which were saved in Nome (practically the entire city) speak out with even greater meaning, however.
How much more today do we need finishers. People who will risk their very lives to follow a trail that would lead to Christ’s amazing grace. Globally, we face challenges every day as a mission. It is our duty to figure out how to beat them… and move on from them. I guess we need people who will strive to run like Balto, Togo, and all the other famous Iditarod originals! For like it or not, starters are many . . . but true finishers are few!
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At https://brigada.org on the web, you can see tons more.
(This issue of Brigada Today is Copyrighted © 1997. However, permission is granted to freely redistribute provided that such redistribution is to those who will help the Good News of Christianity to reach the unreached. But please tell your readers where you learned about the item, and if it’s not asking too much, include the 3 lines on how to subscribe — see above.
IMPORTANT: To copy or reproduce Brigada Today for any other reason is illegal and is not permitted.)
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BRIGADA TODAY IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE FOLLOWING TEAM OF REGULAR VOLUNTEERS:
*Global Glimpses: John Hanna, Caleb Project, jhanna@cproject.com
*ADVANCE: Mark A. Kelly, Kainos Press, 70420.1057@compuserve.com
*Brigada Website: Bob Mayhew, Brigada Volunteer, WebServant@Brigada.org
*Technical Development: Jonathan Marsden, MAFxc jonathan@xc.org
*Brigada Customer Service Manager: Revis Ann Massey, RevisAnnMassey@xc.org
*Brigada Coordinator: Doug Lucas, Team Expansion & Brigada, DLucas@TeamExpansion.org
*and many other occasional contributors too numerous to mention!
But thanks for working together! That’s the dream of Brigada!
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