2000611 Brigada Today

In this issue….

FROM THE “I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S FREE ON THE NET” DEPT.

Long distance calls, faxes, the works! Find out what’s free online by sending an email to free-online@brigada.org. You’ll be sent an 18K email message detailing everything from DialPad to ZipLip.com. Find out more about online email services (webmail), voicemail, faxes-over-the- web, personal toll free numbers, online encryption, Phonefree, Dialpad, Mr. Wakeup, and more. There’s no charge for this free Brigada service.

RATE YOUR WEB PAGES FOR “SAFE VIEWING”

Thanks to Nate, who pointed us to the site at http://www.icra.org. It’s home of the Internet Content Rating Association, an independent, non-profit organization whose aim is to protect children from potentially harmful material while protecting the free speech rights of content providers. By rating your site, you can help those who have enabled content rating with Internet Explorer. (Thanks for the tip Nate!) In fact, until you rate your pages, those with content rating enabled won’t be able to view them, in spite of how friendly or innocent the information might be.

(Rats. Now I have to make time to go register the Brigada web pages.

)

“JUST SAY NO” TO ATTACHMENTS

Thanks to Joel, who pointed out that disabling the preview pane in Outlook won’t stop so-called harmful Trojan horse virus attacks on your PC. Once again, the only way to stop the spread of this madness is to “just say no” to attachments that you didn’t solicit. So… bottom line… avoid opening attachments… period. Even if they come from a person you know, they could still be harmful. Yes, it’s true that if you make sure Microsoft Office’s macro anti-virus checking is enabled, you should be able to open attached Word documents, but the bigger problem is that some people are sending attachments when they could have written the original message within the text of the email anyway. Sometimes people send us proposed items for Brigada Today as attachments — even though they’re only 10 lines long!!! You can imagine how quickly those items become one of our favorites here!!!

To the trash can they go, without even a read. So .. again, let’s can the attachments folks. Someone has to end the madness.

GOT INSURANCE FOR INTERNATIONALS?

Sheri lizplowman@hotmail.com wants to know. She’s got an international student staying with her for a while who needs insurance here in the USA. If you’ve got a source (or if you are a source), please let her know. Sheri, we’ll count on a summary report of your findings, okay? We’ll announce it here as soon as you send it — and we’ll make it into one of those autoresponders.

WEB-WATCH: MISSION PASTORS NOW HAVE A HOME ONLINE

Want to find out if mission pastors from your area are already meeting together? Now there’s a place to go! To see a listing of such local groups, or to register your own group of locally meeting mission pastors so to be found via the Web by other mission leaders who want to join your group, go to the Local Area Mission Pastors Network website. To visit this web-based networking tool called LAMPnet, connect to http://www.missionpastors.net. This network functions exclusively via the web — so those preferring email-only are out of luck, apparently. Those who register can expect probable visits by ACMC reps (or other similar consultants), since the author explains information will be shared with ACMC and other similar groups.

DO YOU SPEAK FULA?

If you are (or know) a Fula speaker (2nd- language or native speaker) and would be able to offer spare time advice to a potential evangelistic literature project in Fula, please email Jane bientot.office@virgin.net.

CHURCH-PLANTING FOR NEW MISSIONARIES

Emmaus Road International told us yesterday of a modification to its Autumn, 2000 ACTS 29 Training Course schedule. They will conduct only one course this Fall, a four-week Mini-Acts version. The dates will be August 31 – September 29, 2000. For further information about this prefield training, visit http://www.eri.org or write emmaus_road@eri.org.

GAIN A DIPLOMA IN CHURCH-PLANTING

This fall, Canadian Theological Seminary (Regina, SK) will begin offering a new program at its Toronto extension. The new diploma will focus exclusively on those serving Muslims, as well as those working in urban contexts. This program is committed to holistic learning – integrating academic studies, ongoing ministry and personal, spiritual development. Toronto, designated by the UN as the most multi-cultural city in the world, provides diverse opportunities for the mentored field experience. Classes will be modular. Imagine being part of a team that experiences personal mentoring, cross-cultural ministries and academic course work all at the same time! For more info, write Miriam miriamcharter@compuserve.com or Floyd/Joyce grunau@cmacan.org.

PUBLICIZE YOUR MISSIONS CONFERENCE FOR FREE!

Want to get the word out about your upcoming missions conference? Contact Bridget bburritt@inhisimage.org. She’ll make the information available to several online networks, such as the search engine at http://www.globalmission.org/calendar.htm as well as to printed directories. The service is absolutely free. Thanks Bridget!

THE BACKPAGE: NET RESULTS

Yesterday I found myself reflecting on some of the new relationships I’ve established over the Net. The more I thought about it, the more sentimental I became. (Not gushy, mind you, but nevertheless thankful.

) Over the past five or six years, I’ve got to admit, the Internet has revolutionized the way we “do missions.” Here’s an example I probably mention a lot: new fields. Prior to 1995, if our mission wanted to get started in a new land, it was “catch as catch can.” Total serendipity. I mean… maybe we knew someone and maybe we didn’t. At best, we sent snail mail to everyone listed in MARC’s Mission Handbook for a particular country, hoping against hope that two weeks or two months later, someone might write us back a quick reply. But even if they did, let’s face it . . . they were seldom going to give out sensitive contact information — and rightfully so.

Nowadays, thank God, things are different. Last month I had to visit an area of the world where I previously knew nobody. I’m talking . . . I barely knew how to spell the names of the cities I had to visit. I went to brigada-peoples by sending a message to brigada-peoples@egroups.com (if you aren’t a member, you should probably join first by sending a message to brigada-peoples-subscribe@egroups.com). I simply said, “Hey… does anybody know anyone working among the ___ people?” I reminded them to reply to me directly (rather than to the conference as a whole — which would not be a wise idea ) and, within 24 hours, I had three leads. Granted, I had to establish my identity with those new contacts… so it took a phone interview or two.. but 3 weeks later, I was learning and getting our mission started among those onfield workers!

I’m not going to say it would have been impossible before… but I’m telling you . . . it sure is easier nowadays via the Net. Just about everything is — if it requires looking up contacts, contacting them, and communicating with them.

I’m also not pretending there aren’t bad influences out there. Some of the statistics I see are staggering. Like… did you know that some researchers believe that 50-60% of all pornographic web pages are being viewed between 9-5 over business web connections? (There goes your company’s productivity out the window!) It’s a problem, no doubt about it. So I’m not saying the Web is totally innocent — by a longshot. But like just about everything else in life, it all depends on how you use it. I mean… you can do some pretty severe damage with a table saw… or you can create a marvelous birdhouse.

So for all you folks out there who have helped an inquiring mind like mine sometime over the past five years, I tip my hat to you. I just hope someday I’ll be able to do my part to help one of you. We’re kind of all in this together . . . so when we help someone, I’d like to think we’re maybe even advancing the Kingdom just a tad. There’s a whole lot of helping going on these days… and that’s a good thing, I’d say.

As for me, I’m thinking . . . I could start liking this Internet thing.

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