In this issue…
1. “ART OF LISTENING PRAYER” FILLS KEY VOID
2. AUDIO SCRIPTURES IS MERGING WITH FRANKLIN
3. CORRECTED URL ON CRESCENTPROJECT
4. CONFERENCE ON PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIGENOUS MINISTRIES
5. MISSION/CHURCH/RELIEF LEADERS GET TOGETHER
6. MORE ON COMPRESSING PHOTOS
7. HINDU MINISTRY CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK CITY
8. SO. CALIFORNIA MISSIONSFEST CONFERENCE
9. MISSIONNEXT MAY 6-7: BOOMERS/XERS IN…NEBRASKA!
10. PERSPECTIVES FAMILY EDITION, OPERATION WORLDVIEW
11. HEART OF GOD MINISTRIES AND BEAUTIFUL FEET BOOT CAMP
12. PASSION FOR THE HEART OF GOD BY JOHN ZUMWALT
13. CONFERENCE ON PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIGENOUS MINISTRIES
14. CREATIVE PLUS INTRODUCES TEAM PRAYERCARDS (TEAM FUNDRAISING)
15. SENDING LARGE FILES VIA EMAIL
16. GET YOUR MASTER’S DEGREE
17. MISSIONS IMMERSION PROGRAM IN SOUTH AFRICA
18. WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE CONFERENCE
19. GLORY QUEST BOOKS AND TOURS
20. INFLUENCE AS AN ADVOCATE
21. SPONSORS ROCK!
22. CLOSING STUFF
1. “ART OF LISTENING PRAYER” FILLS KEY VOID — The new Seth Barnes book, “The Art of Listening Prayer,” seems to fill a real void, creating a theology of *communicating* with God (including listening) as opposed to merely giving God a list of grievances or requests. “Create a conversation with God – Focus, repent, Ask, and Listen.” If new recruits find out about this book, choosing a field might become tons easier. In the end, the name says it all… it’s an art available at: http://www.adventures.org Seth Barnes is the founder of Adventures in Missions, which is set on mobilizing new missionaries and other radical disciples. To get your copy, browse at: http://adventures.org (and by the way, thanks for the help with the sponsorship gift, Adventures!!)
2. AUDIO SCRIPTURES IS MERGING WITH FRANKLIN — On April 1st Audio Scriptures International and its sister organization, Adopt-A-Village, merged to become Talking Bibles International. This change will allow them to serve the non-reading community from a larger platform, more effectively and efficiently. The goal and focus of the ministry will remain the same, namely, to reach non-readers with the Word of God in a format they can understand and relate to, namely, the Talking Bible in their own languages. Talking Bibles International’s goal and desire is to place 100,000 Talking Bibles into non-reading homes in India over the next 5 years. During this same period Talking Bibles International’s partner, World Mission, will be pursuing a similar goal in Africa … 100,000 Talking Bibles in ten African languages. Talking Bibles International will continue serving as an audio Scripture resource center for churches, individuals and ministries in the USA. It will continue recording New Testaments in more languages, reaching homes with the Bible in audio through its extensive website … providing Talking Bibles in Africa, South America, Central America, Asia and Europe. For more information contact info(at)talkingbibles(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] or visit http://www.talkingbibles.org
3. CORRECTED URL ON CRESCENTPROJECT — Interested in that film that might win a few Muslims? The earlier link was gone. http://www.crescentproject.org/sahara_faq.cfm Works. The URL reported for this movie in a previous edition seemed to have issues. Sorry about that.
4. CONFERENCE ON PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIGENOUS MINISTRIES — The 2005 Cosim Conference will be held on June 20-22, 2005 in Orlando, Florida. The theme is “Pursuing Healthy Partnerships in a Changing World.” COSIM (which stands for Coalition on the Support for Indigenous Ministries) is a fellowship of evangelical organizations with a common interest in the support and strengthening of developing-world ministries. Plenary speakers at this year’s conference are Dr. Paul R. (Bobby) Gupta of Hindustan Bible Institute, Michele Rickett of Sisters In Service, Bob Schindler of Mission ONE, and Tom Telford of ACMC / United World Mission. Who should attend? Anyone and everyone, Western and non- Western, who wants to improve their understanding and practice of cross-cultural partnerships. For more information visit the COSIM web site: http://www.cosimnet.org
5. MISSION/CHURCH/RELIEF LEADERS GET TOGETHER — This Joint Gathering will be September 12-15, 2005 in Denver. The theme will be: Synergistic Kingdom Advance Among the Least and the Lost Participating groups include the Evangelical Fellowship of Mission Agencies (EFMA), the International Society for Frontier Missiology (ISFM), Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations (AERDO), the Alliance for Missions Advancement (AFMA) and Churches Together. The gathering will seek to encourage deeper evangelical engagement with a range of issues. The hope is to approach these issues from both a hands-on process that will enable networking between organizations and allow leaders to clarify the core issues that face the body of Christ in its global mission. Participating mission and church leaders, strategists, and field practitioners will seek to take seriously issues like: Dealing with the AIDS crisis together, Rebuilding in Asia after the tsunami, Becoming a “Christian” in a post-Christian World, …. and more. Support/service organizations are encouraged to exhibit at the event. Watch for more information at http://www.efmamissions.org or call: 770-457-6677
6. MORE ON COMPRESSING PHOTOS — The item we featured on compressing photos generated a ton of user feedback. Seems like we’ve hit a chord with which several Brigada participants have struggled. “Jim” pointed out that Word has a Picture toolbar (View|Toolbars|Pictures) with an icon for “Compress Pictures”. Just click it and apply it to all pictures in document, then change the resolution to either web/screen or print. (Thanks Jim!) Peter, from Australia, added, “A word of warning: if you have already saved the document before compressing, save it as a new file (SAVE AS ..) after compression. If you just save to the same file it can actually make the file LARGER, for some reason.” Another liked WordPerfect, which in two clicks, any WP file converts to PDF. Just select File >> Publish to >> PDF. Easy! (Thanks Claudia). Several others pointed out that not all the products we mentioned were totally free. So be sure to read their descriptions fully before buying. Jim, along with Peter, added, “This dpi conversion feature is not listed in the advertised FREE Pic2Pic; nor in the Pic2Pic Plus $15 version; but only in the top-of-the-line Pic2Pic Pro $30. Feels like bait-and-switch from free Brigada advertising.” Oops. Well I can honestly assure you, Jim… we used a review to write that item — we’ve not had the time to play with the program personally. If only the $30 version has the capability, then Google’s Picasa is the better option (again, free). Either way, we don’t work for Pic2Pic nor do we receive any commission or kick-back from them. We were just “one beggar telling another where to find bread.” If your pictures are in Word, the above click tool seems like the easiest option! If you’d like to try yet another free option, “Peter” recommended: http://users.pandora.be/david.de.groot/progs/PIXresizer.zip
7. HINDU MINISTRY CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK CITY — From May 6-8, 2005 the Rethinking Forum is sponsoring a weekend conference on the Hindu- Christian interface from the perspective of the Rethinking Movement in Indian church history. The consultation will present various stimulating perspectives on service for Christ among Hindus. Although scholarly resource people will be present the focus will be on practical service. This New York City area conference will close by lunch on Sunday following a worship service. For more information contact info(at)rethinkingforum(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
8. SO. CALIFORNIA MISSIONSFEST CONFERENCE — MissionsFest, a FREE family missions conference is coming to the Ontario Convention Center April 29 to May 1st (Friday – Sunday). Visit http://www.mfestsocal.org for full details or e-mail info(at)mfestsocal(dot)org for further details, or call (909) 394-1263 [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]. No registration is required for this FREE family missions conference.
9. MISSIONNEXT MAY 6-7: BOOMERS/XERS IN…NEBRASKA! — Which generation can send the most new missionaries? In the USA, believers in the post- World War II “Baby Boomer” generation are primed to move into a second career in missions. (The Finishers Project has placed nearly 800 new fulltime missionaries with other agencies in the past six years, 40% of whom are already fully funded.) But Finishers gets so many Gen-Xers posting profiles that it’s time for… MissionNext in Omaha Nebraska May 6-7! Missionaries, check out http://www.MissionNext.org and send your unsuspecting constituents to Omaha. They’ll soon be joining you! Go to the website, visit http://www.Finishers.org or email Bill and Amy at William(at)Finishers(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
10. PERSPECTIVES FAMILY EDITION, OPERATION WORLDVIEW — This new edition of the acclaimed Operation WorldView Video Series is an ideal stepping-stone to the Perspectives course. It features introductory comments from Steven Hawthorne for the Biblical, Historical, Cultural, and Strategic components, plus promotional videos for the Perspectives course from Caleb Project in lesson 8. Featuring compelling mission videos and powerful lessons based on classics such as “The Story of His Glory” and “The Kingdom Strikes Back” — Operation WorldView is perfect for small groups and local churches wanting to explore profound truths in Scripture, history and culture — to motivate greater involvement in world missions. For more information, visit the Mission ONE web site: http://www.mission1.org/opwv_psp.html
11. HEART OF GOD MINISTRIES AND BEAUTIFUL FEET BOOT CAMP — HGM is a training and sending agency dedicated to making disciples among the remaining peoples of the earth that have yet to receive the Gospel. HGM’s ultimate aim is to plant living, self-reproducing churches in these cultures through a missionary witness centered on the living, biblical Jesus and free of unnecessary Western influences. To accomplish this, HGM has instituted five months of intense and very relevant training for long-term missionary church-planting—Beautiful Feet Boot Camp. For more information, check out their website at http://www.heartofgod.com
12. PASSION FOR THE HEART OF GOD BY JOHN ZUMWALT — John Zumwalt reveals the fiery heart of the pioneer missionary in this explosive call to take the Gospel to those who have never heard. Zumwalt takes a hard look at history and Scripture to discover God’s purposes for his saints in every age. A radical reminder of truth central to the life of the Christian yet continually set aside by the Church at large. A powerful antidote to the deadly self-absorption of western Christianity. For more information, check out their website at http://www.heartofgod.com
13. CONFERENCE ON PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIGENOUS MINISTRIES — The 2005 COSIM Conference will be held on June 20-22, 2005 in Orlando, Florida. The theme is “Pursuing Healthy Partnerships in a Changing World.” COSIM (which stands for Coalition on the Support for Indigenous Ministries) is a fellowship of evangelical organizations with a common interest in the support and strengthening of developing-world ministries. Plenary speakers at this year’s conference are Dr. Paul R. (Bobby) Gupta of Hindustan Bible Institute, Michele Rickett of Sisters In Service, Bob Schindler of Mission ONE, and Tom Telford of ACMC / United World Mission. Who should attend? Anyone and everyone, Western and non- Western, who wants to improve their understanding and practice of cross-cultural partnerships. For more information visit the COSIM web site: http://www.cosimnet.org
14. CREATIVE PLUS INTRODUCES TEAM PRAYERCARDS (TEAM FUNDRAISING) — A prayer card company founded by former missionaries and owned and run by MKs (missionary kids) is introducing a new support-raising tool for mission teams – Individualized Team PrayerCards. Team Cards were created specifically for short-term mission teams and they allow individuals within teams to customize cards for personal use while giving team leaders the ability to maintain a professional and cohesive look for the teams’ materials. Team members will receive cards with both a photo of the team as well as their individual photo in as little as one week’s time. Text on the cards can include both the team and individual contact information, and thanks to group rates, individual costs remain low.
For more information about Team PrayerCards, visit http://www.creativeplus.com/teamcards or call 1-800-347-2848 (US/Canada) or 1-704-843-5040 (International).
15. SENDING LARGE FILES VIA EMAIL — If you’ve ever needed to send a large file (up to 1GB) to someone, but had problems sending it through email, here’s a solution. YouSendIt is a service that allows you to choose who you want to send a file to (an email address or multiple email addresses), select a file to send (you can send photos, audio, documents or anything else – your file will be stored by YouSendIt), and simply click on Send. YouSendIt will automatically email your recipient a link to your file stored on their server. Your file will be deleted after seven days. http://www.yousendit.com (Thanks Faithe!!! We’ve got to make sure we keep you. :-) )
16. GET YOUR MASTER’S DEGREE — Have you been thinking you needed to get your master’s degree? Azusa Pacific University from California teaches four courses each summer in the Philippines. The program is in leadership. The cost is 1/2 to 1/4 on campus prices (depending on nationality)! Contact Melody Kuka for more information kzkuka(at)i-manila(dot)com(dot)ph [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] The courses this summer are: May 3-June 4 Creative/Collaborative Leadership, and Designing Learning Experiences. June 6-10: Foundations of Personal Leadership Development, and Leading Across Cultures.
17. MISSIONS IMMERSION PROGRAM IN SOUTH AFRICA — Thrive Africa, based in Harrismith, South Africa, focuses on developing emerging leaders. They run a year-long missions immersion program called 24/7 for young adults who are interested in full-time missionary work. Interns in 24/7 serve alongside career missionaries and are involved in all aspects of Thrive Africa’s ministry. 24/7 runs January through December and is currently accepting applications for the 2006 program. For more information check out http://www.thriveafrica.org or email internship(at)thriveafrica(dot)org. [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
18. WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE CONFERENCE — The World Evangelical Alliance is calling North American Church and Ministry leaders to meet with senior WEA leaders from every major region of the globe. During this event, you will meet WEA’s senior regional leaders and International Council members; meet with executives from WEA’s commissions engaged in Religious Liberty, Missions, Women’s Concerns, Youth, and Theology; engage leaders from affiliates working with children at risk, HIV/AIDS, poverty, refugees, and saturation church planting. You will also hear an exclusive first hand report on the tsunami relief efforts by Godfrey Yogarajah, a Sri Lankan who heads up the Evangelical Fellowship of Asia, and is heavily involved in coordinating efforts in his own country. To register for this event please go to their website: http://worldevangelical.org/ call (425) 778-5513. email: info@worldevangelical.org
19. GLORY QUEST BOOKS AND TOURS –- Enjoy life-changing Biblical Study Tours to the Holy Lands of Israel, Jordan, Greece, and Turkey. Read an Integrated Gospel with color photos and gain understanding through Biblical Theological Books. Contact Glory Quest Books and Tours at: P.O. Box 1207, Citrus Heights, CA; USA callers can dial toll-free 1- 866-274-4826; others can call 1-916-924-1919. Also, you can e-mail Glory Quest at Contact(at)GloryQuests(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] For further information, please check out Glory Quest’s web site at: http://www.GloryQuests.com
20. INFLUENCE AS AN ADVOCATE — This one-of-a kind training seminar is designed to equip and challenge individuals to be effective missions advocates. Participants will learn from seasoned advocates and leave with concrete objectives on how to develop an advocacy strategy for their church, denomination, and network. This training is May 6 and 7 in Denver, Colorado and the cost is $65 per person. Register online at http://www.calebproject.org/store or email advocacy(at)cproject(dot)com for more information. The deadline for registration is April 30.
21. SPONSORS ROCK! — Thanks for the $100 donation from an anonymous WEC missionary, and the $180 from ” an anonymous couple in China,” who wrote, “Thank you for the continued blessing of Brigada!” Dial-Abroad also sent their monthly sponsorship to Brigada based on participants using their service at paypal. For more on their ministry, click “donate” and choose the long-distance service, “Dial-Abroad”.
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