- TRAINING ON MICROFINANCE AND MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
- MISSIONTRAVEL.ORG OFFERS DISCOUNT AIRFARE FOR MISSIONS
- CHURCH MOBILIZATION TOOL
- YOUR BEST SOURCES FOR RENTING VEHICLES?
- CALLING ALL USA-BASED CHRISTIAN WORKERS: TALK TO THE IRS
- 24/7 PRAYER MISSIONS TRAINING
- SHORT-TERM MISSIONS WITHOUT LONG-TERM HARM
- WHERE WOULD YOU TURN FOR ADDING SUBTITLES
- SO THANKFUL FOR GIFTS
- HELP US HELP YOU
- THE BACKPAGE: JOIN 30 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD
- TRAINING ON MICROFINANCE AND MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT — The Chalmers Center for Economic Development offers low-cost email-based distance learning courses on how to minister to the poor without creating dependency. This training “helps the church to help the poor help themselves.” A course called “Principles and Practices of Christian Microfinance and Microenterprise Development” gives you an overview to microenterprise development and microfinance and orients you to the selection and design of a holistic intervention appropriate for your ministry context. Cost of this seven-week course is $199 (USD) plus the cost of separately ordered course material. The course will be offered on Jan. 7 – Feb. 22, 2008.
The prerequisite course is called “Foundations and Principles of Holistic Ministry.” It helps you understand appropriate goals and strategies for conducting Christian development in poor communities. Cost of this four-week course is $75 (USD) plus the cost of separately ordered course material. The next offering is scheduled for Oct. 22 – Nov. 16, 2007. It also will be offered on February 4 – February 29, 2008.
Because the courses are email-based, slow dial-up speed will not limit participation. Also note that you may spend 8-10 hours per week on course work.
To learn more, including information about a discount for Two-Thirds World participants, or to register, visit
or call 1-706-419-1805. When registering, use Reference Identifier BRN- 09/07.
- MISSIONTRAVEL.ORG OFFERS DISCOUNT AIRFARE FOR MISSIONS — Christian owned and operated online travel business exists to save missions time and money through discounted international airfare. Supporting missionaries, churches and mission organizations, MissionTravel.org focuses on the Great Commission and helps those serving around the world. Dedicated to supporting global missions, qualifying groups of 10 or more may also be eligible to receive contributions from MissionTravel.org owners. Pass the word. Visit and share
or call 1-888-849-8850 in the USA or email quote(at)missiontravel(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
- CHURCH MOBILIZATION TOOL — DualReach has developed the Design Your Impact Workshop, a five-hour seminar that enables church leaders to discover their congregation’s key characteristics and resources (their DNA) and identify a strategic missions focus that can unleash powerful, new global dynamic from their church. Workshops are led by trained individuals with extensive teaching resources: 7 video clips of model churches, 2 animation clips, PowerPoint®, Facilitator’s Manual and Participant’s Notebook. The next training date to become a Workshop facilitator is Friday, November 12, in Brentwood, CA (East of San Francisco). Learn more at…
http://www.dualreach.org/missions/resources/index.shtml
or email info(at)dualreach(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
- YOUR BEST SOURCES FOR RENTING VEHICLES? — Got a favorite source for renting that car or van overseas? This request might sound “off the wall”, but one Brigada participant just asked how he might discover this sort of thing. So, for example, if you know of a good “chain” or website, or even a particular favorite *local* vehicle rental agency somewhere in the world, list it at the link below, then click on “Add Comment”:
- CALLING ALL USA-BASED CHRISTIAN WORKERS: TALK TO THE IRS — The IRS has just released a significant redesign of Form 990 – Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. They are proposing that it take effect in the 2008 tax year. Part of this Form would be a new Schedule F – Statement of Activities Outside the United States. This would ask for specific disclosure of the countries where a nonprofit organization has activities. Organizations would be required to list the number of bank accounts and offices in those countries, the number of employees located in each country, the activities conducted in each country, and the total expenditures in each country. Disclosure of this sort of information could easily compromise the safety and security of missionaries working in some countries. Under this proposed form, what they do and where they work will have to be disclosed to the public. Because of the significant issues raised by this new form, a tax attorney in Dallas, TX, has created a special issue of his “Legal Memos” newsletter that he is making available free to anyone who would like a copy. It explains some of the major proposals in the new Form 990, the consequences of public disclosure of Schedule F, and what action you can take to help keep those disclosures private. To get a copy, just go to the Nonprofit and Church Law Ministries website at
http://www.nonprofitchurchlaw.org
to download a copy of the Special Issue: IRS Releases Major Redesign of Form 990.
- 24/7 PRAYER MISSIONS TRAINING — Elijah Company will join with as many as 300 local believers in the south of Spain in an area called Campo de Gibraltar to conduct a second 24/7 House of Prayer. This is a strategic area sandwiched between Europe and North Africa. An International School of Prayer will be conducted along with a Missionary Training Camp. The objectives of this event are to seek the Lord for this strategic area and mentor others into a stronger missions/prayer focus. Participants can come for any duration. For details see
and
or call (757) 226-3507 or email elijah(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 .]
- SHORT-TERM MISSIONS WITHOUT LONG-TERM HARM — In addition to its distance learning courses on economic development, the Chalmers Center also offers an email-based distance learning course on the issues surrounding short-term missions (less than one month) in the context of the socio-economic poor. This course presents frameworks for considering these issues so that the benefits of missions projects are maximized and potential harm is minimized. It is designed for those involved in short-term missions to locations in the U.S./Canada and throughout the world. The training is appropriate for: 1) sending churches and denominations, 2) host churches and missionaries, 3) missions project leaders, and 4) missions team members.
Cost of this three-week course is $55 (USD) plus the cost of separately ordered course material. The November offering of this course is full. The next available offering is scheduled for March 10 – March 28, 2008.
Because the course is email-based, slow dial-up speed will not limit participation. Also note that you may spend 6-8 hours per week on course work.
To learn more, including information about a discount for Two-Thirds World participants, or to register, visit
or call 1-706-419-1805. When registering, use Reference Identifier BRN- 09/07.
- WHERE WOULD YOU TURN FOR ADDING SUBTITLES — Suppose you had to add Czech subtitles to a multimedia presentation. How would you start? Whom would you contact? If you know of someone, just click to
http://brigada.org/brigade/?p=34
And click on “Add Comment” to list your favorite resource.
- SO THANKFUL FOR GIFTS — We’re humbled and encouraged by the gifts we receive from new friends of Brigada. This past week, we received $25 from MissionTravel.org. They wrote, ” Thank you for leading the way to equip believers serving in the missions community. We are happy to help in this way as you advance His kingdom. God bless, MissionTravel.org owners.” If you don’t mind, please give them a try in the near future, if at all possible. Thanks!
- HELP US HELP YOU — Want to undergird Brigada? It’s easy. Send any amount to help us reach our goal. Just click on the “Donate” page:
https://brigada.org/donate.html
You can pull the money from your PayPal account or from any major credit card. Or if you prefer, send a check payable to Team Expansion to: Team Expansion (Brigada secretary), 13711 Willow Reed Dr., Louisville, KY 40299. (Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so for USA citizens, your checks made out to Team Expansion are tax-deductible.) 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. And thank you in advance for helping.
- THE BACKPAGE: JOIN 30 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD — In the July 6th edition of Brigada Today, we mentioned the “30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus” (“THE BACKPAGE: MORE FOR THE SAKE OF PRAYER”). This year, the USA supplier completely sold out, then ordered 10,000 extra copies, then sold completely out of those too. Our own church distributed well over 400 of these to church members who were, for the first time, lifting up the needs and futures of Muslims worldwide.
Is it a good sign that tens of thousands of us are praying for our Muslim friends and neighbors worldwide? You bet. To me, it’s a great indicator that there’s a strong interest in helping Muslims come in contact with the power of Jesus Christ in a positive way.
Is it too late for you and your church to get involved? Not at all! Here are some additional resources from the web:
http://www.30daysfire.net/pgs/Home.php
Click around the page, select a date, click on a video, show a map, (the “download a PDF” link didn’t work for me on the 13th or 14th). Basically, even without the book, you can still pray from the same text.
See the “sights and sounds” at:
http://www.30-days.net/reveal/sights/
Hear the call to prayer, … and see the “What is Ramadan?” video.
See the page at:
http://www.30-days.net/shop/download.htm
which is offering free resources there throughout the month, including a PDF download of the children’s booklet in several languages. See the calendar at:
http://www.30daysprayer.com/muslim/2007/default.htm
which lets you click on one day at a time and really see the regional organization.
Using these online resources, booklet or not, you can keep pace with life-changing, world-impacting prayer.
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