THREE CHRISTIANS
MURDERED IN TURKEY
On April 18, five
Muslims entered a
Christian publishing
company and killed three
believers in the
Southeastern province of
Malatya. Two of the
victims were Turkish
converts from Islam and
the third man was a
German citizen. It is
reported that four of
the five attackers
admitted that the
killings were motivated
by both "nationalist and
religious feelings."
Pray for comfort for the
families of the
deceased. Pray the
testimony of their loved
ones will lead others
into the knowledge of
Jesus Christ. Ask God to
give Christians in
Turkey perseverance to
serve Him in the midst
of immense challenges.
(Source: VOM & Compass
Direct)
NORTH KOREA
FREEDOM WEEK
Christians in North
Korea suffer terribly
for their faith. For
five years in a row
North Korea has topped
Open Doors’ list of the
world’s worst
persecutors.
On April 28, the
North Korea Freedom
Coalition will sponsor a
demonstration outside
the Chinese embassy in
Washington, D.C., called
the “International
Protest against China’s
Violent Treatment of
North Korean Refugees.”
The protest is part of
the on-going effort to
pressure the Chinese
government to stop
sending North Korean
refugees back to the
hermit country where
they are either
imprisoned or killed.
Similar demonstrations
will be held April 28 at
Chinese consulates and
embassies around the
world, including Los
Angeles, Houston and New
York City in the United
States.
For Christians
interested in praying
about the situation in
North Korea, Open Doors
USA offers materials to
be used in homes,
churches, and small
groups. There are
inserts available for
church bulletins and
many other resources
which can be downloaded.
You can find them and
more information about
the North Korean Freedom
Coalition
here.
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Innovation in Mission:
Insights into Practical
Innovations Creating Kingdom
Impact
Edited by Jim Reapsome
and Jon Hirst; 2007
Authentic Publishing
Reviewed by David Korb
This book is a collection
of essays on innovation
trends and solutions in the
world of missions. Topics
covered include innovations
in church mobilization,
kingdom business, member
care, short-term mission,
media missions, strategic
planning and partnerships,
and online learning. I think
this is an important book to
read if you are interested
in understanding more of
what is happening in
missions today. However, I
do believe it must be read
with the understanding that
these essays do not give the
final word on any topic, but
rather serve as an
introduction, demonstrating
how that particular author
views the changes taking
place in his or her area of
expertise.
Let me give you a couple
examples of insights I
gained from reading this
book. In his essay
addressing kingdom business,
Joseph Vijayam writes, “The
problem with the secular
worker going into missions
is that, typically, he or
she is someone else’s
employee, and the fact
remains that no one can
serve two masters. …The
great advantage of kingdom
business is that the
businesspeople concerned are
self-employed within limits.
..What then is the
difference? The difference
is a matter of starting
point. The missionary starts
at the mission end of the
spectrum and goes into
business; the businessperson
starts at the business end
and goes into mission.”
The chapter on member
care discusses innovation
responses to the issues of
financial needs, health care
needs, and savings and
pension programs, among
other subjects. The chapter
on short-term missions
discusses the explosion of
short-term missions and then
addresses the possible
future of this phenomenon.
Addressing the question,
“What is the future of
short-term mission?” Roger
Peterson writes, “Should the
Lord tarry, the next few
years will likely challenge
the mission community
at-large to grapple with
these three changes: (1)
fields will limit their
short-terms to proven
groups; (2) schools will
offer formal, for-credit
training in short-term
mission methods; (3) new
short-term mission networks
will bypass traditional
networks in attendance and
membership numbers.”
I think these outlooks
are certainly worthy of our
consideration. I recommend
this book as it will
challenge and expand your
thinking in the area of
mission.
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