Mission &amp; Evangelism

Pioneer Bible Translators (Papua New Guinea): To the Least and the Last

By Greg Pruett When Al Hamilton was founding Pioneer Bible Translators in the early 1970s, William and Robin Butler were among the first missionaries he recruited. Al had heard William explaining a Greek assignment to a friend in the campus bookstore and, on his way out the door, tapped William on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Sounds like you would make a good Bible translator.” That comment planted an enduring seed. In 1975, at a snowy National Missionary Convention in St. Louis, William and his fiancée, Robin True, went forward to give their lives to the work of

October 1, 2019

Christ for Asia, Mission to the People (Myanmar): An Unwavering Urgency for the Mission

By Walt Wilcoxson I was sitting in a flimsy, plastic chair under a bougainvillea so large and beautiful it defies description. I looked over at Ahdee Wayezi, a short man who stands tall in the lives of pastors and teachers of the Lisu people of Myanmar, Tibet, and the China border towns. Myanmar, also known as Burma, seems an unlikely place to find a Christian mission with the outreach and effectiveness of CAMP (Christ for Asia, Mission to the People). After all, estimates of the Buddhist population of Myanmar range from 80 to 89 percent. Regardless, about 1.4 million Lisu

October 1, 2019

Christian Fellowship North (Warsaw, Poland): Passion for Christ and Community

By Laura McKillip Wood I came to Christian Fellowship North soon after I moved. I was in a very difficult and dark place in my life. My relationship had just collapsed, I had moved to a new city and started a new job, leaving family and friends on the other side of the country. For the first few months I came in and out, with no energy to talk to anybody. I just talked to God. One Sunday I sat on a chair somewhere at the back of the room, immersed in my thoughts, tears pouring down my face. It

October 1, 2019

Partnering for Change

By Laura McKillip Wood The 75-year-old, one of few literate Roma women in Ukraine, had read the Bible for years in Russian and Ukrainian. She spoke both languages, in addition to her own dialect of the Roma language. When translators presented to her the story of the prodigal son, newly translated into the Roma dialect, a smile spread across her face. With tears in her eyes, she said, “I have read this story many times, but this is the first time I have understood it!” This reaction underscores the importance of a new project underway that partners a Ukrainian college,

October 1, 2019

Christian Arabic Services (Egypt): The Best-Kept Secret in the Restoration Movement?

A Christian Standard Interview with Safaa Fahmi By John Caldwell Christian Arabic Services of Cairo, Egypt, is strategically located in the Islamic world, at the crossroads of Africa and Asia and next to the world’s only Jewish state. Safaa and Mona Fahmi lead the CAS ministry, which targets the 420 million Arabic-speaking people concentrated in northern Africa and the Middle East. The Fahmis and their dedicated team of associates have trained leaders who have helped to reopen at least 200 Egyptian village churches from Aswan to Alexandria. Through its efforts, several hundred denominational churches have embraced New Testament Christianity, as

October 1, 2019

BELIEVABLE LIVES: How YOU Can Make a Kingdom Difference in This World

By Dan Crum INDIA: I visited north India earlier this year and was honored to sit among leaders of one of the largest movements to Christ I’ve ever known. While there, a woman stood up and shared about her work among the transgender community. Prisha (not her real name) had approached the transgender community and requested to teach them about Christ. She was rejected initially, but soon one of the people in that community became ill and medical treatment was not helping. Some folks reached out to Prisha and told her she could come and pray for their friend. If

October 1, 2019

PAH!

By Chad Entinger Pah is slang for “finally!” in American Sign Language. It is what Deaf people sign when something is finally finished or when something is finally changed and improved for the better in their lives. [This is a sidebar to “Deaf Missions (U.S.): Seeing God’s Word Come to Life,” by Mary Alice Gardner.] “Pah!” is exactly what Deaf people, including myself, have been saying more lately. For a long time, Deaf people have felt ignored and overlooked. Bible-based resources have primarily been developed for hearing people. But I personally believe God is turning the tide as more resources

October 1, 2019

Deaf Missions (U.S.): Seeing God’s Word Come to Life

By Mary Alice Gardner “Do not forget us, Lord; do not forget your Deaf people,” her prayer begins. She is in a huddle of a dozen people who watch her signs and nod in agreement. When the prayer concludes, each person stacks one hand in the middle of the circle. The top hand forms the sign for amen and on the count of three all hands rise, lifting the prayer to Heaven. So begins an ordinary translation day for the American Sign Language Version (ASLV) team headquartered at Deaf Missions in Council Bluffs, Iowa. While it might be an ordinary

August 22, 2019

Jesse Yangmi: A Lifetime of Service in Southeast Asia

By Laura McKillip Wood “We knew your father,” the old man said, “and we have heard about you for many years. We’ve been waiting for you.” Jesse’s lifelong dream had been to return to his father’s remote village, where he too had lived as a child. He had thought about his father’s people, the Jerwang, many times through the years, wondering when he would get a chance to return. But the Jerwang live in a very remote area where China, Myanmar, and Tibet share an ill-defined border area, and visiting them is difficult. To reach the villages, Jesse traveled from

August 21, 2019

Kansas Church Plans ‘Major Evangelistic Event’ at City Park

By Jim Nieman With school resuming and families settling back into a routine, South Rock Christian Church has planned an outdoor community worship service at a city park through which it hopes to reach hundreds of unchurched people. This Sunday’s event, dubbed South Rock ONE, “is all about reaching people who don’t know Christ and/or don’t have a church,” said Rick Wheeler, lead pastor with SRCC, located in Derby, Kan., a few miles south of Wichita. The church averages about 1,300 in weekly attendance. “We’ve done outreach events off-site, but never a worship service,” Wheeler said. “We sent a letter

July 22, 2019

Why We Must Go to the Cities

God’s Word, Urbanization, Generational Shifts Compel Us to Plant Urban Churches Now By Nathan “Chivo” Hawkins and Josie Barton People are drawn to cities for many reasons: education, employment, entertainment, economic and social opportunities. People have also been overwhelmed by cities; the exposure to poverty, illness, and other symptoms of brokenness have caused many people to flee urban centers. But whether pulled or repulsed, the Great Commission compels us to minister in cities. Biblical Rationale for Urban Ministry Social justice has become such a buzz phrase that followers of Jesus might dismiss urban ministry as a fad. Yet, we have

July 22, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Going to the Cities

By Michael C. Mack Cities are a key setting in God’s story. The churches in Jerusalem, Ephesus, Corinth, Athens, and many others in the New Testament were urban. And, while the Bible’s story began in a rural area (surely two people in a garden surrounded by lots of animals is rural!), it ends in an urban locale, “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:2). Cities also present a strategic opportunity for the church today. Several statistics quoted by writers of this month’s articles stood out to me: – “The most recent U.S. Census data revealed for the first time

July 22, 2019

A Partnership of Hope

By Laura McKillip Wood The sun beat down on the American visitors as they made their way through dirt streets and stepped over the open sewers that lined them. Tin and wooden shanties crowded together. Whole families with five to ten members lived in one room. The smells of smoldering cooking fires, garbage, and sewage permeated the air in the slums of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. Just the week before, a 14-year-old boy, loved by many in the community, faced the guns of a corrupt police force. Shot multiple times, the boy died immediately. The visitors knew nothing

June 22, 2019

Delivering Education ‘Just in Time’ Cross-culturally

What We Can Learn from Movements Around the World By Doug Lucas In the last couple of decades, researchers have identified more than 700 examples of rampant church growth. New believers have been coming to Christ in such numbers that they are using the term movement to describe the phenomenon. An outside research team recently identified a movement of 2 million believers. It’s nothing short of miraculous. Here is a summary of what typically happens in these movements. Telling + Training = Multiplication These movements usually start with a strong personality with relentless determination who seeks an answer to the

June 22, 2019

Transformation through Education

By Laura McKillip Wood (After writing our “Horizons” column for two years, Emily Drayne has decided to step away from this role due to time constraints and other responsibilities. We thank her for her good work. We welcome our new “Horizons” writer, former missionary Laura McKillip Wood. Laura’s name may be familiar to readers as she contributes regularly to The Lookout.) He closes his Bible and stretches his arms, rubs his neck, and yawns. He hears the night sounds outside his window and tucks his sermon, scribbled on a scrap of paper, into his Bible. Ambling to bed, this Ugandan

June 11, 2019

Two Oklahoma Churches, Mission Group Building Home for Retiring Missionary Couple

Two Oklahoma churches and a mission group are building a house for a longtime missionary couple returning home from the Philippines. Oakwood Christian Church in Enid and Lakewood Christian Church in McAlester are teaming on the project to construct the 2,300-square-foot home for Paul and Mary Wilson. Oakwood and Lakewood funded the materials for the project, while World Mission Builders, which is headed by Ed Thomas, has helped assemble the team of contractors that is working on the home. Paul Wilson is a former youth pastor at Oakwood Christian Church, which his brother, Dr. R. Joe Wilson, founded. Joe Wilson

April 20, 2019

New Life Where Death Once Reigned

He survived the killing fields, led murderous general to Christ By Mark Ellis He grew up in the palace of the king, but after the Khmer Rouge came to power in Cambodia, he lost his privileged lifestyle and nearly his life. After he found Christ in a refugee camp, he became a soul-winner himselfâbringing hope to one of the most notorious monsters of the killing fields. âI was raised in a Buddhist family,â says Christopher LaPel, founder of Hope for Cambodia. His father worked in the palace of King Sihanouk and as a boy, Christopher often spent time there. One

March 25, 2019

Mark A. Taylor

Kindness, Opportunities, Resources, Evangelism

Mark A. Taylor Dennis and Brenda Bratton founded the KORE Foundation after his retirement in 2010 with the goal, as the foundationâ™s website explains, âto provide sustainable solutions to extreme poverty for the people of Haiti.â Taking its name from the Old Testament businessman appointed to distribute generous offerings to those in need (2 Chronicles 31), the foundation adopted an acrostic to explain its mission: Kindness: the touch of Christ in practical ways Opportunities: not a handout, but a way out of poverty Resources: a foothold away from poverty toward self-reliance Evangelism: education and enterprise are transformational tools for the

January 29, 2019

Becoming Postmodern Wells

Demonstrating the Wild, Open-Hearted Love of God in Las Vegas By Mel McGowan I have been studying a story from the Bible that speaks directly to my heart—the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. She was getting water, doing chores, going about her day. Then Jesus came to her in the midst of her daily activities. It offers a powerful picture of how the people of God should function as the church—loving people right where they are. We must be the well, inviting people who are going about their daily lives, from all different backgrounds, to come

January 3, 2019