Articles for tag: Africa

December 5, 2014

Christian Standard

Lesson Learned

By Jennifer Johnson As you read this, it”s almost time for Christmas. But as I write it, we”re days away from back to school. One of the things that surprised me about being an adult was the discovery, in September 1998, that I actually like autumn. That year was the first since 1981 that I hadn”t spent catching a bus while it was still dark outside, trudging to a classroom, sitting and doodling at uncomfortable desks, and acclimating to the personality quirks of six different teachers. Suddenly the time of year I used to dread became a fun season of

August 5, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Ready to Heal

By Mark A. Taylor Nobody forced Atlanta”s Emory University Hospital last week to accept two patients stricken with the deadly Ebola virus. Instead, Dr. Bruce Ribner, head of the Emory unit treating the sick Americans, welcomed the chance to admit them. Emory, according to Ribner, is one of only four U.S. facilities uniquely equipped to treat such a contagious disease. He told CNN, “We are not going to miss this opportunity.” Hospital staff members congratulated him for accepting the patients, he said. When he explained his decision to his wife, she responded, “Great, that”s what you”ve been dreaming of for

January 18, 2014

Christian Standard

We”re Not the Only Christians

By Tim Harlow I”m sure you”ve heard the joke in a sermon somewhere. It”s versatile””you can target any denomination. Peter is showing someone around Heaven. As he walks down the hallway, he says, “Here is the Lutheran room, here is the Methodist room, here is the Presbyterian room,” and then he starts whispering. “Shhh, we have to be quiet walking by this one. It”s the (fill in the blank) room, and they think they are the only ones here.” I grew up in the independent Christian churches, where it was my experience “independents” were the fill in the blank. I

January 10, 2014

Christian Standard

Giving Matters

By Rick Chromey While in Africa, I was blessed to worship at the influential Himo church, affiliated with the conservative Evangelical Lutheran Church in Africa. I had never experienced an authentic African church service and found the contrast from my American church background and experience significant. The Himo church is a true megachurch, boasting more than 1,000 in weekly attendance (most African churches are under 100). Rogers Mtui, an ordained clergyman in the African Evangelical Lutheran Church, serves as pastor; his congregation is the largest in the Kilimanjaro district. Of all Protestant denominations, the Lutheran church is the biggest and

January 9, 2014

Christian Standard

Hakuna Matata

By Rick Chromey Like most Americans, I love to spend, consume, and accumulate. But my whole outlook on capitalism and cash was turned upside down by just three weeks in Africa. Americans are addicted to affluence. We love our money. We hoard cash in retirement plans, savings accounts, and safe boxes. We love to spend and accumulate. We buy boats, Buicks, bikes, televisions, toasters, sofas, and super-sized stuff like it”s everybody”s business. We take grand vacations to exotic locales and pamper ourselves with spa treatments. Our garages are so full our driveways display a lineup that looks like a used

November 15, 2013

Christian Standard

JUST ONE: Swish!

TRUE STORIES OF WORLD CHANGERS WHO STARTED ALONE: This month we share stories of individual Christians who couldn”t wait for others to tell them when to help the hurting and share the gospel. Their clear vision of a pressing need pushed them to do what they could as soon as they could. HOOPS OF HOPE / www.hoopsofhope.org By Doug Priest Austin Gutwein was just 9 years old in 2004 when he saw a DVD clip about a starving girl named Maggie who lived in Africa with her aged grandmother. Maggie”s parents had died of AIDS. For weeks, Austin could not get

March 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Overwhelm Them with Honor, Appreciation, and Love

By R. Paige Mathews You”re kidding me! This can”t be true! I couldn”t believe who was requesting help. Just a few years ago he was a highly visible church leader; in fact, his signature might be on my ordination certificate! His story: In 1956 we began serving as missionaries on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. We had three children but one infant son passed away while there. My wife also died in the Philippines after receiving an injection that was mistakenly 20 times stronger than prescribed. I returned to the United States with my two small children. After

February 19, 2013

Christian Standard

Witnesses from Around the World (Previewing the 2013 NACC)

By Chris DeWelt An exciting component of the 2013 North American Christian Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, will be the powerful testimonies of six followers of Christ who come from six different parts of our world. Each will offer pungent and powerful words from the front lines where the gospel is actively pushing back the kingdom of darkness. At each of the six main sessions, you will hear godly leaders from other nations who are living out lives of faithful service, often at great personal risk and frequently with life-altering consequences. Their active witness of today”s victorious faith in the face

November 13, 2012

Christian Standard

For the Love of a Child

Child sponsorship programs are changing lives””in distant lands and right here in the United States. Discover the facts. Listen to the testimonies. And realize how this is happening. By Doug Priest “Our people sponsor nearly 400 children, and congregational giving continues to grow. In fact, the more we give to others outside our walls, the more our general fund has grown.” “”Steve Reeves, Connection Pointe Christian Church (Brownsburg, Indiana) Alice was conceived out of wedlock. She never knew her father. After the birth, her mother entrusted Alice to her grandmother and moved to another country. Alice lived in the Mathare

October 22, 2012

Christian Standard

Africa and Afghanistan, Ethics and Unity

By LeRoy Lawson Say You”re One of Them Uwem Akpan New York: Little Brown and Company, 2008 The Places in Between Rory Stewart Orlando: Harvest Original/Harcourt, 2004 Just Ministry: Professional Ethics for Pastoral Ministers Richard M. Gula Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2010 The History of the Open Forum on the Mission of the Church 1983″“2009 John Mills Middleburg Heights: Open Forum/Southwest Christian Church, 2011 Oprah”s Book Club is not my usual source to find a good read. Not that good books aren”t there. It”s just that my interests and her recommendations haven”t often jibed. That is, until now. Or until 2009,

August 27, 2012

Christian Standard

How to Obey a Simple Command

By Mark A. Taylor Over lunch with a visiting missionary friend, we spoke of the latest alerts she and her team had received from the U.S. State Department. Her particular region was not threatened””yet. But the possibility for terrorist activity was coming closer. The waitress tended to us carefully (“More water?” “Everything taste OK?”) while our guest spoke of her contingency plans in case of an emergency evacuation. Hiding places among local natives, secret rendezvous sites, and options in case the closest airport was compromised””these were the details she shared while we savored the restaurant”s service. I couldn”t help but

March 15, 2012

Christian Standard

Film Festival Aims at Raising Water Awareness

By Jennifer Taylor The mission of Journey”s Crossing Christian Church (Gaithersburg, MD) is to “meet people where they are and help them find their way back to God.” This summer the church will continue taking steps to accomplish its mission by hosting a film festival to connect with local artists and provide clean water in Africa. In partnership with Food for the Hungry, Journey”s Crossing will host the Reel Water Film Festival on June 16. Aspiring filmmakers may submit short films (ranging from 5 to 25 minutes) by April 30, and a panel of judges will select winners in a

February 20, 2012

Christian Standard

Sending, Serving, Reaching: FAME

By Jennifer Taylor FAME (Founded 1970) 4545 Southeastern Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46203 www.FAMEworld.org Rick Wolford, Executive Director “You don”t send ice skates to Honduras.” Rick Wolford, executive director of FAME, smiles as he explains the ministry”s insistence on sending only good quality, usable medical equipment to the field. But the illustration is fitting; FAME understands its role as a leader in medical evangelism and targets its efforts on accomplishing this mission with excellence. “That”s been one of our biggest challenges in responding to the Haitian earthquake,” Wolford says. “We received requests to help with construction projects and other initiatives and

January 9, 2012

Christian Standard

In Just One Year: I Pray I’m Wrong

Nothing challenges us to think about changing times more than the transition from one year to the next. On this first day of 2012, we asked six Christian leaders to think about the church a year from now and to draw a picture of our progress””and our problems””then.  * * * By Rob Kastens While I pray that I am wrong, my sense is that as the year 2012 draws to a close in the United States, we will be increasingly aware that God”s marvelous church is losing sight of her prime purpose of knowing him, growing in him, and

December 8, 2011

Christian Standard

Tunisia . . . An Unprecedented Opportunity for the Gospel

By Name Withheld A year ago, most Americans had never heard of the small African country of Tunisia. Global awareness changed in January, when a desperate young fruit vendor set himself on fire and Tunisia became the first of a string of Arab nations to revolt against oppressive dictators. Now, in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution, Tunisians are recovering from the shock of the past, putting the pieces back together, and dreaming about their future. And Christian workers and believers in Tunisia are taking advantage of an unprecedented window of opportunity for the gospel. Christianity is intricately woven throughout Tunisian

December 6, 2011

Christian Standard

Big Dent””A Personal Touch to Lessening Poverty

By Janet C. Smith Microfinance is the latest new tool Christians can use to share the old, old story. CMF International”s new BigDent.org website has made it simple, easy, and fun to do. Christian Missionary Fellowship, a 62-year-old mission agency in Indianapolis, Indiana, has worked in Nairobi, Kenya, for many years. Executive Director Doug Priest and his staff believe there are many Christians who are interested in providing a microfinance loan within a faith-based framework to aspiring entrepreneurs in an impoverished community. CMF now has the tools for small gifts to make a “big dent” in poverty. BigDent.org went live

August 2, 2011

Christian Standard

What Does God Say About Race?

By Brian Jennings “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). We usually focus on the second truth in that sentence, but it”s healthy to remember the first: “People look at the outward appearance.” Not only in Samuel”s time, but in all the years since then, people have been looking at the outward appearance. While we”ve come a long way, still today we struggle. My wife and I have two boys. In July 2009, we had the blessing of adopting our first daughter, Shurabe, who is from Ethiopia. Four months later, my

February 23, 2011

Christian Standard

A Troubled Continent, a New Dream

By LeRoy Lawson The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence Martin Meredith New York: Public Affairs, 2005 Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles Richard Dowden New York: Public Affairs, 2009 Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream David Platt Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Multnomah, 2010 Returning through Amsterdam”s Schipohl Airport from Kenya last year, I picked up a couple of books on Africa that, once I started reading, I couldn”t stop. Not that I enjoyed them. I didn”t. But I had just been to Africa and am fascinated by the people and countries I”ve visited. What these

June 28, 2009

Christian Standard

Caring for America”s Orphans

By Brian Mavis It began for my wife and me with a simple nighttime prayer with our young daughters: “God, take care of the orphans.” We always imagined kids in Africa when we prayed that, and eventually we sponsored a couple of kids from Kenya. But that prayer kept doing its work on us, and it led to an obvious question for us: “Are there orphans in America?”   Orphans in America? Surely there were some, a child here or there who had lost her parents. But if God wanted to use us to help answer that prayer and to

May 10, 2009

Christian Standard

Serving with Cultural Intelligence

  By Gayla Cooper Congdon    Amor Ministries began taking groups on short-term mission trips in the summer of 1981. That first summer, four churches with about 100 students traveled to serve in Tijuana, Mexico. Since then, more than 250,000 students and adults have gone on short-term mission trips to six locations in Mexico, and most recently, in South Africa. Last year, I heard about a book making waves in the short-term mission world. David Livermore”s Serving With Eyes Wide Open upset quite a few people because of his critique of short-term missions. When I learned about it, I just

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