Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Global Harvest
Editor: Wayne Barrier Founding Editor: J.C. Choate (deceased) Associate Editor, Design, Layout: Betty Burton Choate Publishers: World Evangelism Publications for Churches of Christ
reason each Christian has been left in this broken and sin-sick world. We believe that, as we involve ourselves in this work, we become co-workers with God, enabling Him to use us providentially to bring the Gospel to those who are desperately searching for it. We ask you to join hands with us, in supporting the publication of Global Harvest, in encouraging others to support it and read it, and in getting deeply involved monetarily and/or with your time/talents/life in one of the mission efforts reported in these pages. Singly, we cant do much; together, we can evangelize the world!
isclaimer: We believe that we must answer to God for what we teach and promote. It is our purpose to be biblical in all that we do and, to the best of our knowledge, we will not promote in these pages the work of unsound brethren. Because we cannot personally know all that anyone believes and teaches, we ask your help in guarding against unknowingly publicizing those who are either liberal or fanatical. If such material is inadvertantly printed, we ask your understanding
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e invite submission of feature and report articles from biblically-sound brethren, along with colored photographs, for inclusion in future issues of Global Harvest.
and cooperation.
Global Harvest
Volume 6
Fall, 2011
Table of Contents
Editorials
2011 Maywood Missionary Retreat....Wayne Barrier...6 Changing Directions.............J.C. Choate......................7
Articles
A Little Quiz from the Pages........................................4 The Church; the Glorious Culmination... ....................5 Printing Here and There..........Betty B. Choate...........8 The Compassion of Christians.....................................28 Our Awesome God................Betty B. Choate...............83 Lessons Learned from Disasters....Jane Maynard.......84
The Kees Busy World................Doyle Kee................39 Romanian Churches at Work.......Harvey Starling.....39 Lyon, France..............Charles O. White.......................40 The Story of the Syktyvkar Church ....Larry Little......41 Operation French World............Bren White...............42 New Christians in a Muslim Country.........WEI...........43 Martyrs in Pakistan.................Bill Warner....................43 Events in and Around Cotonou......George Akpabli.....44 A Story of Love................Felix Aniamalu....................45 Years of WBS Work in Nigeria..........Ruth Orr...........46 The Malawi Project.............Richard Stephens.............49 The Heart of Zimbabwe............Loy Mitchell..............50 Those Gospel Chariots ... .............George Funk............51 Training Preachers and Teachers...J.C. Enlow............52 African Christian Schools.........Trent H. Wheeler.......53 Village of Hope..................Araba M. Amuasi.................54 The Church with a Mission .... ......Sylvester Imogoh.....55 Developments in Pakistan..........Shahid Khokhar..........56 From Lahore, Pakistan................Asghar Ali................57 Persecution in India................Earnest Gill..................59 Pure and Undeled in India..........Laurel Sewell........61 Persecution of Christians...................WEI....................62 Outreach through Literature and Videos...Sunny David...63 Fourteenth Annual Bible Camp....S. Rajanayagam......64 Triumphs of Truth in a Hindu Nation....Philemon Rajah...66 Myanmar Update...............Wayne Barrier...................67 Chinese Agape Foundation..........................................68 Amazing Opportunities in Yunnan, China...Joey Barrier..69 Cambodia Mission Trip................Luis Cusi................70 Dreams Being Realized ... ............Colin McKee..........71 The ODonnells in New Zealand.....Kent ODonnell....72 The Missing Link in the Philippines...Priscilla Sellers..73 Funds for Furlough.................Barry Murrell...............74 Spiritual and Physical Livlihoods...Salvador Cariaga...75 Philippine Theological College........Demar Elam..........76 Culture and Christianity ... ........Scott Shanahan..........77 New Full-Power Radio Station.....Randy E. English....79 The Power of the Printed Page.........Robert Martin......81 Where Do the Australian ...?.....Howard Hampton.......82
Europe
Africa
Memorials
Remembering L.D. Willis ........Wayne Barrier.............15 Barry Gilreath ...................Jim Dearman....................34
Indian Sub-Continent
Here Am I; Send Me.........Timothy Wilkes II................18 Update for Project Rescue..........Ronnie Crocker........19 Focus Press...................................................................20 House to House.............................................................21 he Search Light...........................................................23 T Outreach in Moab, Utah.........Martin Johnson.............25 Work Among the Burmese in the US...George Achard...26 Sooner Prison Ministries..............Larry Ware..............27 Mission Printing................Richard Renfro..................32 Partnering with Mission Printing.....Ron Pottberg.....32 World Video Bible School............................................33 Gospel Broadcasting Network......Tyler Gilreath........34 Biblical Institute of Central America...George Hall...35 On-Going Work in Haiti.........Dr. David Smith..........36 Half a Century of Church Growth in Peru..Glover Shipp..37 Ameridian Missions..........Jerry O. Davidson...............38
Asia
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churches of Christ in 1961. Fifty years later, how many exist there now? P. 37 9. Name two countries in which believers in Christ are being persecuted. Pgs. 43, 59, 62 10. Who underwrites the cost of the Annual Bible Camp in Tamil Nadu, India? P. 64 11. In what unexpected country is the church of Christ legally recognized? P. 69 12. What kind of community outreach program is being used in New Zealand to make contacts? P. 72 13. How does the goat program help people to be independent in the Philippines? P. 75 14. How can American children help evangelize in the Philippines? P. 76 15. What great tool does the church have for evangelizing the Pacic Islands? P. 79
Global Harvest
In order to make Global Harvest the informative, useful, and inspiring magazine we envision, we must have input from brethren, churches, and program projects throughout the brotherhood and all over the world. We will try to make you aware of services available and of needs you might help to cover.
Global Harvest
The fifth annual Maywood Missionary Retreat in Hamilton, Alabama on May 12-14, 2011 was an exciting, encouraging, informative and motivating gathering of about 90 missionaries and mission work supporters. Two days of reports, presentations, and relaxation seemed much too short, but many important mission work subjects were discussed by an unusually experienced team of missionaries. Featured speakers included Loy Mitchell, Gordon Hogan, Don Green, Don Petty, Dr. Jeremy Barrier, Colin McKee, Jeff Jenkins, Jerry Bates and Louis Rushmore. The theme of the retreat this year was Are We Willing to Do the Job? Several subject areas dominated the discussion. I will attempt to summarize some of these subjects, with each being very relevant to the massive task of taking the Gospel to the worlds population of almost 7 billion souls. First, the importance of missionary long-term commitment and involvement with the particular field of work are essential for success. Leadership and management on a continuous longterm basis are required to (1) develop relationships, (2) implement teaching and training programs, (3) develop local competence in leadership, preaching, and teaching, (4) encourage support and
participation of the home church, (5) develop personal competence for working in foreign environments, (6) develop relevant plans, goals, and objectives, and (7) evaluate progress and make adjustment to improve work programs. A commitment of this level requires good communication and effective leadership skills, unquestionable Christian character, ability and willingness to travel, team building skills, a high level of teaching competence, and relationship management skills. Success is impossible without the example of Christ-like love and compassion. Successful work can be accomplished by missionaries both in resident and visitor status. Long-term, continuous involvement is the key success factor. Next, the requirement for planning was defined as an extremely important factor in mission program success. Every work should be guided by day-today operational plans that include goals, objectives, operating plans, methods, implementation schedules, budgets, and other work function management plans. Plans should be flexible, realizing that our best efforts may not align with unforeseen opportunities, obstacles, and circumstances. Strategic planning is much needed in our collective and individual mission efforts. Strategic plans are broad, long term, and require visionary prayer, intensive intelligence, informative inputs and careful consideration of Biblical principles and guidance. What is our strategy for taking the Gospel to all the world today? We seem to be operating without a plan, when we consider that
thousands of people die every day who have never heard the Gospel. We need to better share information across the brotherhood about areas of need, fields, methods, resources, experiences, and challenges. More trust, love, humility, hard work, prayer, and communication are needed to improve our strategic planning. The influence of Islam and Muslim aggression were discussed by several speakers. Everyone agreed that the work of evangelizing Muslim populations is most difficult and that Muslim influence across the world is resulting in increased hostility and resistance toward Christianity. Muslim resistance follows a progressive movement as the percentage of population in a region or country increases. As Muslims move into a non-Muslim population, they usually are low-key and quiet, but as the percentage of the population increases, they become more vocal and will ultimately take control, if possible. When allowed, Muslim systems of law and social control replace all others. Mission efforts are being affected across the world because of the spread of Islamic teaching, influence, and rule. Many of the speakers referred to the necessity of mission efforts to focus on incorporation of methods that are both effective and efficient in communicating the simple Bible truths of the Gospel. Methods should meet both of these criteria. Why? We dont have the resources to be poor stewards of time, money, people, etc. These two
Continued on page 14
Global Harvest
Changing Directions
J.C.Choate (Deceased)
Christ, and we are heading in the concepts of the church, unity, and direction of heaven. worship. These brethren are changing No, we cant save ourselves, but directions. They have decided to neither can we be saved unless we follow the lead of the religious world in comply with the Lords will and live so general, turning away from the Biblical that the promise of eternal life can be truths that they once espoused and ours (Ephesians 2:8,9). defended. Looking at the current situation But if the Lords way leads to with the church, we must all admit that heaven, where will these brethren go? we are living in perilous times. Paul If they had been following the Lord, but could see in his day that the factors have now changed directions, where were there for a falling away from the will this new way take them? Not to truth (2 Timothy 3:1). Any number heaven, you can be sure. of things could have caused the All of this reminds us again of apostasy. The Christians were living the many statements in the Scriptures, in hard times, with persecution running warning that we are not to love the rampant. The setting was right for world (1 John 2:l5-17), that we are not elders to join forces even sincerely to be deceived (Galatians 6:7,8; 1 John trying to better understand the truth 3,7,8), that we are to take heed lest but in the process, to lead groups of we fall (l Corinthians 10:12), that we brethren away from the Lords way. must seek first the kingdom of heaven History has a tendency to repeat itself (Matthew 6:33), that man shall not live again and again. Isnt this same thing by bread alone but by every word that happening today? Arent we in the proceedeth out of the mouth of God middle of another apostasy? (Matthew 4:4), that we must do the will Brethren are getting too involved of the Lord (Matthew 7:21), and we in the world, with emphasis on ma- must be faithful unto death to receive a terialism. Husbands and wives are crown of life (Revelation 2:10). working long hours, with no time for Some may say that this change that spiritual matters, no time to study is taking place is simply a reaction to Gods word, no time for the family. brethren who have been too negative We have a weak pulpit in the churches, about the religious world, that there are and no time for evangelism. Too many too many hypocrites in the church, that Christians and leaders in the church are we dont have enough love. Change reading and listening to denominational advocates point out that our religious men, getting too involved with the friends love the Lord, too, that they religious world, and now instead of may not be right on every point but that following the Lords way believing neither are we, that the grace of God that His way is the only way, that He has will cover the sins of sincere people. but one Gospel, one church, one way It is true that none of us can be saved to worship, one way to live some without the grace of God (Ephesians brethren are deciding to compromise 2:8,9), and that even after we do all the and to join the denominations in their Continued on page 14
Sometimes, in business or any endeavor, it is advisable to assess matters to see how things are going. It may even be better to stop what one is doing and to go in another direction. The wise do this. The foolish never seem to learn. The Scriptures tell us that Christ is the one and only way. That way is clearly set forth in Gods word. One does not make a mistake when he reads and studies the things that are revealed there. How do we know there is a Creator, that Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world? How do we know about the Gospel and what one must do to be saved? How do we know about the Lords church, who established it, who is its Head, who is the Savior, that there is but one, that it wears the Lords name, and that when the Lord saves us He adds us to that church? How do we know about worship, what is acceptable and what is unacceptable? How do we know the kind of life the Lord wants us to live, of the hope of heaven, and of the warning of hell? We know all of these things when we read and study Gods word (2 Timothy 3:16,17). It is so simple and easy to understand, to believe, and to obey, in order that we may be saved and live the Christian life. When we do follow that path, we are following
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Printing . . .
Continued from page 8
New Books!!!
Check the Bookstore at:
WorldEvangelism.org
A reprint of Wyatt Sawyers classic workbook offering in one volume a panoramic view of the entire Bible. Designed for one year of study. $10.00 An analysis of the current culture in America and of the effect it is having on individual Christians and the Lords church. Kenneth Morvant $8.00
These books have been printed in English, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Oriya, Burmese, Indonesian, and Urdu. In addition to books, we also support the printing of numerous 24-page monthly magazines in various languages in India. We have looked into printing in other countries, primarily in Africa, but have found that the cost is prohibitive, and the quality of the work is not good. The alternative choice is to continue printing quantities here that will allow us to make shipments in containers to various points overseas, particularly where English is spoken, although we do have a limited number of titles available in Spanish and French, and with one study in German and Russian. In the past six months, we have shipped more than 35,000 books to destinations overseas, free of charge. You might ask, How is all of this printing paid for? Our World Literature Fund covers the overseas printing, and most of the shipping costs, while the printing here in the States is primarily covered by the sale of our World Evangelism Publications. No one in the office draws a salary from the book sales, making it possible to re-invest the proceeds in a cycle of printing. Our goal is to keep enough books on hand for sale to fund the sharing of the copies that are so desperately needed in countries where very little literature, written by Christians, is available. We are grateful to congregations and Christians whose love makes this possible.
Paul Ecksteins very practical study for new Christians. Ideal for individual or classroom study, with application exercises. $6.00
Louis Rushmores study of the church that was divinely planned and established by Christ. $8.00 Order from:
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temple. As I walked by the pagoda every day, I saw many acts of religious devotion. One day, hundreds of candles were being lit as worship, with a fee from the worshipper, of course. I saw hundreds of prayer flags. These were pieces of cloth inscribed with the prayers of people and hung on ropes to catch the breeze. The belief is that, as the wind blew, it would carry the prayers up to the gods. I saw some small and large prayer wheels. Similar to the prayer flags, the worshipper would say his prayer, then turn the prayer wheel, which in turn would send his prayer to the gods. Many would bow in prayer before the pagoda. Some would actually prostrate themselves on the stones, get up and move a bodys length, then prostrate themselves again to the ground. They would do this over and over until they made
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A few years ago, the keynote speaker for a school of preaching lectureship was a brother in Christ renowned for his decades of experience in radio preaching. Doubtlessly, his oratory was well suited for that type of media and was probably effective for him. However, he also expressed the firm and unmovable opinion that radio alone was the media with which the churches of Christ ought to attempt to reach the worlds masses with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As far as he was concerned, other media venues, such as the printed word, were virtually, if not entirely, useless! Brethren, there is something to be said for confidence in the application of ones talents for the cause of Christ. Each of us ought to do what we do best, and do it persistently so that God may be glorified and so that souls may be edified. However, unrestrained, abounding confidence can lead to unfounded arrogance, which can stand in the way of effectively evangelizing the world,
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by the word of God (Romans 10:17). The Word of God, or the Bible, is the obvious source of Gospel teaching and preaching, for sure. However, brethren, the Bible itself is literature! One cannot discount literature, then, without in effect discounting the source of teaching and preaching the Bible. Remember, various methods of proclaiming Gods Word work in conjunction with each other, rather than in opposition to each other. Literature is a band of missionaries attending to the needs of souls, stateside and abroad. Literature is a tireless and relentless missionary and instructor. Occasionally, we hear of persons coming across a tract or an outreach book that was initially distributed maybe three decades before. One of my primary affections for Gospel literature is that it will outlive me! I can influence people for good with the Gospel of Christ, through the printed word, after my inevitable death, and I am working toward that end. The churchs mission is worldwide, and America is simply one country in the world. The responsibility of the Lords church is not to take the world for Christ, but to turn it upside down for Christ (Acts 17:6). Remember, Jesus Christ did not take the world for Christ owing to human freewill that can opt out of obeying the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8). It is the Christian responsibility to saturate the world with opportunity to know the Gospel;
we must plant the seed of the kingdom (Luke 8:11) and water it (1 Corinthians 3:6), but we are not responsible for the increase. We are culpable if we do not plant and water, but we cannot make anyone obey the Gospel. Methods like radio, television, Internet, literature, Bible schools, preaching, and teaching are members of the body of methods that, when used together, demonstrate a coordinated approach to effectively trying to continue the mission of our Lord to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10). Media methods are merely tools in the toolbox of God in the hands of mortals to turn the world upside down with the Gospel. Literature can take many forms. Gospel literature may be a printed manuscript of a radio or of a TV sermon. Gospel literature may be the printed word on a computer screen, such as a text file, PDF or a webpage on the Internet. Gospel literature may be collected in the pages of a book, or may be condensed into a pamphlet or tract; both have their standings in evangelizing or otherwise edifying souls. Especially tracts ought to occupy a primary place in efforts to evangelize souls whose first language is not English. As far as introductory material about Christianity or a particular Christian doctrine, even among English speakers, the brief introduction of biblical information is more likely to attract rather than drive away interested souls. Furthermore, because of their
brevity, tracts require the best possible word choices and selection of Scriptures to concisely represent the truth of Gods Word about a specific topic; tracts require better writing skills than what an author might find necessary to bring to bear in writing a book. Good tracts or pamphlets provide the core of teaching on a particular subject in short order and with a minimal of reading. In addition, tracts are affordable compared to the heavy outlays of funds often required for radio, TV and books. Tracts are portable and durable. Bible correspondence courses, Bible reading schedules, bookmarks, Bible references, Bible dictionaries, lexicons and religious books in general round out missions program literature whereby precious souls not only can learn about Gods plan of salvation, but also mature as Christians. In short, Gospel literature reaches souls at home and abroad, out of the church and in the church, non-Christians and Christians, and Gospel literature is ready whenever and wherever a soul can and wants to make use of it. Gospel literature is an indispensible tool among other tools in the toolbox of God to fulfill the Great Commission (Mark 16:15,16). The Bible is literature! Forasmuch as many members of one body are essential components of the whole, coordinated body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:1228), literature is an essential component of the whole, coordinated effort to lead souls to become Christians and then to help them to mature.
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Byron Nichols
There are numerous blessings associated with being involved in the work of The Voice of Truth International, and one of the greatest is the opportunity to come in contact with so many fellow Christians who become fervent in their interest in and support of this work. Abe Woodson has been devoting himself to prison ministry in the state of Nevada for many years, and we have been able to supply him with copies of The Voice of Truth International for use in that ministry. As a result, he and I have had occasion to talk several times on the phone and have corresponded by mail. Just recently he made a trip from Nevada to Illinois, and we made arrangements for him to come to Springfield on his way home so that we could actually meet and become better acquainted. Gay and I really enjoyed having him as our guest for those few days as we learned more about his work and he about ours. We are grateful for the addition of two new supporting congregations in recent weeks. These are the Lincoln, MO church and the Curry St. church in West Plains, MO. In addition, we have gained some new supporting families and/or individuals. Every decision to support this work enables us to do
more to spread the word. Beside the American English edition, we now have an English edition printed in Inda, a Spanish edition, a Tamil edition, a Telugu edition, and Hindi and Nepali editions are in the translation process. Back in 1993 when The Voice of Truth International had its birth, we never dreamed that the magazine would grow to such wonderful levels of use. Sadly, because of the economy, we have lost some support, but we have been greatly blessed by gaining some new helpers to aid in partially offsetting the losses. With all of us submitting ourselves to being clay to be shaped and molded to the purpose and satisfaction of the Potter, marvelous things are bound to happen for the benefit of His glorious cause. We are thankful to be instruments for use in His hands. In mid-December we took delivery of a book I wrote, entitled Messages of Truth, printed through our World Evangelism Publications. It is a compilation of several of the editorials that I have written over the years for The Voice of Truth International. I made a few slight changes to the material and then arranged the articles in a manner that I hope will make them more useful and meaningful. I want to emphasize the fact that I have not and will not receive any money at all for this. Every penny of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to pay the printing and distribution cost and to help in supplying free copies for use in many different countries.
Messages of Truth will normally sell for $10.00, however, in an effort to help introduce the book, it is being made available on an introductory basis at the reduced price of $7.00, plus postage. Please help us in any way that you can to sell as many copies as possible so that we can send many free copies to earnest workers for the Lord and to hungering souls around the world. I have been overjoyed with the favorable response to the book, for more reasons than one. It gives me great satisfaction to know that the Messages of Truth is already blessing the lives of folks here in this country who are purchasing it, and it also is thrilling to think of the numbers of copies that have been sent in containers to people, free of charge, in many other countries as a result of the contributions and sales here in America. It is both humbling and exhilarating to think about the prospect of influencing thousands of people for Christ through this means.
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Changing Directions
Continued from page 7
Lord asks of us, it will still require the grace of God to see us through. But, at the same time, we must keep in mind that all of Gods grace cannot take us to heaven if we refuse or fail to comply with His will. Regardless of the logic, the fact still remains that the Lord has a way. He has revealed that way, and we cannot follow His way and mans way at the same time. Do we want to wear their man-made names and titles, worship with them and believe and practice the things they teach that are in opposition to what the Lord has said? If so, we have changed directions, and our new direction is not in the way of the Lord and heaven, but it is taking us away from Him, sending us in the direction of eternal destruction (Proverbs 14:12). My brothers and sisters in Christ, I can tell you the direction I am going. I believe in the Lord and His way, and I am not ashamed of it. Christ died that I might be saved, and that is good news. When I obeyed Him, He saved me and added me to His church. Christ loved the church, and I love the church, my brothers and sisters in Christ. But how can I love the Lord and His way, how can I follow Christ, how can I be saved, and how can I go to heaven if I refuse to
do and be what He wants, and if I join His enemies, if I have fellowship with man-made churches and if I worship with those who meet in the names of men and do things that are contrary to the Lords will? I am saddened to see both old and young, and even whole congregations, deciding to go in another direction, away from the Lord, and to cease to be faithful to Him. But that doesnt mean that I have to join them, and neither do you have to become a part of their error. Numbers even large numbers do not make something right. Wrong is never right. Christ says that the majority are on the broad way and only a few are on the narrow way (Matthew 7:l3,14). That was true in the Lords day, in the day of Paul and the other apostles, and it is true now. The Lords strait and narrow way is the one and only way that leads to heaven. That is the way I am going. If you have left that way, I hope you will change your mind and return to it before it is too late. If you dont, I am sorry but I will not be seeing you in that new heaven and new earth because only those who are faithful unto death will be there.
J.C. Choate, founder of Global Harvest, served as a missionary in Asia until his death in 2008.
factors can determine how many people hear the Gospel, with a fixed resource base. Most mission efforts can include components to enable large numbers to be reached by a single missionary. The use of literature, electronic media, and teams of co-workers can be used to enhance the work of the individual missionary. Finally, much was said about replacement of current missionary corps. We need many more young workers with the motivation, competence, soundness, love, endurance, and compassion of those working across the world over the past 60 years, since WWII. These experienced, great soldiers of the cross are the example for new workers to follow. Too often newcomers rely on theory and academic models, ignoring the guidance of Scripture and of successful current workers. We can succeed, if we are properly motivated and follow Biblical patterns. Young workers are motivated, strong, courageous, and zealous. Their potential is great, but they should build on the strong foundation of workers preceding them in the eld.
Wayne Barrier, living in Florence, AL, is Editor of Global Harvest.
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gathered for monthly instruction for eight months. Finally, it was published, following the two years of development, two years of review and one year of implementation. The Mission Training Manual is the most practical and potentially effective material of which I am aware for preparing new missionaries for foreign missions or for continuing education even of experienced missionaries. Please contact Wayne Barrier at 256-766-2807 or wbarrier@highwaay. net to schedule a series of courses at your congregation where, in conjunction with the Mission Training Manual, experienced missionaries will augment the classes. Or, the manual can be used, stand alone, for local instruction. The mission of the church is to evangelize the world, near and far, and this new publication is an invaluable tool, available today, to help make evangelism more effective.
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...Idolatry
Continued from page 10
distance, those sites becoming very holy places. Hindus burn the bodies of their dead rather than burying them. Some will take the ashes of the dead to a holy place, such as the Ganges River or to the sea, again gaining some benefit for their relatives in the next life. Every house has a special little room reserved for the familys god and idol, for private worship. Idolatry is not just a religion to the peoples of these countries, but it is the basis of their culture and heritage. Thus, when they renounce idolatry and become Christians, they do more than just change religions. To a large extent they renounce their family and their entire way of living. They make a firm commitment to
La Iglesia de la Biblia
(The Church of the Bible)
Que Es el Christianismo?
(What Is Christianity?)
Volume 8 of
Christ and vow to completely change their lifestyle. It is reminiscent of the ancient people of Ephesus when they turned to Christ and burned all their books of magic, valued at 50,000 pieces of silver (Acts 19:18-20). It is our privilege to be able to take the saving Gospel of Christ to a world filled with religious people who are trying to earn their version of salvation. But even more than that, we are privileged to uphold the hands of the national Christians as they sacrifice to teach the Gospel to their countrymen. The fields are white until harvest, but the workers are few. Gods call is the same now as it was when Paul came to the city of Athens. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:30,31).
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PLANS:
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New Books!!!
Check the Bookstore at:
WorldEvangelism.org
Byron Nichols compilation of Messages of Truth. 140 pages, $8.00
The last session of World Evan- this year, with other congregations gelism School of Missions (WESM) as alternates. For each congregation, classes for the 2010-2011 year was held classes are held on Wednesday on May 21, 2011 at the Double Springs, evening each week for the school year. Alabama congregation. During the Weekend seminars (2-3) with the listed year, classes averaged 36 in attendance instructors are held to supplement the with a total of 72 students participating weekly meetings. The newly published and 18 students completing the entire Missions Training Manual by Wayne program. Students are encouraged to Barrier from J.C. Choate Publications attend, even if they cannot participate serves as the primary study guide. over the entire year. Some choose Video course material presented by specific sessions to receive instruction Jeremy and Joey Barrier in Missions on topics of interest and need. Feed- classes at Heritage Christian University back from participants was very posi- is also being used. tive and plans for the next year are The goal of the school is to prepare being implemented. workers for mission field assignments. Instructors are selected for each Courses cover every aspect of mission course, based on experience and topics work and are designed to be practical covered. The instructors for 2011-2012 and applications oriented. Individuals include Gordon Hogan (Southeast Asia preparing for both long-term assignand Australia), Dr. Jeremy Barrier (Latin ments and short-term teaching trips are America, India, and Southeast Asia), prepared for work. Joey Barrier (Latin America, India, and Please pray for this new effort Southeast Asia), Loy Mitchell (Africa), and contact us if you are interested in Don Petty (Pakistan and Iran), Colin attending a session of class or hosting McKee (Indonesia), Louis Rushmore a program. We can also provide a (India and Burma), Wayne Barrier compacted weekend seminar with (India and Southeast Asia), Jerry Bates an abbreviated version of the entire (India, Nepal), L.T. Gurganus (Japan, program, or we can cover specific areas Russia), Dennis Larson (Indo-nesia), of interest for church leaders, teachers, James Jones (Kenya), and Thurman and others. Hodge. Classes are scheduled to begin in August 2011 and be completed in May 2012. The class format for the next year is being adjusted to meet the schedule of congregations hosting classes this year. The Killen and Madison, Alabama congregations are tentatively Serious discussions during lunch! scheduled to be hosts
Louis Rushmores study of Biblical Companions: how sacred history, archaelology, and geography work together to conrm truth. 212 pages, $8.00
Louis Rushmores warnings concerning proper handling of Scripture: No Hermaneutical Gymnastics, Please! 59 pages, $6.00
Bonnie Rushmores study for ladies classes, Living Principles; an analysis of well-known and little known women of Scripture. 128 pages, $7.00 Order from: World Evangelism Publications P.O. Box 72 Winona, MS 38967 662-283-1192
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Here Am I; Send Me
Tim Wilkes, II
his to serve the God of heaven, Isaiah responded with the beautiful words, Here am I; send me (v. 8). We would all do well to have the attitude we find in Gods great prophet, Isaiah. We need to recognize what a privilege it is to serve the Creator of all things and to be busy for Him. Like Paul, we are debtors (Romans 1:14) to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord has placed His Gospel in our hands. Really, consider that responsibility. We have in our hands the power of God to save mankind (Romans 1:16). Are we using it the way He intends? We are to be stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Corinthians 4:1,2). The mystery has been revealed; it is Gods plan to redeem mankind! Through the centuries God had a plan, and He was working to bring about its completion. The prophets of old did not fully understand what God was doing, but now it has been revealed. It is Gods plan to redeem man, Jews and Gentiles alike, through the precious blood of His beloved Son and our magnificent Savior! It is the church purchased with His precious blood. Are we being good stewards? The worlds population is quickly approaching seven billion! How far have we gotten in carrying out the command to Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15)? No doubt, great things have been done for the Lord. However, we understand that there is plenty more that needs to be done. There are still billions who have never heard the pure, uncontaminated Gospel of Christ. Not everyone has the ability to go into all the world, but we are asking fellow Christians to send us. My beloved wife, Rachel, and I have made the prayerful decision to be a part of the Open Door Ministry and to use our bodies for the Lord to Go ... teach all nations (Matthew 28:19). We recognize the great honor and privilege it is to be able to work for the Lord in this capacity, and we are crying out as Isaiah did, Here am I; send me! We are of that younger generation of missionaries that is so badly needed, to take up the responsibilities being left as older people are forced to leave the field because of age or health problems. But we need your help. These are difficult times, economically, and raising support for foreign work is even more challenging than usual. We are just getting started and we need you with us. We are ready to take the Gospel to the lost. We are ready to bring in the harvest that is so plenteous. We are ready to allow God to use us to answer the prayer for laborers (Matthew 9:37,38). Please send prayers to the Father on our behalf and please send funds for this work to our sponsoring congregation, Coldwater Church of Christ.
Tim Wilkes, II is sponsored by the Coldwater Church of Christ, P.O. Box 321, Coldwater, MS 38618; phone: 662-6227951; email: timwilkesii@gmail.com; the website is coldwatercofc.com/opendoorministry.html.
In Isaiah 6, we find Isaiah in a vision, before the throne of God Almighty. He sees the seraphim and hears them crying out, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3). Isaiah was overwhelmed with what he saw and said, Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (v. 5). Isaiah recognized he was not worthy to be in the presence of Almighty God. He was overwhelmed with His majesty and was undone. He was brought to silence in his awe of the all-powerful Creator. The Lord needed a worker; He had a task that needed to be accomplished, a message needed to be delivered to the people. God asked, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? (v. 8). Recognizing the great privilege that was
Open Door Ministry is the coordinated effort of several families, under individual elderships, working with Demar Elam, to bring the Gospel to numerous countries on ve continents.
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When we (Jeanie and I) moved into the main house, all the apartments were occupied by renters. While we were still getting settled in the house, the rst renter moved out and apartment #1 became available. We immediately diverted our attention from unpacking our belongings and attacked that apartment. It required some major cleaning carpets, oven, refrigerator, cabinets, bathroom and several coats of paint. After a few days of group effort, it was sparkling and ready for David Wallace to move into. David is our house manager and a valuable addition to our staff. He joined us from Georgia soon after our arrival here. He has shared his apartment with several men over the last couple of months. Gradually, other apartments are opening up, so we have repeated the above process several times. We are currently working on apartment #6. It is now painted and new oor is being laid. We are blessed with program members with many talents, so they are able to do the work. This keeps us from having to hire professionals from the outside. We now have two men in apartment #1, three in apartment #2 and three in apartment #3. There are two men in apartment #9 and one in apartment #12. By the end of the month, apartments #5 and #7 will become available. This will require a lot of work to renovate and furnish, but hopefully they will be ready for occupancy within a few weeks.
elderships to know we are now ready to accommodate those who are in need of this program. If you know of anyone, please send them our way.
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As we begin the new month, our emphasis will shift to the all important topic of Evangelism. We have all been called to carry out the Great Commission wherever we are. In so doing, that means we will look for opportunities to both show and tell the people we come in contact with about the saving power of the blood of Jesus. Through our catalog and on our website, we want to introduce you to some wonderful resources that you might consider add-
ing to your home and congregations libraries. Also, we pray you will enjoy the articles as they help encourage and equip you in the sowing of the Seed of Gods Word. Exciting things are happening at Focus Press, and one of the biggest is the launch of our brand new HARVEST Evangelism Series of products. As Christians, we must be concerned about bringing as many souls to Jesus Christ as possible. He will convert
them. Our job is to sow the seed of the Word. This brand new line of products will help you in this task. We will be adding new products to this series. For starters, consider the brand new DVD Cultivate: Reaching the World with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is our rst in this series and is a strong resource for every home and congregation.
Focus Press, 1600 Westgate Circle, Suite 125, Brentwood, TN 37027 Phone: 615-324-5870 Toll free: 866 313-6474 Brad Harrub, founder, Focus Press, Inc www.focuspress.org
THINK: monthly magazine dealing with timely themes; annual subscription: $25. Go to the website to order the catalog. This excellent magazine is now available at Borders Bookstores.
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We shudder to think that one day a frantic call may come for us: Your house is on fire! What would go through our minds? What immediate action would we take? Perhaps a better question is, What preventative steps have we already taken? One day every house on earth is going to burn. No one can mark that day on a calendar, but it will be the worlds last day (cf. Matthew 24:36). It is as sure as the reputation of the eternal God: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up (2 Peter 3:10). Considering this, we should ask ourselves four important questions.
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have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:2,3). Paul was confident of his future abode (2 Corinthians 5:1). Have you made reservations for a place to live after this life? (1 Peter 1:4; cf. Matthew 7:13,14, 2123). If not, the devil is reserving you a place in his guest house (2 Peter 2:4, 9, 17; 3:7; Jude 6, 13). Its not an ideal place the thermostat is stuck on high, theres no water to drink, the neighbors are rotten, and you can never leave. Why not have your name written on Heavens roll, now, by obeying the Gospel? (cf. Philippians 4:3; Revelation 20:12; Acts 2:38).
Am I insured?
One of the first questions asked when a house burns is, Were they insured? We want to know that the people will have some starting over money to restock and rebuild. It lessens todays pain to know that there is hope for tomorrow. As important as a homeowners policy is, we should be more concerned with spiritual fire insurance. The uninsured will face Christs wrath when He comes in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:8). Christians will not be hurt by the fire, for they have fire insurance. The rich man did not have it and lifted his eyes in tormenting, flaming fire (Luke 16:19-31). The Bible refers to Hell as a lake of fire (Revelation
20:14), a furnace of fire (Matthew 13:42), and a baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11). Jesus referred to it as an unquenchable fire five times in three sentences (Mark 9:43 48). He said, in a fearful thought, For every one shall be salted with fire (Mark 9:49). Jesus said no cost is too great to obtain this insurance: If thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched (Mark 9:43). He is not speaking of literally mutilating the body, which would be sinful (1 Corinthians 6:19,20); He is speaking in exaggerated terms to impress the skeptical of the seriousness of avoiding Hell.
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Available NOW! Full-color, pocket-sized, tri-fold tracts on 76 topics, written in old-time Gospel clarity. Call 662-283-1192 for a list of the titles and to place your order. These conveniently-sized tools will be helpful for outreach and for strengthening young Christians. We are making an introductory price of only ten cents each, $5.00 for 50, plus postage.
Overseas Containers????
We folks in the ofce here in Winona would like to partner with others in the church who are shipping containers to points overseas. We have books, tracts, and magazines (English, Spanish, French) that we want to share with those brethren who so desperately need literature. We would be willing to pay our percentage of the cost for shipping, believing that sharing the load will enable all of us to do more. Please contact us at 662-283-1192.
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Glenda Williams, a few weeks ago, told of the heart-searching question a villager in Guyana asked of Jerry Davidson. Jerry is a missionary and had been studying the Bible with a family in Paramakatoi Village. The
husband in the home asked, If what you are saying is right, if what youre teaching is true, then where have you people been and why are you just now coming to our village? This story reminds us of the daunting task of taking the Gospel to every corner of the world in fulfillment of our Lords Great Commission (Matthew 28:19,20;
nor harsh elements can deface them, and where we will never have to leave them behind. That storage vault is called heaven (Matthew 6:19,20).
save their souls from eternal destruction. Each of us must ask, Am I doing all I can to take my family to heaven? There may come a time when there is nothing else we can do, but have we reached that point yet? Is there another invitation we can extend, another heartto-heart talk we can have, another Bible study we can conduct, another tract we can give, another visit we can make, another phone call we can take time for, or another prayer we can offer? Your house is not on fire yet. Will you be ready when the earth is destroyed by fire?
Allen Webster is Editor of House to House, Heart to Heart, a bi-monthly 8-page, full color paper, lled with excellent articles for evangelism in your area. Contact the Jacksonville, AL Church of Christ, (Phone) 256-435-9356 for information about distribution of this paper through their services. Almost 3 million copies of each issue are distributed, in the US and abroad. Email: info@ jvillecoc.org; Websites: www.jvillecoc. org; www.housetohouse.com
Mark 16:15,16). There is still so much work to do to touch souls with the precious message of the Gospel. The Gospel is a message of hope and of life. Nothing can replace or supplant it. No one can live without it. It is as necessary to the soul as air and water are to life. At SEARCH we are doing our best to reach as many people with the Gospel of Christ as we can. Since the first of the year we have opened three new markets in America: Jackson, MS; Sioux City, IA; and Billings, MT. Recently we added Merced, CA to our cable network. By the way, SEARCH appears on television every week in Guyana. As I read each piece of mail, I give thanks to God for your encouragement and contributions. I thank God for your memorials and your gifts to this ministry. Each gift participates in the preaching we do. Each donation opens hearts to the Gospel. Your love and support encourages us greatly to do our very best each week to speak the truth in love. We are making a difference in little corners of the country, going into homes we could not reach otherwise. Where have we been? Preaching the truth in love to everyone we can, and opening new doors. This is the most exciting, wonderful journey into hearts. Please continue to go with us and help us in this effort. The Lord be with you.
Phil Sanders and Mack Lyon work with In Search of the Lords Way, TV broadcasting sponsored by the Church of Christ, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083; email: searchtv@searchtv.org; Website: www.searchtv.org; phone: 405-348-3242; 800-321-8633.
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Project Rescue
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Rules
You must have completed the detoxication process. You must WANT help. We are interested only in individuals who truly want help with their addiction. We dont have time for playing games and deception. You must agree to random drug testing. Relapse will cause the loss of all privileges. If you are a smoker, you must supply your own cigarettes. Smoking is not allowed inside any facility. You will not be allowed to have money in your possession. When you are ready to work in the community, your check will be turned over to us for safe keeping and returned to you at the end of the program, minus any additional expenses you may have incurred. If you fail to complete the program all the money in your account will be turned over to a family member. You will not be allowed to own your own car while you are living in our facility. Your car must be in the name of a family member. The car will be transferred into your name when you complete the program. You will be required to attend every service of the Beltline church of Christ Sunday, Wednesday and special meetings. Project Rescue and 12-step recovery meetings are also required. You will not be allowed to leave the Project Rescue property unless you have permission. You are not allowed to have any contact with the neighbors. All outside activities are limited to the backyard. You will be expected to keep your bed made, clean up after yourself, take care of the yard, do your laundry and your own cooking. There will be regular inspections. Profanity is prohibited.
Ronnie Crocker works under the oversight of the elders of the Beltline church of Christ in Decatur, AL, and can be reached at 256-616-1522.
We are well aware of the patience and perseverance needed in the addiction recovery ministry. Restoring ruined lives is hard work! Recoveringaddicts do very well for short periods of time. They are great sprinters! We are striving to make them great marathon runners (Hebrews 12:1-3). The restoration (recovery) process we use is community-based, with control. We take control of their lives as we teach them self-control. Because of the controlling nature of our program, we need the help of a stable family member. We have a 6-month program. The rst three-month period is very restrictive. As each man lives in the community, we control his social activities. As he works in the community, we keep control of his money, vehicle, and other assets. The second three-month period is like a father letting go of the bicycle seat and watching to see if his son can peddle and maintain his own balance.
The letting go of the seat is allowing them to have cash in their pockets and freedom of travel while they continue to attend all classes and church services and submit to random drug testing. If/ When they relapse (fall down), we require them to start all over. Galatians 6:1 points to the recovering addicts need of restoration and healing: Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. We have meditation time in our schedule to promote spiritual healing and restoration! 1 Timothy 4:16 points to the importance of both practical and doctrinal instruction: Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. We have included both doctrinal and practical instruction in our schedule. We also want to give our members a good taste of the church, which they get on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. Another aspect of Project Rescue is to help each man to become self-supported, so they do not need to rely on their parents for nancial support. We help them to nd a job and save their money.
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Spring is Here
The snow has melted here in Moab and the flowers are starting to bloom. Tourists are beginning to pour into the town every weekend to enjoy the beauty of the canyon lands that surround us.
Preaching
Marty is preaching through the book of Daniel on Sunday mornings and teaching on Christian evidences in the evenings. Along with other visitors, a young lady from Thailand has begun attending our services on a regular basis. She works at a local motel and will be with us for only a few more months before returning to Thailand. Please pray for us as we use our time wisely to influence her soul.
Fellowship
The church eats together regularly, which provides for a time of building relationships. We are excited about the opportunities to share Gods word with the people of this area, as well as to strengthen those who are already Christians.
Guy Orbison, Jr., leading the studies in the book of Ephesians.
Martin Johnsons email address is papuamissions@mac.com.
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George Achard, studying with some of the Burmese immigrants in the Nashville, TN area, particularly in Smyrna.
May I humbly request for your prayers. George and I need to go up to Smyrna and Nashville, TN for our mission trip, number 103 on this weekend after his graduation. Were going to have Bible study and Bible discussions with strong S.D.A.s and strong Baptists on that evening. On our last trip we had Bible study with them, starting at 7:30 p.m. and ending at almost 1:00 a.m., past midnight on Saturday evening. We have hope for one S.D.A.s leader whose name is Steven, who once said to us that he is not interested in the Bible, only interested in politics. Afterwards, he was the only one (among Karen tribal connections) who did regular Bible study with us and organized his S.D.A. people to study also. On our second to the last trip, after our study, he said, Now I came to know that the Sabbath Day is seventh day of the week, and only Israelites needed to keep the Sabbath. After the Cross, Christians need to worship on the first day of each week, and if we all go back to the Bible, there shouldnt be any division. Those were his words only. But
he didnt convert yet. He relies for physical help on one of the Burmese Baptist pastors who can communicate in English, and help him, but they have racial problems, being of different tribes. Anyway, we strongly believe that The Gospel is for all, not just for our own tribal group among the people of Burma. Please pray for us to be able to reach these lost souls. We need your prayers and cooperation. On our 98th trip, a young lady whose name is Ma Aye Yin Yin Aye was baptized by George at Woodson Chapel Church of Christ, after our regular Bible study there. She was one of the youth leaders of their Myanmar Chin Baptist church. Now she can explain to her sisters that she has been added to the Lords Church by the Lord Himself. How wonderful! I am so glad to see anyones baptism, anywhere, by anyone! Praise the Lord for everything. Sometimes we have opportunity to study at Ma Ayes house with her family, and at Ko Hang Htangs house. Ko Hang Htang is Ma Ayes father. He once
Call 662-283-1192
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... I was in prison and you came to Me ... inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me (Matthew 25:36,40).
This has been a great quarter here in Oklahoma State Reformatory (OSR). We have had a few lock downs because of cell phones being smuggled in to inmates, and also we have had a few fights between inmates resulting in at least one person being stabbed. However, there have been fewer than usual. We have had to miss out on only two Sunday morning church services as a result of these events. Our attendance has been up, and we have had eleven (11) baptisms. I have had a Sunday afternoon NewLife Behavior (NLBM) IV class completion with 33 graduates; Christians Against Substance Abuse (CASA) class with 18 graduates; NLBM Managing My Anger (MMA) class graduation with 9 graduates; MMA class in the Faith and Character Community Unit (FCCU) with 51 graduates. There were also 15 graduates of these same courses at our Minimum Security Unit (MSU). The problem is there is no one teaching at MSU now, due to Terry moving near Woodward, OK, where he now works. We also had graduation from both the Faith and Character sides of the FCCU, located here in OSR. We graduated seventy nine (79) inmates from our third Graduation class this April, 2011. We have one hundred nineteen (119) in the two groups, but some will have to attend additional classes before they can graduate. I was requested to give the Invocation for this ceremony. As I stood before this group, along with many dignitaries from Oklahoma Department of Corrections, I looked into the faces of these graduates and realized that I had the opportunity to teach all these men during this past 15 months. I also recognized many men that I had had the pleasure of baptizing into Christ, because of the teaching of Gods Word. There were several men present as honored guests who had graduated from the two earlier class years. Some of these I had also baptized into Christ. There have been many changes in this program since it began. We have a different director and teachers (except for me) and some new rules and regulations. We have learned much; so have the inmates. We are in the process of moving out the graduates to other living units in the yard, and bringing in the next class members. Some of these men will be going on parole or to lower security yards. We have at least one man who is moving up to Hominy Prison near Tulsa to help facilitate the FCCU there. Our very first class three years ago, which was the first in the state, sent 10 men to Hominy to help facilitate their program. I surely missed those men from church services and classes, but they were soon replaced by other inmates here that had grown in the Lord. This moving will take a while to accomplish. The next group starts June 6, 2011. During this period of transition I have asked for permission to use some of this time to have classes for the men who will be there. I believe I can utilize this time. There will be training times by the State for the new and returning Moderators who will help facilitate the classes for the coming sessions. I am looking forward to getting to work with these new inmates. I am amazed at how much I have learned over the past 16 years in prison ministry. I have wondered how I knew enough to ever do the work in those first years. I have also learned it was not me but Christ who did all that work. I am thankful for Gods Grace that carried me through, and is still carrying me, as I continue to learn. I lost $400 in salary January, 2011. If any congregation could make this up I would be very grateful. We are making it financially, but it would be easier if we had that support back. My salary is paid to me by Lakehoma Church of Church of Mustang, OK. You can contact the elders there regarding this matter. My expense support comes through Mangum, Hobart and Sayre Churches of Christ. I have enough support for expenses, just short in the salary. I am looking for someone to help with our work at our Minimum Security Unit (MSU). I cannot do the work in MSU because I already have a full schedule inside the Walls of OSR. My cell phone is turned off when I am in OSR so if you call me and get no reply, please call the house phone (580) 535-4088.
Larry and Rose Marie Ware, Prison Ministers. Email: larryeware@sbcglobal. net
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Wildres burned over hundreds of thousands of square miles in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.
What is the result of such calamities? In the midst of the pain and desolation, the sympathy and concern of fellow human beings overflows. Individuals, groups, organizations, agencies, churches, and governments rush to the aid of the stricken. Individual Christians and congregations of churches of Christ have responded magnanimously to the need.
Such pictures are indicative of the destruction in Smithville, MS, and in Hackleburg, Phil Campbell, and Tuscaloosa, AL.
Flooding of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers began the latter part of April, forcing many to leave their homes and resulting in the destruction of more than 130,000 acres of crops in Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Continued snow melt and heavy rains caused the Souris River in North Dakota to rise to higher levels than any previous record, leaving thousands homeless. Wildfires in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico burned hundreds of thousands of acres, and many homes, with some loss of life. May 22, another tornado cut a six-mile-wide swath through Missouri, destroying much of the city of Joplin, killing more than 150 people, and injuring hundreds more, making it the deadliest single storm in our history.
This building, meeting place of one congregation of the Lords church, was greatly damaged but served as a distribution center for the hurting.
Japan
Park Avenue Church of Christ
Among many others throughout the States, the Park Avenue Church of Christ (5295 Park Avenue Memphis, TN 38119. 901-682-1220) has, through Dwight & Josephine Albright, Joel Osborne, and others too numerous to name, provided leadership in bringing aid and recovery teams to the
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striken people of Japan. The Facebook group, Working and Praying for Japan Earthquake has been most helpful in providing news, after the subject was abandoned by the traditional news media. The following is a sampling of the work and reporting that have been done: Nonogaki Quake Report through the Park Avenue Church of Christ (www. parkave.org) On the 14th I went to Watari, just outside of Sendai, in order to meet Shin, who is a graduate of Harding University. He has been staying at a school gym for two months, but amazingly he has been in good spirit. He told me 300 people
took me where his house and shop were standing. I suppose Ground Zero may be good words to describe this. I looked around 360 degrees, but saw nothing but trash. The area he lived was actually a great tourist spot visited by millions of people every year. Nothing was left but only piles of trash like a big mountain.
are living in the gym. It will go on at least a couple of months. Shin lost his house and business. Fortunately, his family was away and now lives in Tokyo because of his daughters school situation. She goes to Christian Academy of Japan in the suburb of Tokyo. I gave him Y50,000 as a gift from many Christians in the US. Shin took me to disaster areas not very far from the school gym. The areas are restricted to only specialized workers. Since he is one of them, he was able to take me there. Although I expected really bad conditions there because I have seen news on TV, the reality hit me hard when I saw devastations just in front of me. He
Although he attended Harding University, he has never become a Christian. I hope this is just the beginning of his journey to know Jesus Christ. Even though I am away from him in long distance, I can always communicate with him by email or other things like Facebook. On 15 May Lords Day, I attended the worship service at Sendai Church of Christ. Shin came to the worship service too. I spoke on how we should understand the Disaster and Earthquake. Since the church does not have someone to minister them, they have hardly an opportunity to listen to a message from the Bible. I was very impressed with their positive attitude. This church building has been used as a storage room for the rescue mission done by Mito Church of Christ. All the material gifts have been sent here and stored. This is a nice neighborhood. It seems to me there is much work any missionary or preacher can get done there. I have added their names on my prayer list. Also pray that missionaries and workers will come to serve there. Another Report from Japan: ...we passed a small shed that said something about needing to survive on the side of the road. That got our
After a great tour, we went out to eat at a restaurant. He began to ask me about church and Christianity. He asked me about Christian life in Japan. He even told me that he wanted to go to church next day if it is OK with me. I was very happy to hear that because I was thinking when to ask him to come to worship. I was moved by his sincere attitude.
Food and other essential items being distributed by Christians. Continued on page 30
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attention so we called the number on the side of the shed. As it turns out, there was a man who survived the tsunami and was now living in the shed. He hadnt had any protein lately so we gave him all the food we had in our 3 cars. We chatted with him for a bit. Basically, he said he was in his house on the first floor and went to second floor to escape. As he was escaping the heavy furniture fell on him and he was trapped, but when the water came it loosened the stuff on him so he could get out. He was tossed around in the water in whirlpools, but he was able to get on top of a tatami mat for a while, but when large objects came he had to dive under the water several meters to escape. He thought he wouldnt survive, but he did, though he was pretty badly bruised and cut up. As we left we prayed for him and took a quick picture. Then, a couple of hours later, he called us as we drove home and said: I felt so angry that I havent received support from our government, but after just one phone call I have connected with people from all over the world. I felt
so encouraged, so peaceful and joyful that I couldnt keep quiet, so I just had to call you. Since the tsunami I have been so bitter, but today I felt such joy! Its like a chain was broken. I was saved in some divine way but I dont know why. After you came I kept tearing up and I felt like I could survive.
Joplin, Missouri
David M. Franklin
On Sunday evening, May 22, an F5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri. My wifes parents live in Joplin and for the last 23 years we have worshipped with the 26th and Connecticut Street Church of Christ at least once a year. Thankfully, my in-laws home was spared, but the church building was within the six mile path of devastation. My family and I arrived at the church building the following Saturday, to
find the parking lot full of cars and relief workers. Our trailer of supplies, donated from friends and church family members, was quickly unloaded. The building had sustained damage to one third of the roof, and 3 to 4 inches of water had collected in the auditorium. All of the carpet had been removed and the pews had been moved to the foyer. The auditorium had become a warehouse for supplies from several relief organizations, and a steady buzz of Christians could be seen assisting those in need. Prayers were being offered in the parking lot. Later, my wifes parents drove us through the devastated area. We fell silent, taking in the loss all around us. It looked like a giant blender had been turned on and the contents poured back out. Cars were tossed around like crumpled pieces of paper. Windows were blown out. Any remaining trees were debarked. Houses looked like bombs had exploded. Restaurants we had often frequented were just gone. Street names had to be written on cinder blocks because all landmarks had been destroyed. Saint Johns Hospital lay abandoned and windowless. All of the doctors offices were gone. Home after home, business after business was completely destroyed. How did anyone survive? On the day of the tornado, those already gathered for worship took refuge beneath a stairwell. Seven families of this congregation lost homes, along with 6 families who regularly visited. The congregations greatest loss was the deaths of brother Bill Anderson and his wife. He was the deacon over the Bible class program. Their daughter, Grace, had been away at college and was told
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that her 17-year- old brother, Quentin, had also perished in the storm. The next day, by the grace of God, he was found alive in a hospital in Springfield, Mo. The first Sunday after the tornado, the congregation met for worship at the La Quinta Inn. The room was packed. Many of those who had lost everything were there. Grace was there. Minister Richard Chambers expressed gratitude with words and tears, stating that the outpouring of love they had received from the brotherhood had been a reminder of Gods love and had served to encourage and to motivate them during their time of crisis. He spoke of the concern their members had for one another; how they had opened their homes to one another; how they had rejoiced at finding Quentin alive. Its about the people. Nothing else really matters. Brother Richard quoted several verses from Psalms, noting our God is worthy of our praise. Looking over those congregated to worship, he said this was evidenced by the presence of so many who had lost so much. He encouraged the survivors, many of whom were feeling unworthy of the help being offered to them, to allow others to help. We need to help. Dont take that away from us. Yes, please dont take that away from us.
David M. Franklin is a Christian, a member of the West President Church of Christ in Greenwood, MS.
of me. Nor did I have any clue of the horrendous tragedy then unfolding between me and my work location. In view of this past weeks events and all that we have witnessed, there are some things I feel compelled to share. Untold dollars lost in the storm, dreams shattered, homes destroyed, lives forever altered, a baby plucked from its mothers arms, a teenager pulled from his father through the roof of an SUV, a husband sacrificing his own life to save his wifes, frantic searches for lost loved ones feared dead, and on and on and on this list could go! If you and I havent shed tears over the sad plight of our fellow man, something is very wrong! These tragic accounts tug at our hearts, and rightfully so (Romans 12:15). Yet there is a greater tragedy amidst all of this pain and suffering. That tragedy is that many souls were hurled into eternity in the blink of an eye. How many were prepared to make that journey? It is not the loss of life which Jesus tells us to fear, but the loss of our souls for eternity (Matthew 10:28). The true tragedy of May 22nd was the scores of souls who were launched into eternal damnation, unprepared to meet their God! If we could have witnessed those souls departing their lifeless bodies on that evening, all over Joplin, how many would we have seen escorted by angels (Luke 16:22) to Gods tender care? I feared the loss of a co-worker on that night as I worked. My constant thought was this; Did I ever offer to study the Bible with him? How many of those, lost that day, were in constant contact with members of the Lords church and yet never learned of Gods plan to save their souls? We must do better! God deserves better from us!
Can we say with Jesus; My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work (John 4:34)? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest (John 4:35b). If the church which is called the Lords will not do His will in teaching the lost, then it is not the Lords church (Luke 6:46)! Life is a precious gift. Life is fragile. Death is certain (Hebrews 9:27). Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that (James 4:13-15). Indeed our life should be lived in constant view of Gods will and purpose. Many souls that evening between 5 and 6 p.m. were caught unaware and unprepared. Though May 22nd started out like any other Sunday morning, before the day ended, the lives of infants, children, parents, and elderly alike were done. Were they ready? Are you ready? Are you ready for death? Are you ready for the Lords return? Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:13).
John Deffenbaugh serves as an elder in the Hillcrest Church of Christ in Neosho, Missouri.
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Mission Printing
Richard Renfro Our Facility
Mission Printing is located in Arlington, TX, and our facility has all the equipment necessary to print and ship a large volume of Gospel literature each year. The facility also provides adequate accommodations for volunteer workers. There are offices for the volunteer secretaries, two large rooms for collating, where thirty to forty men and women work, stapling, packing and shipping, a dining room for volunteers to eat lunch, and where daily devotionals are held. During these meetings, excerpts are read from letters received from many countries around the world, telling what they have accomplished and their additional need for books and booklets to use in teaching the Gospel to their fellow countrymen. These letters are always filled with thanksgiving, as well as complimentary statements that are uplifting. Several songs are sung during this period, the sick are prayed for, and many encouraging words come to those who are helping do this work.
Mission Printing, a work of churches of Christ, is an incorporated, nonprofit organization, entirely supported by donations. It has an independent board of directors and is not directly associated with any particular congregation of the church. It was established to provide Bible oriented teaching and study literature to missionaries in many countries around the world, at no cost to them, and is dedicated to bringing the Gospel of our Lord and Savior to a hurting world. Requests for printed materials continue weekly in the many letters received. Production has increased significantly over the years. Last year, we shipped close to 50 tons (that is 100,000 pounds)! The bulk of these materials is sent primarily to emerging nations, although not exclusively. Other materials are sent to teachers of Bible correspondence courses, and those in this country (USA) who are making efforts to convert sinners in their local areas.
Support
Many individuals and congregations support this work through donations, making either regular monthly contributions or special purpose gifts, such as memorials. Many are investing in the future of Mission Printing by naming this work in their wills, or by giving paid-up insurance policies. Others have given to an Endowment Fund so that, in the future, the interest on that money will help pay for necessary operating costs, such as paper, postage, and utilities.
Richard Renfros email address is: renfro.richard@att.net.
Volunteers
Our work force is comprised of volunteers except for a paid director and an office manager. The amount of work done by our approximately 150 volunteers is difficult to believe. Most of them are over 65 years of age and some are in their 80s and 90s. They have so arranged their schedules that we have from 10 to 30 people working on any given day (Monday Thursday).
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Twenty-five years ago three brethren decided to create a complete Bible school on video tape. They were Rudy Cain, Charlie DiPalma and Chuck Horner. In just a few years their goal of having all of the Bible textual courses, along with all related courses for the school, was completed. The name of the school is the World Video Bible School. The idea was to make this training program available to all congregations of the Lord and to their Bible training schools anywhere in the world. This they have done. Of course, as time progressed, there were requests for many more Bible related courses that would not come within the school curriculum. Many of these courses have now been filmed and are also available. This school has met the high standards set by the originators. First
WVBS
of all, there would be nothing taught in any course that differed from the Bible. Secondly, in the Bible school courses, every instructor had to have experience teaching in a brotherhood school of preaching. This insures that the quality of teaching is excellent. Also, where possible, student notebooks were prepared by the instructors to go with their courses. Now, at this time, the courses are being sent into 371 brotherhood congregations and schools, in 49 different countries. This is a large and aggressive undertaking. It is with the Lords blessing that all of this has been accomplished. Of course, with the advancement of technology, the courses
are now being produced on DVDs. One evangelistic tool created for the brotherhood is entitled Searching for Truth. By the end of this year over one million of these DVDs will have been placed in the hands of the church worldwide. Some of WVBS courses have been taught in Tamil, Telugu, Russian, Korean, Spanish, Hindi, Ki-Swahili, Mandarin Chinese and American Sign Language. All courses have the difficult words and phrases in them thoroughly explained. Therefore, even if your native language is not English, you will be able to have a full understanding of what the Scripture is saying. If your congregation or school would like to use any of the courses, please contact World Video Bible School for a catalog.
Contact Information: World Video Bible School, 25 Lantana Lane, Maxwell, TX 78656; www.WVBS.org Bible Study@wvbs,org; Orders: 877-398-5211
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Soon you will be able to get GBN live on your home television, 24/7, with the aid of device called a Roku box. You may ask, What is a Roku box? In answer to this question, the Roku website states: Roku is a little box that allows you to instantly stream tons of entertainment on your TV. Watch movies and TV shows from Netflix, Hulu Plus or Amazon Instant Video, listen to music on Pandora, catch the latest ballgame, and more its all available whenever you want it. We have recently learned that this box also allows others to create custom channels that can be added to the Roku library and streamed to your TV. It seemed like an obvious choice for GBN. So, in February, we started development of our own custom channel, which will stream GBN live, 24/7, to anyone who owns a Roku. The process will be easy and free. First, you will need high speed internet and a Roku box, which you may purchase online at www.roku.com. The cost ranges from $59 to $99, depending on the options chosen. When it arrives, the setup is easy similar to setting up a VCR. I set mine up in about ten minutes. You may connect the Roku box to the internet via a cable or wirelessly. Once the box is installed, the GBN channel is available for download at the online Roku channel store free of charge. Thats it! GBN is ready to watch whenever you desire! We believe the GBN Roku channel is going to be a wonderful way for Christians to get GBN, but we also believe it is going to be a great evangelistic tool. There are already over one million homes that currently have Roku boxes, and the number is climbing all the time. Of course, most of the people who are buying Rokus are getting them for entertainment purposes; but, when they do buy them, GBN will be sitting there waiting for them! Also in development at the present time are apps for the iPhone and Android smartphones. When they are finished, a person who owns one of these smartphones will be able to click on the app store (market) and download a native app for GBN. After installing the free app, it will be as simple as a few clicks to have GBN streaming in the palm of ones hand. When 2010 came to a close, 73.5 million iPhones had been sold, and Android phones were shipping at the rate of 300,000 a day. In light of these staggering figures, we would be remiss not to try to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity for teaching the Gospel.
Barry Gilreath
Gospel Broadcasting Network recently announced the death of Barry Gilreath, Sr.: We, sorrowfully, announce the passing of our dear brother, Barry Gilreath, early this morning, June 7, 2011. Brother Gilreath was the original executive director of the Gospel Broadcasting Network and was active in its operation as late as yesterday. Brother Gilreath was one of the elders of the Highland church in Dalton, GA, which oversaw the creation and operation of GBN until this year. Jim Dearman, GBN Program Director and close personal friend of brother Gilreath, wrote: In April of 2004, I received a phone call from a man with a dream. The man was Barry Gilreath, Sr., and the dream was to launch a 24-hour-per-day television network to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ. Yes, Barry Gilreath, Sr., who passed from this life on June 7, was a dreamer; but he was a dreamer in the best sense of the word. His dream was to make the dream of God a reality in his lifetime. Gods dream, as it has been called, is found in 1 Timothy 2:3,4: For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (NKJV). When I received that call in 2004, I knew and respected Barry as a faithful Gospel preacher, who had labored tirelessly in the kingdom, with various congregations and with media outreaches, such as Preaching the Gospel with James Watkins, the Know Your Bible television program in Chattanooga, and other worthy efforts that have contributed so much to the cause. Now, seven years after that phone call in 2004, I say farewell to the friend whom the inspired writer describes as sticking closer than a brother. Only eternity will reveal the souls who will be saved because Barry Gilreath, Sr., acted upon his dream to help make the dream of God a reality. Life brings us many acquaintances, but God brings us friends like Barry Gilreath, Sr. I will continue to thank God for that gift. (Jim Dearman)
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with Pacius for two hours each Tuesday afternoon. 8. Multipurpose headquarters Living quarters for director, directors office, communications center, library and teaching center, guest quarters for 24-Haitian guest house. We are in the process of restoring Pacius library which was destroyed in the 2008 flood. Finally, he has an office and a place to keep his books and computer. 9. Bois Marchand Training Center We are completing plans for developing internships for at least three former refugee/residents, earthbag dormitory, future conferences and expanded facilities for teaching (covered teaching center). Ongoing training seminars are being held as well as plans being made for a national preachers conference in 2012. 10. Bois Marchand Feeding Center Of the 110 children that are being fed six days each week (with probably enough food to supply two meals), I learned that at least 26 of those children are orphans of the Port au Prince earthquake disaster. This is a great work that we continue to try to enhance and sustain.
David E. Smith, MD, Haiti Christian Development Project, www.hcdp.net, Heart Clinic Arkansas, 10100 Kanis Road, Little Rock, AR 72205
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The first of our long line of missionaries to Brazil were Arlie and Alma Smith, who arrived in So Paulo in 1956, moving later to Rio de Janeiro. In 1958, thirteen families from Abilene Christian formed a team, entering So Paulo in 1961. The team believed that group effort can accomplish a task otherwise hopeless for an individual alone or many individuals functioning in an uncoordinated way. The group initiated multiple congregations and saw a large number of converts in less than twenty years.
began. In 1976, three families initiated the work in Campinas, So Paulo State. In Braslia, the church began, and the publishing house, Editora Vida Crist, was founded by Alaor Leite. In 1980, new families arrived in Recife, to begin what has been a successful outreach. In 1981, missionary teams entered Braslia, the national capital, Manaus, Campo Grande and Fortaleza, all state capitals. In 1982, a team arrived in Rio de Janeiro. The year 1984 saw a team arrive in Salvador. In 1987 missionary families arrived in Florianpolis, Santa Catarina State. In 1992, new efforts began in Vitria, Esprito Santo State, and Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. In 2008, an all-Brazilian team was formed to serve in Braslia. In 2010, the church was planted in Niteroi, and, recently, in Belm. Currently, a nationwide TV program is aired from Belo Horizonte.
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50 Years in Brazil
Continued from page 37
For our latest campaign in Guyana, we had a team of eight Americans, two brethren from Trinidad, and several of the Guyanese Christians with us. We conducted a Campaign for Christ in Yupukari Village, located 300 miles south of Georgetown in Region Nine, and six people were baptized. A church building and preachers house are currently under construction. Our mission team also went into Moruca Village in Region One, located in the northwest part of Guyana. We worked there for five days, holding services at night, and conducting Bible studies and visiting during the day. The Lords church was established in Moruca Village with nine baptisms. There is great potential in this area, because there are several villages with a population of 14,000. There is a secondary school in Moruca Village with 742 students. There is a government-sponsored ele-mentary school in every village. When children finish the sixth grade, they are given an exam. Those passing are allowed to go to a secondary school and the rest have to leave school and learn a trade. What this means is that the best students from Region One are enrolled in this school in Moruca Village as boarding students. We have plans to set up an Amerin-
From the beginning, nationals have been prepared to evangelize. At the 2011 ENOC (National Encounter of Christian Workers), some 400 such leaders from all over the nation participated. This session was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the team in So Paulo. The church continues to grow in Brazil. However, there are still more than twenty major cities and forty unreached tribes without the churchs presence. In addition, the Brazilian church should become a leader in evangelizing other Portuguese-speaking lands. *Glover Shipp is a veteran missionary to Belo Horizonte, devoting 18 years of service to the work in Brazil. This report was produced from his historical notes, along with contributions by a number of other workers.
Read Glover Shipps account of the rst decade of work by the team that was called Brazil Nuts. Entertaining, enlightening... Hardback, $8.00 Order from: World Evangelism Publications P.O. Box 72 Winona, MS 38967 662-283-1192
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Twelve teenagers from Geneva and three from Lyon had a weekend retreat in the French Alps in the chalet of one of the members. Three of the Geneva young adults organized a retreat for French young single adults and 33 people from six churches participated. Barbara and I drove to Lyon and spent the night with the Hendrixes. The next morning, Arlin Hendrix and I drove to Pau, France, to baptize a military man who had first been contacted by Bren White in Colmar, France. We studied with him for several hours and then he was baptized in a small river close to his house. Arlin and I drove back to Lyon that evening (14 hours of driving in all). The next morning, Barbara and I visited with Charles and
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Lyon, France
Charles O. White
personal and group Bible study are important (something these Catholic youngsters dont do), faith and baptism, personal holiness, etc. The Lyon brother is a high school teacher and has some of those young Catholics in his classes. He feels, as do we all, that Biblical truth was shared and good seed was sown that day toward a harvest down the line, in whatever form the Lord sees fit to give. We have held two round table discussions on the qualifications of elders, with the idea that we would then go on to nominating the men to serve. However, those meetings convinced us that the group is not ready at the present time to move immediately toward nominations. In the last meeting, it was decided that we would temporarily suspend the process, and do some more teaching and discussing before moving back into an active selection. Working with a first-generation church has its special challenges, and I guess this is one of them. My own hopes for having elders within the next 15 months have had to be put on hold, and I have had to remind myself that the church is the Lords. So, we continue to work and to serve, and pray that His will be done! We have recently had two rather large orders for song books, both from churches in Canada. Since our present stock numbers about 900 books, we are glad to see some of those going out. We are also happy to see the Frenchspeaking church using the songs we worked so hard to assemble, a collection that represents some of the best that spiritually-minded people of the last couple of centuries have composed and authored. My personal feeling about
The natural disasters continue in the States, and we are horrified by their frequency and intensity. Such destruction is hard to imagine. Many of you are directly affected. We pray for you and ask the Lord to do whatever He feels best. We hosted the Chorale Harmonie from Marseilles. This is a choral group made up mostly of teachers and students at the CEM (Chretiens en Mission) Bible School run by the Church of Christ in Marseilles. We always rent a Catholic Church building (or two) for this chorus. Last year it was Villeurbanne one night and Meximieux the next, but this year it was only Meximieux, about 30 kilometers from Lyon. The group always sings well, and this year was no exception. What was different this year was that the priest in Meximieux is very open. He invited the chorus members, as well as one of our Lyon brothers (whom he knows personally), and all of our Lyon adolescents to a pre-presentation session where they were able to share their faith with a group of the parish youngsters. The Lyon brother was so excited afterward that he could hardly contain himself. They had broached all sorts of subjects, including the pope, Mary and the saints, the Lords Supper, acceptable Christian worship, why
the current movement toward lighter songs is that they may make the church lighter as well. I am also very wary of the youth teaching the adults in the church to sing; it seems to me that it ought to be the other way around. Perhaps I am generalizing and/or being unfair. But, as they say, thems my sentiments. Unfortunately, none of the present generation will be around when the effects of the current trends are known. But God is in control, so Im OK with that. Pam and I were thinking the other day about the members here, and we discovered that there is not a single family or individual in the Lyon Church that isnt going through some kind of suffering right now. Some of it goes way back, and some of it is relatively new, but all of it is real, and suffering is never a pleasant thing. But the Lord has taught us to look to Him and to use suffering as an opportunity to develop a greater faith in His strength. Thats what we are encouraging the group to do. Good will come of it, as God has promised (Romans 8.28).
Charles White's email address is cwhitelyon@aol.com
serious Christians $8.00 The Missionary Myth... An important study for those planning to send or go. $8.00 World Evangelism Publications 662-283-1192
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In addition to the school, the Lord has continued to use the Syktyvkar Church of Christ in other mighty ways within the Kingdom in Russia. Beginning In 1996, James Mettenbrink, a former missionary in the Komi Republic, began a ministry of translating sound brotherhood works into Russian for the Russian church. The Syktyvkar church agreed to work with him and now serves as distribution center for the country. To date, 42 books and 9 monographs have been distributed and are now in the hands of Russian Christians, free of charge. In 2000 W.C. (Dub) Hill and his wife Shirley had a dream of establishing a foster home for children in Syktyvkar. He worked with the Syktyvkar elders and the dream became reality. Today, the program is under the oversight and administration of the Syktyvkar church and boasts 15 homes, housing some 85 widows, destitute women and children, including 35 foster children. Another 90 women and children have benefited, having already passed through the program. Many have obeyed the Gospel and the church has received much credibility in the eyes of the government and community. Through the years, men such as Marlon Rutherford and Mike Nix, along with others, have continued to return to the Komi region, evangelizing and strengthening the
Continued on page 48
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Walk worthy of God, who calls you into His own Kingdom and Glory (1 Thessalonians 1:12). Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him...strengthened with all power...for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father (Colossians 1:10,11). How can we walk worthy of the Only One who is truly worthy? Only by relying on Him fully, on His Spirit, His power, His love, and His amazing truth each day! There is no other way to walk worthy of the One who is true and faithful and deserves all glory! Can we learn in our daily walk with Jesus how to actively depend on and submit to the Father? Can we focus on Him and value our relationship with Him above all else? Doing Gods will comes down to this. Can we do it? Can we look to HIM? Just one thing: live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ(Philippians 1:27). Pay careful attention to how you walk...making the most of the time... (Ephesisns 5:15,16). Bren and Cheryl are now overseen by the elders of the Laurel Church of Christ in Laurel, Maryland. Bren will be Outreach Minister and Missionary, continuing to focus on OPERATION FRENCH WORLD, even expanding efforts to recruit and train workers for
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PAKISTAN
On February 21, Katheryn wrote, Praise God! My Muslim student in XXXX wants to be baptized. He wrote, I am going to baptize as soon as possible. Please tell me how can I do it and how I pray. Soon thereafter, he wrote, I am very happy this morning. I have baptized with my wife. She helped me baptizing. We baptized in the bathtub together. Katheryn traces the history of this study as follows: Tariq (not his real name) is in his forties. He was impressed with the lesson on the prophecies of the Messiah that were fulfilled by Jesus, especially prophecies in Isaiah. One week later, he wrote me, I need your help and your special guidance to my decision to become a Christian, but now it is dangerous for me in my country. What can I do? This is one of the most dangerous nations in the world to leave Islam and become a Christian. Men have been imprisoned and put on trial for their lives for giving a Bible to someone. Women have had acid thrown in their faces. I encouraged him to try praying to Yahweh (the Great I AM). I continued to encourage him to be baptized, explaining that it can be done in secret. He asked how it is done. I explained what to say, and asked if his wife, a brother, or a trusted friend could help him. Two days later, he and his wife baptized each other in secret. On March 17, Katheryn wrote, My newly baptized ex-Muslim wrote me today that he wants to worship with
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Elections
Benin conducts presidential elections every five years. This years election took place in the wake of the very bad presidential elections in the Ivory Coast. It therefore came up with so much tension. During the electoral period, our radio speakers did a wonderful job using the radio sermons to call on the Cotonou public to look to Jesus, the Prince of Peace. They spoke on some of the following subjects: Attitudes that Destroy Peace; Attitudes that Favor Peace; Duties of a Good Citizen; Seeking and Pursuing Peace and the Saturday before the Sunday elections, they spoke on the subject: Vote for Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Gifts Received
A 20-foot sea container shipped from the USA to Cotonou arrived on campus on April 12. It contained several filters for the bus, clothings, French religious books from World Evangelism Publications, tracts, song books, Bible correspondence courses, a Honda tiller, several tools and implements.
Agriculture Report
The Smith Agricultural project, initiated some five months ago, is now taking its own shape. The pigs that we bought, weighing less than 5 pounds, are now very heavy. A couple of them are carrying babies and should be giving us some piglets very soon. We have planted several rows of carrots and they look really good, growing up nicely. The patches of some local legumes on high demand that had been planted are also looking green. We are reducing the number of rabbits from over 400 to 200 so that we can use the second room to raise chickens. We have been buying chicken droppings for manure, so this change is being made to produce this in-house. The students participate fully in watering and feeding the animals.
Prayers Needed
As one dearly beloved Sister once wrote me, when things are going too well, Satan is not happy. We need your fervent prayers. I carry enormous burdens that cannot be resolved counting on human forces or capability. We must not fail.
George Akpabli: E-mail: akpabli@yahoo.com
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A Story of Love
Felix Aniamalu
I love stories so well, especially when they are not just illusory or fantasy but real life stories. Memories are made of such beautiful stories as the one I am about to tell, a story that one would love to relive, a story of fellowship, love and fraternity, a story that edifies and gives a push, an encouragement to press on in the service of the King of Kings our God. Love is the only thing no one ever gets tired of, and no one feels he has an overdose of it in our world. With genuine love, hatred is entombed, all sorts of skirmishes and wars will go into oblivion. Families, relationships and, in fact, the entire new world will be a paradise, and God (from whom true love emanates 1 John 4:8) will be enthroned while the devil will be forever banished to his hell. This is the story of a WBS teacher, Ruth Orr of the Church Street Church of Christ, Lewisburg, Tennessee, and her formidable team from the USA, soldiers of Christ who lifted His banner high as they ministered to ministers about ministering in a five-day dynamic workshop. The Dynamic Workshop took place in the auditorium of the church of Christ, Akpu Village, Abagana, Anambra State of Nigeria. The beautiful edifice, a work made possible by the love and able leadership of the Church Street Church of Christ, through a WBS teacher, missionary and member of the congregation Ruth Orr was agog with celebration of love as Ruth herself, Ron Pottberg, Prissy Sellers, and Greg and Sheila Hamlin were there to share the message of love with the assemblage of celebrants. Fiftyseven preachers were invited to the workshop, but no fewer than eighty men were in attendance. Besides, over one hundred and fifty women were present on Saturday to listen to Ruth, Prissy, and Sheila. After brother Raymond Onwumere, the host minister of the workshop, welcomed the assembly, Felix Aniamalu introduced the theme with the following words: Our Theme, Hold to Gods Unchanging Hand was chosen by sister Ruth Orr, a woman who out of love hazarded her life for the spread of the Kingdom of Christ across the globe. The workshop was dynamic for the following reasons among others: a) It marked a decade of sister Ruths tireless work of fanning the flame of WBS work, in Nigeria as a whole, and in Anambra State in particular. b) It brought together preachers from at least eight different states of the Nigerian nation, including Enugu, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Akwa-Ibom, Delta, Cross-River and of course the host State, Anambra. c) It afforded preachers from these states an opportunity to interact, fraternize, and share experiences of their evangelistic work together. d) The preachers were fed with the bread of life (Word of God) by eminent preachers of the Gospel, including Ron Pottberg of the WBS, Greg Hamlin, Monday John Akpakpan, Mike Udam, Anayo Ohama, Christian Nwachukwu, and Everest Ene (a convert through the WBS evangelistic effort of Ruth Orr in Anambra State and a graduate of one of the foremost schools of preaching in Nigeria). With every fiber of their being, these preachers impressed the participants on the how and the need to Hold to Gods Unchanging Hand. On the next to the last day of the workshop, participants were so overwhelmed and saturated with love that they were unable to contain it any longer. Thus, they were constrained to go to the streets of Abagana to share the incomparable love of Christ and enroll new students into WBS. Time rolled by swiftly and by the end of the five days, it really seemed as if it were five hours of stay, and participants had wished time stood still to enable them to go on drinking from the deeper well and wealth of experience of the teachers, and to continue in the heaven-like interaction of praise and devotion. It was indeed and in truth, Love in Action. To cap-up the Workshop, sister Orr distributed Bibles, Christian literatures, items of personal hygiene and of course WBS enrollment forms to all participants. We cannot indeed forget sister Ruths work and labour of love (Hebrews 6:10) in Anambra State, a work which led so many souls to the feet of Christ over the years: 2001 (142 souls); 2002 (118); 2003 (98); 2004 (82); 2005 (250); 2006 (370); 2007 (251); 2008 (231); 2009 (172). Ruth was not privileged to be in Anambra State last year, but worked instead in Ibadan and Lagos areas where over one hundred obeyed the Gospel. This year 37 souls obeyed the Gospel. These conversions were also made possible by the strong support, encouragement, and involvement of brother Ron Pottberg. Sister Ruth has seen to the training of no fewer than eight preachers in the schools of preaching, and she raises support for a number of ministers.
Felix Aniamalu, Church of Christ, Okpoko, POB 14220, Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria
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I asked them to open their Bibles. There were no Bibles. The whole village might have had one or two. Raymond, the preacher, had one I had given him several years ago, and his wife had one. In the open cover were the words, The devil will get you if you steal this Bible. At the end of three weeks and 250 baptisms, I challenged the women that if I could get each one a Bible, would they read it through or at least try, before I would come back next year. They took that challenge and we sent over 400 Bibles for the church and the World Bible School students. That first trip turned out to be one of the greatest blessings and one of the rare experiences most people only dream of but never have. We could not have realized at that time what the next 11 years would mean to us, as well as to the church in Abagana. In 2001 Ron Pottberg, Vice President of World Bible School, began going to Abagana with me. Classes were conducted for preachers of the area, and ladies and mens classes became a blessing for all. Childrens classes were started and they were taught Bible truths, but we also had to teach the women the importance of the children being there and learning to sit quietly instead of running outside and playing. This took a long time, but the church was growing and maturing in the Lord, as each year we would have almost 300 baptisms, and our World Bible School students were numbering almost 4,000 by the third year. We began staying five to six weeks at a time so we could go to nearby villages, teach and start new congregations where many of those converted lived. Our message was a simple Gospel, for a simple people, because the Gospel of Christ is so simple to teach. In all
classes we taught three basic truths: the ladies slept in the WBS office. The 1. God is our Creator and He ladies of the congregation fed all three meals a day, the whole week. What a made us in His image (Genesis 1:26). 2. The Bible is Gods inspired labor of love! God blessed our efforts with 37 baptisms, as we also taught Word (1 Timothy 3:16-17). 3. We are all lost sinners in need WBS students throughout the week. One day a man by the name of of salvation (Romans 3:23). Fredrick came in and said that as a God told us to evangelize not only so the church may grow, but also so that young boy he had taken the WBS lessons and had never forgotten what he we ourselves may mature spiritually. Today, a new church building sits had learned, but that he had quit years on three beautiful acres of land in ago. He saw our sign outside and came Abagana. The Church Street Church in out of curiosity, he said. Raymond, of Christ in Lewisburg, TN built as he talked to him, asked him who his the building that will seat about 600 teacher had been. It shocked us all when people. Jerry Cranfield so graciously he said that it was Ruth Orr of Tennessee helped with putting the roof on for USA! Frederick was now 42 years old them. The members themselves did and it had been 30 years since he had much of the work by building a fence taken those lessons. After studying for around the property and they also built some time, Frederick was baptized for a separate WBS office and library on the remission of his sins and is now a the property for students to come and faithful member of the Abagana Church! study and do WBS lessons. Both have As we reminisced over the past 11 years, electricity, water, and fans for comfort and saw what God had done through the cooperation of all the preachers in in worship and study. We were much impressed in Feb- Anambra State and all the churches ruary 2011 as we spent a week there working together, their love for one for a workshop for the 65 preachers in another and the spiritual growth of each and around Anambra State. I wanted member, it seemed almost impossible so so much to see all the preachers in the much could have been accomplished in area, so Felix Aniamalu and Raymond 11 years. But we know, with God all Onwumere helped me in planning one things are possible. of the best weeks I have ever spent in Continued on page 48 Nigeria. Many said, This years Dynamic Workshop was the greatest thing that ever happened to us. Great lessons from Gods Word were taught daily by Ron Pottberg and Greg Hamlin and also native preachers. We also had ladies classes twice a day, taught by Prissy Sellers, Sheila Hamlin and me. The preachers slept One of the gatherings of the Abagaba church. in the church building while
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...Syktyvkar
Continued from page 41
congregations. In 2009 the Syktyvkar church, working with Marlon and Ronnie Morrison, established a new congregation in a nearby village and continues to nurture it Today, nearing their 20th anniversary, the Syktyvkar church is around 140 in number, served by three shepherds, a full-time evangelist (paid from the church treasury), has numerous classes for children and adults, is engaged in many ministries and has its own building, which also houses the Syktyvkar Bible School. Today, there are new challenges for the Lords church in Syktyvkar. Under the elders oversight, the church is active in regional evangelization and developing a distance learning program through the school that will take Bible training throughout Russia to congregations that are weak in the faith. Indeed, to use the language of 1 Thessalonians 1:8, the Word of the Lord continues to sound forth from Syktyvkar, evangelizing the lost and strengthening a Russian brotherhood in need of revival. Thanks be unto God and all praise, honor and glory be unto Him for His church in Syktyvkar.
Womens Program
Recently the brethren in Syktyvkar celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Womens Program in the school. Kay was heavily involved in the early organization of this program and in teaching many of the courses while we lived there. It was gratifying, going through pictures that were sent for them to display. This is a good work and balances the overall program of Syktyvkar Bible School.
We are proud that now there is a TV program and a daily radio program through the cooperation of the churches in Anambra State. Felix Aniamalu also has a big prison ministry where many prisoners have become Christians by studying the WBS lessons. After being released from prison, many have become good citizens, fathers, and husbands. In the past 11 years, 34 denominational preachers have been baptized. Most have gone to one of our Biblical schools, and some are now preaching the Gospel. Today, we have four former Muslims, a former Mormon, three former Pentecostals, and a former Catholic priest in our Biblical schools. Three doctors have been baptized. Uchenna, who just got his doctors license said, I am a Christian first and a doctor second. The Abagana church is now sending out missionaries to different places. Four who graduated from Jos Bible School are now teaching and preaching in Cameroon. Three other graduates of Jos are preaching in other mission areas. Isaac, a former preacher of the church of God, went to West Nigeria Christian School after his conversion. He is now preaching, and his mission is teaching the Muslims in a Mosque in Lagos. The past two years he has taught and baptized almost 500 Muslim men for the remission of their sins, along with many of their wives. It was our privilege to worship with this group in February while in Lagos. It was joy unspeakable as we heard them sing and praise God. They have all seen their share of persecutions, but they say, We counted the cost before being baptized and will never turn back. May their determination always remain strong.
Ruth Orrs email address is wbsteach@yahoo.com
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Basani Mphongolo, Administrator of the Namikango Mission in southern Malawi, started his lesson by turning to Genesis 37:2-9, and calling the attention of his audience to Joseph and the challenges he had to overcame to become the Prime Minister of Egypt. Basani continued, In life, people will hate you, they wont want you to move foreword in life, but dont let anyone kill your dream. Keep it alive. You may think you are a nobody, but God regards you as somebody. God loves you and wants you to be saved, today. Although his lesson would easily have fit a Sunday morning audience at the local church assembly, it was not Sunday, and his audience was not a Sunday morning service at the local church of Christ. His audience on that Thursday was actually the student body of the Mamadzi Community Day Secondary School, a school located a 25-minute drive from the Namikango Mission in Thondwe, Malawi. At the conclusion of his lesson, Basani was able to supplement his message with evidence that someone cares for these young people in this poor, destitute, far off land. A total of 39 English novels were donated to the school library. Then each student was given a pen and three booklets about Christianity. One was about Simon Peter, the Apostle. It is called From Defeat to Victory, and outlines the way the disciples repeatedly fell down, but
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CAMPION MUGWENI
Fifty years ago, Campion enrolled in the school of preaching in Zimbabwe. I met him the first time in 1959 at Wedza where he served as a teacher in a farm school. He obeyed the Gospel of Christ and came with his wife, Joyce, to be trained at Nhowe. He graduated from this threeyear program and began preaching at Dombotombo in Marondera. In 1965, we both moved to Mutare to plant the message of the Gospel of Jesus. Today, he serves as a preacher and an elder at the Sakubva congregation. He is known throughout Zimbabwe as a busy servant, planting and watering the seed. Here is part of his last report. We are praying that God will help us to win souls to His side and put the devil to shame. Our God must win and the devil loses. The month of February was a busy month, and the Lord was blessing our ministries in that seven people were added to the church through baptisms. We also want to thank God for providing us with good health and support from you so that we can be able to do effective work here in Zimbabwe. Yesterday, I was checking our church records and I discovered that
pending (drip) irrigation training that is to be done in Zimbabwe in July to September 2011. We call this sustainment training. The training will help the churches in Zimbabwe to sustain themselves. In the evening we had our zone group meeting for prayer at sister Musiteyis home. Brother Mvumi preached, and I led songs. Sunday, we had a good worship service that was attended by 382. Brother Chimdeza preached on the importance of attendance. Our giving was $379, and we baptized three people: Winny Muunga, Peety Musiteyi, and January Ciminnya.
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Last April we were in Namibia with Chariot number 2. It was fantastic. We have been working in Namibia for some 10 years now and it has been hard. Churches have been planted and much evangelism has been done with USA campaigners. This year was a little different; we got together all the congregations we had planted, in Tsumeb, for a mini-lectureship. It was the best thing we could have done. Now the brethren know each other better and we got to encourage brother Dalton from Tsumeb. He heads up the Tsumeb Bible Academy. The Fredericksburg Church of Christ once again came over to help. They and the Northside Church of Christ in Benton have been our helpers over many years in Namibia. Thanks, guys. Look what God is doing through you!
The growing Wanaheda congregation in Windhoek. Brother Zack, one of the Fredericksburg elders, teaching two ladies.
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Dr. A.D. Smith and I made a trip to Monrovia, Liberia for the purpose of teaching in the Liberia Bible school. Brethren Isaac Daye and Arthur David were at the airport to greet us and take us to our guesthouse. The next morning, Arthur brought brother Samuel Wouyene to visit us. It was good to renew our friendship with each of them. It had been fifteen years since I had seen Arthur and Samuel on the campus of International Bible College in Florence, AL. Later in the morning, we left for Buchanan where we would be staying at another guesthouse. Buchanan is about a three-hour car drive down the coast from Monrovia. The Lord blessed our stay in Buchanan the first night with two Bible studies. We studied with two men, Andrea and Moses. They both were converted and obeyed the Gospel. Moses drew the water from a well about 15 to 20 feet deep and filled a tub for the two to be baptized. We invited
Arriving at the church building, we were greeted by about 70-75 people (brethren and visitors) who had gathered for the two-day seminar. We taught from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., daily. The book of Romans was taught, and five denominational preachers came for the lessons.. Our local preaching brethren were going to do follow-up studies with those in attendance.. We also gathered with preachers and church leaders and discussed the establishing of a permanent Bible school. Brother Maxwell J. Whea was appointed to direct the school, Ms. Fannie W. Roberts was invited to become the secretary for the school. The teachers are preachers in Gorblee and Buchanan. Sixty-seven brethren registered to enroll as students. We worshipped Sunday morning with the Buchanan Church and they invited me to preach the Gospel. The
building was filled and almost all attending spoke English. An interpreter was used for a small number, 6-8, speaking a dialect. The lesson text was Luke 24:44-48. We really enjoyed worshipping and working with the brethren in Buchanan. Sunday evening we returned to Monrovia. Again, we arrived at the guesthouse where we had spent the first night in Liberia. The Lord opened another door of opportunity, enabling us to study with another co-worker of the guesthouse. A young lady (a former Muslim) was converted, and brother Alassis Goldore baptized her. The people in Liberia are very receptive to the Gospel of Christ. The next and final day of our stay was very encouraging. We met with brethren in Monrovia, desiring us to start a Saturday school in Monrovia. We committed to establishing one as soon as monthly funds have been raised for the school in Gorblee. The director will be brother Alassis N. Goldore, secretary will be sister Emma Jacobson, and one of the teachers will be brother Philip Montgomery. The next day, Dr. Smith and I returned to the States and our families. We thank and praise God for a very successful work in Liberia, West Africa. In Him we live!
J.C. Enlow: global_miss@yahoo.com
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Islam Unveiled
The Reason Why!
Sirajo SaTeh was sent to Islamic clerics, ostracized by his family and finally taken to be executed, simply because he wanted to learn more about the Bible and the Christian faith. Raised in the Kano State, Sirajos mother died when he was 3 and he was raised harshly by his father and step-mother. Sirajo was intrigued by a nomadic group of people called the Angas who would travel from Jos to Kano to hunt wild dogs and other animals for food. He was impressed how everyone in the tribe would work together and the peace they all seemed to enjoy, but what impressed him most was their practice of prayer before each meal. As Sirajo grew more and more engaged with the Angas people, his father became concerned that he was spending too much time with infidels (non-Islamic people) and they were
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filling his head with strange notions of the Christian religion. After repeated warnings to stay away, his father took him to the Hizbah (these are people who were responsible for executing those who convert from Islam to Christianity). Locked in a dark room and starved for days, Sirajo didnt expect to live much longer, but one of his captors helped him escape and started him on the next phase of his journey. Sirajo traveled for days until he arrived at Jos and asked to be introduced to Christians in the area. Realizing that he was still in danger because of the large Islamic population in that State, they decided to send him to Lagos, to the Bauchi Ring Road Church of Christ. Christians there agreed to send Sirajo to West Nigeria Christian College. The congregation gave him letters of introduction to WNCC and to the churches in the area. Two weeks after arriving at WNCC, Sirajo Saleh was baptized into Christ and started his studies. He interacts freely with all the students on campus, but has been particularly blessed that there are those who speak the Hausa language and have assisted him in his transition. We would ask that you join us in the struggle to spread Christianity and to defeat the powers of Islam. Trent H. Wheeler, President, African Christian Schools. trent.wheeler@charter.net
Islam Unveiled is a look at the history, teachings and current philosophy of the Islamic faith. This program is sponsored by African Christian Schools Foundation. This is a one-day event that can be conducted on a Saturday, or Sunday. It is designed to give an overview and historical and biblical perspective of this growing movement.
Sample Program:
Sunday Bible Class: A Biblical & Historical view of Islam Sunday Worship: Preaching the Gospel in a Terrorist World Sunday Evening: The Five Pillars of Islam Contact AFC at 615-427-8688 for further information and to arrange a schedule. >
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Developments in Pakistan
Shahid Igbal Khokhar
year 2005, I saw that she and her family were deeply involved in the Roman Catholic church in Hyderabad. I became much impressed, and again I started following the Catholic Church. In the first two years of our marriage we observed that no one from the Catholic Church gave attention to my family in sharing the Gospel and talking about Jesus Christ. Again, I became disappointed. In the meantime, Jennifers cousin, who is Pentecostal, asked us to join their church. Slowly and gradually Jennifers family and I started coming toward Pentecostalism and forgot the Roman Catholic Church. But, still I had thirst in my mind and heart to know more about the true Gospel which was not delivered in the messages of Pentecostal preachers. Their focus was only on speaking in tongues. I never agreed with such practice of tongues and could not understand why people talk in languages which they themselves cannot understand. Once, when we were attending the Pentecostal church, everyone was crying and shouting aloud. This scared our little son, Sterling, and he started crying bitterly. In another service, one of the pastors came and wanted me to fall on the ground just to show the power of the Holy Spirit, and he was continuously pushing me by keeping his hand on my forehead. This thing really made me think, Was it a prayer or something else? I had never experienced such a situation and it really made me embarrassed. At that moment, we decided not to attend the Pentecostal meetings again. We had never agreed on the teachings and attitude of Pentecostals, as they did not satisfy us. After that, we thought that somehow we should affiliate ourselves to some church just to show ourselves Christians, and Jennifer and I started going to a Protestant church, as Jennifers parents told us to do so because they are also the members of Protestant church now, although they were baptized in a Pentecostal church. But they also have some reservations and are no longer members of that church. We attended the meetings of Protestants also but still the message from the Bible was not clearly and exactly given in any of the churches. By the beginning of this year it seemed that in everything and everywhere there was something missing. We stopped going to any church and decided not to join any congregation, but we would simply pray to God at our own home, with the people who would like to listen to the Word of God in its true sense without adding or deleting anything in the given verses.
Continued on page 57
We rejoice in this good news of a new church of our Lord in Hyderabad, Pakistan. Shahid Igbal Khokhar was recently baptized at Sahiwal, Punjab Bible College, after studies through World Bible School and one of our East Ridge teachers! Shahid wrote this e-mail message to his teacher, Mary McKinney: Let me tell you the journey toward the truth of the Gospel. I was born in Toba Tek Singh, Punjab, in 1975 in a Roman Catholic family. I have three sisters and seven brothers, three of the brothers died in their childhood. One sister recently died two years back, leaving a daughter and four sons to her husband. My parents were strict Roman Catholics and asked us to attend and pray regularly in the church. As I was growing in the faith I was becoming stronger in my beliefs and became more mature in my thoughts. One of the cousins of my father became the priest of Roman Catholic church and this made me look closer into the lives of priests of that church. I became completely discouraged and disappointed when I looked at the bad and corrupt deeds of Catholic priests of Toba Tek. My father also came to know about this, and then he also never encourage us to go to the church. When I married Jennifer in the
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We had asked brother Asghar Ali to visit and study with Shahid and Jennifer, and then to go on to Karachi, to assess the general situation of the church there, after many years without outside or more mature influence:
...in Pakistan
is the truth of Gospel for which I had longed for more than 10 years of my life. This was the time when I realized and told Jennifer that we should go for this course as we will not only increase our knowledge of the Bible but we can also become true Christians who only follow the teachings of Christ, and the focus is always Christ. Here I would also thank God that He provided us with such an encouraging study helper who clarified all the questions in our minds, and the love and dedication for the work of Christ is visible through her correspondence and e-mails. Now the Lords Church at Hyderabad is in its initial stage of establishment. People show their thirst of hearing the Word of God exactly as it is written in the Gospel. They welcome us and show their affection toward us as we read the Gospel in front of them. I believe that it is the
In April, when I was browsing the Internet, I found this [World Bible School] website and registered myself, with the belief that somehow I would study from the Bible to increase my knowledge of being a Christian. The early course inspired me, and I gradually got a lot of answers regarding Holy Spirit, baptism, and the church. The best thing which influenced me
result of our constant prayers to God and the thirst to find the truth of Gospel and our sincerity and commitment, and of course the blessings of God made us this much capable that He has filled our hearts with His love and grace. May the Lord bless us all who are in the Lords family on this earth. Since this letter was written, several have been worshipping in the Khokahars home. There have been 12 baptisms to date. Their baptistry is an inflatable swimming pool purchased with funds donated by Shahids WBS teacher, Mary, and her husband.
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3. Instruments were not used. 4. Singing was quite good, as the whole of the congregation was familiar with the words of the songs. 5. Their hospitality was outstanding, and they tried their best to make our stay comfortable.
and clappings during the meetings. We advised them not do so in and during the meeting. They should do it either before or after the meeting, but if they do not do it at all it would be the best.
IN HYDERABAD
It was thrilling to meet a welleducated couple at Hyderabad who has established a church there. We were glad that Shahid Iqbal is a confident personality, one who can aggressively convince his audience of the Truth. Both husband and wife are eager to learn in depth the teachings of the Bible. We wonder if there can be a possibility for at least one of them (Shahid) to avail this opportunity. We were much impressed by the attitude of Jennifer toward her parents. If her parents disagree with any Truth of the Bible, she is there with her husband to disagree with her parents and stand with the Truth. We had the opportunity to attend church services, and I preached for them. There were 18-20 present. Before the closing prayer, Shahid asked for a kind of chain prayer which was started by Jennifer and ended with Jennifers father who is not member of the church. Before the church service, I baptized a young couple. I pointed out the mistake of chain prayer, and they accepted it gladly. We had taken some tracts both in English and in Urdu which could be of some help to Shahid. He and Jennifer plan to come to our area during summer vacations. He wants to visit with us and we would be able to provide him communion cups and needful literature. It is our prayer that these visits can be the beginning of WVBS classes among the Christians in Lahore, Hyderabad, and Karachi, and that the Lords church can be preserved there through sound teachings. BBC
HOWEVER...
1. All their meetings looked and sounded like those of denominations. Their singing was just like Pentecostals. A couple of songs had the wording, Give us the Holy Spirit and annoint us with the Holy Spirit. 2. It seemed that they did like the songs composed by the locals, having no serenity and serious thought in them as is there in Sialkot Convention in which the Psalms of David are translated in the local language and the songs translated from English Hymn books. A couple of words were repeated over and over again just to match the self-made tunes 3. For me (Asghar) they used the title The Lords annointed, and during the meeting they mentioned that there was annointing of the Spirit working there. 4. When they were preparing the church for the meeting, recorded songs with instruments were continuously played in the church building. 5. They repeat the benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14 at the close of every meeting. The air of slum areas was prevailing during all these meetings, especially because no one seemed conscious about the wastage and misuse of time. The time printed on the hand-bills and banners was 7:00 P.M to begin the programme. Almost two-and-a-half hours were spent on singing. This they called paying homage to Jesus and praising Him. There was food after every meeting and hardly we reached our place of stay until 1:00 A.M., quite exhausted.
Asghar baptizing a lady in Hyderabad.
In a brotherly and friendly atmosphere, I pointed out that the singing with instruments, though recorded and played on cassettes, is not authorised by the Bible and gives a wrong impression about the church. Moreover, I made clear that I was not the Lords annointed, and there was no annointing of the Holy Spirit during the meeting. As Sajjad had spent so much for the arrangements of the meeting, we contributed Rs. 4000 as compensation. We took three books of Basic Bible Course by Brother Rice, translated into Urdu, a couple of tracts by Brother Perry Cotham, some Urdu tracts and six copies of Rahats book. Since Rahats book is in Urdu and tackles some of the crucial subjects, it was welcomed. We promised to mail him The Church of the Bible and any other material needed by him. They have made it a custom to welcome the guests with floral wreaths
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Persecution in India
Earnest Gill
We are thankful that the Lord is keeping us and using us abundantly for His kingdoms increase in the northern parts of India. Our pass-out students go to the places where people have not even heard about Jesus. These days, burning news is coming from Gangoh, a town of Saharanpur District in UP state. Brother Sonu has been working there wholeheartedly. He was working in a private firm for his earning, but recently he told me that he has left the job, because he wanted to put more time in the ministerial work. He had chosen a few villages nearby to preach the Gospel. RSS (Hindu fundamentalist) people had been threatening him and asking for the past several months that he not preach the Gospel. After he left the job and was devoting more time, they were agitated and I was told that they beat him, and the matter is with the police now as they have published in the local news paper also. Brother Sonu and the congregation there are strong enough that they do not want to stop evangelizing the villages. But as we are the people of faith in prayer, I wish that prayers be lifted to the heavenly throne about the present situation. Throughout India, especially in the northern part, it has been difficult to share the good news, but we believe that we serve the living God, and we must not stop telling about Him. part of India. Again 70+ people from nine states (Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, Bihar, UP, MP, Orissa, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand) attended this lectureship. It shows that in northern India, the church is active and is growing stronger. We have graduated 42 people so far who are serving in these states, and new works are being established across northern India. A few brothers could not attend this year because of personal reasons but, overall, the lectureship was rejuvenating. It was felt that the brethren now wait for this day each year. It has become an important event for a North Indian preacher. A few men brought their wives also, and sister Benu took them aside for a womens fellowship. We had no room for them in the building we hired, so they gathered in a nearby Park. I believe that a preacher is handicapped without the support of his wife, and his wife is equally important for his work. Keeping this in mind, we think we should have a preachers wives lectureship in the near future, or at least involve them more in this great event. Brother Russell Bell presented three lessons during the lectures and one in the graduation ceremony. With the closing of the ceremony we have announced the opening of new session. Students have started coming. Two from Chhattisgarh have already arrived, and invitations to other places have also been sent.
we took students to brother Salatials place, 250 kms. from here. It is near the Pakistan international border. They visited houses and the villages, and arranged a Gospel meeting where I preached. They enjoyed the village ministry, met people, prayed with them and taught them.
First Wednesday
Each month on the first Wednesday, we invite people and preachers from the state to have fellowship and share their experiences as they labor for the Lord.
Field Work
Apart from this, our other efforts to enhance the work are continued. Every preacher of the Lords church is deeply involved in this great effort. Gandhi once said that India lives in villages, and it is very much true. The real India lives in villages. Before graduation,
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interested in Bible study; some ask for prayer, some forward that massage and some give more contacts to reach the unreached. It has been a real blessing that we have been instrumental in feeding this many people by the Word of God daily.
Bible Ki Baat
Recently we have started a new service called Bible Ki Baat (Let the Bible Say). In this service, a brief personal letter is planned to print with a Bible topic on an inland letter. This is cheaper than the regular letter. We send an inland letter and fix postal stamps on it and send each month to various people. This way we can send 12 different articles a year. In the first step, we have already sent 1,000 letters in January and are planning to print 3,000 more. Presently we have 4,000 addresses in our list, nationwide. We believe that we can reach more souls through this kind of tiny, simple and easy-to-digest weapon in less time. We want to fill the peoples minds with the Apostles doctrine. A letter would cost us Rs. 6 (approximately $0.14). For 4,000 letters, we will need $600 each month. We want to involve people in that and ask your prayer for this ministry.
and these booklets, and the Truth for Today literature as well. Again, this year 25,000 Hindi copies, and 3,000 Punjabi copies of the Indian version of Becoming a Faithful Christian were distributed throughout India. Brother Peter Singh from Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) telephoned that he needs 500 more copies of Understanding New Testament Christianity.
requests for the Bible correspondence course in the Hindi language as well. We printed more that 5,000 request cards and sent them to different people. The names of those who respond are forwarded to the local preachers of churches of Christ for follow up. The Voice of Truth International (Hindi) is being translated and is ready for printing and distribution. Please pray that the Lord may provide a permanent place to operate these good works for His glory. We are facing problems where we have classrooms, as well as with our living quarters. People have difficulty that we use residential accommodation for the church activities and our house owner wants us to vacate. It is matter of real concern for us as we lose peace of mind with these kinds of obstacles. They hurt the Lords work. Any kind of help for the work can be sent in the name of CHURCH OF CHRIST, paid in Chandigarh and sent to Earnest Gill, 5721A, Sector 38-west, Chandigarh-160014, India.
EARNEST GILL is a preacher of the Gospel, does translation and printing work, and operates a preacher training school in Chandigarh, India.
More
Requests for Bibles and tracts from the brothers are received, as they know that we help with this material. We get
The group attending the Fifth North India Preachers Lectureship in Chandigarh.
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Persecution of Christians
World English Institute Prabhu Encounters Hostility
The rapid growth of Christianity in India has triggered a reaction by radical Hindu nationalists. Church buildings have been burned. Missionaries and national preachers have been beaten, robbed, and even killed. Anti-Christian hate literature has been circulated, and many Christian converts have been forced to return to Hinduism. India is the largest democracy in the world, and the Indian constitution guarantees religious freedom. But Indian authorities have been known to turn a blind eye to atrocities committed by Hindus against Christians. Eight Indian states have passed anticonversion laws designed to prevent Hindus from converting to Christianity. It is not without risk that Prabhu Kumar travels all over India setting up WORLD ENGLISH INSTITUTE classes and teaching Hindu students about Jesus Christ. On Tuesday, March 22, Prabhu traveled to Kodad, Surypet, and Nalgonda to inaugurate new WEI branches. Things went well at Kodad and Surypet, but at Nalgonda, Prabhu ran into trouble. Arriving at Nalgonda at 6:00 p.m., he gave the WEI materials to brother John Paul, the WEI teacher, and asked him to arrange the materials on a table. Prabhu writes, At the time I went to bathe, many young people came and covered the area. They went up the stairs where the [WEI] banner was tied, and they checked the books. Then they understood that this English teaching is connected with the Bible. So they became ready to beat us if we will inaugurate the WEI branch there. They were all from RSS (Rsstriya Swyam Sevak Sangh which is the sister concern of Viswa Hindu Parishad, India), and they were ready to catch us. They had already warned our local teacher not to teach the Bible, but we were not aware of this. So, in fear, the local teacher kept us in the room and served food. We were there for two hours. The RSS people were not gone from the surrounding places. Though our teacher was afraid, I decided to go out to reach the railway station. My train was to leave at 12:30 a.m., so I needed to catch that. Even auto people would not come to that area because of RSS fear. Then, I and Michael both started to go out by taking a daring step. I caught the train and reached Vijayawada by 6:00 a.m. Please pray for those foolish people so that God may work on their hearts. Later, Prabhu wrote, I have traveled to many areas in various states where these Hindu people are quite against our Christianity. But I have never experienced a fearful condition like this. Certainly it is the grace of God which saved us on that night. Brother John Paul called me and said that after my departure, there was a big quarrel between his family and the RSS people. They were almost beaten with long rods. When I heard that, I was surprised by the seriousness of the Hindu opponents. Please pray for Prabhu as he risks his life to spread the Gospel of Christ in India.
...India
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I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you (John 14:18).
end her life by throwing herself into a well. The minister, Elisha, rescued her and began teaching her about the one true God. Both she and her husband were eventually baptized, and now she says he is a very good man! Driving through the country, we witnessed many evidences of the different religions. We drove past the huge statue of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god. Red-robed Hindus walked barefoot through town on their Bhavanni Deeksha pilgrimage, honoring the goddess Kanakadurga of Vijayawada. India is a land of contrasts. While women can be seen washing their clothes outside by hand, wireless internet subscribers number 250 million. India is the largest seller of cell phone connections. Although India has the highest concentration of poor on the planet, we were dazzled by the elegant saris and colorful punjabs, or shalwar kameeze, (long tunic tops over pants), decorated with sparkling sequins and golden threads. Soon it was time to return home. As we left the Institute, the lane was lined with the same children as when we arrived the week before. But they were no longer a sea of faces that looked as much alike as their little school uniforms. Each person has a story to tell of providential rescue which gave them a home, a church family, an education, and a chance for a happier and more productive life. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world (James 1:27).
Mrs. Laurel Sewell: mlsewell@bellsouth.net
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Sunny David
On 31 of May a young man, Prashant Gupta, was immersed into Christ. Prashant was a Hindu, living in Kanpur, about 300 miles from Delhi. He came in contact with the World Bible School in the USA some time back, and when he wanted to be baptized, his teacher asked him to contact me. Soon Prashant and I got together in Delhi and I baptized him at India Gate. We had a very nice two hours long Bible study, both before and after his baptism into Christ.
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...Bible Camp
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Masses of Hindus attend an annual religious parade. distributed seven volumes (volumes 61 to 67), 5000 copies each, and we thank Betty, Jerry and Paula Bates for trusting us and giving this opportunity. Pray for us, as we are in the process of registering the magazine with the Registrar of Newspapers in india, and with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Graduation
At Kumarapalayam, we had the graduation of those who have participated in our JC School of Evangelism. The so-called idol god, Two people were baptized KALLALAGAR, coming due to students efforts, on a 15 million rupees and one worship started worth Golden horse. This at a new place. Because year the god came with of the lessons, the local a green cloth, and they becongregations offering in- lieve that it will bring proscreased by 40%, as reported perity to the land. by the preacher during graduation. We had a three-day meeting with TV contacts among a denominational (CSI) group. Three hundred people attended Continued on page 67
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Triumphs...
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Myanmar Update
Wayne Barrier
World Evangelism efforts in Myanmar led by the Double Springs, Alabama congregation are now in their 15th year. During that period, four Bible Schools have been formed to provide students from across the country with classes to encourage individual growth and development. Students are now helping congregations (small groups meeting in homes) across the country. Thousands of baptisms have been reported by former students, and U.S. teachers have assisted with over a thousand conversions during school sessions. The oldest school, Myanmar Bible College, was started in 1997 and is located about 30 miles north of Yangon in a rural community. Each year 2-3 intensive class programs are conducted for 40-80 students. Each program is 2-5 weeks in length and students reside on campus for the entire session. This effort has been the primary vehicle for providing well-equipped teachers, preachers, and leaders for work across the entire country. Teams of U.S. teachers provide most of the instruction for this school. In recent years, local brethren have started to handle part of the teaching load. The three other schools are located in Kalay, Myitkyina, and Mandalay. Each has a different format for classes. Classes are relatively small (10-20 students) and all teachers are local brethren. In the Kalay and Myitkyina locations, several 2-5 day intensive Bible seminars are offered each year and attendance varies from 50 to over 500 participants. U.S. visitors often help with one seminar per year at each location. In every location, instruction is provided in the language of the area. Burmese is the official language of the country, but there are more than 12 local languages, with millions of people speaking each one. Also, teaching materials are printed and distributed in several languages. Preaching and campaign efforts are conducted throughout the year by local brethren. These men are taking the Gospel to villages, towns, and cities we are unable to visit. The work in Myanmar has also resulted in a new work in China, as brethren from northern Myanmar have travelled across the border to areas of China to spread the Gospel. Due to strict rules and laws regulating religious activities, the Burma work is very difficult. Our brethren are in constant danger because of the resistance of the military government to Christianity. The country is very poor, with large portions of the population suffering from the lack of basic necessities. In spite of these obstacles, the church is growing and Burmese brethren are increasingly assuming responsibility for leadership and teaching across the country. Pray for these brave and courageous Christians.
and were given Seekers Bible lessons, TVOTI ,and our monthly Magazine. Also, among the tribals with whom we have been working, 13 people were baptized in Mirayalguda, AP., and a new congregation was started. Please pray for our continued outreach through TV, Braille materials, and other literature.
Philemon Rajah: philemonrajahpc@yahoo.com
Baptisms Classes
Sharing literature
Baptisms
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In the past few months, the Jackson Family Christian Care Center received a large number of donations from local individuals and businesses. Medicines from a pharmaceutical company were valued at 7,000 yuan ($1,037 U.S.). These included commonly used medicines such as cold medicine, antiinflammatory drugs, rubbing alcohol, etc. This donation helps solve the drug shortage the care center usually experiences. We also received school supplies and book donations valued at 4,000 yuan ($592 U.S.): 100 pencil boxes, twelve English-Chinese dictionaries, 100 Chinese dictionaries and several other reference books. These school supplies will greatly benefit the children with their homework and school work each day. Earlier in the month, the Vice General Manager and Union President of China Telecom Company in Zigong came to visit the care center. This company donated two broadband lines valued at 4,000 yuan ($592 U.S.). They connected a telecommunications cable to the care center valued at 100,000 yuan ($14,814 U.S.) and saved the care center a great deal of money. The General Manager promised that the two broadband lines are free to the care center forever. Over a period of the next twenty years, the Jackson Family Christian Care Center will be able to save 80,000 yuan ($11,851 U.S.) with these generous donations. China Telecom also donated some school supplies and paper kites for the children.
All of these donations were gratefully received at the Jackson Family Christian Care Center. The total U.S. dollar value is over $40,000! This was wonderful news to hear about, and we are very grateful to all the local businesses and individuals whose compassion stirs them to help the children in the care center.
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They spoke of a time when persecutions were so intense that worship could only be done inside their heads. Our praise could not reach our lips, they told us.
On his last trip, Ahkhi had taken two men, Luke and Isaac, with him to the Himalayan area. After his death, they continued to follow up with the contacts that he had made on his campaigns. This was a very difficult task, because many of the congregations met in homes and were located in tiny villages along three river valleys that stretched hundreds of miles near the China Border. It was during my second trip to Myitkyina, northern Myanmar, when Lee Shan Chin (Luke) told me that he wanted to move to China because going back and forth from Myanmar to China was not working out for him. He had family in China, spoke the language, and had a promise of a good job, so we encouraged this idea and began making plans to help this work from the China side of the border. As Luke moved across the border, he brought with him boxes full of New Testament Worship, written by J.C. Choate, as our first tool of mass evangelism. They later began to distribute The One True Church of the Bible, a pamphlet written by Louis Rushmore and translated into the
Lisu language, that has proved to be very useful. This was phase one of our plan. As we began our efforts to flood this area with literature, a training session in Kunming was planned. We (L.T. Gurganus and I) met in a hotel room for two long days of intensive studying and planning with Luke and three of his contacts. We were moved by their stories and those of their ancestors. They spoke of a time when persecutions were so intense that worship could only be done inside their heads. Our praise could not reach our lips, they told us. They also informed us of the current religious/
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On January 6, 2011, 72 laborers met in Phnom Penh to prepare for the 2011 Medical Mission Trip. There were doctors, general surgeons, nurses, eye doctors, dentists, and other workers, to serve in poverty stricken villages in Cambodia where there is no access to medical care. Workers from Cambodia, USA, Philippines, New Zealand, and Vietnam made up our team. Although we were from many different countries, we all had the same mission in mind: bless the Cambodian people physically and spiritually. Mark Banks and Mike Meierhofer taught the Bible to an average of 100+ students per day. Students consisted of newer converts from Buddhism, Buddhists with no knowledge of Jesus Christ, and Muslims who had never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. Chito and his wife, Tes, (Philippines) taught Jesus to large groups of children. In the Svay Rieng area on January 9, approximately 93 people were baptized into Christ at the conclusion of a Sunday morning worship service conducted on public school grounds in an all Buddhist area. During the medical mission trip, Mark and
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After many years of waiting, hoping and praying for a place of their own, the Suka Baru congregation in Medan, Indonesia, is seeing its dreams realized. Medan is strategically located as the capital of North Sumatra and the church needs a facility such as this to give them the appearance of permanency. The brethren at Suka Baru have been meeting for more than thirty years in the home of the late brother T. Laiya who passed away in 2005. The process of getting the permit for the building was tedious, but was finally granted, and work was begun in March of 2011. The building, as shown in the pictures, is almost complete and should be ready to be occupied soon. Many have given so much, including the local brethren, to bring this project to fruition, and now they will have a permanent place to use for outreach in the community. We are deeply thankful for all who gave funds to help
The orphanage in Gunung Sitoli, Nias.
N i a s Ne w s
I taught special training classes for local evangelists and teachers on Nias during the last trip there in February. These men come in for about 10 days of intensive training and serve in various capacities in their local congregations. Dennis Cady reports that they have just finished and are using a second building at the orphanage site in Gunung Sitoli, and they are now accommodating 15 more orphans, which brings their total number of children to 46. A medical group from Malaysia is now visiting on Nias and will conduct a medical clinic for three days also. They have just selected 23 new dorm students from church families who come from the villages to further their education, as they do not have access to high schools in the villages. The vocational training courses and evangelism continue apace and Dennis says things are going well, as a whole. We will be returning to Indonesia in the fall for more literature production and training classes.
Colin McKees email is cohamckee@att. net
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For 3 weekends in March, we put the Good Samaritan Outreach program into practice. I felt a bit awkward at first because it is quite a different doorknocking approach than I am used to, but by the second weekend I was getting into the swing of it a lot better. Since we were simply offering our assistance and free information resources, the general consensus was that we were able to have conversations with certain people who otherwise probably wouldnt have given us the time of day. In their minds, instead of us being Bible Bashers or a crazy cult, they saw that we sincerely just wanted to help. I think it left behind a very positive impression of the church. Our goal was to make 30 contacts and in the end we got 27. The requests ranged from bags of groceries, borrowing DVDs, correspondence courses, to simple yard work. One lady could not believe that we were willing to clean the side of her house and guttering for free. Are you sure we cant pay you, are you sure?! She did give us some baking and a bar of chocolate, though, which was nice. Another lady, who asked to borrow a ladder for a few hours, is now meeting with us every Sunday and is bringing her mother, too, which is a fantastic result. There is still much follow-up to do, so hopefully in time some of the other contacts will show similar interest. In May we had another campaign with the aid of more university students from America. It is a chilly time of year, but we always make the most of any help that comes our way. We did letter-boxing, door-knocking, brethren visitation, and follow up on some of the contacts mentioned above. The Morningside congregation in Auckland hosted a Family Retreat during the first weekend of March and the topic was Building Better Christian Families. My brother Todd and I taught four lessons each, and our wives taught a class each to the ladies and teen-age girls. My lessons were entitled The Family Its Gods Idea (devo); A Worthy Father (mens
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The 13-week adult study of the same theme, awakening students to the magnitude of Gods love for His children. $8.00
Study Pauls life as a missionary from a new perspective, learning how the church today can emulate his divinely inspired methods. $6.00 An extremely helpful study of involvement for congregations that are losing numbers and facing closing the doors. $6.00 A second type of study for those who are looking for remedies to turn things around for dying congregations. $6.00 Order from:
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We met Joy Dizon about five years ago. She was one of the orphans we sponsored to study at Sunrise Christian College. She was only 16 years old then. This summer, Joy and another former orphan, Rose Cabaljen, planned and coordinated the 2011 VBS curriculum that will cover 15 different locations, conducted by about 50 young people, mostly college students. Some of them were from our Sunrise orphanage.
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After taking care of that situation, we continued to have studies with Josephine. The Thursday night before she became a Christian, Rebecca had a long study with her about the meaning and purpose of baptism. The next Sunday she said to me, Scott, when am I going to be baptized? I told her that her question made me think that she still did not understand what it meant. We
studied further and then she said, Scott, I want to be baptized right now! We were about to have a fellowship meal with the congregation, but everyone was happy to delay that until after Josephine put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). Please keep the Solomon family in your prayers, that they will have a strong, Christ-centered marriage, and that Josephine will remain faithful to the Lord. Also please pray for Arnold
and for their children, that they will follow her example. In Pohnpei there are three kinds of weddings: A customary wedding which involves the families coming together and having a great feast, a church wedding, and what is now called the local marriage which is just a man and a woman moving in together and referring to one another as husband and wife. [Isnt this custom becoming all too common in the US, with the growing laxness in our own culture? BBC] The first two marriages are legally recognized, but only if they are registered with the court. The third and, unfortunately, most common marriage today is not official. Very often we run into couples that are simply living together. According to Romans 13, a Christian must obey the laws of the land. Because of this, when someone wants to become a Christian, we have to make sure they are legally married. If they are not, they have two choices, to get legally married or separate until they can or will be legally married. Recently, we were blessed to have Robert Martin and Joey Treat come to Pohnpei and teach courses. Robert taught the books of Galatians and Hebrews while Joey taught the books of Job through Song of Solomon. The classes went very well. The attendance was not what I had hoped it would be, but there were 12 students to take the courses for credit in Kolonia and five got credit in Mand. We met in Mand in the mornings and Kolonia in the evenings, Monday through Friday, for three-and-a-half weeks. This was a very taxing schedule for the brethren and for the instructors, but it was also a
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great blessing. The brethren seemed to enjoy the classes greatly, and we were all blessed for having been involved. One very exciting aspect to the courses was that a man named Yoshio Samuel joined the classes in Mand. Yoshio is the brother of Ekerihna and Rekihna, but he is not a Christian. However, he joined the classes everyday, usually arriving early. Also he attended worship each Sunday during the workshop. We had met Yoshio before, but we had not gotten to know him until this time. We are praying that he will continue to attend worship and Bible class with us and one day follow the example of his sisters and become a Christian. This month, we saw the beginning of what will, Lord willing, be a third congregation in Pohnpei. Several months ago, we told you about the baptisms of Mitchuo and Berihna Daniel. We had studied with them for a long time, and finally after four years they obeyed the Lord. The Daniel family lives in a municipality called, Kitti. Kitti is on the west side of Pohnpei. Their house is about a thirty-minute ride from Kolonia. They have a car, but it is not dependable. As a result, the Daniels have not been able to attend worship with us very much. We approached them a few weeks ago about worshipping in their home on Sunday evenings. Since we started worshipping with both Kolonia and Mand in the mornings, we have had Sunday evenings free and thought this would be a great way to use them. We are praying that the Daniel family and we will be able to get this congregation off the ground and growing in the Lord.
Scott Shanahans email address: scottshanahan@hotmail.com.
political situation. There are four legal Christian religions in Yunnan Province, and the Church of Christ is one of them. Most follow the teachings of the Christian Church and many simply call themselves Believers. They told us that they follow the Bible,
story of the Bible as they studied with them. They also informed us that even if permission is granted for Americans to teach in public, the responsibility still falls on them. They begged us to train and equip them so that they can do the job. This is the next phase of our mass evangelism plan. Please pray that
but need to be taught more. Many are uneducated and do not know what the Scriptures actually say. Luke has also been given permission by the Minister of Religious Affairs in Yunnan State, to revitalize the Church of Christ in this area. What an opportunity we have! In April, Jamie and Katie Barrier, and I met with Luke and some of the same contacts for more training and planning. Once again, we met in our hotel room. It was very exciting to hear of the doors being opened in China. It may be possible for us to get permission to hold our next training session in public, with possibly hundreds in attendance. Please pray that this will happen, as this will multiply our efforts. As we talked to the Christians there, they requested childrens story books with pictures in them. They wanted to show the nonbelievers the
we can teach them so they can teach others. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also 2 Timothy 2:2.
Joey Barrier, the son of Wayne and Janet Barrier, works full time with the World Evangelism team.
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Initial testing shows the broadcast to be reaching into even the most difcult places in American Samoa and Samoa. This is great news for thousands of people in the Samoan Islands that listen to radio each day and for others who have not been able to receive a signal. God and His true ways are at the forefront of this broadcast and will thus guide every step in serving the needs of these Samoan communities. The stations format will include addressing some of the minority groups in these areas as well. Over the past year, weve been working to seek out and obtain the content need-
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Local I-Kiribati Christians were on every team, working side-by-side with visiting team members. In doing so, they were putting into practice those things they had been learning in the Bible classes. Not only were they observing
Christians. Lessons were taught on first principles and beyond. It was evident that these students were eager and interested in receiving these things from the Word of God. Several from the class asked very good questions about baptism, and its likely that some will obey the Gospel. This was Noahs first time to teach a group Bible class, and he did a very good job, as did his brothers in personal work and teaching classes.
Randy English, Email: sonlight@samoatelco.com; Telephone: 1-684-699-2940 (Am. Samoa), or 1-479-935-9692 (U.S.)
their fellow campaign workers doing the work, but they were also actively doing the work themselves, helping to build up this new congregation. Establishing churches, and then laboring together with them for a period of training time, is invaluable to the long range growth of these isolated congregations. We were blessed to have our four sons to work with us in teaching at Christmas Island. Even Cassie was able to meet and encourage many new friends in the village. Attendance in the teen class grew to about 20 students each night, most of whom were not
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I have encouraged all of the younger missionaries serving with us in the Pacific Islands to do the same, and some of them are writing. Mary and I feel so blessed to have Christians at our overseeing congregation at Forest Park in Atlanta, Georgia who give their time and energy to do massive printing, folding, and collating for the work in the Pacific Islands. These materials are taken and boxed up and stored in a bulk storage area at the Pacific Islands Bible College office. The printing needs are so great and constant that we also contract outside some printing to be done. We use many materials that come from World
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A few years ago I came into Tarawa, Kiribati and went through immigration as easy as always. The wait for my luggage was long, which is also normal, but finally I collected it and headed for customs. While I was in the line to get to the customs agent, I could see that the supervisor was reading a tract that I had written on HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST? When I came up to the customs agent, and while she was checking my luggage, I spoke quietly to the supervisor. I asked her if she was enjoying reading the tract, and in the shy way that a I-Kiribati lady would answer, she said, Yes. Then she asked me (I guess because I have white skin), Have you ever heard of this man, Robert H. Martin? I said, I am he. She just about fainted. She had been taught and baptized since my previous trip into Tarawa, Kiribati! She was so happy and said, I will see you tonight at the Pacific Islands Bible studies at the Eita church building. I could tell you similar stories throughout the Pacific Islands.
LET US USE EVERY FORM OF MEDIA THAT WE CAN IN REACHING THE LOST FOR JESUS CHRIST IN THE WORLD! Our work for Jesus during the fall quarter of 2011 will take us into three nations of the Pacific Islands: to the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the Fiji Islands. We will be three weeks in each country, teaching Pacific Islands Bible College courses, teaching the lost, strengthening the saints, and edifying congregations. Other co-workers with us will be Richard Harp, Mike Olson, and David Riley. These men will be a blessing to the native brethren as they labor together with us on the field. From the time that we carry the Gospel and plant the Lords church in any country, city, town, or village, our hearts desire is to bring that congregation to maturity. We know that for the Gospel to spread throughout a country to other areas, we must nurture congregations to the point that they can become independent and church planters themselves. It is truly exciting to see these congregations setting the example to do just that. One such church is in the Naila village in the Fiji Islands. They were the first brethren to have built their own meeting place, and they have added to it twice and refurbished it a number of times. When our family left the brethren after ten years, they said, Do not worry about the younger congregations. We will minister to them. For years, the Naila church has been sending out mature preachers to struggling churches, doing the work of visiting and evangelizing, carrying their responsibility given by the Lord, ...to go and preach the Gospel.
Robert and Mary Martin have worked in the Pacic Islands many years, reaching for the goal of bringing the Gospel to every island in the area. Email: Robert Martin RobertFIJI@aol.com.
The Internet version of this directory is located at: www.aussiechristians.net. au/coc.html. Changes for inclusion in this directory can be emailed to Howard Hampton (spenserion@yahoo.com), or mailed to Mr. H. Hampton, 2a Clarke Street, Sunshine, Victoria, 3020. This directory has been produced from information supplied by others. Consequently, the listing of a church here does not mean that it is a faithful church. Individuals using this directory must form their own conclusion on this matter. The print version of this directory is issued twice a year (January and July). Published 1st June, 2011.
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