Indonesia (MNN) — MNN’s Ruth K. is on the road this week, heading to Indonesia and Japan with ministry partner Asian Access. Here is ‘Day One’ on the travelogue:
(Image courtesy of Asian Access)
Asian Access is passing some significant milestones in 2017. They’re celebrating five decades of changing the few who change the many…and I’ve been privileged to be invited to meet some of these folks who have big ideas and big faith.
I’ll join the almost 150 people gathering for the Jubilee in Jakarta, Indonesia this week for a gathering which not only marks half a century of God’s faithfulness, but which will also lay out the strategy for the next 50 years.
This ministry is a remarkably diverse community spread across 11 countries, and the Philippines joins as the 12th country in the Asian Access family. How did they get here? By exercising bodacious faith.
(Photo courtesy of Asian Access)
A2 began in 1967 with the entrepreneurial spirit of their founder. Early on in his ministry in Japan, he asked a key Japanese pastor to share his vision. This pastor shared his heart for the country. When the pastor finished, he asked their founder to share his vision for Japan. Their founder’s answer set the tone and spirit for Asian Access that continues today:
“My vision is to empower your vision!”
The response was to launch the unique learning-community approach that is now known as Asian Access. Their founder credits Doug Birdsall, A2’s third president, with the wisdom and foresight to launch the 2020 Vision for Japan while he also led the expansion of A2’s disciple-reproducing ministry into Mongolia, Sri Lanka, India, and other countries in Asia.
The goal now: serving 20 countries by the year 2020. Asian Access hopes to deploy 100 church multiplication teams that will establish 1,000 reproducing congregations…which will enfold one million new followers of Christ…who will in turn send 1,000 missionaries from Japan to the cities of Asia that will be home to one billion people by the year 2020.
(Photo courtesy of Asian Access)
There are unique challenges faced in every country where Asian Access invests in the Body of Christ, but that’s also why the discipleship model they use survives the upheavals of crisis. Keep checking in, because I’ll be sharing some of these stories this week of the creative ways God has used these men and women to advance the family of God.
Praising the Lord with you!