News Archives

Ministry teams are in place as people from all over the world gather for the Olympic games in Sydney. Southern Baptist International Mission Board‘s Craig Martin is in Australia looking at how groups are trying to reach the world for Christ. One local church began to prepare early and helped construct a tent city to house the ministries. “Often times there are not things in place that make it convenient for people to be able to share, so what happens is that you have people coming to do ministry but they spend the majority of their time probably looking for hotel rooms and try to find where they are going to stay and figure out how they are going to do food.’ The tourists that don’t have tickets to Olympic events are often the target for the ministries. ” You have a non-threatening situation combined with people with time on their hands and I think it’s worked out nicely.” The various ministries represented sometimes use music and drama to attract attention. And, many are working together providing interpreters to ensure the Gospel is heard.

Next, the Bible has become a bestseller in the country of Mongolia. Missionary Rick Leatherwood reports that the day after the first Mongolian Bible went on sale, all 10-thousand copies were sold. Leatherwood and a team of translators worked several years to produce a Bible that the Mongolia people could understand. The growth in Christianity is evident, as the church in the formerly communist country has grown from fewer than 50 people in 1991 to about 10-thousand today.

Back to the Bible gives this update surrounding their work in India. An encounter late last week between the guerrilla group of Maoist Communist Centre and a private army of Muslims, left nine people dead. Violence between the lower and upper castes in the second most populous Indian state of Bihar is common. Local police have reported 85 deaths from this area since May. Please pray for Back to the Bible’s ministry in India; officials there say they often faces opposition.

Next, Audio Scriptures International is nearing the end of the first stage on their Arabic New Testament project. Pastor Mofid Wasef is nearly finished narrating and recording the contemporary version of the four Gospels. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will open the understanding of Muslims to accept Jesus as Savior and God. Pray too, for significant numbers of Muslims who have been open to the Gospel in the last couple of years, and for those whose lives have been threatened.

In the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than one million civilians have now been forced to flee their homes by the fighting. Security issues mean that little outside help reaches the worst-affected areas, which also impact missions outreach. Grace Ministries International’s Jim Molenkamp. “We have a large number of churches in the affected area, and our churches are still going. We get reports that things are moving along very well, but our missionaries themselves, we have not allowed to go back into the interior because of safety concerns.” Molenkamp says while a ceasefire is technically on, a low-level conflict rumbles. He adds, because doors are opening, believers need to pray. “There are certain areas where people are still living out in the forest, because they’re afraid to go back into the towns because things aren’t safe there. But, we actually have had some areas that have report several new church plantings.”

Next, International Needs is excited about a new program in Romania that they believe with have an impact on the Great Commission and families across the region. International Needs’ David Culross says they’re starting a counseling program for abused women. He says women in that society aren’t regarded very highly. “Our leadership in Romania told us that the only real answer to this is the Biblical understanding of Jesus Christ and the family unit as a whole. And, Biblical principles will be the answer to this serious problem in their society.” Culross says as they look for Romanian counselors they’re confident this ministry will ultimately help the church. “The Lord spoke to us in His word about the church being the bride of Christ and the whole family unit as a model for how we should relate to Jesus Christ. And, as this understand of the Biblical relationship to Jesus Christ is enhanced it will certainly strengthen the home and then in turn strengthen the church as well.”