International (MNN)–Recent attacks in Iraq, Turkey and Israel are being blamed on terrorists.
The threat of violence against Western Allies makes peace in the European and Middle Eastern part of the 10/40 window seem far off.
Due to growing security threats, mission work becomes slightly more dangerous. In light of that, we’ve changed the name of this OC International worker to ‘Dave’.
When asked how the safety issues play into his ability to work in these areas, he notices: “At a personal level, person to person, there is a great reception, a great warmth, for listening to the Christian message. At the official level, governmental level or a bureaucratic level, that’s where there is more difficulty.”
That translates to careful action with regard to specific church-building tools. ‘Dave’ focuses on leadership development and helping indigenous ministries be more effective in these high-risk areas. His outreach also poses one of their greatest security challenges. “The issues need to be treated with caution. We are guests in someone else’s house, we are guests in someone else’s country, and then to try to be cautious in terms of how we approach the various issues we talk about.”
OCI is involved in evangelism, discipleship, leadership training, church growth, missions, and support services such as teaching. In addition, OCI reaches the nations through impact ministries such as Sports Ambassadors, the Summer Team Evangelism Program, and Goodwill Ambassadors.
