Across Türkiye, pastors faithfully serve their communities, nurturing believers and guiding churches to maturity. As one congregation grows strong and vibrant, the next step — multiplying into new fellowships — can bring its own challenges. Still, many continue seeking ways to extend the Gospel’s reach to places where it has not yet been heard.

Patrick Anthony from FMI says, “One of the biggest challenges is finding those people in a country with a Christian population that’s so small in percentage.”

Türkiye’s Christian population is less than one percent. Though most Turkish Muslims are cultural rather than devout, the Church often feels isolated. Yet the need for hope and the Gospel remains great — a need made especially clear after the earthquake two years ago.

“Muslims were coming to faith in Christ,” Anthony recalls, “because of the way the Christian community was caring for them in the aftermath, compared to the government.”

Yet with the great need, there are not enough people. Anthony says FMI looks for pastors to work alongside who meet certain criteria:

• deeply rooted in their faith,
• grounded in Scripture,
• experienced in leading the Church,
• genuine in their relationship with Jesus,
• and most importantly, they understand the need for the Church to multiply and reach more people.

Bustling Istanbul Bazaar (Photo courtesy of Ugur Tandogan via Pexels)

Anthony explains that a true church planter is someone who can “raise up a church and mature and disciple a church for the purpose of those people’s spiritual health, and also the multiplication of the church.”

Encouragingly, this work is happening in some areas of Türkiye.

“They [Christian leaders] are in one neighborhood with hundreds of thousands of people, and they’re pastoring the only known evangelical church there. They’re praying and planning to plant another church in a nearby suburb — also with hundreds of thousands of people — and they don’t know of any evangelical churches there,” Anthony says.

Yet one challenge is that many areas remain unreached, and there is a growing need for strategic planning. In addition, Turkish law doesn’t allow the construction of new church buildings; believers must use existing structures or, when that’s not possible, rent office space. This reality highlights the urgent need for prayer!

Please pray for workers to be found, as the harvest is ready! Visit FMI to learn more about their work and the ways you can help.

Abandoned 18th Century Brick Church in Turkiye (photo courtesy of Meriç Tuna via Pexels).

(Photo courtesy Advancing Native Missions)

Philippines (MNN) — Advancing Native Missions has almost 40 native ministry partners in the Philippines, and many of these were affected by Typhoon Haiyan (also called Yolanda).

It was the strongest storm on earth in 2013, and one of the most destructive, with damages estimated at over $5 billion. The country’s economic planning secretary noted that he would not be surprised if the reconstruction cost was closer to $250 billion.

102 days after the storm flattened a dozen islands in the Philippines, the United Nations warns that millions of people still require urgent assistance to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. Thousands died, many more thousands were displaced, infrastructure was ruined, and many lost all they owned.

ANM’s Bo Barredo says, “We already have advanced coordinators there, and in most of these places, these coordinators are pastors and their families and their people.” Because of this, they were ready to provide for victims’ immediate and long-term needs. “We organized 12 relief teams to do relief and medical operations in at least 11 of the islands that were in the path of Typhoon Haiyan. The teams have been so effective and so efficient in doing these relief operations–and medical operations among the victims of the typhoon–because of one reason: we were church-based.”

Shell-shocked by the ferocity of the destruction, Barredo describes survivors “like zombies first, walking around, trying to find enough food for the next two or three days.” Their teams provided the following supplies: “100 kilos of rice, canned goods, bottles of water, hammers, nails, steel wires, fruits, dried fish, dried meat, hygiene products, sugar, salt, matches, candles, even straw mats.”

(Photo courtesy Advancing Native Missions)

ANM was one of thousands of groups who mobilized quickly to help. But the other part of their assistance came during a series of pastors’ conferences that were held at the end of 2013. “We had two pastors’ gatherings: One in ground zero, which is Tacloban City, and there were 58 pastors and their wives or more than 100 people. And then the next day on Samar Island. Almost all of whom have lost either homes, or churches, or both.” And Barredo was shocked at what he heard other leaders had preached. “They preached on the wrath of God and the judgment of God on the islands and upon them, insinuating that they had not been good enough Christians, they have not been spiritual, and they have fallen short of the mark. It really discouraged them.”

The danger: discouragement. Since these pastors are the frontline defenders, it was doubly important to encourage them. “When the pastors are struck by the enemy or by calamities like this, the flock will scatter.” ANM brought human dignity along with hope during their conferences. Refreshing these leaders will have other long-term effects.

Teams also share the hope of the Gospel along with the relief supplies. In many cases, people have lost everything. Barredo says he got a glimpse of this when he asked the pastors’ gathering, “’Who are those amongst you here, pastors, who have lost both houses and churches?’ Almost 90% of them raised their hands. It broke my heart.”

(Photo courtesy Advancing Native Missions)

Because they are working in their home islands and towns, they will continue to serve as long as there are needs, which will be many months or years. Barredo explains, “God has allowed us to minister and to give out to at least 10,447 families. One Filipino family has the average size of six or seven persons, so this is like ministering to 60,000 or 70,000 people.”

One of ANM’s core values is relationship, so when their partners experience a tragedy, ANM feels it, too. And yet, a little encouragement goes a long way.  Barredo says despite the sorrow, there is joy…and more importantly, faith. “In those places where the Gospel was preached by the relief team members, 1,553 of those that were in these relief distribution centers, they raised their hand to receive Christ Jesus.”

The three words, pray, give, go are not just a routine and clever logo. They mark the path that leads to genuine and Christ-honoring advocacy. Click here to see how you can get involved.

Even while the upheaval has created uncertainty, it seems it
has also created a thirst for truth. Grace Ministries International staff can confirm that. This past year, God has done amazing things
as over 9,000 people have responded positively to the proclamation of the
Gospel.

Three evangelistic teams have been doing tract evangelism
and open-air campaigns in villages and schools. First, they'll meet with the
local church to get help; then they go door-to-door inviting people to an
open-air service in the evening. There,
the team shows the One Hope DVD
entitled, "The GodMan."

With so many people placing their faith in Christ, there
comes another issue: discipleship. The
churches aren't prepared to hold all of the new believers. New resource and discipleship materials are
being written just for this purpose, and GMI
is also raising funds to print the
booklets.

What's even more amazing, the team started the campaign with
the hope of seeing 1000 accept Christ. The Democratic Republic of Congo is GMI's
oldest and largest mission field. Two missionaries work with Grace Church
in Congo in the areas of evangelism, church planting, education, literature,
medical work, and community development projects.

Leaders for over 500 affiliate churches are trained in their
fully-accredited Theological College, Pastors' School, and 16 Bible institutes.

A large medical center with two Congolese doctors is
functioning in a Muslim area where there is a focus on planting churches in the
surrounding unreached people groups. One teacher training college, 75 high
schools, and 145 grade schools are run by the national church.

In the chaos following the presidential and parliamentary vote,
they're waiting for help from the United States and Britain before resuming
the  ballot count in the parliamentary
elections.  

Accusations of ballot-rigging have plagued the presidential
election, and with roughly 19 000 candidates vying for one of the 500 seats in
the National Assembly, the commission is taking no chances. The
results of the parliamentary polls are due to be announced on January 13.

A cloud of doubt remains over the announced results from the
presidential election. Both the European
Union and the U.S. State Department have also expressed severe reservations about
the vote's legitimacy, although the country's Supreme Court validated the
results.

With that green light, Joseph Kabila was sworn in for
another term in office as president of DR Congo eight days ago. In his first week in office, he's faced a
public relations nightmare. A Human
Rights Watch report lays blame for the deaths of at least 24 people on Congolese
security forces. 

Even as he reportedly promised to safeguard national
unity, tanks were to prevent protests. Meanwhile, Opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi
maintains he won the poll and had himself sworn in December 23. As a result, there were concerns that
post-election violence could spread.

Although the region is one of the biggest and oldest fields
for Grace Ministries International, Sam
Vinton says so far, they've not been disrupted. "I think that in the
Eastern Congo area, where we work from the main cities, I've heard of no real
conflict. We've had no communications of
any adverse effect on our ministries."

As for the warning of spreading violence, Vinton says it's
unlikely to spread to the area where they're working. "A lot of the people in the area where
most of our churches are located were probably pro-president (Kabila). But I
think in the area of central Congo, where the main opposition is located, I can
see that area being in torment and a lot of trouble."

The upheaval has had very little negative impact on
their latest evangelistic outreach. In fact, 
"It's just amazing how the response continues. We've run out of the 'Book of Hope,' and yet
we're showing the DVD of the 'GodMan' and also working in the actual schools. The
last report is that close to 4000 students have trusted
Christ as their Savior."

4,000 more students coming to Christ, needing discipleship,
and a local church body. The GMI team is
scrambling to keep up with the demand, because they've run out of everything,
and they're trying to get the local churches ready for the onslaught of new
believers.

God's hand is all over this project which started with a
goal of hoping to see 1000 accept Christ. A year down the road, God has answered beyond
their wildest imaginations. "The
responsiveness of the students is a remarkable thing when we look back a number
of years when it wasn't there. We're pushing forward. We have a team of nine
men who are doing this work, and we're just trying to get more funding so that
we can keep them going."

It's clear that despite the bullhorns of the rallies and the
political jockeying going on, that the voice being heard loudest is the Still
Small One.   

The
Carter Center–an election watchdog–issued a report four days ago that
questioned the integrity of the election. According to their research, there
were tens of thousands of missing votes and unrealistically-high percentages
for Kabila. In districts favoring the incumbent, Joseph Kabila, he allegedly
won virtually 100% of the vote.

Kabila,
meanwhile, shot back this week saying there was no reason to doubt that he had been
fairly re-elected. In light of the
questionable results, the leading opponent, Etienne Tshisekedi, has also declared himself president.

"The
credibility of these elections cannot be put in doubt," Kabila said,
adding that he was "definitely not concerned" about findings by the
Carter Center that in some districts he had won virtually 100% of the vote.

There
are growing doubts about the honesty of the November 28 elections, now that the Carter Center says it can't vouch for
"the degree to which they (results) reflect the will of the Congolese
people."

Kabila, in power since 2001, seems undeterred. There are concerns that the sporadic violence
that accompanied the result announcements in Kinshasa could spread. Sam Vinton with Grace Ministries International
says their team has been keeping a close eye on what's been going on. "So
far, at least in the area where Grace Ministries International is working (from Bukavu down into the Kindu, Maniema area), there has not been any kind of
real (what I would call) 'repercussions'–protesting or fighting–although
further north, where one of the candidates was from, there's been trouble."

Still, the Gospel is advancing despite the uncertainties. An evangelism team in the Congo has been going
into villages giving out tracts, witnessing house-to-house, and showing the
'GodMan' video in evening meetings. From
March through June, they saw the Lord work in the hearts of 4,906 people who
trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

An outburst of violence would prevent teams from traveling. Vinton can't rule it out. He says, "There's been
a lot of feeling that the majority of people felt they voted against the
President, and yet he has turned out the winner. Fortunately right now, I have
not heard anything from our people that there have been any dangerous
situations, but it remains to be seen."

Because of the uncertainty, the ministry isn't acting on
contingency plans. In fact, now is a good time to present the hope of
Christ. Vinton says that people feel
like their voices have been ignored, which makes them feel powerless. "I sort of sense that that's there to
say: 'Here we are. We're just the common people. We'll never win anyway. They're
the ones that have the guns, and they're the ones with all the lawyers in
charge of making laws.'"

Vinton goes on to say, "Those people are able to live on, in
spite of the problems, and we're able to still share the Gospel and see
churches growing. So that part is something we can pray will continue."

The Kama Pastors School is in session with 14 students. Each
student is a graduate of one of GMI's 14 three-year Bible Schools and has
served in a church for at least three years. Pray for these men and their wives
as they further their studies in this three-year program.

Continue to pray for this ministry in the Congo. "Pray that there will be no
destructive elements coming in and making people live in worse situations than
they're already in," says Vinton, adding that "the big thing for us, of course, is that
the Gospel will still go forward."

Voters and politicians are gearing up for November 28,  the second set of post-civil war
elections.  It's the first time the
presidential and parliamentary vote will be combined in the same election.

Due
to the massive size of the central African country, getting  voting materials to the polling stations and
back is one of the biggest logistical challenges.  Amidst threats of violence, election
watchdogs wonder if  the election will go
forward on time.

Although there have been many reports of political aggression,
Grace Ministries International's Sam Vinton says they're hearing a different
story. He spoke with a church pastor
late in the week who says so far, things have been peaceful. "'Our prayer
is simply that whoever wins, the others will not riot and if there is anything
we're asking God for, it's that this will go peacefully and [sic] everything
will end up to where we will have elections and we can go on with life."'

There
are 11 parties competing for the President's seat, but there are two
frontrunners.One is incumbent President
Joseph Kabila, and the other is Etienne Tshisekedi. Kabila is seeking a second term in office,
and Tshisekedi is connected as a leader of the Congolese Democracy Movement.

In the post-war areas, the candidates are using the last few days
for stumping. Observers say political change may be the only thing to bring
peace into the region. Congo is home to over 71 million people, from about 450
tribes. It is for that reason, there is
concern about the possibility of tribal loyalty boiling over into tribal
conflict. Vinon notes, "In Central Congo, where the second man
is running, is from that area. He is the old politician who has been thwarted I
the past because of Mobuto (president until 1997). I imagine there will be
tribal conflict and these are large tribes in Central and Western
Congo." 

Polling results will be compiled on December 5 and published on
December 6, the expiration date of the term of President Joseph Kabila, who is
seeking re-election. "The system there is whoever gets a majority, whether
it's 40-percent or 30% out of all the numbers of people voting,
automatically, that person becomes president instead of having a run-off",
explains Vinton. He adds, " I would
presume that the President will win a second term."

The Congo is GMI's oldest and largest mission field. Four
missionaries work with the Grace Church in Congo in the areas of evangelism,
church planting, education, literature, medical work, and community development
projects.

Leaders for their 500 partnering churches are trained in
GMI's  fully accredited Theological
College, Pastors' School, and 16 Bible institutes.

A large medical center with two Congolese doctors is functioning
in a Muslim area where there is a focus on planting churches in the surrounding
unreached people groups. One teacher training college, 75 high schools, and 145
grade schools are run by the national church.

With such a widespread outreach, upheaval can and often has
stopped ministry.  However, Vinton says
their partner is confident things will continue to go well.  "Nothing is hindering the work. They are
able to freely move at this time, so for that reason I was thankful to hear
that the prospects, to them, look good, though they say that there's always
possibility for trouble."

Their evangelism team has been traveling into many
villages, giving out tracts, witnessing house to house, and showing The GodMan
video in evening meetings.  From  the time GMI's team set out hoping to win
1,000 people to Christ in 2009, they've seen 
between 17 and 18 -thousand new followers of Christ.

The increased openness may be derived from
economic troubles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which have affected
transportation, food availability, and many other realms of life. Whatever the
cause, GMI is doing all it can to strengthen these new lives in Christ.                                                               

Says their church partner, "'If there's anything you can do,
you can just pray for us. We are all just going to be quietly  staying home and hoping things turn out
fine.'"  Pray, too, for the follow
up and the finances to reprint another 5,000 copies of the first discipleship
book.