“We have breakouts, workshops, plenary sessions; there’s a lot of content.”

From September 27 to 29, Christian leaders will discuss rapid social transformations in the U.S. and beyond. More about that here.

“The takeaway with this particular theme is helping leaders understand and ideate what is happening in the culture that impacts what they’re doing in ministry,” Esler says.

“We’re hoping leaders walk away with some ideas that will challenge them to ‘up their game.’”

Learn more and sign up here. Today’s your last day to register for the in-person event.

“The best thing to walk away with is a new relationship with a peer who can assist you in doing your job better,” Esler says.

The upcoming three-day Missio Nexus conference in Orlando, Florida, will draw leaders from two spheres of ministry – the local church and mission agencies.

“We’re about execution on the Great Commission. It is not an academic conference; it is more of a practitioners’ conference,” Esler explains.

You might be familiar with the acronym TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More. This collaborative concept is part of the Missio Nexus identity.

“Missio Nexus history goes back to 1917, gathering people in the Great Commission community who are trying to solve many of the same problems,” Esler says.

Header image courtesy of Missio Nexus.

“This is an era of mass flux and change. Whether it’s the topic of sexuality, sexual identity, or immigration – all sorts of things are changing and shifting right now,” Ted Esler of Missio Nexus says.

“As mission agencies and globally-focused churches, we need to understand those changes and do our best to get ahead of the change curve.”

Missio Nexus holds a forum to discuss topics like these at its annual leadership conference. This year, the ministry will host “SHIFT: Rapid Social Transformation and the Gospel” from September 27 – 29 at Caribe Royal in Orlando, Florida.

“We’re asking questions and asking people to think about [these issues],” Esler says.

“If you come to our conference, you’ll hear diverse perspectives. But they’re all aimed at thinking about redemptive history and how God is working through the Great Commission.”

At the “Shift” conference, author Ed Stetzer will present on the Church in the midst of rapid social change.
(Graphic courtesy of Missio Nexus)

Missio Nexus is similar to a trade association. “Most trade associations promote the industry. Well, our industry happens to be the Great Commission,” Esler says.

“The mission of Missio Nexus is to catalyze relationships, ideas, and collaboration within the Great Commission community.”

The three-day “SHIFT” conference will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, and over 70 breakout sessions on race, immigration, artificial intelligence, human identity, and more.

Speakers include Ed Stetzer, Sam George, Michele Okimura, Glenn Stanton, James McGee III, Wayde Goodall, Todd Ahrend, Yvonne Carlson, and many others.

Wondering if you should go? Get tickets and more information here. Even if you don’t go, pray for those who do.

“We would love to have people put this on their calendar and pray for leaders seeking to fulfill the Great Commission,” Esler says.

Header and story images courtesy of Missio Nexus.

These two intersect at the Wycliffe Associates International headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Over one hundred volunteers work at Wycliffe during the winter, living in an RV park just next door.

Cheryl Stauter says, “We have also 40 apartments right here. They are fully furnished. We live in the apartments, but there are quite a few that bring their rigs down and enjoy the RV park living as well.”

Wycliffe’s mission

Wycliffe Associates works with international churches and partners who translate the Bible into their native languages. The ministry doesn’t do the actual translation, but they do provide the tools. They call this process Church Owned Bible Translation.

Stauter talks about different programs volunteers might work on. “Supporting translation services, which includes English language learning for national translators support. This also supports written and oral languages, like Deaf-owned translations or “SUN” which is a symbolic representation of all the words in Scripture.”

Volunteers might also work in the kitchens, on the maintenance crew, or in marketing. Cheryl herself started volunteering in 2015, helping teach English to international partners. She and her husband heard about the program from a friend at their church.

Get involved

Want to participate in this program? Click here for more information. Stauter says, “We talk to them and find out when they’re coming and what kind of housing they need. We talk about whether they would fit into the programs that we are needing volunteers for in that specific year.”

Pray the work of Wycliffe Associates would introduce many to Jesus.

Header photo courtesy of Andrew_Poynton on Pixabay. 

Eta made landfall on the western coast of Florida yesterday after winding its way ponderously through the Caribbean. The storm comes during the most active hurricane season in recorded history, with at least 29 named tropical storms spawning in the Atlantic Ocean.

Five tropical storms at one time in the Atlantic. Picture taken September 14, 2020. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, public domain.)

At least 200 have died throughout Central America, though the number is most likely higher. One landslide in Guatemala left 100 indigenous Mayans buried; only 8 bodies have been recovered.

AMG’s disaster relief

AMG International works in an area of Guatemala affected by the flooding. Bill Passons says “It’s already been a difficult season, trying to minister to people when you have limitations on being able to meet and just all those other requirements that COVID-19 brings. But now, these people who are already in a pretty vulnerable situation get hit by this and it just makes it an even more difficult situation.”

AMG works in several countries around the world, and whenever a disaster like this happens in a country they serve, they mobilize to help. Passons says, “What we’ve done is gone into the community that we’ve already been working in. We’ve identified about 200 families who are extremely vulnerable now because the mudslides and the water have basically eliminated their harvest of crops. That is going to put them behind for several months. We’ve identified a couple hundred families that need our help. We’re going ahead and starting getting them some support to them to meet their daily needs during this time.”

Want to help? You can donate to AMG and help with the ongoing disaster relief. Visit their website here.

Pray God will be with the people of Guatemala, and pray many Guatemalans would find hope in Jesus Christ.

The header image shows Eta on November 11. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Events like these often turn people against Muslims and anyone from the same country as the attacker. For example, the Pew Research Center reports 93 anti-Muslim attacks in 2001, the year of the September 11 terrorist attacks. That number rose to 127 in 2016; there were seven shootings or bombings in the U.S. fueled by fear of radical Islam between May 2015 and November 2016.

Mohammed Alshamrani
(Photo courtesy of @FBIJacksonville via Twitter)

Patrick Murphy from I Found the Truth Ministries says U.S. believers should extend Christ’s love instead of condemning Saudi nationals.

Saudi nationals under suspicion

Though the FBI investigation is still underway and motive remains unclear, Reuters claims Alshamrani may have been radicalized. Sources told Washington Post that Alshamrani seemed “strange” and “angry” in recent weeks. On Tuesday, U.S. officials halted all operational training of Saudi nationals “until further notice.”

It’s a precarious time for Saudi nationals living in the United States. “They’re watching those stories and they’re thinking, ‘Oh, boy, I’m from Saudi… what are people going to think of me?’ It’s a real concern,” Murphy says. He encourages believers to extend a friendly welcome instead of suspicion.

“If I met someone that was from Saudi, I’d say… ‘You’ve probably heard the news and I just want you to know I don’t see you as that person. I see you as someone that would stand against [the attack] and I’m glad that you’re my neighbor’.”

Believers might try talking about how God is moving in Saudis’ homeland. “We know many Muslims in Saudi Arabia that have come to faith in Christ, and many of them are worshiping with [the] online church,” Murphy reports.

“Church is looking a lot different in these days than it has for centuries.”

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

Open Doors ranks Saudi Arabia at #15 on its World Watch List, a compilation of nations where it’s most difficult to be a Christian.  Yet, technology allows Saudi believers to know Christ and grow in their faith. “Some of them…will never meet another believer face-to-face; their fellowship is online,” Murphy says.

“It’s risky for them to do it but they do it anyway because…they want to grow. They want to be rooted in Christ with their new faith in Jesus, and this is the only option for them.”

Learn how technology provides new opportunities to reach unreached people groups.

How to reach Saudis for Christ

Stay informed, Murphy says, but consider each report in light of the Great Commission.  “The enemy uses the headlines to paralyze us, as Christians, into inactivity. And then, the Gospel is thwarted…So, we need to just look at Muslims one-on-one and reach out to them with the love of Christ,” Murphy says.

“It was a horrible thing that happened, no doubt. But, we still need to reach out to Muslims because they’ve never been more open to the Gospel than they are right now.”

Every successful outreach effort begins with prayer. Use this free Prayercast video to guide your prayers for Saudi Arabia and Saudi nationals.

“Reach out to the Saudis that are in America. They’re searching,” Murphy says.

“Typically, they’re financially prospering and so they may not see their need for Christ…yet… we know that money, wealth and things that we acquire [are] not going to bring ultimate satisfaction. So, let’s just reach out to Saudi Arabians with the love of Christ.”

Header image courtesy of FBI Jacksonville via Twitter.

Hurricane Michael – which strengthened from a Category 1 storm to a Category 4 in just two days – was the third strongest hurricane to make landfall in the continental US.

Emergency crews were still making their way through rubble even as NGOs were putting plans into place to send help.

Debris following Hurricane Michael. (Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Carmen Fleischmann via The National Guard on Flickr under Creative Commons: https://goo.gl/869Kcr)

Food for the Hungry’s Beth Allen says, “The needs are pretty basic: they need non-perishable food, they need bottled water, and they also need to be able to clean up their houses. We have made connections with someone [in the Florida panhandle] who has been a partner of ours for quite some time… Now, we’re able to turn around and help this church in their time of need to help people in their area.”

This partnering church will be buying local emergency supplies and distributing them immediately.

“We are raising funds so that our trusted partner church can be able to do the outreach. They will be purchasing locally and then helping put together something they’re calling ‘Flood Buckets,’ which are cleaning buckets that are full of cleaning supplies and tools that can be used to clean up the house after a flood has come through.”

Allen says it’s the wreckage you can’t see down the line that will also need attention.

“Several weeks after a disaster, [we often see] increases in domestic violence, for example, or parents abusing children in ways that they probably wouldn’t normally do if it weren’t for the disasters.

“About a month after a disaster, you’ll see peaks and incidences of depression. You’ll also see anyone with a chronic disease, like asthma or high blood pressure, that’s exacerbated by a disaster. The stress makes it worse, and also their access to the medications they need will be disrupted.”

If there’s one thing that faith-based help teams are good at, it’s helping to shoulder a burden.

“When people are in need like this, just the fact that someone would take the time to show up and help really is putting the Gospel into motion…. It does cause people to ask questions: ‘Why are you doing this for me?’”

(Image courtesy of Food for the Hungry)

You can help, first of all, by giving to Hurricane Michael aid efforts through FH’s ministry partners. Click here to donate at FH’s website.

Finally, Allen adds, “We can definitely be praying for the wisdom of the people who are doing the responding…. Be praying for those people to be able to truly find those who are in need and to be able to take an assessment of what those needs are so that we can get those needs met as soon as possible.

“I think one of the biggest needs is just praying for the sense of grief and loss that so many people are going through right now.”

Header photo depicts heavy debris following Hurricane Michael. Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Carmen Fleischmann via The National Guard on Flickr under Creative Commons: https://goo.gl/N6FPgY

Thousands Affected by Disasters

GOES-16 captured this geocolor image of three hurricanes in the tropical Atlantic on the afternoon of September 8, 2017. Left to right, they are: Hurricane Katia, which made landfall in Mexico that night. Hurricane Irma, which was passing between Cuba and the Bahamas; and Hurricane José, which was churning in the open ocean. (Caption, photo courtesy of NOAA Satellites via Flickr: https://goo.gl/kxyXA4)

The flooding, caused by hurricanes and monsoons, has left thousands of people devastated, homeless, and in great need. However, little has been said about the destruction the monsoons have brought in South Asia. Instead, this news has been clouded by other devastating events.

Global Advance wants to address the needs in South Asia and the United States, through its ministry, Alpha Relief.

“[Alpha Relief was] birthed to minister in very concrete ways to persecuted believers around the world. And so, Alpha Relief does that,” Global Advance’s David Shibley explains.

However, a lot of Christian ministries are strained as they try to help the increasing need. And, Alpha Relief is no exception. Alpha Relief has already been providing aid to those who have stayed behind in Syria.

“We go in providing very practical things like heating oil, blankets, medications, and just ministering encouragement to Christians there in Syria.”

Opportunities for the Gospel

Still, this incredible time of need offers numerous opportunities for Christians to get involved and help their neighbor. While these disasters are anything but good, they do post an opportunity for an open door through which to share the Gospel.

“We need to stay Gospel-centered and put the Gospel front and center because many hearts are open right now,” Shibley shares.

“There are many who turn in disillusionment and bitterness, that’s true. But, there are others who are asking the big questions of life and we need to be there with the hope that we have in Jesus Christ.”

Alpha Relief Tips for Helping

With the increased need, Alpha Relief is in the assessment phase to know how best to use their resources and who the ministry can reach. Regardless of where the help goes, though, it’s going to be a long-term project for recovery in the United States, South Asia, Syria, and Mexico.

(Photo Courtesy Alpha Relief via Facebook)

So, how is Alpha Relief determining how and who to help?

“We just look at the human need, realizing that we cannot respond to everything, but we can respond to that which the Holy Spirit prompts us to do,” Shibley explains.

As missionary once told Shibley; the amount of need there is could put a single person in a thousand places today. However, there’s only one place you’re supposed to be–the place the God wants you to serve and help in.

Pray for Alpha Relief to decipher where the Holy Spirit is leading the ministry to help. Ask God what he wants you to do and where he wants you to be. Pray for people’s hearts to be sensitive to the need both in the United States and abroad. Finally, pray for the right people to step forward to address this enormous need.

“That mix altogether of the compassionate deeds, the supernatural touch of God’s grace, and the proclamation of the Gospel is going to have tremendous multiplied effect in these days,” Shibley shares.

Learn more about Alpha Relief or donate here!

The gunman, Omar Mateen, called 911 before the shooting and declared allegiance to ISIS. Since then, ISIS has claimed responsibility for the massacre.

(Photo courtesy of Tony Webster via Flickr)

As the United States mourns this severe tragedy, Greg Jao with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship shares how the Church can respond.

“One thing I think we can do is communicate to the LGBTQ community that we stand with you in this time of fear. That we, without question, denounce acts of violence or hatred directed towards them.”

This massacre comes on the heels of ISIS spokesman, Abu Mohammed al Adnani, calling on ISIS followers to bring a “month of hurt” to the United States and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan.

In extremist ideology, the response to those they disagree with is violence. Hence the executions of moderate Muslims in Iraq, the burning of Christian churches in Nigeria, and now the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida.

Even in our society, often the assumption is that if you disagree with someone, you must fear or hate them. Therefore, in order to love someone, our culture denotes that you must accept everything about them.

However, Christians believe as Genesis 1:26 illustrates, all of mankind are image-bearers of God. Because of this, Jao says one can hold to faith convictions or disagree with someone while maintaining a genuine spirit of love and humility towards that person.

(Photo courtesy Flickr/CC/BradRuggles)

“For many in the church, we have relatives and friends who are members of the LGBTQ community. So let’s extend to a community the same love and compassion that we would extend to a family member we disagree with. I think in fact, Christ calls us to demonstrate love and understanding and humility to those that we don’t necessarily agree with.”

One tangible way you can demonstrate love and encouragement is by reaching out in your own neighborhood.

“Where appropriate, and where you have some relationship, pick up the phone and say, ‘What can I do to help right now?’ Particularly in Orlando, but in any place where there is an LGBTQ community center,” says Jao.

“I think also at the same time, we should be prepared for [the LGBTQ community] to come to us and say, ‘It’s a little hard to hear this from you now given either the disinterest or disdain we’ve often experienced from you in the past.’ And we have to accept that graciously and with some humility because that’s been true.”

There are around 2.75 million Muslim Americans in the United States. (Photo courtesy of Frank van Leersum via Flickr)

In addition to the LGBTQ community, Christians need to reach out to our Muslim neighbors during this time.

Muslims make up 0.9 percent of the American population, with around 2.75 million Muslims in the nation. There is worry among Muslim American communities that this shooting could create more backlash and fear.

“They are both an ethnic and a religious minority in the United States. It’s obvious in the current political campaign environment, the status and welcome of Muslims and Muslim Americans is being contested,” says Jao.

“I think Christians should clearly indicate that–given our commitment to religious liberty which we ask for ourselves and therefore should offer to other people–we should be particularly vocal about standing against and speaking out against any religious-directed political speech that isolates one community because of their religious beliefs.

“It’s an issue of integrity on our part in terms of religious freedom, and I hope it will actually open doors to authentic relationship and communication with the Muslim American community, which I think is a precursor to us ever being able to speak about something like the Gospel.”

Christians have an important role to play in these moments of crisis, especially since the two communities directly affected by the shooting are an often-overlooked mission field by the Church.

“They’re longing to hear the Church speak clearly and loudly both in the aftermath of this shooting and those deaths,” says Jao. “It’s an incredible opportunity for the Church to witness [as] people of clear conviction and deep compassion at the same time. And in that, I think we model ourselves after Jesus who came with both grace and truth.”

Please take this time to pray for our LGBTQ and Muslim neighbors, and be a loving witness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ–for we are all image-bearers of God. Please continue to pray for hope and healing.

Jao encourages, “Let’s intercede for the LGBTQ community that obviously experiences great fear right now, as well as for Muslims in America who are wondering if their neighbors and coworkers and friends will turn on them. Let’s pray that they encounter God’s love through us in this moment.”

(Photo credit Florida Baptist Children’s Home/Orphan’s Heart)

USA (MNN) — Have you ever wished you could do more for a ministry than write a check? Then you need to listen to this story.

Kristen Hitchcock of Orphan’s Heart says their donors faced that same dilemma. Then, a few of them decided to do something about it. They took action and formed the Women of Compassion Giving Society.

“[They want] to help children, but they want to know what they’re doing and how they’re helping,” Hitchcock observes of U.S. Christian women in general.

Referring specifically to Women of Compassion, Hitchcock says, “It started with a couple of women who were saying, ‘You know, I want to do more. I want to know what I’m giving to, and be able to guide that.'”

Women of Compassion

(Photo credit Florida Baptist Children’s Home/Orphan’s Heart)

The Women of Compassion Giving Society has since grown to approximately 120 members, mostly from the state of Florida. Each year, the group meets to vote on a Florida Baptist Children’s Home or Orphan’s Heart ministry project they’ll support with a $1,000 gift.

“It’s different every single year; you never know what’s going to be on the ballot that they’re voting on,” notes Hitchcock.

“It all has to do with helping children come to know Christ in some way.”

Last year, the Women of Compassion helped construct 70 homes in the Dominican Republic for impoverished single mothers and their children. They have also helped fund two orphanages in Africa: one in Tanzania, and another in Uganda.

(Photo credit Florida Baptist Children’s Home/Orphan’s Heart)

The Women of Compassion are more than fundraisers: they are a community. Some of them are mentoring vulnerable girls rescued from the streets in Florida. Others are beginning a running and walking club in 2014.

Learn how you can team up with the Women of Compassion here.

“[There are] so many opportunities for them to go on mission trips and to stay ‘in-the-know’ of what’s going on across the world,” says Hitchcock.

Listen to the full interview here for more stories and details about Women of Compassion.

(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

We’re talking about your mobile device. Nearly 7 billion people own a mobile phone, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). That means the number of people who own a cell phone is almost equal to the world’s entire population!

“In a lot of places, particularly in developing nations, they have multiple devices that they carry,” Taber clarifies. “If we’re able to populate that space with opportunities to encounter Christ and His Kingdom, I really think we have the opportunity to see the world reached within the next 10 years.

“We live in a very unique time. I mean, this is the most rapidly-adopted technology in history.”

Portio Research says over half of the world’s 6.8 billion mobile users are in Asia Pacific. The BRICI nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and Indonesia) will hold the fastest-growing smartphone markets over the next few years, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). And, according to multiple groups, e-Readers are also a rapidly-expanding market.

Whether you carry an iPad or smartphone, Taber says “going mobile” is vital for the Great Commission.

“This is the last great platform and missions frontier in terms of technology, simply because it is the one that everybody possesses,” he states.

You can discuss this idea with Taber and hundreds of other believers at the Mobile Ministry Forum. It’s December 9-11 in Orlando, Florida, at the Wycliffe Bible Translators USA headquarters.

“We’ll have workshops, seminars, round-table discussions, trainings and so forth, to kind of help everybody get better equipped,” explains Taber. “This will be our fourth annual gathering. We started with 13 people and now I think we’ll have well over 130.”

(Image courtesy MMF)

Leaders from over 70 missions groups, parachurch organizations and denominations around the world will gather to innovate, collaborate and anticipate mobile ministry challenges and trends. Taber says they’ll be uncovering answers for one simple question: “How do we use mobile technology for church planting, evangelism and discipleship?

“It’s a question of creating the content that will be accessed through a mobile device, but then it’s developing strategy that will actually help people discover that content,” he adds. “Rather than just finding content that might be entertaining or informational, that it would actually be transformational.”

In some cases, the strategy will be personal, and not so much in other contexts. Taber says sharing the Gospel is the key aim.

“We’ve got to make that connection; whether it’s a person-to-person connection, when I’m sitting down with someone using my phone in a relationship way, sharing Christ, or when people go to search on the Internet,” he states.

Click here for more information or to sign up for the Mobile Ministry Forum.

Pray this event grows as a resource and tool to further the Great Commission. Pray more believers get involved.

“Our hope is that we’d see dozens of new missions organizations figuring out ways to innovate, using this technology, in a way that helps them further their objectives,” says Taber.

“We’re very focused on some of the least-reached peoples in the world, and we think this is the way to help reach them.”