Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
President Dan Brokke recently met with Kent Parks, the International Director of Mission to Unreached Peoples. Kent shared how they have just made a major move as a mission to approaching their work around the world in a field-based team context. That has been a priority at Bethany Missions for a long time. It is why we send our Global Interns out in teams. We, too, are continuing in this direction as we look to establish strategically placed bases of operation that bring together training, evangelism, church planting, prayer, justice ministry, and mobilization. It is critical to worker health and effectiveness.
The College of Missions Theology class is currently focusing on Eschatology (the end times). The class is taught by Dave Sliker, Professor of Eschatology at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City.
Thanks to generous contributions the school in Altonia, Brazil was able to buy a water purification system so their water is once again potable! There are 45 students enrolled in the school, 16 are freshmen varying in age from 17 to 61.
The center has introduced it’s online Master of Arts in Intercultural Leadership and Certificate in Cross-Cultural Studies with 20 students.
BCGS has designed the Master and Certificate courses to keep professionals up-to-date and deliver the newest trends so they can minister more effectively in today’s global mission’s environment. For more information, visit their website.
STEM is gearing up for well over 20 teams to go out this summer, preparing training materials, going over details with sending organizations, making plans with receivers on the field. Please pray that they don’t miss any important details, of which there are many! Also, note they have openings on several outreaches, and are praying for people to fill the teams. If you know anyone who is interested in joining a powerful short-term mission this summer, check out the STEM website.
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
I am in the Charlotte, NC airport returning from a week of meetings with the Ethne steering committee in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Thanks to you who were praying. This was very beneficial week of developing new relationships and establishing opportunities for future partnership.
Today, one fourth or 27% of the world has almost no access to the Gospel. The Ethne Group’s vision is “peoples joining together to glorify God among all peoples.” This group of mission leaders seeks to celebrate Great Commission progress, access current opportunities and resources, and accelerate movements. I was asked to join them because of Bethany’s missions training and sending experience and legacy. The leadership came from around the world (there were about 45 of us). What is so powerful about this group is that they are truly practitioners; all focused on reaching unreached peoples and encouraging initiatives, particularly church planting movements. They were planning and preparing for the Ethne Gathering to be held in Bogota, Colombia the first week of November.
Sub areas of emphasis were mobilizing workers, raising up young leaders, arts and worship, prayer, member/worker health, community development, and church planting movements.
I have also reflected on a working mission statement for Bethany during this week. In Isaiah 9:6-7 it is prophesied, “of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end.” You have heard me talk of this as the “everywhere, always” increase of God’s Kingdom. This passage ends up by stating the “zeal of the Lord God Almighty will accomplish this.” So many people speak of “finishing the task.” I have to honestly admit that I don’t know how that really happens since there are always new generations coming along. However, the task that can increasingly move toward fulfillment is mobilizing a sustaining witness of the Gospel of the Kingdom among all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages. Doing that is our part in the process. So, in fairly straightforward terms, we serve to increase God’s Kingdom by mobilizing disciples of Jesus and the church worldwide to reach the unreached wherever they are found. This is not just a one time event; it is a strategically sustainable process of gathering together God’s people, equipping them to minister as Jesus ministered, and going where people have not heard.
This just can’t be done alone. We must work with others, being faithful in what God has called us to do. There is a great interest among the Ethne “members” for Bethany International to work together with them in mobilizing workers. There is strong agreement with our definition of mobilize: create awareness, recruit, train, send, and support for a sustainable, strategic and effective witness. I see that we are entering a season of serving the body of Christ as seen in the mission community in our calling to pray, train, and go!
Submitted by Dan Brokke, President of Bethany InternationalWednesday, May 6th, 2009
We have launched the “Podcasts” portion of our website with two exciting messages. These are the two messages now available:
Click here to go to our “Podcast” page, or click the link below to listen to the message.
