Archive for March, 2010
Bethany Missionaries
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Lowell & Sheri G. work on a team with the vision to raise up 15 teams from local churches to impact 50 communities in the state of Zacatecas, one of the least evangelized areas of Mexico. Currently they are reaching into 15 villages. Their daughters join in ministry, teaching children’s VBS, giving puppet shows and helping with other practical needs.
Kerry & Jan O. serve as missions pastors at a large church and are involved in missionary training and sending. Kerry and Jan provide oversight and pastoral care to these missionaries and have opportunity to visit them on the field. Jan is involved in women’s ministry and teaching English. Kerry also oversees Bible school and missions training programs in Mexico as well as the development of schools in other areas of South America. He is the Bethany Area Coordinator for Mexico and the Caribbean area.
Luis & Cathy C. have seen their children become valuable members of their team in Honduras. The kids go along on outreach every chance they get! They help fit eyeglasses, assist with construction, teach children and help in any other areas needed! Luis coordinates short-term teams and Cathy serves as Spiritual Life Coordinator at a children’s school.
Congratulations Binder Gold Team!
The Bethany Press‘ binder Gold Team shattered a record by binding 1643 more books in one day than have ever bound before on Friday March 12, 2010. The team produced 132,255 books in one 12-hour shift. The maximum speed of the binder is 12,000 books/hr and this team averaged 11,756 books/hr. We continue to be amazed at the great teamwork and hard working crew at BPI.
STEM
STEM is thankful for prayers for their marathon teams to Haiti these past three weeks. John & Kathie P. (STEM - Bemidji) led a team of 25 mostly from Oak Hills Christian College and had a phenomenal time. The team loved working with BCOM alumna, Katia and her husband Miguel. We’ll have more to report later, but for now, STEM teams have done medical clinics, children’s programs, and lots of hard work like moving rubble - tons of it (literally), leveling a road, and digging footers for a wall around a mission guesthouse. In addition, they prayer-walked, listened to people’s stories, gave tons of hugs (figuratively) and prayed for people one on one.
They have three more teams scheduled for Haiti this summer, but would like to get at least another six or more booked yet this year. Please pray that God will connect them with the right churches, groups, and individuals who will make up these teams.
STEM will be host a national Short-Term Mission Leaders Conference (STMLC). People will attend from around the world and hear wonderful speakers and presenters. Knowing that the short-term mission movement is so widespread, STEM’s passion is to help churches, colleges, and agencies do mission trips with God-centered excellence.
25 Years of Ministry
Monday, March 15th, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, marks the 25th anniversary of the very first STEM team sent out. It was a team from the Singles group of New Hope Church formerly Crystal Evangelical Free Church, New Hope, MN, sent to Haiti to work at an orphanage. This was the first of about 10 teams sent that year to Haiti and Jamaica. Since that time, STEM has sent 112 teams to Haiti and hundreds more to about a dozen different nations. Celebrate with us 25 years of God’s faithfulness and pray for many more years of fruitful service in His Kingdom.
Please pray for the team of six from five different states who will be ministering in Haiti March 13-21.
GlobeServe: South Africa
Dan Brokke, Tim F., Paul S., and Ed D. joined Herbert B. as host and nine others for the GlobeServe Executive Committee and GlobeServe Training Consultants team in Pretoria, South Africa for three days of consultations centering around Field5000. At this point it is estimated that we have sent at least 350 missionaries since Field5000 began in June of 2008.
We looked at John K’s newest work, which is a missionary sending manual designed to help GlobeServe schools visualize and implement strong missionary sending efforts. This will be a good tool for GlobeServe and we are excited to begin field testing it.
The meetings were very positive and it’s great to sense the passion that continues to climb among our GlobeServe leaders for the work we need to do to see Field5000 accomplished. To do so will mean the salvation of many who are presently locked in the darkness of being a part of an unreached people group.
Half Day Set Apart
On Tuesday we again participated in a half day of prayer. We focused on pure motives and seeing God as the one who does the work of sanctification in our lives. We began with a review of Psalm 27:4 and the progression of asking, seeking, dwelling and gazing.
From there we spent time meditating on:
- Right Words/Wrong Spirit (Acts 16:6)
- Right Motives/Wrong Understanding (2 Samuel 6)
- Right Building/Wrong Builder (1 Chronicles 22)
Podcasts
Four more messages from Harold Brokke’s “Study in the Book of Roman’s” seminar have been posted on the Bethany I-Tunes page. Messages are posted weekly on the site. Other messages by Ted Hegre and Paris Reidhead have already been posted with more past Bethany speakers to come.
In order to listen to these messages at home, you will need to install I-Tunes on your computer. A free download can be found here.
Bethany Center for Global Studies
Get a Certificate or Masters in Cross-Cultural Leadership
The next two start dates for online classes are March 15 and June 1.
One of the courses is Cultural Innovation and Change. This 8-week course examines the need for change in a world filled with poverty, disease, injustice and death and practical steps to bring this necessary change to pass. Students learn the principles, strategies, and methods for effective innovation and change based upon the experience of current innovators. A highlight of the course will be studying ways that poverty is being alleviated and lives saved by innovation and change in the developing world. Books for this course are Leading in a Culture of Change by Michael Fullan; Discipling Nations by Darrow Miller; The Legacy of William Carey by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi; and The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid by C.K. Prahalad.
Is this course something you could put to practical use in your current or future ministry? If so, check out BCGS online or call Rick Boswell for more information 952-996-1450.
Students Share Christ at University
BCOM students go to the University of Minnesota every Monday night to share the Gospel. They have found this to be a challenge with the busy university students who are absorbed in their own lives, and have their own philosophies on life, but they have seen fruit. The campus has many students who are ready to hear the gospel and if approached correctly will be open to hear the word.
BCOM is partnering with a college ministry called Chi Alpha who has a vision to see student-led fellowships start all over the campus. They are seeing doors open up for the Gospel, including in several fraternities. Different types of outreach are used at the – everything from serving free hot chocolate in order to share Christ, to doing prophetic evangelism as they are led by the Holy Spirit. People are saved, healed, and Bible studies started. They have ongoing discipleship and connect those open to the Gospel with other believers on campus.
Here is one story of many that students have to share: “Two of us asked God that He would send someone our way that needed help. A half hour later while talking to a few Muslims, a desperate and tired man came up to us hurriedly asking us if we would give him money for something to eat. His breath smelled strong of alcohol but we knew that we were to feed him and minister to him. After telling him that his heart is more important than giving him food, he began to cry and tell us how much he needed Jesus. Then while sitting in a restaurant, we listened to him pour out his heart to Jesus, asking him to come into his life and change him completely. He cried for about an hour, not even touching his food. It was heartfelt repentance. Then on the way out of the restaurant he witnessed to the owner of the restaurant as he shared from his life. We were amazed. It’s clear that God is doing wonderful things!!”
Bethany International Ministries
Scott G. (Asia) just spent a month in the village training two new translation helpers. His wife is involved in personal evangelism, counseling and visiting villages and an orphanage.
Chris and Sabina S. (Slovenia) are working to build the church leadership team and hope to expand or relocate the church this year to accommodate the needs of the congregation. Chris and Sabina lead small groups, translate resource material, write new material, host visiting lecturers, teach seminars, run a ministry training program and lead mission trips.
Chile Update: Dan & Arlene C. and Dion & Natasha M. are all okay following the earthquake. Dion was in southern Chile when the quake hit so it took him a few days to get back to Santiago. The office of Programa Amor (missions training program) has been moved to a new building since its previous location suffered serious damage in the earthquake. The start of the new school year has been moved to March 20. All of the current students and their immediate families are okay. Things are getting “back to normal” in Santiago, but there are critical needs along the coast which was hit hard. Dion is working with others to distribute the ShelterBox (shelterbox.org), a kit which includes a tent, water filter, wood kitchen stove and the basics to provide a temporary 6-month shelter for 10 people. Regarding peoples’ response to the earthquake, Dion writes on Facebook, “Sure puts life and priorities into perspective.” Interestingly enough, following the quake the internet was operational so Facebook and Skype provided a means of communicating with our missionaries, while even cell phone service was down. Pray for our team in Chile, continuing relief efforts and for Programa Amor as the new school year starts.
Japan: The Bethany team is interested in receiving new workers for church planting. In Japan this is considered a long-term commitment as it takes time to learn the language and to build relationships. Joshua Project lists the Japanese as the second largest unreached people group with a population of 121,405,000. Japan is one location in the 10/40 window that is open to receiving Christian workers. Jon and Hiromi D. give oversight to the churches in the Osaka area. Jon is the team leader for Bethany workers and also heads up the church association in Japan. Efforts are ongoing to train Japanese leaders. Beginning in April two of the churches will be under Japanese leadership. We enjoyed visiting with Hiromi during her campus visit last week! Willy and Iko W. lead Sunday outreaches and small groups, teach English and facilitate other evangelistic ventures. Reiko S. is involved with the local church. Albert and Cecile G.work in a children’s school and church ministry.
Thailand: Jasmine and Mindee serve as Global Internship (GI) site leaders in Thailand with the current interns until August 2010. As at other GI sites, the leaders and interns serve with a variety of local ministries.
Some full names have been withheld for security reasons.
Goal of 5,000
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Field 5000
Bethany leaders head to South Africa to meet with the international GlobeServe Executive Committee to assess progress, pray and plan for advance in the Field 5000 goal of sending 5000 workers to unreached and least reached people groups.
Haiti
The STEM team to Haiti (Feb. 27 - Mar. 6) was divided up and delayed due to full flights and east coast snow storms last week-end, but they ministered on the Dominican/Haitian border and in Haiti.
Last week-end a team of 25, mostly from Oak Hills Christian College in Bemidji, MN came to stay overnight at Bethany on their way through to Haiti where they will be ministering for a week.
On March 13, STEMS third team will head for Haiti. There are still openings available if you’d like to get on that team; contact STEM right away at 952-996-1385.
Prayer
The commitment to the prayer initiative, called “Watchmen on the Wall” continues to grow and new interns have joined the Prayer Support team. This is a statement of faith and obedience to God’s word to us regarding 24/7 prayer. As we individually and corporately pursue lives of whole-hearted obedience and trust in God, it makes room for Him to speak into our lives, positions us to listen to His word and direction, and brings us together as a people living and working in the fullness of the Spirit - not in our own strength and zeal.
Rejoice in the Lord…
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Several from Bethany will be going to South Africa at the end of this week to meet with the GlobeServe Executive Committee. These are representatives from the nine HUBS within the GlobeServe Training Network (173 mission training schools) along with our training consultants. All desire to work together and train workers to the church go to where it isn’t among least reach people groups. Bound together by a common vision and passion we will seek God and strategize together to accelerate the fielding of 5000 new missionaries. There will need to be new schools established and a laser-like focus on sending laborers to the unreached. The Go100 team has also put together a “mission-sending” training program to help national church movements better deploy and support workers. This will be introduced in our meetings as well.
BCOM
Three intern girls finally received their visas and departed Sunday for France.
They had been delayed from leaving with the rest of their team. While waiting for visas, they studied French with former missionary to France, Grayling Trees.
All of the students on campus have enjoyed their Old Testament I course with Tom Shetler. This week the students are on Spring break.
Bethany International Ministries
A Memorial Service will be held for Paul Sunde in the Bethany Chapel at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3. A reception will be held in the West Dining Room following the service. Paul went to be with the Lord on November 29, 2009. Paul and Reiko have served as workers in Japan with Bethany International Ministries (BIM) since 1980.
Prayer Team
We are thrilled to have three new ministry interns join us: Meisha Simon, Jason Wong & Ezekiah Joshua.
Due to the BCOM spring break, the Prayer Room will be open from 9 - 5pm Monday through Friday of this week (Mar 1 - 5).
Short-term Evangelical Missions
STEM sent their first Haiti Earthquake Response Team on Saturday, Feb 27. The team is made up of seven BCOM students and three other people, one of whom is BCOM alumnae Sheri Flores. Their on-site STEM leaders will be Katia (Alvarado: BCOM ‘04) and Miguel Ulloa. Please pray for them as this group is the “pioneer” team for STEM. We will be partnering with the Christian Community Development Agency, a Haitian NGO that will plug us into whatever type ministry is most needed at the time the team will be there. It may be cleaning, painting, preparing a guest house for future short-term teams or some other work. There is one trained, experienced nurse on the team.
