Archive for May, 2010
Seoul
Monday, May 24th, 2010
I (Dan Brokke) recently visited Seoul, Korea. Beginning the moment I landed until I left I had an amazing, favor-filled series of meetings with leaders. From meeting with Pastor Ha, founder of the 60,000 member eight-campus Onnuri Church, to the leaders of their mission training and sending program, to the Christian Global Network Satellite TV ministry (CGNTV), to the Academic Dean of Torch Trinity School of Theology (all ministries of Onnuri), there was a profound sense of favor. I became aware that a great measure of this favor came through the respect that is held for one of our graduates, a Bethany missionary and current student at Torch Trinity working on his MA in Theology. Once people heard that he had graduated from Bethany, they opened their time and hearts to us. There was also favor due to the mission heritage, heart and vision we share as organizations. Pastor Ha opened up a tremendous door of opportunity for follow-up and working together.
This is one of those cases when it became clear that God had gone before me and prepared the way. I look forward to working more closely with the church in Korea. Today there are 20,000 workers from Korea that have gone to many nations. They realize that there is more need to receive more effective intercultural preparation. One of their leaders noted their training tends to be more “academic” where what we are doing brings together the academic with practical experience - doing missions while training for missions. This was their observation. Bethany wants to serve for effective and sustainable mission impact through Korean missionaries. God is stirring them to go, we want to help.
Upcoming Board Meeting
One June 13-15, the Bethany Board is once again meeting. They will be doing something different this meeting through the formation of committees that will speak into various aspects of the College of Missions and our International Ministries. The BCOM accreditation process provides a unique focus on our mission, our priorities, and how we best fulfill that mission. Please pray as we plan and prepare for effective meetings. I am excited about all that lies in front of us.
BCOM
Our freshmen are wrapping up a three week Intro to Missions course while our recently returned seniors are finishing Reentry.
Forty-eight students are accepted as freshmen for the College this fall. In addition to this another 62 applications are in process.
Bethany Center for Global Studies
The next term of classes for the Bethany Center of Global Studies begins Tuesday, June 1. We are offering the following two online courses at both the certificate and masters levels:
Intercultural Leadership Development
Cultural Innovation and Change
For more information, including course descriptions and program guidelines, visit our website at: www.bethanycgs.org.
Rick Boswell, Director of Online Marketing and Recruitment
STEM
Short-term Evangelical Missions is busy getting ready for its summer teams. They want to help as many as possible get to the mission field and ask you to continue praying with them to that end and inviting friends and family to join teams!
President’s Letter
Monday, May 17th, 2010
I am writing while traveling on a train from the Tokyo 2010 Conference to the Narita Airport. The past two days have been very beneficial here in Tokyo with a number of great contacts and interest in BCOM training, Go100 mission training model, and looking at potential opportunities to pioneer ministry to unreached people groups. Our Paul S. and John K. led a mission training workshop. I met with other global mission leaders. Tokyo 2010 was modeled after a missions conference held in Edinburgh Scotland in 1910. This was in the heart of what became the Student Volunteer Movement when thousands of young college students went overseas from England and the US to unevangelized regions of the world. This was a catalyst for much of mission advance in the first half of the 20th century. Today, we believe God for a new mobilizing of students to see the Gospel go to “the least, the lost, and the last” of the nations—people everywhere.
A key theme of Tokyo 2010 was discipling a new generation—not just seeing evangelism, but seeing leadership in the church and in mission raised up to finish the task. That is part of our mandate. It is why we train through BCOM, and it is why we send out workers - to make disciples.
So when I get off the train at the Narita Airport I will be going to Seoul, South Korea. There I meet our Tim F. and Makito F. We will meet with several seminary and church leaders, and a leader within Frontiers-Korea to discuss mission training and preparation. Korea now has 20,000 missionaries serving cross-culturally. There is still a great need for better intercultural preparation. As well, we meet with leaders of a large Montessori Christian school interested in having teachers trained to begin mission Montessori schools - they have a vision to see 100 schools each with 100 children in 100 cities around the world. These Montessori schools open up the door for evangelism into families—a tremendous mission vision. We are exploring how we might serve this effort.
Thanks for your prayers.
Dan Brokke
Enrollment
Currently 43 new students are accepted at Bethany College of Missions for the fall. In addition to this another 68 applications are in process. Our goal is to see 60 new freshmen attend Bethany in August.
Bethany Center for Global Studies has 22 students in the program. This past term 12 of them took classes. Recently two new students were provisionally accepted. The next term of classes begins Tuesday, June 1.
BCGS offers two online courses at both the certificate and masters levels:
Intercultural Leadership Development, by Ed D.
Cultural Innovation and Change, by Tom S.
For more information, including course descriptions and program guidelines, visit www.bethanycgs.org.
Your prayer support for new students at both the College and graduate programs is greatly appreciated.
Bethany International Ministries
Pat and Nedra D. (Brazil): The new school year started in March with 40 new freshmen and 60 upper classmen.
George F. has invitations to speak at five Brazilian churches and will be in Belo Horizonte from May 22 to June 7. Pray for safety in travels and for his ministry in the churches.
STEM
In just two weeks, our next team will be in Haiti; we are looking forward to re-engaging there after a breather of a couple months. We’re hearing that some Haitians are feeling discouraged because many of the groups who came in right after the earthquake are now beginning to pull out and there is still so much left to be done. We have nine more teams scheduled for this summer and would love to send more groups there throughout the rest of the year as well. Most of the teams scheduled still have openings if you’d like to join or know others who would like to spend a life-transforming week working in Haiti. Check out our web site: http://stemintl.org/trips/opportunities/teams/date; Call us at: 952-996-1385 or stop by and talk to us. We have a place for you!
STEM staff members John and Kathie P. are in Washington this week. Among other things they’re networking and recruiting for future STEM teams, BCOM, and Global Studies students.
Last names of individuals is withheld due to possible international travel to countries that are opposed to the Gospel message.
Global Interns Return
Monday, May 10th, 2010
After 16 months of serving as BIM missionaries, 20 Global Interns arrived on campus for their final summer term. For the next two chapels (May 12th and May 19th) they will be sharing about their experiences. These next months will be a time of reflection, processing what they have learned and experienced, what God has done in their lives (individually and as teams), and next steps of God’s leading. They will graduate in August.
Bethany Center of Global Studies
The next term of classes for the Bethany Center of Global Studies begins Tuesday, June 1. Two online courses are being offered at both the certificate and masters levels:
Intercultural Leadership Development, by Ed Dudek
Cultural Innovation and Change, by Tom Shetler
For more information, including course descriptions and program guidelines, visit our website at: www.bethanycgs.org.
STEM
One of STEM’s goals is to serve more Bethany fields with Short-Term Mission Teams.
There is a team going to work in Thailand from June 10-24, 2010.
Yes, that’s coming up very soon, but there are still openings to join that team.
Here’s a rough idea of what the team might be doing:
- Spending time at an orphanage interacting with children who don’t get many visitors
- Hanging out with youth groups
- Teaching English as a second language
- Teaching Bible
- Visiting one or more villages
- Working in leprosy villages
Do you want to join them? Do you know anyone else interested in joining them? If so, please call 952-996-1385.
GlobeServe/STEM
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
GlobeServe partners, Dr. and Mrs. Steven Kabachia were on campus here at Bethany from last Thursday through Monday of this week. Dr. Kabachia, bishop of the 120+ churches of Agape Fellowship in Kenya, was a plenary speaker at this year’s Short Term Mission Leaders’ Conference put on by STEM. Dr. Kabachia shared his insights on short term missions from the perspective of a “receiver-host” with the 120 attendees of the conference. He has strategically used 20 short term mission teams from the U.S. to plant churches in cooperation with his Agape church planters, so that every team leaves a “mark” when they leave Kenya. The Bishop also gave a strong challenge to short term mission leaders to think strategically about taking teams to the least-reached peoples.
BCOM
Former Bethany missionary, G. Trees, has accepted the role of Ministry Relations and Outreach Coordinator. He will connect with Christian schools, youth pastors and church leaders to add value to their ministries and to promote Bethany College of Missions. As the Outreach Coordinator he will work closely with the College staff and students to direct the various outreach opportunities.
Tokyo 2010
Paul S. and John K. will be leading the missionary training track at Tokyo 2010, May 11-14. Dan B. is attending as well and will be involved with the business and missions track. Tokyo 2010 is a global missions consultation in the tradition of the historic Edinburgh 1910 gathering. This year’s consultation is aimed at global-level cooperation of mission agencies. For more information on the Tokyo 2010 gathering check it out online.
