How Big is Your Community?

One of the important questions that Christians need to ask themselves is how far their community extends. Or as someone asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbour?” This story by Warren from Bolivia shows a new dimension to global neighbourhood, and gives opportunity to partner with it.

“In the small town of Monte Rico the local church has been working hard for the last few years on the construction of their sanctuary. Through Diego we made contact with them and received word that they have over forty children at the Sunday morning service. They desire to begin a Sunday school to minister to these children but have no facilities or training to do so. Through donors in Canada we have been able to find $3,000 which has been designated to make this dream a reality. The funds are being released to them in disbursements to buy materials. As they turn in the accounting for the materials and provide the labour for the construction, they receive the next disbursement. We have also committed to provide training for Sunday School teachers and a curriculum when the class rooms are finished.

“One week ago I sat with the leaders of the church as we prayed to commission the construction of the rooms. The head builder and elder of the church wept as he thanked God for the partnership and the impact it would allow them to have in their community.

“Two years ago the flooding of the Beni province of Bolivia displaced over 25,000 people. Many of them ended up in tent camps along the streets of Trinidad. I had the opportunity to be there and help with some of the relief efforts during that time. The local Baptist church also let an initiative to help and minister to these flood victims. Out of this ministry a church plant was developed amongst the people living in the tent community. I have visited the church plant a few times and have seen it growing. This last week while I was there I attended part of a soccer camp and tournament that the church was holding. They had drawn a huge number of youth out to this ministry and were building contacts and relationships through sports. Little did the youth from the community know they were playing soccer in the sanctuary since the church has met out doors in the soccer field rain or shine since it’s inception.

“I met with the church leaders and found that the government have opened up three areas for the people in the tent communities to settle. Many of them have been living in tents for more than twenty months and will now be moved onto small lots where they can built permanent homes. The church has put together enough money to buy a lot and are now looking for help to construct their building. Currently $1,000 has been pledged.

“Currently I am working with more that ten similar communities and situations and there are many more that I have not yet had the opportunity to do follow up with. Beyond that we are also working in the same way to develop strong ministries in the communities where we are working. There is incredible opportunity in this area for expansion and kingdom impact. I would be happy to share more detailed information or show financial records to anyone interested in partnering with this ministry.”

The EFCCM is Here

We’ve started a new promotion campaign here at the EFCCM. This one needs your participation!

The EFCCM is Here. Wherever you go, you take the EFCCM with you.  It could be on a dusty road in a distant village. Or in the bustling core of a foreign metropolis. Or in a Canadian church as you pray on the EFCCM’s behalf. Your curiosity, your passion, your action are all elements of what God is doing with and through the EFCCM.

We are assembling a gallery of pictures with people wearing t-shirts, holding up signs in places all around the world. We will be using these in a variety of presentations to make it clear to our churches and the world:

The EFCCM is Here!

You can download a pdf, and print it out for your own bulletin board, bulletin, or even your own t-shirts:
theEFCCMisHere.pdf (approx. 10KB)

You can also download a copy of the above video clip (which is just over 1 minute) for use in your church, or small group or whatever (simply right click and select ‘save as…’):
EFCCMisHere.wmv (approx. 8MB)
EFCCMisHere.mp4 (approx. 10MB)

We are excited to get this concept to as broad a group of participants and supporters as possible. If you have ideas for how that could happen at your church, your missions committee, or perhaps even with your short-term team, please get in touch!

EFCC Conference: Initial Summary

I expect that there will be a number of reports from a variety of sources over the next few days from EFCC Conference 2010. Our theme was Regerate: Plant. Water. Grow. I would just like to say that what I appreciated this year was the ‘vibe’. It’s hard to explain exactly what I mean, but I felt a whole new level of togetherness, collaboration and excitement. As I heard other people’s opinions expressed there, I know that I’m not the only one that felt that. I hope that we can keep that going.

I will be posting a online gallery of pictures soon.

If there are other places where you’re seeing reports and updates from Conference 2010, please pass along the sources. And if you’d like to add your own voice to the mix, feel free to add a comment below.

MEMO in the News

MEMO has made the local news again. Check out the brief clip by clicking here.

Positive Health News On Two Fronts

Occasionally we use our blog to keep you informed about missionaries’ lives directly. This is one such post.

Ernest and Effie serve with us in Venezuela. We were recently alerted that Effie needed eye surgery to correct a cataract. They recent report states that it went very well, with good comments from her Doctor during the 10-15 min surgery. There was great relief when she only had to have a transparent patch over the eye, (as there had been a possibility that it would be completely covered for 24 hrs) and it was great to walk out seeing! They removed the lens she no long needs from her glasses. While she can read (with only slight difficulty), she will still need them for reading and it is possible that she will be given the new prescription on Wednesday.

As only one eye needed immediate attention, she will continue to use her glasses. “The verse that keeps popping into her mind is 1 Corinthians 13:12: For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” It is so wonderful to see the beautiful colours of God’s creation and to see things clearly again. Their prayer is that in our daily walk with Jesus we will see clearly the path that lays out for us.

Rudy and Erna serve with us in Bolivia. They recently celebrated the first event held at the new ministry centre, called the Bridge. Rudy has had some recent history with his heart. He had to undergo surgery a few months back, but seemed to have recovered fully. However he suddenly experienced rather significant symptoms again this week. He was taken to hospital and was examined. He has been assured my medical staff that his heart has not been damaged. That is very good news. However, they can’t tell what the problem is exactly, which must be unsettling. He will be monitored pretty carefully (especially by Erna, I’m sure!). One aside about this story: Rudy and Erna were scheduled to be in a remote area when his symptoms struck. It was fortunate that they were instead close to medical assistance!

I’ve mentioned this a few times recently, but our missionaries need your regular prayer. They face opposition, even sometimes from their own bodies, but God’s will continues to triumph in and through them. May he be glorified in all ways!

Time to Check Your Pulse!

We’re pleased to announce the latest Pulse has been posted to the website.

Click here to see the online version. (You can also download your own copy from that link.)

I’m particularly proud of the cover — I think it connects perfectly with our theme and our treatment of it. But I hope you see the humour in it, and aren’t inspired to literally duke it out with those of a different opinion. That would be somewhat awkward…

There’s lots of good content to peruse in this edition. In here we address the different perspectives that inform the debate between Emergent vs Resurgent perspectives. That’s pretty hot-button stuff right now.

We are grateful to Ian and Marvin who took up the challenge of writing this piece. We hope you will enjoy their well-reasoned perspectives, and their back and forth. We are curious to hear your response to this. After you read the Pulse, please return to this post: Comments are open below!

A New Plan In Japan

Japan is a thriving, bustling country, and Tokyo is its thriving, bustling core. At some intersections in Tokyo, every green light sees more than 3,000 pedestrians go by! Estimates put the population of Tokyo between 20-30 million people. (Keep in mind that the population of Canada is just higher than those estimates!) But in all of Japan, less than 1% of people are Christian.

Dale and Ann have reported that the church they work with, Musashino Chapel Centre (MCC), has voted unanimously to work toward another church plant in Tokyo. Called Tokyo Multi-Cultural Church (TMCC), it has a remarkably different concept behind it.

A great number of people have moved to Japan from a host of other countries, and they stay connected with their smaller subcultures within Tokyo. These groups are longing for a meaningful faith connection. The concept of the TMCC would connect with that goal. It will be a primarily English-speaking church, because that gives the greatest level of inclusiveness for the international community.

The church is Japan has its own unique flavour. There are a few specific advantages:

• Strong vibrant, internal relationships
• Generous time commitments both from pastors and lay people

But there are some specific disadvantages too:

• Little commitment to personal evangelism
• Pastor-centred leadership style, rather than individual empowerment
• Little vision for impact and growth — the missional emphasis is missing
• Lay involvement in ministry is low
• Little engagement with external society

TMCC will seek to embrace the best of Japanese culture, as it embraces a push toward dynamic personal outreach and ministry.

Dale and Ann will be highlighting the vision and the potential of TMCC as they begin Home Assignment in the next couple of months. Please pray for them as they make preparation for this new church plant. It is a vision that will likely involve churches in several countries around the world, not just Japan, and it will take a concerted effort to get it to achieve its full potential.

If you’d like to keep up with their site directly, this is a good place to start.

That’s One Way to End a Drought!

Wally and Esther just sent us in an update from Nicaragua. They’d been praying for their 5-month drought to end, and end it did! It rained for a week straight, totalling 15 inches! Not only is this a huge relief to the population, it’s a particular benefit to the agriculture component of the ministry that Wally and Esther are heading up.

There are two properties that they’re currently working on, and each has a very distinct purpose.

Property 1
This is an eight-acre piece where 2 Nicaraguan families will be working and producing self-sustainable farms of 2 acres each. Nicolas and Liliam, who just moved into their new house a few weeks ago, and Lester and Flor. Already they’ve planted 1400 plantains, yucca, tomatoes, quiquisque and fruit trees. Wally just met with a charitable organization that oversees produce export; there may be an opportunity for these families to grow chile peppers for export, what an answer to prayer this would be, bringing the hope of sustainability to a reality.

Property 2
A ten-acre piece, where the ministry La Semilla will be based. This is where we’ll facilitate events and teaching programs, do experimental planting and testing, and host teams. Wally and Esther and their family will live on-site at the facility.

As the plans and preparations go forward, they are grateful for their community, who are encouraging and supportive. There are many men willing to work on the construction — up to 10 at a time. They are amongst so many with so much need — there are always more willing to work than they have capacity to hire. We’re hoping that the goal of sustaining and productive farming is met in the area, and that the whole community will benefit.

Wally and Esther also expressed thanks for the local team that they’re a part of:
“Another way that God has blessed us is by the various ministries and missionaries working in the various fields here, so much advice, council, contacts and information that has been so helpful, people have been so generous and open, and even open to tell about mistakes they’ve made, so all can learn from them. We never feel that we are out here on our own.”

Another Brush (or Two) With Reality

Louise just returned to South America after having finished some extensive training in Hong Kong. She hasn’t returned to Venezuela though, she’s gone to Colombia, which is a new country for the EFCCM! A handful of days after she arrived though, she was robbed. The thieves didn’t find her cash, or her computer, which is a big relief, but it’s still rattling to have someone take your property. It’s certainly not the kind of welcome we’d hoped for her there.

We also received word from Eddie and Bonita in Rwanda that they have been victims of an attempted burglary too. Guards chased the would-be thieves from the property before they could make off with anything. But it’s clear that there are people with the intention to steal, and who’ve got a clear idea what they’re after.

When we ask for prayers of safety and protection for our missionaries, this is a way that they get answered. We’re grateful that in neither of these situations haven’t been as bad as they could have been, but please take this as an encouragement to continue to pray!

When Everything Becomes Real

Recently Jake and Marg serving in the deep jungle of Bolivia posted two blog entries illuminating the realities that they’re facing.

We honour the risk and the energy that they have invested, and continue to invest into this work. Their ministry is imposing a very steep learning curve on the local community as they work on areas areas like credit and finance, farming methods, even basic nutrition. As they’ve indicated in these two posts, it’s been a really hard go.

Unfilled Expectations
Frustrations

Please pray for breakthroughs in connecting with the local community, and for continued stamina for Jake and Marg. There is certainly no romance or glamour in these posts. There is just the hard reality of people facing each other across a massive cultural and socio-economic divide.

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