Displaying items by tag: Mission

‘My husband Todd and I were serving at an orphanage. The kids hadn't had meat in a year so we made them hamburgers. I noticed the pre-schoolers kept coming back for more before disappearing. I was curious, so I followed them. The children were hiding the burgers underneath their mattresses for another day. I called my husband over, and that was a defining moment for both of us. We couldn't un-see that scene, we knew that we were called to ministry.’ In 1997 Beth and her husband saved, took a year's leave of absence from work and moved to Mexico to start their orphanage. Today, Back2Back Ministries is an international orphan care ministry serving abandoned, orphaned and impoverished children in Mexico, Nigeria, India and Haiti.

More Muslims have turned to Jesus in the last fifteen years than in the previous 1,400. God loves all, and wants all to hear and understand the message ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6) Although more Muslims have turned to Jesus in recent years, another 1.8 billion are still living without a saving relationship with him. Middle East news dominates our headlines, while behind the scenes Muslims are fasting and praying throughout Ramadan. Please continue to intercede for them this month as they fast and seek God. Pray for supernatural dreams and visions that open doors to salvation. Many prayer diaries have been produced to aid intercession. For example Iran 30 helps Christians play a part in proclaiming Christ to Iranians with thirty short, easy to read sections explaining the activity where God is building His Church behind the scenes. See

Church leaders are being encouraged to join their peers for an overnight conference that seeks to help ministers of the gospel release and channel the power within their congregations. As the body of Christ in a country that is presently trying to break through a whole host of challenges, including those around uncertainty and division, Evangelical Alliance member Share Jesus International (SJI) has sensed that it is the right time to hold the Ekklesia conference. It is SJI’s first event of this kind, and it will bring together interdenominational leaders and speakers from many different churches for a programme of prayer, worship, teaching, storytelling, and more.

The World Bank reported that after sanctions were removed in 2016 there were many positive economic developments in Iran. In November 2018 the US reimposed sanctions and requested India, China and EU countries, to stop working with Iran. Sanctions are major causes of food insecurity, mass suffering, and eventual high poverty rates. Oil is the largest source of income. When there is no oil coming, there are no US dollars. Everything purchased in Iran is with US dollars. ‘No dollars’ causes the value of the Iranian rial to fall drastically, causing many companies to go bankrupt and having to let a lot of employees go. Sanctions increase the gap between the rich and poor. However there are a number of Christian business and mission initiatives established in Iran, including church-planting via small businesses. See

The Message Trust in Manchester have a wonderful passion for young people to be saved and discipled. They recognise that in many ways our 11 – 18 year olds are the key spiritual battleground.

Research by Care for the Family shows that this is the most vulnerable time for young people to lose their faith. Key factors are peer pressure and parents face increased difficulties in engaging and teaching their children. The spiritual issues extend to the battle for young minds, pastoral and mental health issues are rising year on year at an alarming rate. This current generation is fighting insecurity, sexual confusion on transgender issues and the push to have under age sex, a huge political and values divide between the younger and older generations and the constant social media messaging and the drive to be liked, watched, and commented on.

The Message Trust are launching what they describe as the ‘largest youth mission in the UK for a generation’. They have been building relationships with schools so that teams can go in and encourage thousands to come to well-presented high-octane Gospel events. This is called the Higher Tour and it starts in the West Midlands from 26 February – 17th March, then Cambridgeshire 1 – 12th October and South Wales from 5th – 23rd November.

The Higher Tour seeks to boldly proclaim the Gospel to young people and see them supported and encouraged as they start their journey of faith.
Higher Midlands 2018 will see six mission teams deliver 75 school days across the region. Over three weeks of mission, will reach 55,000 young people, give away 4,000 Bibles and they train more than 100 new young evangelists.

Let us pray for our young people:

• For doors to open into the schools
• For 55,000 young people to go to the Midlands events
• For this generation to turn away from the troubles of the present day to the freedom, security and love of Jesus.
  Prayer for Higher Tour at Elim Kingstanding, 120 Warren Rd, Birmingham B44 8QD – 7.30pm 4th February

Find out more information about Higher Tour location at www.highertour.com

Jason and Nisae Williamson are planting a church among the Iski people group in Papua New Guinea. Anka, an elderly man, was sent to their village so that he could hear the good news, as the believers in his family were concerned about his age and declining health. Anka is at least 80 with a palpable fear of death. Local religious leaders said he had to earn his way to heaven, and he needed to worship and appease the spirits. The Williamsons prayed that Anka would receive Jesus before he died. After four months of morning Bible study, Anka was overflowing with joy: ‘Now I know that Jesus paid for my sins and I’m a child of God. I do not fear death any more, I will die and be with God!’ He had been born again and was filled with the Spirit.

On 11 September the UN human rights chief called the military operation targeting Rohingya Muslims ‘a textbook example of ethnic cleansing’, and urged the government to end its current cruel ‘security’ operations. High-profile individuals have publicly criticised Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi for doing virtually nothing to stop the killings and destruction in her country, and 400,000+ people have signed an online petition calling for her to be stripped of her award. Myanmar has a history of violence against minorities, including Christians. Many people are held captive by widespread drug use, spiritism, occult beliefs, and astrology. 84% of the population, including the Rohingya, have still not heard the name of Jesus. Even so, in recent years, there has been a growing openness to Jesus, especially among Buddhist monks. Prayers can change their physical and eternal reality. See

Health care for our brothers and sisters in South Kordofan, Sudan, faces a crisis. Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) reports that after hospitals were bombed and aid organisations chased from the country, only two doctors are treating 1.1 million people. Even if people weren’t being maimed in government bombings, medical aid would be desperately lacking for everyday needs such as delivering babies, treating malaria, and helping people injured in accidents. Last year, VOM delivered 44.5 tons of medicine to the South Kordofan region, and it is supporting the few medical workers still in the region by helping to build a clinic and providing badly needed mosquito nets for its patients. See also article 7 in this section.

The Church of England has recognised that pioneers are vital for the future of the Church. The Church Mission Society’s pioneer mission leadership training programme provides a designated pathway for ordination as an ordained pioneer minister - alongside the more traditional routes for teachers and pastors. This year there has been a further growth in numbers; an eclectic mix of missionaries will graduate this week after completing their studies in theology, ministry and mission. The pioneers included some being ordained into the Church of England as deacons or admitted to the order of Lay Pioneers. Mission pioneers are giving the Church a glimpse of the future, where mission will not be delivered solely by large para-church organisations, but increasingly through agile, innovative and creative pioneers, witnessing to love in action.

Paul Eshleman

Herrnhut Consultation

May 2017

During the wonderful Prayer Conference in Herrnhut, we introduced several lists of unreached people groups to give us all an introduction to the work of prayer and missions that still remains throughout the world. Our thesis was that when we pray specifically, we can see specific answers to our prayers. And, when we concentrate our prayers toward the unreached peoples and nations we see remarkable results.

We finished the conference with the following suggestions for carrying out our desires to work together more closely toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. We suggested some objectives for each of us involved in the consultation, and we acknowledge that each of our groups had much to learn from the other. Here are some of our suggestions:

1. The Prayer movement could:
   1. Consider sending prayer warriors to every remaining unengaged, unreached people group in the world. They could team up with indigenous intercessors whose churches might eventually send workers to the group(s) they are praying for.
   2. Send similar type of intercessors to the 150 people groups that currently need the most workers.
   3. Pray specifically for each of the global networks that are currently launching initiatives toward their part in the Great Commission. This would include 20-30 global networks and 100 geographic networks.
   4. Help prepare prayer intercessors for all network meetings scheduled for the next 3-5 years.
   5. Help mission leaders to set up a prayer plan for their ministry, their workers, and the people they are trying to reach.
   6. Disseminate very specific requests to all of its prayer leaders that outline:
      1. Peoples, places and leaders where the cause of the Gospel is being blocked.
      2. Praise reports from each of the five strategic elements involved in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
   7. Develop a prayer calendar where people will pray each day for a different Christian leader or Christian organization, much like the Master Media Prayer Guide. Much like the Master Media Prayer Guide, prepared to help us pray for leaders in the entertainment industry
   8. Be a continual encouragement to mission leaders to live lives of holiness and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
2. The Missions Movement could:
   1. Provide a speaker/reporter for every major prayer conference. Jesus said, “My house shall be a house of prayer, for the NATIONS”. We should have a report on the Nations at each prayer meeting.
   2. Provide a listing of all major evangelistic outreaches planned for each six-month time period.
   3. Make sure intercessors are invited to every strategic meeting being planned.
   4. Bring in leaders from the Prayer Movement to help church planters teach their new church leaders to pray more effectively, specifically, and scripturally.
   5. Provide contacts of mission and church leaders that intercessors could contact with when they go to a country to pray for the unreached, and unengaged people groups.
   6. Provide 2-4 reports annually on:
      1. The number and list of people groups still without a missionary.
      2. The number of workers still needed in the people groups with large populations.
   7. Provide reports twice per year on:
      1. Progress in reaching Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, etc.
      2. Language groups still without any scripture translation.
      3. Progress on scripture distribution efforts.
3. Ideas for both groups in combining prayer and “connection work” to hasten the fulfillment of the Great Commission:
   1. Begin by praying for the people groups you received in the materials packet at Herrnhut. If you want profiles on additional groups, write to Lara Heneveld Finishing the Task at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
   2. Send copies of the groups profiles to all of the members of your network.
   3. Ask if any of the people in your network have contacts in the country of your UUPG, or if any are planning a visit to the country in the next year or so.
   4. Become an international “Connector” for an unengaged people group.
      1. Definition – Connecting with Believers in the country of the Unengaged, Unreached people group (UUPG) to tell them you are praying that someone will take the gospel to your people group.
      2. Tell your contact that:
         1. Your prayer group or church is praying for this people group and might want to partner with them.
         2. Ask them if they know of a Christian National that could find this group and do a 3-day survey trip to find their needs.
         3. Suggest that you might help with the transportation expenses for someone to go and survey the people group.
         4. Pray for their current ministry and their personal needs.
         5. Set a time to call them, Skype, email, etc.to get a report on the people group.
   5. Call Dr. David Pope at the Finishing the Task office for help on the next steps in encouraging your church to commit to a partnership with a local church or ministry (760)260-5070.
4. Along the way, there are practical things you can do to encourage your local church.
   1. Talk to your pastor about Prayer for the Nations
   2. Find out what countries your church is already sponsoring missionaries
   3. Talk to your church about praying and giving toward a people group in one of those countries.
5. The Prayer Resources: During this conference, you were given several resources to use during times of prayer. If you do not have these, write to the Finishing the Task office, and ask for the prayer conference materials.
   1. You have the PRAISE REPORT capsule on page 8 from the first day’s handout which lists what has been happening to engage unreached people groups since November 2005.
   2. Secondly, you have the chart of the Elements of the Great Commission showing WHAT God wants us to do regarding the Great Commission and how we should go about it. These are 17 passages of scripture that are the essence of our Lord’s message to us relating to the Great Commission.
   3. Thirdly, you have a short listing of WHO the leaders and networks are that are contributing to the completion of each of the elements involved in the Great Commission. You will add your contacts from many other Christian ministries as you pray for each part of the Great Commission task.
   4. Finally, you have two lists of WHERE we need to pray that the Lord will send workers.
      1. List #1 shows all the people groups that have no known workers.
      2. List #2 shows all the people groups that with not enough workers to reach that portion of the population.
6. Summary:

In summary, if we in the body of Christ can work together off the same Biblical priorities and objectives, then we can think about what our specific prayers should be for the elements of the Great Commission that are still not being addressed.

As we look at scripture translation, or church planting, or evangelism, we can see the people that are being neglected or the languages that are not funded, or the geographic areas for which there are no workers. When we know who the people and organizations are that are attempting to play a significant role in any of these areas, we can pray for them specifically by name.

Finally, we can look at the geographic areas of greatest need and pray specifically for workers to go to those places.