News headlines for March 27th 2003

(Iraq/Jordan)–Operation Iraqi Freedom is where we begin today’s newscast. Coalition forces continue to bomb Iraq and engage the Iraqi military, but the refugee problem hasn’t materialized. World Concern’s[1] Kelly Miller, who’s along the Iraqi-Jordanian border, says just because it hasn’t materialized, doesn’t mean it won’t. “We’ve really got to be prepared for one of two scenarios. One, that indeed the refugee flow does come across the border in the next coming days or perhaps week or 10 days. But, also, what are our contingency plans for moving into Iraq as it becomes accessible and meeting people’s needs there.” However, as this effort plays out, says Miller, ministry will be the focus. “This is absolutely a collaboration, a cooperative effort on behalf of many organizations starting with the evangelical Christian church here in Jordan, who have really mobilized themselves to meet the needs of those in Iraq.”

(USA)–Meanwhile, war tends to have an effect on missions outreach among believers in the United States. Nelson Malwitz is with the Finishers Project[2] . “Right now, there are more Christians in Afghanistan than ever before in all of human history. And so, the open doors that happened as a result of conflict, in this case, are just huge. And, it could be, indeed, that a year from now, there will be more Christians in Iraq than ever before. The Lord will put it on the hearts of many to be engaged in that, and they’re really important portals to begin to reach the Muslim world.” Finishers Project encourages people 25-to-75 to get involved in outreach. Malwitz says at FinishersProject-dot-org[3] you can find out about two important conferences. “One conference this weekend is in Pasadena and the other is in Sacramento the first weekend in April. There will be workshops and plenary sessions giving examples of people who have made the transition from their career, moving into missions ministry.”

(India)–More than a month ago, a Gospel For Asia[4] missionary, Titus, suffered a severe beating from an angry mob in Jharkhand, India. The rioters confiscated his film equipment as punishment for trying to show a film on the life of Christ. GFA reports that when Titus went back to the village to get his equipment back, not only did the village committee return it unconditionally and in good shape, but also, the mob that beat him expressed great interest in finding out about the message of the Gospel he carries.

(Mozambique)–Next, a missions team returned from Mozambique this month with an official letter stating that New Tribes Mission[5] has been granted permission to work in Mozambique. Since the group had only expected to submit the application to minister in the country, what happened next was God-shaped. New Tribes’ Stan Donmoyer. “We had been informed that it takes quite a large amount of time for a mission to become registered in Mozambique. [And] Within five days, we received the word that we had been officially registered in the country.” Donmoyer says the timing is crucial because people are ready for the Gospel. “There are so many people that do need to hear, and we never know how long we will have opportunity to minister because of conditions changing in these countries. So, we are anxious to begin, and we will have our first missionaries arriving there the latter part of July.”

(USA)–And, ‘Compassion by Command’ is an innovative study on God’s heart for the poor, developed by Here’s Life Inner City[6] . Using Scripture, real life vignettes and a powerful movie, God Bless the Child, it deepens understanding and increases motivation to minister to the poor. It is a challenging tool being used in Bible studies and Sunday School classes to help believers understand and respond to the needs in their immediate communities.

[1] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=WCI [2] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=FNP [3] http://www.finishers.org/cunews.html [4] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=GFA [5] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=NTM [6] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=HLIC ———————————————————————

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