1. 23 Million Malay Muslims live in Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Singapore, and Brunei. 99.9% have never met a follower of the Lord Jesus who has made the message of the Cross make sense or necessary to them.

2. Until recently, extremely few of the Chinese, Indian, or even Malay speaking tribal-background churches have sensed a call to plant sister churches among the Malay Muslims. Fear and/or apathy reign.

3. Malay Muslims assume Islam is the religion of God; therefore they either have no interest in exploring the claims of the Lord Jesus, or fear to do so.

4. Government officials, because of their loyalty to Islam and desire for harmony in Malaysia, oppose any overt presentation of the claims of Christ to the Muslim population. Therefore, there are no residence visas granted to missionaries to Muslims. In fact, ‘on the books’ it is illegal to try to persuade a Muslim to leave Islam, including giving him Christian literature. The fine is about $1000, and two years in prison. It should be quickly noted however, that since 1987, no one knows of this law being applied.

5. There are only about 15-30 known MBBs confessing the Lord Jesus as their Saviour in Malaysia gathering with other believers.

THE VISION

Presuppositions:

• “A church for every people” obviously means that there must be vital, culturally relevant congregations of Malay Muslim Background believers loving the Lord, His Word, and each other through out the cities of West Malaysia…whatever the cost.
• Until there are a sufficient number of Malaysian citizens focused on establishing such churches, there is a great need for ex-patriot disciple-makers. We must pool our different ministry gifts and integrate our time and skills in church planting efforts with any available citizens also called to the task.
• Church planting normally only occurs when a team(s) of workers submit to one another staying closely accountable for our use of time, upgrading of language and ministry skills, prayer life, family life and walk with God.
• The Lord of the Harvest WILL use those available to Him to see vital culturally relevant house churches of MBBs [Muslim background believers] with their own elders become a reality in Malaysia before He returns.

THE STRATEGY

• To continually recruit both expatriate and Malaysian citizens to serve on church planting teams among the Malay Muslims
• To keep dividing the team into more Church planting teams as we grow in number adding Malaysian citizens as God commissions them also.
• To helpfully assist each team member to increasingly understand and utilize his/her gifts and role(s) in the church planting efforts.
• To provide coaching/mentoring for each team member as individuals, and as a team, so that each year we are better equipped in team dynamics and to do church planting including discipling of elders and reproducing church planters.
• To provide shepherding to both the church planters and the MBBs, so that each one is truly growing in godliness, fruitfulness, and their enjoyment and fellowship of the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. John 15; I John 1:3
• To nurture our families, both workers and MBBs, until we are exemplary. Phil.4:9
• To practice biblical discipline by confronting one another and the MBBs when any of us are not keeping the standards of God’s Word.
• To pray constantly and earnestly to get all the help we can find, from God and man, until each church plant effort sees Malay elders serving the flock. At that point the team members can exit from regular involvement with that fellowship committing them to the care of their national elders.
• To work with or utilize pastors, church planters and coaches from churches and other agencies to the extent that it will amplify and accelerate the accomplishing of our mandate from the Lord.
• To live in a location, and in a manner which is conducive to our ministry goals as discerned by the Team.
• To keep learning Malay the entire time we are in Malaysia. Our goal is to eventually be able to read and teach the Bible in Malay, read the newspapers and books with facility, use local proverbs, and even be able to tell and understand Malay stories and jokes in a manner which causes the Malays to feel we are part of their community
• To endeavor by God’s grace and strength to spend at least 30 hours in the presence of Malay Muslims [converted or not] every week.
• We will keep trusting our faithful God and Father to draw Malay Muslims to Himself, and into the fellowship of His church for His glory despite discouragements and setbacks.

Greg Livingstone was the founder of Frontiers.

Is Islam a religion of peace?

Are God and Allah the same?

Are radical Christians just as threatening as radical Muslims?

These may be the questions you hear people popularly debating, but most minds are already made up. The bitter rationale behind “yes” answers to these queries is, “What makes you Christians think that you are better than Muslims?”

The answer will transform the argument and reopen many minds to consider the claims of Christ.
The only difference between Christians and Muslims is the grace of God. What if I had been born in Saudi Arabia? What if you had been born in Gaza? Would we be any  different than they are? I guarantee you we would not.

The most powerful evidence of difference between Christianity and all other religions will come when we demonstrate God’s grace by showing the kind of mercy that we have been shown. Publicly loving by publicly praying for our enemies can become just such a demonstration. A highly visible and exponentially expanding Adopt a Terrorist for Prayer movement will vindicate and propagate the gospel not only among Muslims but also within our own culture.

Don’t miss this opportunity to help jump start a transformation in perceptions of Christians in America. Give to help make this web based movement a reality.  Ask some of your friends to help too! For more information, see www.myatfp.com….

The North American Azerbaijani Network exists to (1) raise awareness in the North America of the strategic need for mission to the Azerbaijani people, (2) to inspire, equip, and facilitate the involvement of those who feel called, (3) and to provide an information clearinghouse for those in mission to the Azerbaijanis.
The forum will provide (1) vital information and a first staging point for your church’s or agency’s entry into work with the Azerbaijanis, (2) a better understanding of the strategic importance of this people group, and their cultural, historical, and spiritual importance in the Central Asian and surrounding worlds, (3) a place to hear of the successes and difficulties of work efforts in an interactive format with people who have many years of experience amongst the Azerbaijanis, and (4) up-to-date information on the hopes and dreams of the emerging national church.

There will be opportunity to meet workers, leaders, agencies, resource people, and partnership facilitators, both national and ex-pat, and to gain a better understanding of this people group and how your organization might get involved.

For more information email azpartnership@galacticomm.org… or visit www.azerbaijanipartnership.org….

1. understand how oral communicators think and process information and what methods are best utilized in presenting biblical truth to them.

2. be able to articulate a biblical basis for oral methods of witness and discipleship.

3. understand and have experienced  key elements of Chronological Bible Storying.

4. be exposed to the storying process. They will learn at least one story and present it, plus learn the elements a storying session, including the questions and processing time afterwards.

5. learn the process of crafting stories in their own language, including worldview & cultural assessment, identification of key terms,  resourcing  multiple translations and other reference material.

6. learn about the use of drama and music and other media in presenting stories when appropriate

7. witness bilingual, cross cultural storying crafting sessions for the students.

8. understand how to do evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and leader training with oral communicators.

9. explore application of orality principles for teaching in a variety of settings and audiences.

10. hear about OneStory opportunities.
For further information, contact askus@ywamonestory.org….

On the calendar

Orality, and Storying and Introduction to Cross Language Storycrafting Workshops.
Jan 21-Feb 1, Nairobi, Kenya
Jan 27-Feb 9, Puebla, Mexico (English)
Feb 10-17, Oaxaca, Mexico (Spanish mother-tongue speakers only)
Feb 15-17, Tyler, TX, USA
Apr 27-May 10, Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 15-23, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Summer, TBA, Dallas, TX, USA.
Oct-Nov 2008, Porto Velho, Brazil (English and Portuguese.  This seminar is registered with U of N).

As we arrived at the apartment, overlooking a breath-taking view of the sea, my Sahara friend took the opportunity to introduce me to a local man. I learned he was a pilot and heard my Muslim friend say I was a teacher of the Bible. When he said I believed in a religion something like his, I saw a way to tell the Old Testament story of Abraham when God told him to sacrifice his son.

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence after. Awkwardly my friend felt he had to break it, saying at the end of time God was going to judge our good deeds against our bad ones. His wife, who was standing beside him, slapped his arm, saying, “No, no, that’s not it! Bryan said—”, and proceeded to accurately retell the entire story in their dialect of Arabic, and then very clearly tied in the Lamb’s provision to take away our sins, as I had done.

It was not the first time my mouth stood open with amazement at how a story could get under the defenses, with powerful results. A few years earlier in Port-au-Prince I had been teaching a group of church leaders. I told a story illustrating the power of God, and suddenly a woman towards the back of the crowded room began to shout how she had been healed! God was messing up my plan once more, and somehow I heard Him speaking (loudly) inside that there was good reason why Jesus chose narrative as His style of communication to the people of Israel, and why “He did not teach anything except by means of a story” (Mark 4:34). A story tells truth that sticks.

In our world there are four billion people who cannot, do not or will not read (oral learners). They have a preferred style of receiving, learning and processing information. Most of the world cannot comprehend the literate way we present the Gospel. It’s more than not reading or writing but a whole way of thinking. And it does not just concern the ‘primitive’ tribesman in some remote land, but it also concerns post-moderns living on our doorstep.

We, in story4all, have launched a podcast and website focused on informing, mobilizing and resourcing the Body of Christ to make disciples of oral learners. You can subscribe to the podcast at: story4all.com….

Bryan Thompson is the podcast producer and director of story4all. He lives in Ireland, with his wife Amarilis and their 3 daughters.

While I grew up in a large city of North Africa, I took it for granted that very few people could not read and write. My mother was a teacher, and her father had been the director of a school, and practically everyone around me knew how to read and write.  I did not realize that there are millions of people who cannot read and write. And there are many more people who may be counted as literate, because they went to school for a short while, but they do not have enough education to be able to read a book like the Bible and understand what they read. It is estimated that about half of the world population is functionally illiterate.

In developing countries, the problem is even more serious. In West Africa, for instance, especially in the rural areas, most people cannot read or write.  This is particularly true for women. In America, at least 80% of the people are literate. In most rural areas of West Africa, more than 80% of the people are illiterate. This high rate of illiteracy is a real hindrance for these people to make meaningful progress socially, economically and spiritually. Ignorance keeps these people in poverty, bondage, and darkness.

We must realize many churches and Christian organizations have tried to reach the lost in West Africa without really addressing this serious illiteracy problem. A better approach would be to start implementing and developing literacy programs in West Africa. Thus, the felt need is met (people are learning how to read and write) and such literacy programs gives the opportunity to Christian teachers to witness to their students while helping them to read the Scriptures. Such type of a ministry does not cost much when local churches get involved. Literate members of these churches volunteer their time to teach those who cannot read and write and they may use the church facilities for their literacy classes.

There is a ministry called “Literacy & Evangelism International” (LEI), which has spread this vision and helped a number of local churches and Christian institutions to develop literacy programs in West Africa. LEI is a missionary fellowship desiring to see the Church in every nation effectively reaching the illiterate, bringing them the Living Word, Jesus Christ, by enabling them to read the written Word of God.

LEI was founded in 1967 for helping people connect better with their world and with God’s Word:

• by teaching reading and writing, if they struggle in their own language

• by teaching English, if they struggle in an English-speaking context assisting churches and missions with materials and training for basic literacy or English teaching ministries:

• by developing Bible-content teaching materials in multiple languages

• by training tutors, trainers, leaders and missionaries, providing training, placement and covering for missionaries worldwide.

For more information about Literacy & Evangelism International, and if you are interested to help respond to the challenge of illiteracy in West Africa, visit us online at
www.LiteracyEvangelism.org…. [For a snapshot of the literacy problem, see Atlas No. 2, Literacy in West Africa, on page 49. —Ed.]

Elijah Company was founded in 1998 with the purpose of mentoring workers for missions. Over 180 missions-minded people have now been through these training camps. Many of them are presently on fields around the world. Our input into each varied, as the Lord leads. For some we were a “jump-start”, as one said. For others we were a link in the chain of preparation. We offer our experience and faith.

The Lord is calling for workers to lay down their lives on foreign soil and many are responding, but the path into the mission’s world is often strewn with uncertainty and obstacles. Many are called, but very few actually go forth.

We see the training camps as a place of illumination. Facing a call to missions is like going into a strange dark room. This room may have many good and bad things, some dangers some treasures. If the lights were turned on to full intensity, even briefly, one could see the layout of the room, what is there and begin to maneuver around obstacles to achieve a purpose.

Missions is a dark room, it has both joys and trials. Our goal is to bring newly called people into “the missionary living room” and enable them to maneuver toward their call.

Please accept our resources, faith and encouragement. Our desire is to meet you, enlighten and train you. We want to see you “thrust” into your place of service in the building of God’s Kingdom with anticipation and practical training!

For more information, see www.elijahcompany.org… or call (757) 226-3507.

It is true that some Muslims will always hate us and much of the Islamic world is still resistant to the gospel, but since there is today a major response to the gospel, now is the time to reach them.

The Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies is doing everything it can to equip Great Commission Christians for this task: In 2007 we’re offering two, one-week courses/seminars in January, and four in July.  “Courses” are for credit when pursuing a degree and “seminars” for non-credit.

The classes for 2007 are as follows:
- Islam in the 21st Century- January 8-12, 2007
- Church Planting among Resistant Peoples- January 15-19, 2007
- Islam through Muslim and Christian Eyes- July 2-6, 2007
- The Spirit World of Islam- July 9-13, 2007
- Interacting with Muslim Women- July 23-27, 2007
- Approaches to Muslims- July 16-20, 2007.

From these courses/seminars, participants will learn about the character of Muhammad and the violence espoused in the Qur’an, but they will also realize that most Muslims are not suicide bombers.  They will learn apologetic methods on how to articulate and defend Christianity when talking to Muslims, but they will understand that the greatest apologetic is love and forgiveness.

Participants will be encouraged to look behind the anger and agenda of militants and see that Muslims have not always acted in such an extreme manner.  In fact, at times they have treated people of other faiths better than Christians have.  Muslims lived peacefully among Jews and Christians in Spain during the middle ages, and they lived in relative harmony for an extended period of time with people of other religions in India.  Today, however, there is a level of animosity and resentment among some Muslims that is without parallel in the past. Attendees will discover why this is so.

Now picture with me another group of people near a lake—Lake Chad—on the north-eastern corner of the African country of Nigeria. The people are called Kanuri. The tall, dark Kanuri people, over five million strong, are mostly farmers who would understand the miracle of multiplied seed growing to provide for their people. The Kanuri are Islamic with less than .01% as evangelical—there are some believers but no formal church.

But the seed of good news is being sown. Trans World Radio broadcasts every day in the Kanuri language to the people in Nigeria. For several years the seed has been sown, needing the watering of time before fruit could come forth. But slowly a breakthrough is being seen.

Another scene can be seen in central Nigeria with the 21 million Hausa people. This people group is also Islamic with less than .01% evangelicals, but a different result is seen with this seed—more believers can be found and a group of churches are the result. TWR broadcasts the good news ½ hour daily in Hausa to Nigeria.

The evidence of fruit is clearly seen in the response from a former religious teacher who confessed Christ as Lord of his life. This Hausa man said he had been listening to TWR’s TTB (Bible study) radio program every day for four years. Each day he would compare the teaching of his own religion with the teaching of the word of God. Finally, he came to the conclusion the word of God is truth.

In southern Nigeria the scene is much different from the central and north regions. The Yoruba speaking people, numbering 25 million making it the third major language group of Nigeria, have worshipped with indigenous beliefs such as voodoo. Recently, however, they have undergone significant change as many are converting to Christianity. They have a widespread church. TWR broadcasts daily ½ hour programs in the Yoruba language to Nigeria. The seed is producing much fruit.

Three people groups—one country—one Gospel broadcasting the seed of good news. Some seed is planted on souls that respond in great number; some seed is sown on hearts that boldly respond under difficult circumstance; and some seed is sown and left for a time before the fruit is seen, one soul at a time.

These are three of several languages TWR broadcasts into the most populous country in all Africa, Nigeria. TWR will begin broadcasting in mid 2007 from a new transmitting station in Benin, next door neighbor to Nigeria. Several of these languages are already being prepared for casting into Nigeria. Pray with us that:

• God’s protection would be on the producers of these radio programs into difficult areas. The cost is high for many of these believers.

• The finances will be available to expand the reach into Nigeria. Praise God for the consortium of African churches who help sponsor some of our broadcasts.

• The seed given out on the air would penetrate hearts and change lives to bring in an abundant harvest of soul.

A child that is a young girl is sitting on a mattress that serves as a seat in the living room of her mother’s bleak house in Kurdistan. A single neon tube that casts an indistinct shadow on the furniture-less floor lights the stark room, clothed in the anthracite grey of smoothed cement. There is no father; he has committed suicide, driven to taking his life by grinding poverty and hopeless despair.

Yet the girl is smiling, as she holds a schoolbook and pen, purchased with sponsorship money from a kind supporter of World in Need. Her mother says, “We see it as a gift from God and therefore are not ashamed to receive it as though we were beggars. No, our family is not jealous—they know we are poor and are happy to have this income. I use it to buy school clothes, books, food for the children. It helps us and we are thankful.”

In Baguio City, Philippines many children worked in the burning garbage dump, a garbage dump for those who have given to the have-nots. Our child sponsorships have transformed many young lives and these are now happy adjusted children with dreams of a better life than their parents can offer.

World In Need (WIN) seeks to empower children of the most poor to be what they can be and fulfil their potential. Some want to be pilots, some doctors, and some teachers. We cannot guarantee to make that happen, a lot of other factors must come into play but we can give them a chance. A chance to know their rights, to play, to be protected and to go to school. Through child sponsorships we can provide small amounts of money on a monthly basis that will cover their school fees, pay their teachers, provide medical needs and give them books, pencils and toys to play with. The fact that someone outside of their environment knows that they exist gives them hope. That hope is translated into a desire to please, to learn and correspond with their sponsor and to use that opportunity to improve their situation.

In Afghanistan our children are turning out to be good artists, eager to learn and happily adjusted children after the traumas of many years of horrific war. In fact WIN seeks to be involved in war torn and disaster areas like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Afghanistan and poor areas of lands in India, Philippines and Kenya.

For less than the price of a daily paper anyone can sponsors a children. They will receive two letters a year and a photo of their child. On their birthday they can also send a small gift that the coordinator will pass onto them and keep the communications open.

For more information, contact World In Need, PO Box 109, Crowborough, East Sussex TN6 2ZN, England, www.winint.org…