OM International Update, August 2007

By Peter Maiden, International Coordinator

 

Dear partners in prayer,

 

I am writing this from the Keswick Convention, where Rev Dr John Stott gave what will probably be his last public address. The topic he chose after decades of ministry was a challenge to be more Christlike. He quoted both Hindu and Muslim leaders who had said that, if Christians lived as Jesus lived and as he taught his followers to live, then they saw little future for their own religions.

This was also what motivated me to write a book (published last week) called Discipleship. Copies should be available in Christian bookshops and on the internet (including STL and WesleyOwen; www.wesleyowen.com). If you would like a copy and can’t get hold of one, drop me a line.

 

Ships

 

Lloyd Nicholas, Project Director for Logos Hope writes that there is a lot of activity onboard the vessel and redelivery of the ship is expected within weeks. We need a crew to sail the ship from Trogir, Croatia to Bremerhaven, Germany for the next phase by the end of July. This phase will take 4–6 months, dependent on skilled volunteers, finance and leadership. We welcome as many volunteers as possible to come and help, and for funds to purchase equipment and materials.

 

Europe

 

Russia: OM workers took more than fifty young people on a summer camp to Losovo, north of St. Petersburg. Alongside hobby and sports activities there will be small group Bible studies and evening meetings with songs, drama and a short talk on the day’s theme. Most participants are not Christians, so pray for their hearts to be open to the Good News. Around half of the participants are from Pushkin, a town just south of St. Petersburg. As OM begins a team in Pushkin in September, pray for effective follow-up.

 

Moldova: Prompted by 80% unemployment, OM’s eight-member Relief and Development department assists women’s groups, day centres, feeding-the-elderly projects, the building of playgrounds and business courses that help participants start their own small businesses. 

Income-generating projects fund the growth of walnut trees, pig and cow farming, automobile/tractor parts, sewing, sunflower seed oil production, electrical installations, a bakery, beekeeping, working with marble and wood and basket-making.

OM’s goal is to help approximately 25 families start a small business each year. You can support this effort by ordering unique, home-crafted products available online from www.amintire.com

The personnel and training departments have moved into the new World Mission Training Centre, which has already hosted a Challenge into Missions program and another conference. Some minor work remains; we have water but await electricity and gas. $24,000 US is still needed to achieve the site’s full potential.

47 participants from 10 countries in July and 100 participants in August will join our Global Challenge outreaches and share the Gospel in many villages throughout Moldova.

 

World faiths

 

Lebanon: The situation has become more critical with bomb blasts and clashes between government troops and Fatah-al-Islam extremists outside Tripoli spawning deadly fighting. This has forced a change in our plans for outreach teams. Your prayers are greatly needed for breakthroughs. We pray that our Muslim neighbours and friends may see Jesus revealed in His sacrificial love and saving grace.

In the predominantly Shiite south, a team member offered a Muslim sheikh a lift. During their conversation, our brother gave the religious leader books to read. The next day he went to the man’s house to give him a Bible and discovered that the man had not gone to bed before finishing both books. Numerous teams have seen an unprecedented openness among Shiites. Pray for the Lord to soften the sheikh’s heart and others like him who have heard the Gospel’s message of salvation.

 

Syria: A new version of the Jesus film was shown in a popular movie theatre in Damascus. 5,000 people and dignitaries attended the screenings. Everyone received a Bible, a copy of the film, and a Christian novel. One team member invited a Muslim friend to the film. “T hadn’t even seen ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ Afterward, we talked for a long time and he had many questions. Jesus is working in T’s heart. He asked if putting his faith in Jesus will really work. Please pray that the Lord would give him a dream or vision to confirm all that he has heard and seen.”

 

Iraq: The Kurdish north is wide open for ministry and needs foreign workers to learn the language and serve long-term. The area is rapidly developing and for the most part is free of the violence ravaging the rest of the country. Fellowship groups among Kurdish believers and others have been springing up. We see opportunities especially among disabled children, medical services and training, school programs, skills training and administration. There are incredible needs and opportunities for ministry, particularly among children.

 

Afganistan: 23 Koreans kidnapped (20.7) were threatened with death unless Korean troops in the country withdraw within 24 hours. The ultimatum was extended with an additional demand that 23 Taliban prisoners should be released.

Twenty of the Koreans are from a church pastored by an OM board member. Pray for the protection and return of the Koreans, against the increased criticism in Korea toward Christian missions, and that Korean churches will send more labourers to the harvest fields.

 

Pakistan: Pray for a special women’s campaign involving 60 women across the country, working both with the churches and in evangelism in spite of very difficult political situation. Only women can reach their half of 165 million people, and mothers transformed by Christ can transform their nation.

 

Tajikistan: Many team members serve with a partner NGO which has faced months of challenges orchestrated by the secret police. Thankfully, visas are being issued again. The suspension of all NGO programs was lifted in early May. Unfortunately, educational programs (business, computer and English courses) are still suspended because an educational license has been withheld. Most programs are thus in significant debt. Please pray for the speedy provision of the license, funds and personnel.

Churches are also facing increased pressure. The government is revising laws governing religion which would significantly curtail freedoms for all religions. The new laws could lead to the closure of all presently-registered churches. Pastors are asking local believers to pray and fast every Monday, calling on the Lord to intervene in this situation.

 

Emerging mission movements

 

Zimbabwe: Pray for OM leader Mike van Vuuren for whom it’s daily survival to find food, fuel and cash. Mike is constantly monitored by government agents and finds it difficult to talk to people freely over the phone. People must now queue for up to two hours to withdraw a maximum of US$22 in cash. Hoarding has been declared illegal; one man was arrested for buying four packs of toilet rolls, taken away in handcuffs and the rolls put back on bare shelves.

In the face of 3700% inflation, the authorities ordered that the price of basic goods be halved. The OM team in Banket reports the shop next to their centre has no food. Thank God for two teams from the USA who worked with children in the schools, university and churches. Pray the resulting fruit would start to show.

Pray for Edwin Derera as he leads the Banket team under very difficult circumstances and looks for ways to build bridges with authorities despite plenty of politically-motivated harassment.

Pray for Vicky Graham running a medical clinic alone in a rural area and finding it difficult to get medicine. Teams and short-term workers have visited her. Though the borders are closed, an estimated three million Zimbabweans have fled to South Africa. Phone lines are out of operation so we are unable to get further information from our teams.

 

Angola (Luanda): Last month, we asked you to pray for the release from prison of Rosa, the righthand man of Wessel van der Merwe, OM Country Leader. Rosa was transferred to a notorious prison full of tough criminals where one man, already serving his fifth year, shed tears when Wessel prayed for him. Our hearts were filled with gratitude as we saw Rosa released on 18 July! He is out of prison and reunited with his wife and children. The OM Angola team expresses sincere appreciation for prayers for Rosa that flung open the prison doors and made God’s hand move.

The many challenges Angolans face are more difficult due to widespread corruption. Consequently, work that should take only a day or two may require months. Pray for open doors and that the Lord would level the mountains.

Wessel and Joan are trusting the Lord for someone to help with their son’s schooling. Tiago is now studying Grade 5 in the ACE system.

 

Mozambique: Thank you for praying for the chronic ulcer condition plaguing Antonio. He recently completed a two-week seminar series in Molócuè, ministering morning, noon, and night. Despite the heavy schedule he was praising God for newfound health. Continue to pray for protection over him and his wife, Maria, who is expecting their fourth child.

Rosita, who was delivered from demon possession, had walked 220km in a trance from the Shiri River. When she arrived at Mocuba she had no idea how. After two days of deliverance ministry, and once in her right mind, she remembered she had six children and a husband; if she was helped back to her house, she would recognise it. The OM team took her to be reunited with her family. Pray that local Christians may be found to disciple and care for her.

In the area around Quelimane, black magic is so strong that communities are regressing rather than progressing. Death spells are being cast, due to spirits of envy and jealousy, on anyone who prospers (this could mean owning a bicycle or having three meals a day). This affects particularly the younger generation who are ambitious, hardworking and therefore succeeding in modest business ventures.

 

Namibia: Praise God for the completion of a chronological Bible study on CD and audiotape. Praise God for people now equipped through Firm Foundations. Pray for the next step for Volker and Gisela Lukaschik who have been central to the project.

Praise God that more workers accepted a call into the harvest fields during various missions weeks. Pray for patience and grace for short-term workers from abroad as they adjust to the slower pace of local life.

 

South Africa: Outeniqua Challenge ran 2–4 July on the south coast, with nearly 400 participants and 46 churches. Pray for future partnerships and mobilising opportunities.

The inaugural Youth Missions Festival, an Urbana-type missions conference for young adults, took place near Johannesburg from 28 June–2 July in partnership with other organisations. A new training team of 32 has arrived at the Missions Preparation Base.

The Mission Leaders and Senior Pastors Dialogue brought 27 mission leaders and senior pastors together to forge stronger relationships and discuss joint strategies for enhancing missions sending in and from South Africa.

Praise God for the AIDS conference held between Christian leaders and the Mayor’s office in Pretoria to agree ways to respond to the challenge of HIV/AIDS in the area.

 

Malaysia: Over 120 people will take part in the Live Another Life conference, with 85 joining hands-on programmes in Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, Vietnam and the Phlippines.

Programme chairman Joseph Ting shared, “It is our prayer that many will make the decision to become someone who has seen the Lord and is prepared to be a risk-taker taking the gospel to the ends of the earth!”

Pray for a lasting impact on the lives of each participant and for many lives to be touched as teams communicate and demonstrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Brazil: On 13th July, at the opening of the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, volunteers and police watched thousands of evangelical Christians surround the stadium,  joining hands to ‘give it a hug’. All who participated released a yellow balloon up in the blue sky designed to demonstrate that Jesus is Lord over Rio de Janeiro and that security and happiness during the Pan American Games 2007 comes from God. Please pray for OM teams and Sportslink as they work alongside local believers to spread the Gospel during the games.

 

Solomon Islands: On 18th June, Sam Scott went to form a relationship with the South Seas Evangelical Church. The Launch Out Mission Conference in Honiara saw over 100 pastors and mission reps receive teaching about how to share the love of Christ with Muslims. Pray for a good relationship with this church and for many workers from these islands.

 

India

 

Frank Fortunato participated in a gathering of musicians and Christians working in India’s gigantic Bollywood film industry seeking to establish a Bollywood Prayer Network. Frank will also give the dedication address and speak about Heart Sounds international (HIS) at a new recording studio at YWAM’s School of the Arts near Pune. He will debut the use of new equipment there by making his own recording. He will meet with various musicians and recording engineers to make plans for a series of recordings for the thousands of ‘untouchable’ (Dalit) caste youth who attend 55 Dalit Educational Centers started by OM India.

 

Next generation

 

www.teenstreet.om.org The theme for TeenStreet this year is contagious and our prayer is that the life and fullness of Jesus will indeed be contagious for thousands of young teens now meeting in Germany or later meeting in South Africa and Malaysia. It is no exaggeration to say that TeenStreet represents the future of our movement, and its global spread is exciting proof that we should support it wholeheartedly. Let’s pray for a new wave of mission as a result.

 

People to pray for

 

Australian Field Leader Jonathan Rodwell underwent radical oesophagus removal on June 18 and faces a slow recovery. Doctors are pleased with his progress. He still has one tube which will be removed in a couple of weeks and is pretty uncomfortable. Jonathan is on significant painkillers, but often feels very uncomfortable. You can monitor his recovery on the OM Australia website <www.om.org.au/information/jonathan-rodwell-health-update/>, and I’m sure he and Kate would appreciate emails: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

My sincere thanks to you for all your prayers and support during the past weeks. We appreciate your fellowship with us greatly.

 

Your brother in Christ,

 

Peter Maiden

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Think Again

What does a servant leader look like?

 

After my family returned from Turkey, I pastored a church in Glasgow for several years. We fruitfully used the Alpha evangelistic course among Scots, brilliantly designed to relate to our post-modern contemporaries in the West. Leaders, for example, are taught to encourage all to share their point of view as they guide the group into understanding the truth of the gospel.

 

We then had four wonderful years serving with a congregation of Iranian immigrants. Again we used Alpha in outreach. I repeatedly tried to inculcate values of openness and respect for everyone’s perspective, but was always frustrated by our Iranian small group leaders who instinctively held forth at length and did not hesitate to correct any erroneous ideas. To my despair, the Iranians insisted on calling the small group leaders muallim (teacher), with its overtones of authority and respect.

 

The main reason the Iranian church grew so fast was Roger, a wonderfully gifted Iranian brother, able to teach and honoured by all for his leadership anointing. Roger was the pastor; my role was to lead the Alpha course.

 

One day when I came along at the normal time, Roger had already gathered the group and was giving a very long lecture to clear up confusion in participants’ minds. Although Alpha was my responsibility, he had not consulted me or told me what he was going to do.
I was offended—he had an MBA but did not even know how to delegate! Everyone else, though, thought his teaching was really helpful.

 

Servants with authority

 

As I reflected on these incidents, I realised there were some profound differences in how people understand authority. In the West, we think of people being on the same level, equal to each other; in many other cultures, society is naturally thought of in more hierarchical terms: I submit to my father, and have authority over my younger brothers. This does not necessarily mean society is oppressive or authoritarian in a negative sense. 

 

A small group leader in a Scottish Alpha group encourages everyone to participate, for all have a contribution to make. However, if an Iranian small group leader were to respond to a question with the reply, “What does everyone else think?” he would be seen as weak, and people would wonder if he was really qualified for the role. The leader’s job is to know his subject and to teach it. We in the West point to Jesus answering question with question; others look at him teaching the crowds for a day!

 

When Roger took over my Alpha course, he was simply acting out of the authority given to him as the leader of our church. He did not need to explain to me what he was going to do; as a church member, my part was to submit to his leadership. It was tough for an ex-hippie like me to swallow, but he does have a lot of Scripture on his side!

 

What about servant leadership? Actually, for several years Roger took an overnight bus every Friday night, and the overnight bus back home every Sunday night in order to pastor the church, a position for which he was not paid. Our people knew he was pushing himself hard to serve the church and that won him their respect. Sacrificial service is certainly the foundation of spiritual authority.

 

Authority that serves

 

When we were in Turkey, the new believers used to call me abi (big brother). Over time I came to realise what that meant: they respected me, were willingly giving me a place of influence in their lives, and were confused when a false humility held me back from speaking into their lives or directing them from Scripture. Serving them meant using the authority given me for their benefit and the Lord’s glory, not abdicating from using it.

 

Julyan Lidstone served in Turkey for fifteen years along with his wife Lenna. After a period serving a church in Scotland, Julyan has been OM’s West and Central Asia Area Coordinator since 2002. Comments are welcome care of research[at]om.org

 

 

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OM International Update is a publication of OM News & Information (OMNI) through which the International Co-ordinator highlights timely developments, important issues and concerns for prayer and response worldwide. It is issued monthly in digital form. Feedback, questions and ideas are welcome. (c) 2007

 

OM International • Peter Maiden, International Co-ordinator

PO Box 27, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 1HG, United Kingdom

Tel. (+44) 1228-615100

peter.maiden[at]om.org • www.om.org