03 Jul The Changing World of Missions

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

There is good news regarding the “good news.”

The latest edition of Operation World reported that evangelicals numbered 84.5 million (2.8% of the world’s population) in 1960, but in 2000 they were 420 million (6.9%). Evangelical Christianity is the world’s fastest growing major religion even in areas traditionally closed to missionaries.

In the Islamic world, North Africans have been turning to Christ in the last decade–perhaps explaining at least in part the desire for reform throughout the region. Middle East Media reports surging interest in Christian literature, while in Indonesia the church is estimated to have grown by 20 million since organized attacks against Christians began in 1998.

Latin America’s evangelicals now number 60 million people, two-thirds of whom are Pentecostals. Responding not only to the needs of the poor and disenfranchised within their own borders, they have been carrying the gospel overseas to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

In the countries of the former Soviet Union, the Alliance for Saturation Church Planting and the CoMission, a cooperative effort of 35 denominations and agencies, reports 2500 new church plants in four years, including 767 in the Ukraine alone. Ukrainians are now sending workers to 11 unreached areas, including Kazakhstan.

In Asia, the church in China has gone from 30 million in 1949 when the communists took power to more than 100 million today. In India there is a vibrant and brave missionary movement of 200 Indian agencies and several thousand missionaries reaching out to their own tribal peoples, and also to Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal, and the disputed Cashmere Region.

Africa is the most Christian continent in all the world today. In Kenya, nearly 50% of the people claim to be evangelicals. Nigeria is sending missionaries throughout the world, but particularly to Arab North Africa.

The world as we know it has been turned upside down. Once the Global North was predominantly Christian. Today, it is the Global South. Nearly 80% of all evangelicals live in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and they are more engaged in mission than ever before. North America is being rivaled by South Korea, Brazil, China, India, and Nigeria as the leading sender of missionaries.

This doesn’t mean we are being relieved of our duties, nor are we unnecessary in the task of global evangelism. What it does indicate is that our role is changing from leaders to participants, and that the way missions is being done will continue to change significantly.

01 Jul Poland Team

A team of 15 persons are currently in Poland, helping to conduct an English Camp for teens in Kutno, Poland. They are working with Global Ministries endorsed staff Arek and Donna Delik. Donna sent a note on June 29 saying, “We are in the middle of English camp, and we are very thankful for the team from United Brethren church, who have given themselves 100% to the teenagers in the camp and show a lot of love to them. Some of the team members even sacrificed their spare time for ‘ice-cream’ to help Arek do the flooring in the new church building. We are really blessed by them.”

Donna reports that work is coming along well on the church building. After three months of demolition and cleaning up on the building they purchased last fall, construction began in earnest in April. “The roof construction is in its final stage of completion. Now the building looks quite different from the original one–taller, more spacious and functioning. Nonetheless, it is still far from finished. The metamorphosis has just begun.”

The team from the United States participated in the second service held in the unfinished building.

” It was another beautiful day. We enjoyed having the roof above our heads protecting us from the strong sun. We hope that we won’t be worshipping in this building only every few months. We are praying that we could have our normal service in this building permanently very soon. We are aiming to get the worship hall ready by the end of this year; however that means we have to finish all the basic construction and facilities like electricity, heating, bathroom, etc., first. We really need god to help us accomplish the impossible.”

You can download the Deliks’ June 2011 PDF newsletter, which includes many photos of the construction work and other information.

29 Jun Project: A Tiny Guatemala Church with a Huge Vision

Pastor Jaime Chun and his wife may have a tiny model of the church building they are erecting, but they have a huge vision and an immense love for the people of their community in Guatemala.

In 2000, they began this church plant using their musical gifts to draw a crowd. They sacrificed their time and comfort in order to spend time infiltrating their community. The Chuns have lived by faith along with their four children in just two rooms, one as a living space and the other as a bedroom for the entire family. Yet they are always joyful and ready to bless those they meet.

Although unemployment in their area is at 50% and most only work seasonally in the sugar cane fields, the congregation of 80 has purchased a 9×16 meter lot and constructed one level of what they hope will one day be a three-story ministry center.

They are working in stages, so the project has been broken down as $5000 for the second floor, $7500 for the third, and another $7500 to finish the entire structure, interior, etc. Much of their focus is on children’s ministry. Since many cannot attend school, they offer education as well as spiritual care. They hope to even provide housing to orphans as the Lord provides.

If a team would be interested in assisting, it would be best to plan on traveling sometime between October and April to avoid the rain. Accommodations would be very basic, but love would be provided in abundance.

23 Jun Project: Colonia la Estancia Church Plant

Pastor Basilio in the Colonia la Estancia building.

When the church plant began in La Estancia, Pastor Basilio was driving back and forth some two hours from Guatemala City to Escuintla. In the process, he and his family of seven lost their home in the city due to a lack of finances. Today, they live in a very basic shelter next to the church plant.

Although unemployment in their area is at 50% and most only work seasonally in the sugar cane fields, the congregation of 60 has purchased a 6×15 meter lot on which they built a picnic-style shelter where the congregation gathers. In order for the building to be improved, footers need to be poured, walls constructed, and a roof installed. They calculate that it would cost $8000 to make the improvements on the property.

A team would be welcome but would need to recognize that their accommodations would be quite rustic. If you’re up for that kind of challenge, the best time would be during the month of September. Workers are laid off from May until October, and rain is heavy during the summer months. The members of the church can’t offer much, but are willing to volunteer alongside a work team.

20 Jun Teens from Germany Visit the US

Donna Hollopeter with the teens from Germany (click to enlarge).

Galen and Maritta Fiedler, non-traditional staff with Global Ministries, brought a group of 18 teens and 2 chaperones from the Aloys Henhofer School in Germany. They spent the week of June 13 participating in the regular teen camp at Camp Cobutic in Bellafontaine, Ohio.

They are now spending six days visiting Huntington University. During their time in Indiana, they’ll visit Shipshewana, the Fort Wayne Zoo, and get a special tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In the mornings, Donna Hollopeter is offering some fun English learning activities. Donna was among the first to receive a TESOL Certificate (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the Institute for TESOL Studies at Huntington University.

20 Jun 5 Teams, 4 Countries

Several short-term mission teams are currently overseas or traveling.

Honduras Medical Team. A group of 22 people arrived in Honduras on June 17, ready to conduct a series of clinics at UB churches. They are staying in Olanchito. They conducted clinics on Saturday (June 18) and Monday (June 20). So far they have seen 700 medical patients and 300 patients for eyeglasses. The team is led by Fonda and Robert Cassidy of Mt. Olivet UB church (Mt. Solon, Va.). All of the team members are having a great time and settling in very well. The team will be in Honduras doing clinics each day this week and will return to the U.S. on Saturday, June 25.

They have asked for prayer for a specific situation. They saw a woman, age 40+, who is pregnant with twins and was just diagnosed with lung cancer. The team is attempting to get the woman to a hospital for an early delivery of the babies so that some kind of cancer treatment can begin.

Sierra Leone. Two groups will soon be ministering in Sierra Leone.

Gail Welch, a former UB missionaries at Mattru Hospital, is leading a group of 7 persons who will spend a month installing water filtration systems in villages throughout the country.

On June 20, a group of five persons from Criders UB (Chambersburg, Pa.) began their journey to Sierra Leone. They will work at Jonathan’s House, an orphanage in Bo, and stay with Randy and Toni Fennig.

Nicaragua. A group of 25 youth and adult sponsors from College Park UB (Huntington, Ind.) left today (June 20) for Nicaragua. They will be there for 10 days, working with UB staffperson Jeff Dice and conducting a VBS in the evenings.

Poland. Roger and Sharon McDonald are leading a group of 15 persons to Poland, where they will conduct an English camp alongside UB endorsed staff Arek and Donna Delik. They leave Friday morning, June 24.

15 Jun Mission Project: Motorcycles for Superintendents

Global Ministries has posted a new mission project involving Sierra Leone.

Project: Honda XL 125 motorcycles for the six regional superintendents.
Location: Sierra Leone
Cost:$40,800 ($6800 per motorcycle)

Sierra Leone National Conference has six regional superintendents who supervise church ministries in their regions. Over the years, these regional superintendents have not been as effective as expected due to lack of transportation. The Honda XL 125 motorcycle is very common and will be a reliable means of transportation, enabling these superintendents to fulfill their leadership duties.

The national conference has grown extensively over the past three years. It now includes 73 churches and 15 preaching points, plus 54 schools with a total enrollment of just over 10,000 students and 376 teachers. The conference has budgeted funds to cover fuel expenses and will cover repairs.

14 Jun Mission Project: Sierra Leone National Office

Global Ministries has added a new mission project on the UBGlobal.org website.

Project: Renovations on the national office.
Location: Bo, Sierra Leone
Cost: $30,000

The United Brethren National Office in Bo was built 19 years ago. It has seven rooms, a hall, and restroom. However, the building was never totally completed due to the rebel war of the 1990s and subsequent lack of funds.

Currently, the Superintendent of Administration uses the building, and the lecture hall is used by a new United Brethren fellowship. The superintendent’s office is the only room in relatively good condition. The hall is used once every two years for Bi–Annual Conference, but could be used further for training, workshops, and other events held by the United Brethren or other church groups.

Sierra Leone Conference wants to complete the building so that all other members of our leadership team–the Bishop, superintendents, National Youth Director, Development Coordinator, Women’s Director, Education Secretary–can use the building. The conference office serves 73 churches and 15 preaching points, plus 54 schools with a total enrollment of just over 10,000 students and 376 teachers. There is one theological college and one hospital.

Among the renovations required are:

• Constructing a fence around the perimeter.
• Upgrades to the electrical system.
• Repairs to the roof.
• Additional restroom space.
• Repair of the existing facilities.

Once these offices have been renovated, Bishop John Pessima will able to relocate his home to Bo. He still lives in Freetown, a half-day drive from their offices and not centrally located within the conference.

13 Jun Guatemala Project: Rivers of Living Water Church

Rivers of Living Water Church in Barcena, Guatemala

Global Ministries has posted a new mission project:

Description: Work team to construct a second floor to the Rivers of Living Water Church
Location: Barcena, Guatemala
Cost: $8500

The Rios de Agua Viva United Brethren Church is located in Barcena, about 20 miles from Guatemala City. This church plant was actually started by another group, but they abandoned the work when the neighborhood didn’t seem to respond. Of the 4000 people who live in Barcena, only 10% have fulltime employment. Pastor Cesar’s family live in their hometown some 80 miles away, while he lives in a tin hut across the street from the church plant. He supports himself and his family by laying brick.

The church building has walls, a floor, a temporary corrugated steel roof, and electricity. However, the community does not have a water supply. The congregation has paid for all of the work accomplished thus far, and there are no liens.

They would love to have help from a team to construct a second floor, which they could use for ministry and as a living space for the pastor’s family. They estimate that it will cost $8500. Low cost accommodations would be available in Guatemala at a guesthouse owned by CH Global, one of our partnering agencies.

13 Jun The Reecks: 40 Years, and 40 Years

Endorsed missionaries Roger and Marilyn Reeck celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on June 3, 2011. Except Roger was in Columbia and Marilyn was in Dallas, Tex. But they did communicate through the internet. They’ll have a belated celebration in July in Honduras, with three of their four daughters present.

At the same time, the Reecks completed 40 years of missionary service with Wycliffe Bible Translators. They write, “The Lord has certainly been wonderful to us during these years–through all of the ups and downs. We have been involved in such a wide variety of activiteis that it has never been boring. It has been an honor and privilage to serve Him in this way.”

In May, their third daughter, Amanda, traveled to Honduras on a medical trip and was able to spend a few days with her parents. She graduated from Baylor School of Medicine on May 29, and is beginning a three-year internship in internal medicine in Dallas.

Right now, Roger is in Bogota, Columbia. He writes, “I am helping a small group of jungle Indians translate Psalms into their language while still keeping a poetic style. It is so fulfilling to share this knowledge with the Waimaha Indians as they choose just the right words to make the Psalms sound poetic and beautiful.”