The May 2009 PNEUMA INFORMER
In this issue:
What's New at www.PneumaFoundation.org
http://www.pneumafoundation.org/pi.jsp?pi=/2009/pi_05_2009.xml#N65545
New Online Articles
New Links and Content Worth Noticing
Reports from Around the World
http://www.pneumafoundation.org/pi.jsp?pi=/2009/pi_05_2009.xml#N65610
India: Believers number more than 10 percent of population
Special Report: Healing and Deliverance on Vanuatu Island
Worldwide: Christ the only way to end trafficking
India: Hope for slum dwellers
UAE: Christ's love demonstrated through medical care in the Middle East
Somalia: Pirate eyes not seeing
Global Generosity
India: Christians hope for change from elections
News and Headlines
Report the News
Reasons to Improve your CQ
http://www.pneumafoundation.org/pi.jsp?pi=/2009/pi_05_2009.xml#N65822
Resources You Can Use
"Wireless Microphones Must Change"
http://www.pneumafoundation.org/pi.jsp?pi=/2009/pi_05_2009.xml#N65841
Excerpts from the PNEUMA REVIEW
Prayer Requests
http://www.pneumafoundation.org/pi.jsp?pi=/2009/pi_05_2009.xml#N65876
Supporting the Foundation
http://www.pneumafoundation.org/supporting.jsp
India: Believers number more than 10 percent of
population
The number of believers in India has risen to 10 or 11
percent of the population, rising from three percent in the last 20 years. Pray
for boldness for believers as they continue to be persecuted.
Source: Mission Network News, 17 March, 2009. Full story:
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/12429
Special Report: Healing and Deliverance on Vanuatu
Island
Charles Carrin writes: Terri M., of Franklin, Tennessee,
writes of her recent mission trip to the island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific.
Terri sometimes travels to places missed by other missionaries. Parts of Vanuatu
are inhabited by people wearing grass-skirts, loin-cloths - or no clothes at
all. God has honored Terri's obedience with a wonderful increase of His
Anointing and Glory. I share part of her letter. Chas
Dear Family,
I am very excited to share the news about the great things God has done!
Once again, I stand amazed at His goodness and grace. And this time my friend
Peggy R. shared it with me. And what a joy to have her! What we saw and
experienced is difficult to pass on to you. It is larger than my ability to
relate it-- but I will try. I know you guys prayed for us and want to hear.
The first healing was a young man in a Kastum village. They still practice
witchcraft, or black magic, as far as I understand, and consult with the spirits
of dead ancestors. As soon as Peggy and I arrived, three men came carrying him
out. I thought he had a severe fracture that was protruding thru the skin, but
Peggy,(an O.R. nurse) said it was some kind of infection. He was unable to bear
any weight and was in great pain. After breaking any curses that may have been
on him I released prayer for him. After a few minutes of prayer the wound
erupted and started to drain out the infection. Men in the village were gathered
around in excitement at seeing this happen. They were scraping the drainage off
with leaves. His parents were very grateful.
After his healing an elderly
man came to have his hearing healed and he got it! We tested it from good
distances and it was in fact, healed. There was no worship and preaching as we
would have in the U.S. These people don't know our "order". They heard God would
heal so they come to get it. Afterwards I preached. The Chief allowed it--and I
think in itself that was quite extraordinary.
A lady from the Cargo Cult in
another village meeting was one of the first healed. I was unaware of it until
our guide told me. He said she was one of the first I prayed for. She came on a
walking stick and left without it! On that day, there were numerous healings.
Deafness was healed and I believe I saw a blind eye opened. In one village, a
woman who had lost her hearing in one ear because of a beating from her husband
got healed. She had [been] deaf for 18 years. -- It goes on and on and on. We do
have video in one village asking how many got healed. Many hands went up.
The deaf heard, the blind saw, the lame walked, and I don't even know what
else. When some of the healings were taking place there was so much going on
that I really am not sure what all happened. Our guide, Morice, told me that he
would gather and record as much of it as he could. How I love it when I don't
have a plan. God brings it together!
The people simply believed and
received. They were told God was healing people, so they came and got theirs.
There were healings for the people of the John Frum Cargo Cult and people from
Kastum villages as well as Christians from local churches. I was faithful to ask
most everyone I prayed for if they belonged to Jesus and 95% + said they did.
Family, God is still God! Demons still tremble! Healings are the norm! I
would be glad to relate more by phone if anyone wants to talk. It is huge, wild,
exciting, and more joyous than this bit or writing can convey.
Thank you so
much for your prayers, the money you gave towards the purchase of Bislama
Bibles, and for the reading glasses. All were gratefully and gleefully received.
Lives are changed, forever. Praise God for the body of Christ!
Still and
Always His,
Terri
Source: Charles Carrin
Ministry Newsletter, May 14, 2009
Worldwide: Christ the only way to end trafficking
One
girl was saved from a brothel in north India and given the hope of Christ. The
young girl was sold to the brothel by her stepmother at the age of 14.
Thankfully, she was found by a Christian rescue mission. But millions more are
less fortunate, including over 14,000 foreign nationals brought into the U.S.
and sold every year. Ministries like International Mission Board have programs
in high-risk countries to help provide a way out and bring the love of Christ to
victims of trafficking. Your prayers are needed. Take a stand for the most
vulnerable people in the world.
Source: Adapted
from Mission Network News, 23 March, 2009. Full story:
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/12453
India: Hope for slum dwellers
Russia: Is a New
Inquisition Coming? The powers of the Russian Justice Ministry's Expert Council
for Conducting State Religious-Studies Analysis were considerably widened in
February 2009, allowing it to investigate the activity, doctrines, leadership
decisions, literature and worship of any registered religious organisation and
recommend action to the Ministry. The subsequent appointment of renowned
"anti-cultists" and controversial scholars of Islam to the Council - including
Aleksandr Dvorkin as its chair, who has described the faith of charismatic
Protestants as "a crude magical-occult system with elements of psychological
manipulation" - have led a wide range of religious representatives to liken the
Council to a new "inquisition", Forum 18 News Service notes. If the Council is
given free rein, it is likely to recommend harsh measures against certain
religious organisations. At the Council's first meeting, Dvorkin named the
Russian Bible Society as a possible target for investigation, but its executive
director told Forum 18 no action has followed. Forum 18 asked the Justice
Ministry how many commissions it is likely to give the Council each year,
whether the Ministry will automatically accept its conclusions and, if not, who
will decide. However, the Ministry has so far failed to respond.
Source: Adapted from "F18News Summary: Kyrgyzstan;
Russia" | http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1299 and
http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1300
UAE: Christ's love demonstrated through medical care in the Middle
East
Infant mortality rates that stood at 50-percent in the United
Arab Emirates are now less than one-percent, and maternal mortality is almost
unheard of. That's the legacy of CURE International. David Printy runs their
Oasis Hospital. "There's a strong tradition and a high level of trust," which
builds into credibility and opens doors for more. "We are predominantly a
hospital for women and children. We deliver over 300 babies a month. We have a
very active pediatric clinic, and we are a teaching hospital of the UAE medical
school. It's kind of a model for what we're doing in Kabul, Afghanistan right
now." Printy says their patients know they're Christians. They also make sure
the Gospel is available. "One of the things for which we have permission is that
in each patient's room, there is an Arabic translation of Luke, and they also
have an Arabic translation of the JESUS film. The government has allowed us to
have those in the rooms, and if the patients choose to take them with them,
they're free to do that." Last year, the hospital distributed more than 500
Scripture portions and copies of the JESUS film. Pray that the seeds planted
will take root.
Source: Mission Network News 12
March, 2009. Full story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/12414
Somalia: Pirate eyes not seeing
The United States vows to
fight piracy along the Somali coastline. Companies using those shipping lanes
are wary as pirate attacks have increased dramatically. Africa Inland Mission
ships vital supplies to their teams using these lanes. Recently, pirates did
board a ship which carried several of AIM's containers, and they broke into one
of them. What the pirates found was a large supply of bandages which had been
used to fill extra space in the container, so they went on to the next
container, leaving AIM's equipment, packed under the bandages,
untouched.
Source: Adapted from Mission Network
News, 4 May, 2009. Full story:
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/12614
Global Generosity
Ever wonder if giving to missions
really makes a difference? A new study shows that churches of all denominations
gave $8.6 billion for international relief and development in 2007, nearly a
quarter of all U.S. giving to developing countries.
According to the annual
"Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances" study by Hudson Institute's
Center for Global Prosperity (CGP), 74 percent of American congregations gave an
average of $11,960, and about 89,000 churches gave directly to programs in
foreign countries for a combined $3.3 billion. Other means of church giving
included short-term mission or service trips (one-third of all congregations did
this), as well as long-term development projects (30 percent) that contributed
more than $1.4 billion to aid other countries.
"Together, religious
organizations and PVOs [private and voluntary organizations], including
volunteers to international development causes, gave more in aid to developing
countries than the U.S. government did in 2007," said Carol Adelman, director of
the CGP. "Religious congregations ... are becoming major players in the world of
international development, bringing new ideas, dollars and people to the table
to help the world's poor."
So where did all this money go? The areas
benefiting from American generosity were Latin America and the Caribbean (36
percent); Asia and the Pacific (29 percent); sub-Saharan Africa (21 percent);
Europe and Central Asia (9 percent); and North Africa and the Middle East (5
percent). At least 34 percent of congregational giving went toward education, 26
percent was allotted for health and medical projects, and 22 percent for
disaster relief.
Source: Hudson Institute
http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication_details&id=6237
India: Christians hope for change from
elections
Christians were among the first to vote in the ongoing
elections in India. The first voting day took place Orissa state where thousands
of Christians were attacked last fall. Danny Punnose of Gospel for Asia says
this is a surprising move by the government. "This is kind of a historic thing
where in the past, things like this would happen to bring fear and keep the
Christians from voting. But this is going to bring a very loud statement to
those in power that you cannot hurt minorities without repercussions taking
place." Christians hope the elections will result in a more Christian-friendly
government. In the meantime, believers in India need your prayer. "Pray and ask
the Lord that they would be able to stand strong no matter what comes their way,
that their faith would be strong, and that they would be a witness to their
neighbors. And that's the greatest thing that they long for, that more people
would come to know Jesus through their life."
Read the follow up
announcement: Christians
celebrate national elections victory While this does not mean that
persecution will end, "[t]his will definitely benefit the growth of Christianity
in the next five years" (MNN). http://www.mnnonline.org/article/12677
Source: Mission Network News, 30 April, 2009. Full story:
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/12603
See other news to pray and praise God about in the Prayer Requests department below.
Report the News
We are looking for stories about what God
is doing in the world, reports about the persecution of Christians, and
information about significant trends and ministry opportunities. If you have a
news item to report, please send an email to the PNEUMA
INFORMER. http://www.pneumafoundation.org/contactus.jsp
Is your Cultural Quotient high enough?
Top 10 reasons why you, a ministry leader (or leader in training),
need Cultural Intelligence
10. The diversity in your church does not
mirror the diversity in your neighborhood.
9. You wish to see sustainable
change in the lives of people who have participated in short-term mission trips
or service projects.
8. You feel the training you do before mission trips
rarely affects how people interact with the culture.
7. You have direct
partnerships with ministries in different cultures at home or across the
ocean.
6. You want to ensure your church is a welcoming place regardless of a
visitor's cultural background.
5. You see a growing divide in your church
among people's worship preferences, interests, voting practices, etc.
4. You
want to ensure that you do not lead short-term mission trips or service projects
that offend those you are trying to serve.
3. You and your team have a desire
to better engage various cultures around you, but you do not know where to
begin.
2. You need to find a core skill set you can teach your leaders to
help them be more effective across ethnic, generational, and organizational
cultures.
1. You want to move from motivating your congregation to care about
diverse settings to equipping them to do it effectively.
Top 5 reasons why you, a youth leader (or youth leader in training),
need Cultural Intelligence
5. You feel like a constant mediator
between the adult world and the youth world.
4. You want to see your students
move beyond their comfort zones in their high school friendships and
interactions.
3. You want to see your students show the same love to people
of other ethnicities in their own high schools as they do on short-term mission
trips.
2. You want your youth group to reflect the diversity found in local
high schools.
1. You cannot keep up with the constant trends in youth
culture.
Top 10 reasons why you, a Christian, need Cultural
Intelligence
10. You feel lost in trying to carry on a conversation
with people of other faiths and ethnicities.
9. You want to share the gospel
with people from other faiths without feeling like a bigot.
8. Your personal
convictions cannot be reduced to one political party.
7. You are looking for
something more than a politically correct approach to interacting with people
from different cultures.
6. You want to serve people without turning them
into objects of good will.
5. You want your kids to understand the issues of
race and class that exist in the world and in your community.
4. Your job
requires you to interact with people from all different cultural
backgrounds.
3. You do not want to be an ignorant American, but you cannot
keep up with all the cultures you are supposed to understand.
2. Your
neighborhood and community are increasingly diverse.
1. You want to respect
and understand different cultures without losing who youare.
Wireless Microphones Must Change
Tyler Charles,
"Understanding New Wireless Microphone Restrictions: Why your church likely
needs to replace its wireless systems - and soon", Your Church (May/June
2009).
One technician says that you will experience interference by
the end of 2009 if you do not discontinue using your wireless microphones if
they are on 700 MHz band.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/yc/2009/mayjun/understandingnewwirelessmics.html
THE PNEUMA REVIEW is a quarterly printed journal of ministry resources and theology for Pentecostal and charismatic ministries and leaders. For more information about the PNEUMA REVIEW, and to learn how to subscribe, please visit: Introducing THE PNEUMA REVIEW. www.pneumafoundation.org/intro_pr.jsp
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