Slain missionary John Chau prepared much more than we thought, but are missionaries still fools?

From The Washington Post-

Since John Allen Chau was killed earlier this month while trying to evangelize the isolated inhabitants of a remote Indian island, his story has stirred intense emotions, many negative. While both Christians and non-Christians have raised profound questions about the biblical and ethical appropriateness of pushing into places where you’re not wanted, much criticism of Chau has focused on what appeared to be his lack of preparation.

In his journal, Chau used the word “holler” to describe what he did after sneaking onto the beach of the remote North Sentinel Island in a kayak. The scene of the young American yelling, in English, “My name is John. I love you, and Jesus loves you,” before being killed by a bow and arrow isn’t the most sophisticated image of missionary outreach in 2018.

But new information released Wednesday paints a more complicated picture of Chau, including an interview with Christianity Today. In the interview, Mary Ho, who leads All Nations (the agency that sent Chau on missions), indicated that he was heavily vaccinated and even quarantined before going on the mission.

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/11/28/slain-missionary-john-chau-prepared-much-more-than-we-thought-his-case-is-still-quandary-us-missionaries/?fbclid=IwAR25xLfhqNsb0-rdxuVurYinL-4ci4YTqy74mVlHsL5JpM_iMDYQfIuudYI&utm_term=.34efea1bcae1

Why We Should Stop Funding Church Plants

From Gravity Leadership-

Here’s an idea whose time has come: Let’s stop funding traditional church plants.

Instead, let’s fund missionaries to inhabit contexts all across the new mission fields of North America. It’s easy, simple, saves money, and I think it could seed the mission of God in North America for generations to come.

Traditional funding for church plants

Traditionally denominations have funded church plants. They do this by providing:

A full time salary plus benefits for three years for the church planter,
Start-up funds for equipment, building rental, etc. to a well-assessed church planter (basically an entrepreneur).

The goal is a self-sustaining church in three years, which means the church pays its own pastor’s salary and assorted costs of running the church’s services internally from tithes and offerings.

More here-

https://gravityleadership.com/stop-funding-church-plants/

Church Mission Society seeks 1,000 new missionaries

From ENS (ACNS)-

Ambitious plans to recruit 1,000 new missionaries to follow in the footsteps of pioneers like William Wilberforce and Samuel Crowther have been unveiled by the Church Mission Society (CMS). The Free.In.Deed campaign is “based on the belief that all Christians are called by God into mission,” the Anglican mission agency says as it seeks to identify a “new generation of Christian missionaries who will cross cultures and even continents to bring change, hope and freedom to the world.”

The Free.In.Deed campaign is targeting individual Christians and local churches to find “a wave of people who are passionate about communicating the Christian message to this generation,” a CMS spokesperson said.

“For many Christians ‘calling’ is a nebulous concept, shrouded in uncertainty and religiosity,” CMS’ executive leader, Philip Mounstephen, said. “The Free.In.Deed campaign aims to change that and revitalize our relationship with mission so we don’t just see it as a responsibility to be taken seriously but rather a privilege to be called to.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2016/07/01/church-mission-society-seeks-1000-new-missionaries/

Being people of God together in mutual relationship

From ENS-

“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

Lilla Watson, an aboriginal elder, activist and educator, from Australia is credited with these words, spoken by her and others in the early 1970s at a time when white Australians were becoming aware of the effects of racism and colonialism on the country’s indigenous people. These words were not only meant to challenge people working toward social justice, but reflected the frustration felt by the Aborigine toward the efforts of whites who in their offers of assistance, further perpetuated colonial perceptions and attitudes.

The words, used to provoke discussion in a small group session during last week’s 21st annual Global Episcopal Mission Network conference in Puerto Rico, resonated with Rachel McDaniel, a Young Adult Service Corps missionary serving her second year in Brazil.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2016/05/26/being-people-of-god-together-in-mutual-relationship/

Convention challenged to expand global missionary opportunities

From ENS-

Crossing cultural boundaries, building partnerships, and engaging God’s mission locally and globally are at the very heart of The Episcopal Church’s missionary program.

The 78th General Convention, meeting June 25-July 3 in Salt Lake City, Utah, will be asked in two proposed resolutions to commit to its ongoing support and development of the Episcopal Church’s Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) and Episcopal Volunteers in Mission (EVIM) programs.

Through these programs, hundreds of Episcopal missionaries have chosen to embrace a life-changing experience of walking alongside a community often far removed – both geographically and culturally – from their own.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/06/17/convention-challenged-to-expand-global-missionary-opportunities/

Young adult Episcopalians serve as missionaries throughout the Anglican Communion

From Anglican News-

Seventeen young adults - including six who will serve for a second year - representing 18 Episcopal Church dioceses are serving as missionaries in the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) for the 2014-2015 term in locales throughout the Anglican Communion.

YASC is a ministry for Episcopal young adults, ages 21 - 30, who are interested in exploring their faith in new ways by living and serving in communities around the Anglican Communion.

The Rev. David Copley, Mission Personnel Officer, noted that while the day-to-day duties of each placement vary, the experiences of the YASCers are life-changing.  “YASC brings young adults into the life of the worldwide Anglican Communion and into the daily work of a local community,” he explained.

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2014/10/young-adult-episcopalians-serve-as-missionaries-throughout-the-anglican-communion.aspx

Mushing movie magic: Filmmakers make plans for northern Alaska

From Alaska-

Two filmmakers have been dreaming alike about a long-distance dog mushing expedition to Kotzebue lately.

Completely independent of each other, a remote Brook Range guide and a Two Rivers recreational musher have been making plans to travel more than 1,000 miles through northern Alaska to make films. Either project could get a big boost this month from a competition for a $50,000 prize in a National Geographic competition called Expedition Granted.

Although both projects would half halfway stops in Kotzebue, the two proposed sled dog expeditions follow different routes and have different objectives. John Gaedeke, of Iniakuk Lake, wants to make a documentary about the state’s proposed mining road to Ambler. Two Rivers musher Thomas Swan want to make a historical documentary, recreating the 1905 dog sled trip made by Episcopal missionary Hudson Stuck from Fairbanks to Kotzebue.

More here-

http://www.newsminer.com/features/outdoors/mushing-movie-magic-filmmakers-make-plans-for-northern-alaska/article_e75f27ce-3a52-11e4-91a1-001a4bcf6878.html