Inspiring stories happen every day, but we don't hear so much about them on the news. So, where do you go to hear these stories and find out about what God is doing behind the scenes? Well, the Create Emerge team have a list of great missions news, magazine, podcast & blog sites to get you started.
Every year, thousands of teams set off on short term trips to share the gospel. Language and cultural barriers can make clear communication of the gospel incredibly difficult. What if we could equip them to witness in an engaging and culturally relevant way? Equip makes sure to provide outreach teams with the tools and information necessary for them to be as effective as possible for the time they are on the field.
If you are involved in frontier missions, or you're preparing to go on a short term missions trip, you'll be aware of the challenges that are involved. You may find yourself asking questions like "How do I communicate the Gospel when I don't speak the language of the people I'm trying to reach? What are the cultural differences that I should be aware of? What resources are availble to help me reach out to this specific people group?"
"...RTC currently employs 25 landmine victims who are viewed in Cambodian society as having got what they deserve through karma and most often end up begging on the street or making next to nothing in some sort of labour. Not long after beginning this project a few years ago, her staff began to ask about Jesus, and soon they were asking her about having a church. Now, most of her staff are coming back to their place of work on Sunday mornings for a church service, and deeper transformation is taking place..."
So you've heard the need and want to get out there and make a difference. Now you're thinking that it could be helpful to do a little preparation, learn some skills, and get some training. But where do you start?
"...our team has recently found out about Not For Sale, which is a campaign to fight the global slave trade and end human trafficking. Not for Sale is conducting a tour called Stop Paying for Slavery which is a multidimensional, multimedia, multi-day experience aiming to bring together education, law enforcement, faith communities, corporations, consumers and all justice seekers in the fight to end modern-day slavery..."
It seems that the emerging generation is becoming a lot more aware of social justice issues. That's a good thing - however It doesn't take much to feel overwhelmed by the transformation that needs to take place. So, what can we do to make a difference?
"...I've always loved to draw, paint and create things and it came pretty naturally for me. I continued to develop drawing skills throughout my childhood and teen years. It's quite sad to admit but probably 50% of the time I spent learning to draw was during Math, Science and English class. I had this idea that I was going to be an animator or a children's book illustrator someday and figured I didn't need to worry about subjects that weren't relevant to my future..."
If you have a desire to get into missions, but are a little overwhelmed by the options and aren't sure what your next step should be, we have some good news: the Create Emerge team have put in the hard yards, done a bunch of research, and put together a selection of missions opportunity sites to get you started.
"...I didn't just join this team because of the opportunity to make music. I joined because God, through this team, was opening my heart up to his love for me, and consequently for the world. I didn’t have a lot of passion for the Kingdom or a clear idea of what it was all about when I first joined, but through the relationships that were formed around a great purpose, I couldn’t help but eventually begin to get energized by the Perpetrator towards the purpose of bringing the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven..."
You may have read in the blog article 'Being Frank' that the Create Emerge team recently spent three weeks in India filiming the story of Prem Sewa school and hostel. We have hopes of producing a full length Documentary, but for now we've put together a 16min preview called 'Being Frank - The Story of Prem Sewa Shikshan Sangh'. This video is currently being shown in churches throughout Canada by Prem Sewa Director Bapu as he travels from Quebec to British Columbia. Stay tuned for the completion of the full length documentary - Coming 2011- we hope :)
"...Create Emerge and Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International (MBMSI) have partnered to create a short 12min documentary called 'East West' that focuses on the partnerships between believers from the East and the West as they join together with a powerful vision to see God's Kingdom advance in South Asia. 'East West' is going to be screened throughout Canada over the next few months as part of MBMSI's Celebrate Mission Nights..."
Engage is a multimedia package designed to inform, motivate, and encourage a new generation to engage in the world of missions. It contains inspiring missions videos, an informative stats and facts slideshow, comprehensive teaching notes, a booklet which contains the stories behind the stories, and handy hints on how to use these mobilisation resources effectively.
Disc 1
Engage – Voices Full Presentation
A 50 minute video presentation that will take you on a ‘big picture’ journey presenting the needs and challenges in the world today, and show how we’re doing as the church in meeting those needs. Hear encouraging stories of what God is doing in the places we usually only hear bad news about, and meet some inspiring people who have said the 100% ‘yes’ to Jesus; impacting the planet one day at a time.
Disc 2
Engage – Voices Short Presentations
For a shorter time slot, use one of the three 20 minute video presentations that also represent the ‘big picture’ of missions, but feature only one missions story each. Another alternative is to use one of the Engage – Bonus Videos as a stand alone.
Engage – Slideshow Presentations & Teaching Notes
This is a supplementary tool for teaching the stats and facts of world missions in a classroom or meeting setting. Choose between the shorter or longer version depending on your time constraints. The longer version can be used as background information for the presenter, or can be taught one section at a time over the course of several classroom meetings. See ‘How to use the Engage Package’.
Get Engaged PDF – Additional Research Material
A list of websites that lead to more information in the following areas: missions news and media; global awareness and action; missions mobilisation resources and networks; missions opportunities and training. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does represent a wide variety of ministries and organizations to look into.
A video collage set to a powerful piece of music featuring ‘the least of these’ from around the world and those ministering Jesus’ love to them. You might want to turn up the volume for this one.
Show the World is a 5min music video which is featured on Engage, a multimedia DVD package designed to inform, motivate, and encourage a new generation to engage in the world of missions.
Filming Thai worship dancers doing the same dances in 5 different locations in Bangkok was both fun and exhausting. The girls were shy, gentle, and extremely hard workers. They weren’t raised with a knowledge of Jesus, but are now excited to meld their worlds together: traditional dance, modern Thai lives, and bringing glory to the God who loves them.
Awesome Asia is a 4min video which is featured on Engage, a multimedia DVD package designed to inform, motivate, and encourage a new generation to engage in the world of missions.
Take a fresh look at a part of the world that has received its fair share of bad press in recent years. Through interviews with short and long term workers in this region, viewers get to hear some of the exciting things that God is doing and get a taste for the opportunities that are out there.
Arab World is a 6min video which is featured on Engage, a multimedia DVD package designed to inform, motivate, and encourage a new generation to engage in the world of missions.
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