we be church

Treasure Hunting Leads to Seven Youth Heald!

I came across this awesome video testimony with a chap named Simon Holley who is the lead elder at King’s Arms Church. Him and a friend called Tabo basically asked God to be their treasure map and were directed to people to pray for through pictures given to them. They directed to a group of youth and the results were amazing with the mark of an awesome God interested in revealing Himself as the ultimate treasure. “Treasure come and treasure go but Jesus your eternally mine”

Simon Holley Interview from P&F on Vimeo.

You can find more on the Treasure Hunts at the King’s Arms Church website I found this video indirectly through Andy Bradley’s blog Theologising. I love stories like this where God is directing, inviting us to get involved in seeking people, healing and encouraging people to make decisions. If you have any simillar stories where God is working why don’t you share them in the comment section?

UPDATE:

There are also some brilliant audio testimonies from church members doing street encounters using the Treasure Hunt method. The one published on 29/11/08 is particularly encouraging.

15 healed on the streets of Bedford! - 29/11/08
Treasure Hunting Tales – 09/09/08
Treasure Hunt – 01/07/08

[Sore Thumbs] The Haves & Have Nots Edition

Every week I link to resources and sites that stand out and which are worth pointing people to, hence the name sore thumbs, “it stood out like a sore thumb”.

Simon Pettit on Remembering the Poor (mp3)

At the Brighton Leadership conference in 1998, Simon Pettit preached ‘Remember the Poor’, a sermon that has since shaped the way that Newfrontiers churches think about Social Action. “Whether it’s the church in Africa, or in Harrow, we need to get an understanding that when we care for the needy, when we preach good news to the poor, when we seek to develop the God-given creativity of poor people, when we equip people with the skills they need so they can make godly choices for themselves and for their families, when we promote enterprise with financial help; those aren’t just the work of aid agencies or the government, that’s part of the apostolic calling of the church of Jesus Christ.” (Listen or download the the Talk)

Farming God’s Way in Zimbabwe

“Zimbabwe is a nation in crisis. Poverty is rife, chronic malnutrition is widespread and aid agencies are warning that 5 million people, almost half the population, face starvation by early next year… It’s a bleak picture, yet in the midst of this humanitarian catastrophe the church in Zimbabwe is declaring hope and truth. Churches have united to run a campaign to ‘Feed the Nation’ through Farming God’s Way, a method of farming developed within the Newfrontiers churches that results in yields which are typically 10 times higher than conventional farming methods.” (Find out more about Farming God’s Way or Give to the Zimbabwe Crisis Appeal via Newfrontiers)

African Innovation

“AfriGadget is a website dedicated to showcasing African ingenuity. A team of bloggers and readers contribute their pictures, videos and stories from around the continent. The stories of innovation are inspiring. It is a testament to Africans bending the little they have to their will, using creativity to overcome life’s challenges.”
Living in African I can remember playing Lego with some of the local lads and marveling at what they would create it topped anything I could do. Likewise the AfriGadget site is full of wonderfull African innovation. (discover some great African ingenuity)

[Sore Thumbs] The Time & Talent Edition

What’s in your hand?

“Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, reflects on his own crisis of purpose in the wake of his book’s wild success at the TED conference in 2006.” He demonstrates at an extremely secular conference that God’s intention is for each of us to use our talents and influence to do good. (watch his talk)

CompassionArt

“So the dream was born to gather some of the best-known writers in the gospel/Christian music scene and spend the week writing songs that could impact these issues on a long-term basis. So after many phone calls, the team was assembled, Michael W. Smith, Darlene Zschech, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes…” (listen to the album)

Advent Conspiracy

“The story of Christ’s birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love. So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?” AdventConspiracy daws attention to the shams of Christmas and needs of those without no clean water supplys. (watch the videos)

The Poor, Homeless & the Economic Wobble

Homeless in Sydney - Photo by Yewenyi

Catching the train home from Newcastle to the heart of Northumberland I felt challenged after reading Isaiah  41 to buy The Big Issue magazine. Actually I haven’t ever purchased one before. When I have had the opportunity to read the magazine, I haven’t been particularly impressed by the content found in them.

However this Christmas issue featured seasonal thoughts from Big Issue vendors and proved to be very insightful not only into their own lives but those who are in a more comfortable position. What struck me was that the vendors hold hopes and goals that are similar to those living in better conditions. There is much in common, children, education, holidays. I think it is very easy to believe that you can’t identify with those more weathered by rough life than you.

As those who follow Jesus we are called to remember the poor. He isn’t just asking us to give a fast food prayer, actually rather God is pretty vocal and even holds giant promises regarding the poor that we as his followers are called to be involved in meeting. It’s amazing we know a God who can not only meet the scarcity of our basic needs but bring amazing fulfillment to our spiritual poverty. It’s all for his amazing Glory that he can do something out of nothing. I really believe we are going to see some amazing God stories come out of this economic wobble.

17 “The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the LORD will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.

19 I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set pines in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,

20 so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
(Isaiah 41:17-20)

Can I convince you to purchase The Big Issue magazine this December? It will not only help the homless but I think it will challenge you to begin thinking about how we can further help the various poor in this economic wobble. There will be various casulties, more homelessness is just the tip of the iceburg…

[Sore Thumbs] The Greenfingers Edition

Every week I link to resources and sites that stand out and which are worth pointing people to, hence the name sore thumbs, “it stood out like a sore thumb”.

Why Church Plant?

“The Great Commission was actually given at five different times in separate locations. On each occasion the Lord added to the previous command, and so we need to think about the total picture to understand the full implications of the Great Commission…” (read the study at Adventures of a Church Planter)

Newfrontiers Church Planting Website

“Since the time of Abraham, God has been intent on filling the world with his glory (Gen 12:1-3) and we believe that the very best way to do this is by the starting of new churches” This new site has been built to encourage the goal of seeing 400 church plants in the UK. It is full of case studies, information about current and future plants and information about a conference in Autumn 2009. Embedded below is one case study by Stef Liston who is planting a church in Camden, London. (view the Newfrontiers Church Planting website)

The preparation phase: Stef Liston – Revelation Church, Camden (London) from Newfrontiers Church Planting on Vimeo.

Song: More Than a Conqueror

Artist Mali has a blend of smooth RnB and passionate Gospel that is refreshingly honest lyrically. His song More Than a Conqueror is based on Romans 8 and particularly verse 37, “Cos God’s covenant with me I always have the victory”. (Mali on Myspace, Mali on iTunes)

Zondervan Aquires Mars Hill’s Home Grown Church Social Network

Mars Hill recently sold their web based social network known as “The City” to publisher Zondervan. It’s a strategic move that will enable many other churches around the world to use the same features that the Seattle based church provides their members in connecting with each other online. Essentially it is Facebook for your church community but with a bias towards doing mission, as their website explains.

“The City is an online meeting place where Gospel transformation can take place. It ties together your existing local communities into a social fabric that undergirds your ministries and greatly enables connection…”

The inventor Zack Hubert a former Amazon employee and current Mars Hill elder was thinking on Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Wondering how technology might serve to help God’s people live as “a city on a hill” he then set up The City for Mars Hill Church to enhance existing relationships in the church and the various missions which people were involved in. Within two months of the tool’s launch more than 85% of the church’s members had signed up and more than 75% visit the site every single day.

Kiosk Mode from OnTheCity on Vimeo.

Though no one but Mars Hill and the Acts 29 Church network have been using the tool, it is possible that some potential users may have concerns about the Zondervan acquisition. I know that those involved in Christian literature distribution are a little uneasy toward Zondervan as it is an imprint of Harper Collins who publish the Satanic Bible. Harper Collins is also owned by Newscorp (Rupert Murdoch). However Harper Collins have stated in the past that Zondervan “operates with complete autonomy out of a separate headquarters”.

This being said the leaders at Mars Hill spent a lot of time thinking about how the tool could be used for Jesus’ fame outside of their own church, but the work required more than they were capable of on their own. An opportunity presented itself when Zondervan made an offer to purchase. Hubert has moved with the acquisition and will now be heading up a development team for the social network in Seattle at a new office for Zondervan.

Personally I think a tool like this has a lot of potential in connecting many different Church plants, but maybe more importantly this tool is super for large churches who want to get their members doing mission and reaching out to those who don’t know Jesus. Watch the below video on how it works. Other videos can be found on The City blog.

List your Skills from OnTheCity on Vimeo.

[Sore Thumbs] The Afrocentric Edition

I thought it would be good to link to a few things that stand out every week and which are worth pointing people to, hence the name sore thumbs.

Broadband in Africa

“By December 2007 terrestrial broadband networks were now available in every capital city in Africa, some 50% of main cities, 10% of secondary cities and 2% of towns…” (read the article on the White African blog)

EveryBlock

“EveryBlock filters an assortment of local news by location so you can keep track of what’s happening on your block, in your neighborhood and all over your city.” A web service currently only for the major cities in the US it’s a good way of researching civic atmosphere of your local community… (use the web service)

Get Better at Contextualization

“Contextualization and church planting aren’t anything new. These have been practices of the missional church for centuries, and in comparison to what is passed off as contextualization today, our early planting fathers put us to shame…” (read article on The Resurgence blog)

Mass Baptism

“People pressed as closely as they could on one another, in five (?) lines. They estimated they baptised about 700 people that day.” An beautiful photo story of hundreds getting dunked in Pemba Bay, Mozambique. (see the sideshow)

Over 4,100 languages needing Bible translation

Jesus is pretty clear that all nations will hear the gospel of the Kingdom before the end of the world.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

So what are the stats? How many languages still need the Gospel translated? Here are a few figures from Wycliffe Bible Translators.

How many languages have Scripture?

2,454. Of these, 438 have a complete Bible, another 1,168 have the New Testament. 848 others have at least one book of the Bible.

How many languages still need translation?

In addition to more than 1,900 active projects, work needs to begin in over 2,200 languages.

How many people have no Scripture?

196 million speak these languages where translation still needs to begin.

How many languages is Wycliffe currently involved in?

About 1,415 languages (around 73% of all translation work currently being done)

In how many languages have Wycliffe been involved in the completion of a New Testament?

721. Over 80 million people speak these languages.

Wycliffe do an amazing work coordinating an effort to reach nations with the gospel. I would really recommend reading a book called Unafraid of the Sacred Forest: The Birth of a Church in an African Tribe to see how their work can practically be done alongside planting churches. I will do a proper book review in the weeks to come.