Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Laurie Falvo, Rich McEdward
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000015
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00:01 How much has the world changed in 100 years?
00:03 And what recent demographic shift 00:06 is creating a major challenge for mission. 00:09 That and much more including a small village 00:12 and the Big Apple coming up on Global Mission Snapshots. 00:18 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:21 Jesus gave us a command. 00:24 He gave us a mission. 00:27 Jesus said, go, go unto all the world, 00:31 telling them of His love. 00:34 This is our mission. This is our "Global Mission." 00:43 Hello and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 00:46 I'm Gary Krause from Adventist mission. 00:48 A hundred years ago the world was a very different place. 00:52 Women in most so-called 00:54 developed countries couldn't vote. 00:56 Model T Fords were being mass produced 00:59 throughout the United States. 01:01 And far more people lived in the country 01:03 than lived in cities. 01:05 Today things have drastically changed. 01:08 For the first time in world history 01:10 more people live in cities than in the country. 01:14 On today's program, we'll be talking with Rich McEdward, 01:17 the Global Mission Study Center's director 01:19 about the challenges of urban mission. 01:23 We'll also visit the country of Taiwan 01:25 where really 70% of the population is urban 01:29 and we'll visit New York City, 01:32 but before we head to the cities, 01:33 let's visit a small village in South Africa. 01:39 My name is Nokwanda and I live in a small town 01:42 called Ingwavuma, which is located 01:44 in the northern part of South Africa. 01:47 Life here is very simple, 01:49 though my own life is a little complicated. 01:51 My cousin and I live with our grandmother 01:54 because our mothers are in another town working. 01:57 I love to play with my puppy dogs 01:59 and they love to give me big kisses. 02:02 My favorite thing to do is to read about the life of Jesus 02:05 when He was a little boy. 02:07 I imagine myself living back then 02:08 and experiencing all the things that He did. 02:11 I share a room with my cousin, 02:13 which can be really tough. 02:15 But I am happy when I am able to spend some time by myself 02:19 reading the stories from the Bible. 02:21 On Sabbath we get cleaned up and prepare for church. 02:24 Sometimes the water can be really cold. 02:27 I then put a cream on my face 02:28 and hands to keep my skin smooth. 02:31 It feels really good. 02:33 Finally, I use a pick to comb my hair. 02:36 When I'm ready to go, my cousin and I 02:38 head off for church, which is about 2 miles away. 02:41 Our church meets in the local community center 02:44 since we don't have our own building to worship in. 02:47 There is only one room, so the children have to meet 02:49 outside under a tree. 02:52 We love learning about Jesus from our teacher, 02:55 and we really love to sing. 02:57 Angels are watching over us. 03:04 This quarter, part of your 13th Sabbath offerings 03:07 will help to provide a small building 03:09 where all of us children can meet each Sabbath. 03:11 Then we will have a proper place 03:14 where we can invite our friends 03:15 to come and learn about Jesus, too. 03:18 Thank you for helping to support missions all around the world. 03:24 My guest is Laurie Falvo. 03:26 And, Laurie, you are a member of the Adventist mission team 03:30 involved in communication 03:31 and it's your first time on 3ABN. 03:33 Welcome. Thank you. 03:35 You see a lot of stories about mission, 03:38 global mission, church planting. 03:41 What does it make you feel to see 03:44 the stories that come across your desk? 03:47 It's very heart warming. 03:48 And what do you see as the major challenges that we are facing? 03:56 Well, recently I had the opportunity to go to Taiwan 03:59 and it was my first time in Asia. 04:01 So I have never been anywhere before 04:03 where there were so few Christians, 04:06 and just a handful of Adventist. 04:11 The challenge and spreading the gospel there 04:14 and the Adventist message is that the people 04:16 are very deeply rooted in Buddhism. 04:18 And there is a very strong cultural mandate 04:23 to follow to respect your elders and follow what they want. 04:27 And so if you are a child, you do what your parents want. 04:30 If you are a parent, you do what your grandparents want. 04:33 And breaking out of that is disrespect to their family 04:37 and also can bring-- they believe 04:39 it can bring harm to the family. 04:41 So it's very hard to evangelize. 04:43 So it's not just a question of I'm gonna try different 04:45 option in my religion, everything is okay. 04:48 It's part of your culture, your family. 04:50 It is. Although increasingly, and this surprised me, 04:52 the younger generation is not so religious. 04:55 They are becoming more and more secular. 04:57 And they are not really feeling a need for God 05:01 in their lives at all or religion at all. 05:04 So what is the Adventist church doing in Taiwan? 05:07 We have 12 global mission projects there 05:10 at which we have pioneer mission, 05:15 missionary movement pastors that are from Taiwan. 05:17 They have come to-- From Korean. 05:19 I mean from Korea, yes. 05:20 They've come to share some time in their lives, 05:23 their families have moved over. 05:24 They've learned the language 05:26 and they are there to share the gospel. 05:28 And their main focus is the Han Chinese 05:31 of which there are more than 90% of the population 05:36 has a Chinese origin and only one in 11,000 05:41 is a Seventh-day Adventist. 05:42 So it's a huge outreach opportunity. 05:46 And when you look at the Adventist church in Taiwan, 05:49 the vast majority of the members come 05:51 from the hill tribes, the minority population. 05:53 Yes. Yes. 05:55 And so these pioneer missionary movement pastors, 05:59 I mean they are fully trained pastors who have left Korea. 06:02 They come to plant churches in this very challenging area. 06:06 When I visited there a few years ago, 06:08 I remember that one of the things that they were using 06:12 was that people were very interested in Korean culture, 06:17 because they watched all the Korean soap operas on the TV 06:20 and so they would have Korean music, 06:23 they would dress up in Korean cloth 06:25 and people would come to meetings just to see that. 06:28 The Lord can use some very interesting things 06:30 to reach hearts. Yeah. 06:31 So these are very dedicated church planters. 06:33 We also have a hospital, I understand. 06:35 We have a beautiful facility over there 06:38 that has won many awards from the government 06:40 who are helping to prevent disease for the public 06:43 and to help them enjoy maximum health. 06:47 We have a new start center out in the countryside. 06:51 And we have-- at the hospital 06:55 they have a vegetarian restaurant and health classes 06:59 and educational classes for the public. 07:02 So they have made many, many contacts for God 07:05 through their medical services. 07:07 And another meeting we have over there 07:09 for mission is our school system. 07:12 We have an elementary school and two academies and a college. 07:16 And I was talking to some of the teachers 07:18 and nearly 98% of the students are non-Christian. 07:22 Many have never heard the name of Jesus, 07:24 never seen a Bible before. 07:26 And the principal's wife at the elementary school 07:29 was telling me about this little boy in one of her classes 07:33 and all of a sudden he stops and he looks up at her 07:35 and he said, "Mrs. Robinson, can you tell me about your Jesus?" 07:39 And she is just thinking in her mind, you know, 07:41 "what a wonderful opportunity 07:43 and I don't want to mess this up. 07:45 This may be my only chance with this child." 07:47 Yeah, any other stories from the education? 07:51 Yeah, there was. 07:53 I actually met the principal of one of the academies 07:55 and he was telling me about a Bible teacher 07:58 and was saying that being a Bible teacher 08:00 is probably the hardest challenge 08:02 in teaching at those schools. 08:04 And the teacher came back to the States 08:07 feeling like he had not been very successful 08:09 at all in sharing Jesus 08:11 and he moved back to Andrews University in Michigan. 08:15 And it so happened that a group of students 08:18 from the academy came over to Andrews 08:20 for a summer program. 08:22 And since he lived nearby he invited these students 08:25 to come over to his house. 08:26 He had a big meal for them. Fun activities planned. 08:30 And everybody seemed to have a good time 08:32 and then the kids left and that was it, 08:34 until he saw that one of the girl students 08:36 had posted on facebook a message saying that 08:39 she had been over to that family's home 08:43 and they had had so much fun. 08:45 It was the most fun she'd had all summer. 08:48 And then she was kind of teasingly said, 08:50 you know, "Can your family adopt me?" 08:52 And then she said, "I love you guys 08:55 and thank you so much 08:56 for telling me about Jesus and about the Bible." 09:00 So, you know, yeah, 09:01 it may feel like nothing is happening 09:03 and sometimes it may take years 09:05 but seeds are being planted for the future. 09:08 Now we have Pastor Samuel Vange 09:12 who is part of one of our study centers 09:14 for reaching Buddhists who is based in Taiwan. 09:17 Just briefly, what sort of work is he doing? 09:19 He is developing contextualized material 09:23 for reaching the Buddhists. 09:24 My understanding is, is that 09:25 there is a different group of Buddhists in Taiwan 09:28 and that area than there is, say, like in Thailand. 09:32 He is focusing on reaching that particular people group, 09:35 not only there, but all over the world. 09:37 So he travels, he meets with church leadership, 09:40 helps them understand the Chinese culture 09:42 so that they then are able to plant churches 09:45 for Chinese people all over the world. Fantastic. 09:47 Interestingly, his wife wanting a ministry of her own 09:51 has started an after-school program 09:53 for neighborhood children at her church. 09:56 And she is seeing, like, 09:58 there was one little girl that was very sullen, very angry 10:01 and she has seen her play well with other children, 10:04 learn to become a loving little girl. 10:07 She's seeing positive changes 10:08 in the lives of the kids. Wonderful. 10:10 Laurie, thanks so much for sharing with us. Thank you. 10:13 And, viewers at home, 10:14 it's hard to imagine the tremendous challenge 10:17 in places like Taiwan throughout the 10/40 window. 10:21 It's hard to conceive, but please pray for Taiwan. 10:25 Please pray for the people in the 10/40 window. 11:07 I'm glad to welcome my friend 11:09 and colleague Pastor Rick McEdward. 11:12 Rick is the director of the global mission study centers. 11:16 Rick, what are the global mission study centers? 11:18 The study centers are different centers around the world 11:23 that really operate for the church 11:25 to help Adventist be a cordial witness 11:30 to non-Christians in different settings. Okay. 11:33 Now one of the large mission challenges 11:36 that we are facing as a church are the urban areas. Sure. 11:39 Now for like the last 100 years we have made this a priority. 11:44 We've put a lot of resources and people into the cities. 11:47 Is that correct? 11:49 Well, you know, actually there seems to be 11:52 a reluctance on our part to engage in city ministry. 11:58 We long for the country life, don't we? 12:01 And so because of some of the emphasis 12:05 that we've had on country living, 12:07 we may have actually sided 12:09 on the side of neglecting the cities 12:12 by avoiding the tendencies in the cities. 12:15 Some of the behavior and the different things 12:18 we see that we don't like, we avoid them. 12:20 And so we've neglected the cities. 12:22 Now I'm glad you said that word, 12:23 "neglected"-- those words "neglected the cities" 12:25 because Ellen White said that 100 years ago, 12:28 and more than 100 years ago, we've neglected the cities. 12:31 Now at the moment, within Adventist mission 12:34 and within the church there is a focus on urban mission again. 12:37 Tell us a little bit about that. 12:39 Well, you know, it started in 2005, 2006 12:42 with hope for the big cities. 12:44 But just recently, last October, 12:46 Pastor Ted Wilson, our world church president 12:50 gave us a resounding call 12:52 to focus our energies on the cities. 12:55 And he just didn't call us just as pastors, 12:59 he called every member of the world church 13:02 to focus our attention on comprehensive 13:05 work in the cities. 13:06 So work that would not just be public evangelism, 13:09 it would include that, 13:11 but that it would be person to person, 13:13 it would be church to community, 13:15 it would be finding ways of interacting in the city 13:18 that maybe we haven't tried before. 13:21 Now this has been a focus of Global Mission 13:23 for many years and so we are delighted 13:25 now that the world church is focusing on it so intently. 13:32 Within the office of Adventist mission 13:33 we are focusing on what we call centers of influence. 13:36 Can you tell us about them? 13:38 You know, many people live in the cities, 13:41 and New York City has 800 languages in it. 13:43 Among that group you'll find Muslims, 13:45 Buddhists, post-modern, secular people of all kinds, 13:49 and yet they have a lot of barriers built up 13:52 for stepping foot inside of a church. 13:55 So when we invite people in the community to a church, 13:58 they may not readily come, 14:00 but to establish a center of influence, 14:03 a place that has neutral zone 14:08 where we can do activities, we can do events, 14:10 we can teach health, we can have community concerts 14:15 and blood pressure checks and vegetarian cooking schools 14:18 and these kind of events, 14:20 where there is not the build-up of bias against Christianity. 14:25 It offers a neutral zone for them to come 14:28 and for us to build friendships, hopefully for eternity. 14:32 Now is this an idea that we came up with? 14:34 Of course not. 14:35 This is Ellen White's own concept 14:37 and she shared it with us some years ago. 14:43 I think it was 1904 14:45 when she wrote about the "beehive" in San Francisco. 14:49 And at that time there was this beautiful ministry 14:51 going on that had elder care 14:54 and ministry to the sailors in the port. 14:57 They had a vegetarian cafe, 14:59 an orphanage, had so many different kinds of ministry 15:02 that were reaching out to the community 15:04 and she used that as an example 15:06 of what every urban center ought to have. 15:10 Now you were serving as a missionary 15:12 for some time in South East Asia. 15:14 Now I know in the city of Jakarta, 15:16 there has been a focus on urban mission. 15:18 Can you briefly describe what's been happening there? 15:22 Well, a few years ago, 2006, 15:24 they held a strategic planning session, 15:26 I was part of it. 15:27 And they decided that over the next 5 or 6 years 15:31 they would actually double 15:32 the amount of churches and members. 15:34 They would go from 12,000 to 20,000 members, 15:37 102 churches to 204 churches, 15:40 starting new congregations all over the city. 15:43 Those new congregations would actually 15:45 come from integrated work 15:47 where people were helping their neighbor, 15:49 where they were loving, in a very non-Christian context, 15:53 they'll be engaging and loving their communities. 15:57 And we have seen health work and church planting, 16:00 new congregations, house churches, 16:02 all kinds of things happen in Jakarta. 16:05 Some of the members themselves 16:06 have done public evangelism and shared Christ in a new way 16:10 but a lot of it has been focused on small groups. 16:14 Now part of your territory 16:16 that you are caring for was the city of Bangkok. 16:19 Tell me about the tower in Bangkok? 16:22 You know, there is this-- 16:23 my favorite place to pray 16:25 is the tallest building in any city, 16:27 and in Bangkok there is this beautiful tower, 16:30 it has a revolving outside deck 16:33 and you go up there at night and as this deck revolves, 16:36 you could look over 16:37 the lightscape of the entire city. 16:40 It goes on and on and on, beyond what the eye can see. 16:43 You realize that every day 16:44 12 million people are there in that city 16:48 who don't yet know Jesus. 16:50 Our church there is small 16:52 and so to go into a place like that 16:54 and to pray for God's Spirit to move 16:57 and to bring people close to Him. 16:59 Rick, thank you so much for sharing with us today. 17:02 It is indeed a daunting challenge. 17:04 And we look at the cities 17:05 and we say who is sufficient for these things, 17:09 but God has a plan and we want to be part of that. 17:11 So please pray for urban mission. 17:14 Please pray for the new centers of influence around the world. 17:29 The urban areas of the world 17:31 are such a huge mission challenge 17:33 for us for many reasons. First of all, they're so big. 17:36 There are so many people and they are rapidly growing. 17:41 Just recently for the first time 17:43 more than half of the world's population 17:45 now lives in cities. 17:47 You just mingle in the cities 17:49 and you see that people are just so busy. 17:52 Just to have even the time to listen 17:54 to somebody talking about Christianity is a challenge. 17:58 You know, Global Mission pioneer, 17:59 for example, goes into a village in a rural area 18:03 and they get an audience immediately. 18:06 They're the best show in town, 18:07 but, you know, come here, into the middle of New York City 18:10 and it's a place of so much different choice and option. 18:13 People have restaurants and theaters 18:16 and concert halls and museums and are just so busy. 18:20 And to even physically reach people, 18:22 to even have access into their apartments 18:24 is a huge challenge. 18:26 In the urban areas people tend to be more post-modern. 18:29 They are much more open to different viewpoints, 18:33 but they don't think that any is more important 18:35 than any other. 18:36 It's up to each person to make that decision. 18:38 It's a field of relativism 18:40 where Christianity is no more important 18:42 than any other world view. 18:44 And people are hardened. They've heard it all before. 18:47 How do we even begin 18:49 to make the gospel meaningful to these people? 18:52 And in these cities, we have people 18:54 who are very rich, increased with goods, 18:56 they feel as if they have need of nothing. 18:58 But we also have the desperately poor. 19:01 And we also have the challenge 19:02 that it is just so expensive to work in the cities. 19:06 It would take a huge budget 19:08 if we were to run a traditional evangelistic series 19:11 in the heart of New York City. 19:13 So these are just some of the things 19:14 that together make the cities such a daunting challenge, 19:19 but a challenge it is and it's a challenge 19:21 that we as a church must focus on. 19:35 For more than 150 years Central Park 19:38 has proved an urban oasis for busy New Yorkers. 19:42 This 850 acre park of woodlands 19:46 and streams and rivers and lakes and lawns 19:49 is a place where people can come away 19:51 for a while to relax, 19:53 to enjoy the sun, to go for a walk. 19:56 There is even a zoo in the middle of the park, 19:58 some 24,000 trees. 20:01 You come here any season of the year 20:03 and people are coming here with their families, 20:05 elderly people, kids, just a place 20:07 where they can come away for a while, 20:09 where they can relax, where they can just have 20:12 some time away from the business of their lives. 20:15 Central Park connects to the lives of New Yorkers. 20:20 Wouldn't it be wonderful 20:21 if we as Seventh-day Adventists could connect 20:24 to urban dwellers in a way that Central Park does? 20:39 More than 100 years ago Ellen White 20:42 had a vision for urban connection points. 20:45 She called them centers of influence. 20:48 These were to be centers 20:49 of holistic ministry in urban areas. 20:53 Not huge institutions, but smaller plants 20:56 where Adventists could minister in a holistic way 21:00 to the community in urban areas. 21:02 She became very disturbed when she saw resources 21:05 being put into one or two large institutions that grew 21:09 and grew and became very almost inwardly focused. 21:13 She wanted to see it spread out. 21:15 She wanted it to be 21:16 where the people were in the urban areas. 21:19 These holistic centers of influence 21:22 were to connect with people's needs. 21:24 She saw things such as restaurants, 21:28 literature, treatment rooms, 21:31 all sorts of things that would reach out 21:33 to the people's needs in the community. 21:36 Today, this idea more than 100 years ago has life. 21:42 What can we do to start these centers 21:45 that will place us where the people are, 21:48 so that like Jesus we will connect to them 21:51 in a way that will touch their needs 21:52 and touch their hearts? 21:56 When we look at our mission to the cities, 21:58 we can talk about different models 22:00 and methods and approaches, 22:02 but we must make sure 22:03 that they are based on Jesus' example. 22:06 Ellen White summarizes that as Christ's method. 22:10 And she says that it has five important components. 22:13 First, He mingled. Secondly, He showed sympathy. 22:17 Three, He ministered to needs. Four, He won confidence. 22:21 And then, and only then, He bid them, "Follow Me." 22:26 We can't skip any of these steps. 22:28 Each one of them is vitally important. 22:31 And too often we come in and we preach at people, 22:33 and we tell them truth and we deliver the message 22:37 and we haven't really earned the right. 22:39 We haven't mingled, we haven't shown sympathy, 22:41 we haven't ministered to needs, 22:43 and we certainly haven't won confidence. 22:46 So when were looking at our urban mission 22:48 we must make sure that we base it on Christ's method 22:52 and Christ's method alone which Mrs. White tells us 22:56 is the only way to have true success. 23:00 The first step is mingling. 23:02 Ellen White says that Christ mingled among people 23:05 as one who desired their good. 23:07 And as you read through the gospels, 23:09 you see how, you know, sometimes 23:10 when Jesus spoke to large crowds of people, 23:13 but He also had that one on one connection 23:16 with the lone Nicodemus at night, 23:18 with the woman at the well. 23:20 You see Him touching the eyes of the blind man, 23:22 touching the hands of lepers. 23:25 He was physically and emotionally 23:28 and spiritually engaged with the people 23:30 that He connected with. 23:32 And we're called to do exactly the same. 23:34 When Christ came down He mingled, 23:37 He became one with us, 23:38 He put on human skin, He got his hands dirty. 23:42 He didn't do salvation from a distance. 23:44 He did it connecting with people, 23:46 becoming one with them. 23:49 The second step in Christ's method is showing sympathy. 23:52 This describes the stance, 23:54 the perspective from which we treat people. 23:57 The gospels tell us that when Jesus saw the crowds, 24:00 He looked on them with compassion 24:02 and He treated people gently and with love. 24:05 We're to do exactly the same. 24:08 The next step is to minister to needs. 24:11 That means we need to understand our communities. 24:14 We need to study the communities. 24:16 We need to talk to people. 24:17 We need to listen. What needs do people have? 24:21 What are their interests? What do they worship? 24:23 How do they spend their time? 24:26 And once we get to understand our community, 24:29 then we can start to serve them. 24:30 And the centers of influence are holistic service centers 24:35 where we connect with needs. 24:37 It may be that people have physical needs. 24:39 Ellen White talks about health ministry 24:42 as being the right arm of the message 24:44 and often this is the best way to connect. 24:47 Or perhaps it may be that in the area 24:49 where we have our center of influence, 24:50 there may be many single mothers 24:53 and their greatest need is just to have a few hours 24:55 every week where they can drop their kids off to be cared for. 24:59 Whatever it is, it is a platform for us 25:02 to minister to people's needs just like Jesus did. 25:08 As a natural result of mingling, 25:10 showing sympathy, and ministering to needs 25:13 Jesus naturally won the confidence of people. 25:17 Just see in the gospels how sinners love to be near Jesus. 25:22 Too often today those of us who are pretty sure about 25:25 how people should be living and how they should be acting 25:27 and behaving, 25:29 sometimes sinners don't like to hang around us. 25:32 But Jesus won their confidence. 25:35 And as a natural result of that 25:38 Jesus could say to them "Follow Me." 25:41 This is the ultimate result of Christ's method. 25:45 People start to follow Jesus 25:47 and that's the work of the Holy Spirit 25:49 as He works on our humble efforts of mingling, 25:54 showing sympathy, ministering to needs. 25:56 The Holy Spirit comes in 25:58 and blesses and leads people to Jesus. 26:02 In 1910 Ellen White said that 26:05 urban ministry was the essential work for this time. 26:09 Eight years earlier, 26:10 she said we have neglected the cities. 26:13 I wonder what she would say today. 26:15 What a tremendous challenge we have before us, 26:18 but what also an opportunity it is. 26:21 Through centers of influence, 26:23 through these platforms for ministry to the community 26:27 we can touch so many lives for Jesus Christ. 26:30 When Moses sent the spies into the land, 26:33 he asked them to check on the cities. 26:35 They came back and they said they're large, 26:37 they're well fortified. 26:39 Well, today they're even larger 26:40 and they're even more well fortified. 26:43 But two spies said that we can do it with God's help. 26:47 The same challenge is before us today. 26:49 What a wonderful opportunity to follow Christ's method 26:53 to touch lives for Him, for His kingdom. 27:06 Well, that's about it for today's program. 27:08 But before we go, we'd like to offer you 27:10 a free 2013 Adventist mission calendar, 27:15 picturing people and places from around the world. 27:18 These calendars focus on mission 27:20 and we'd like you to have one as a small token 27:23 of thanks for your support of global mission. 27:26 So if you live in North America, 27:28 simply call our toll free number, 27:30 1800-648-5824 or visit our website 27:35 and ask for the Adventist mission calendar 27:38 or offer 305. 27:41 Please clearly state your name 27:42 and address and be sure to mention 27:44 the calendar or offer number 305. 27:48 I hope you have enjoyed today's program. 27:51 Thank you so much for your continuing prayers, 27:53 personal involvement, and financial support 27:56 for frontline Adventist mission around the world. 28:00 For Adventist mission, I'm Gary Krause. 28:02 And I hope you can join me 28:03 right here next time on Global Mission Snapshots. |
Revised 2014-12-17