Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Gerson Santos, Rick McEdward
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000040
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00:01 Kenyan prisoners singing praises to God,
00:02 a new global mission center and church planting projects 00:06 in Tanzania and Thailand, 00:08 all that and much, much more coming up next 00:11 right here on Global Mission Snapshots. 00:24 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:26 Jesus gave us a command. 00:29 He gave us a mission. 00:32 Jesus said, go. 00:34 Go unto all the world, telling them of His love. 00:39 This is our mission. This is our Global Mission. 00:49 Hello, I am Gary Krause 00:50 and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 00:53 If you are a regular viewer of Global Mission Snapshots 00:55 you may have noticed that we have an increasing emphasis 00:59 on mission in urban area of the world. 01:02 Today we'll be talking with Gerson Santos, 01:04 Director for the Global Mission center for Urban Ministries. 01:08 This is a new center focusing specifically on touching 01:12 the lives of people in large cities. 01:15 And we'll also be talking with Rick McEdward, 01:17 Director of the Global Mission Study Centers 01:20 about the tent maker program. 01:22 We'll go to a Kenyan prison 01:24 and we'll meet a woman doing her part 01:26 to provide healthcare in her community in Tanzania. 01:30 But first, let's visit 01:32 Global Mission projects in Thailand. 01:38 About two hours outside of Thailand's capital city Bangkok 01:42 lies the town of Sriracha. 01:45 The Seventh-day Adventist church is growing here. 01:49 This is a Global mission pioneer, 01:51 a church planter dedicated to sharing God's love 01:55 with the people in this area. 01:57 (Speaking in foreign language) 02:02 This global mission pioneer and another Thai pastor 02:05 visit people in their homes to teach them about Jesus. 02:09 This small group is just a handful of those interested 02:12 in studying God's word. 02:14 Many who attend these small groups are not Christians. 02:17 They ask questions because in their hearts they see 02:20 the truths of the Bible and want to know more. 02:23 When some Buddhist is interested and they like to learn more 02:27 about Christianity actually we feel so, 02:30 very happy even they not show much 02:33 but just only one, two people only. 02:36 But if we like they are interested 02:39 and we thank God for that. 02:42 Not long ago this church 02:44 in community center rebuilt in Sriracha. 02:47 The Global Mission pioneer and church members 02:50 reach out to the community in various ways. 02:52 They run language classes, 02:54 play soccer and hold Bible studies 02:57 and people have responded positively. 03:00 We'd like to provide this place for the community here around, 03:06 the people here that they are nonbeliever 03:09 and then we like to set the conclusion by having school, 03:13 having the soccer ball field and also the center, 03:17 here we have a center to service the community. 03:21 Seventh-day Adventist church members around the world 03:24 help fund this church in community center. 03:27 These buildings have a great impact 03:29 on reaching the needs of people in Sriracha. 03:46 Just a few hours from Sriracha, 03:48 in the city of Ayutthaya another recent project 03:52 funded by your mission offerings actively works 03:54 to reach the community. 03:56 Ayutthaya is a city known 03:58 for its ancient temples and vast history. 04:01 Here centuries ago the Burmese armies 04:04 destroy this city leaving behind remains of destruction. 04:08 Now the church here is growing. 04:10 The project here has a church building. 04:13 The church here is creating a foundation of member. 04:16 On this Sabbath the pastor leads and worship 04:19 and the members take part in the service. 04:22 It is a special Sabbath because on this day 04:24 they will participate in communion service. 04:32 Members humbly wash 04:33 one another's feet and pray together. 04:40 As they reenter the church their thoughts are with God. 04:44 The members ask God for forgiveness and courage 04:47 to serve Him each and everyday. 04:49 They eat the bread and drink the juice that represents 04:52 the body and the blood of Jesus. 04:55 This congregation has a passion to serve God 04:58 and share Him with others. 05:00 This congregation would not have a place to worship 05:03 if it was not for your faithful support of mission offerings. 05:07 People all over Thailand are eager to learn about Jesus. 05:11 With the help Adventist pastors and Global Mission pioneers 05:15 they will come to know Him. 05:17 Please pray for these small projects 05:19 located throughout Thailand 05:21 and thank you for your support 05:23 of the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church 05:27 through your 13th Sabbath offering. 05:38 It's my pleasure to introduce our guest Pastor Gerson Santos. 05:42 Pastor Santos is one of the church leaders 05:45 in greater New York area of the United Sates 05:49 but he is also the Director 05:50 for the Global Mission Center for Urban Ministries. 05:54 And Gerson, thank you so much for joining us. 05:56 My pleasure. 05:58 This is the newest Global Mission Center, 06:00 we have had centers for Islam, 06:02 for Buddhism, for Hinduism, for Judaism, 06:05 for secular and postmodernism 06:08 but you are the representative of the newer center. 06:10 Why do we need a center for urban ministry? 06:14 Well, I believe the exact reason you just kind of stated 06:17 because you have so different kinds of specific study centers, 06:22 specific ministries to reach those special groups 06:26 but most of them live in the cities. 06:28 And so there are something common among all of them 06:34 and recently as we saw the growth of people 06:38 living in the cities, it's amazing. 06:40 In last 200 years we have a large percentage of population 06:44 growing in urban areas. 06:46 So there is a special need for that. 06:47 And historically, if we're going to be honest 06:50 the Seventh-day Adventist church has not done well 06:52 in urban areas mostly. 06:54 That's true and there are several reasons for that. 06:57 I would say first of all 06:59 probably because it's very costly, 07:01 everything in the city cost much more. 07:04 Traditionally I think our pioneers were the people 07:07 that came from farms or small towns 07:09 so yeah, it's easy for them to you know, 07:12 operate in a setting that will be more familiar to them. 07:15 And later on I think was kind of emphasis in living the cities 07:19 because of the challenges of the, the dangers of the city 07:24 we kind of develop a culture of avoiding the cities. 07:27 So, Gerson, what do we find in the cities in terms of ministry? 07:32 What is working, what sorts of models 07:35 we're finding that are having an effect? 07:39 I can list to you at least a few to illustrate 07:43 some of the most impressive ministries 07:45 that I think have been very effective. 07:47 I'd say number one is small group ministries. 07:50 I really believe the small groups 07:52 is the best setting to develop and to make disciples. 07:55 And this is our main goal, to make disciples. 07:58 So the small group ministry has been very effective. 08:02 Anywhere in the world, any culture, any language, 08:04 group you can imagine and I've seen so many places 08:08 that I could tell you for sure small group ministries, 08:12 this is the best and the number one ministry 08:15 to develop in the cities to make disciples. 08:18 I'd add to that probably mission communists, 08:23 something that is larger than a small group 08:25 but it is stronger just as small group meeting in the home 08:29 but maybe could be a group of small groups, 08:33 let's say two or three small groups coming together 08:35 once a month or once a quarter or having a department 08:39 or a ministry from a local church 08:42 or institution organizing a missionary outreach. 08:47 And I've seen in a couple of places this work, 08:50 I mean, in a wonderful way. 08:52 Another one I'd say is church planting. 08:54 I mean, when you're trying to reach a specific group 08:58 like you mentioned in the beginning, 09:00 Jewish, Muslims, Hindus or secular people 09:04 I mean, you need to plant a new church 09:06 because most of the church established in that area 09:08 won't be fit enough to receive, 09:13 welcome and integrate into their ministry 09:16 because that's another challenge. 09:17 It's not just to be you know, 09:19 having a hospitality department in your church, 09:23 very nice ushers and people will feel comfortable 09:27 but if they don't feel they are the part of the ministry 09:31 most of them will leave later on. 09:33 So we need to find an open space for new leadership, 09:36 and church planting does that. 09:38 This s why it's proven, church plant 09:40 is the best methodology to expand God's kingdom. 09:43 Yeah. 09:44 I would add also to that lay leadership. 09:48 We need to develop a new kind of approach to leadership. 09:51 Pastors need to be more trainers than just pastoring the church, 09:56 shepherds of the church and to develop new leaders 10:00 for these new churches that have been planted 10:03 because the church will never be able to fund 10:06 and hire new pastors for a wave of new churches. 10:11 If we really need to reach the word, 10:13 if we want to do that we gonna have 10:15 to plant thousands of new churches 10:16 and we need lay leadership. 10:19 By vocation pastors, 10:21 lay people that are really commit to the work 10:23 and be trained to be leaders of these new congregations. 10:27 And the last one I'd mention is centers of influence. 10:31 Defiantly all our churches, the schools, 10:34 institutions, book stores, 10:36 I mean, even a house can become 10:38 a center of influence in the community. 10:41 Yeah, Ellen White had a vision 10:44 for small centers of influence in every city. 10:48 She was talking about things like a cafe, 10:50 a vegetarian restaurant, treatment rooms, 10:52 simple health remedy, whatever it takes to connect 10:55 with community which brings me, Gerson, 10:58 well, I take this opportunity to talk about 11:00 this new magazine literally off 11:03 the presses last week, Mission 360. 11:06 We have print copies of it 11:08 but mainly this is going to be digital. 11:11 A digital magazine, you can get it for your Kindle, 11:14 fro your iPhone, for your iPad, you can view it online. 11:17 Nice thing, Gerson, too is that you'll read an article 11:19 and then in the middle of the article 11:21 you'll be able to press a button and play a video 11:23 about giving more information. 11:25 And in this first edition there is an article 11:28 on centers of influence. 11:30 And the opportunities for starting new centers 11:35 that connect to the community in a holistic way 11:38 to put Christ method into practice. 11:41 Gerson, as we look at the challenge 11:43 of the cities are you optimistic? 11:46 Oh, I think natural, this is part of my nature. 11:50 I really see a lot of potential. 11:52 I mean, you can focus on the program 11:54 but I see a lot of opportunities in the city. 11:57 I mean, you have so many people 11:59 and I mean, the population of the large cities is booming. 12:02 I mean, this is-- they are growing, 12:05 the large cities in the world are growing 12:08 and it's like Dave in the past. 12:10 I mean, people could see the giant and say, 12:12 he's too big, he's gonna kill us. 12:13 But Dave just saw and said, 12:14 he's too big, I can't miss it. 12:16 I mean, it's a tremendous opportunity, 12:20 in the cities you have so many people. 12:22 We need to find a way to connect to some of them 12:25 to reach them for Christ. 12:26 Fantastic. Gerson, thank you so much for joining us. 12:29 My pleasure. 12:30 Viewers at home, again this magazine, 12:33 just go to Mission360mag.og and you'll find it. 12:38 And if you want to find out more information 12:40 about Adventist urban mission go to 12:42 missiontothecities.org that will tell you everything 12:45 that is happening, there will be resources, 12:47 information so much that you can pray for. 13:38 My guest is Dr. Rick McEdward, 13:39 who is the director of the Global Mission Studies Centers. 13:42 Thank you for joining us, Rick. 13:43 Happy to be here, Gary. 13:45 The Apostle Paul, when I think of him 13:46 I am thinking of a wonderful preacher, 13:48 I am thinking of a church planter 13:50 but what was his real profession? 13:53 Yeah, we always think of him 13:54 as the world's greatest evangelism 13:55 but he was really a tent maker. 13:58 He knew how to use a needle and thread 14:01 with the canvas and make tents. 14:03 So how is that important when we're thinking about mission? 14:07 Well, ultimately, the Apostle Paul 14:08 was the very first self-supporting missionary. 14:11 He didn't rely on somebody else to give him a salary. 14:16 He made his own way and he went from place to place 14:19 selling his canvas, selling the tents, 14:21 finding others who'd like 14:23 the profession and gathering them, etcetera 14:25 and so we see that he was willing to provide 14:29 for his own needs while sharing the gospel. 14:32 So when we look at the example of Paul, 14:36 we today, are the people following that tradition? 14:39 Actually, in Christian circles, 14:41 we call self-supporting missionaries, 14:43 we call them tentmakers. 14:46 Not all self-supporting missionaries 14:48 we would want to lump in that category 14:50 but those that use their profession 14:53 to go to a country that maybe of restricted access 14:58 and there by sharing Christian, 15:01 a cautious Christian witness 15:03 or maybe even starting a house church or a church. 15:06 Now when you say a country of restricted access, 15:08 what do you mean? 15:09 Well, you know we used to say 15:10 that there are closed countries and open countries. 15:13 But no country is closed to the Holy Spirit. 15:16 So we refer them as restricted access 15:18 because the government may not open up 15:21 for missionaries to come and go. 15:23 But business people and teachers and others can easily 15:27 access countries like that with jobs. 15:30 So these are people who take the initiative 15:32 to find the job in an area, run a business, 15:36 teach whatever but their main goal is to be a witness. 15:39 That's absolutely right. 15:41 So are there many of these tentmakers today? 15:43 Actually, the numbers are hard to calculate 15:46 because not everybody goes through an organization. 15:49 But yes, there are thousands of tentmakers around the world 15:51 and often found in some of the hardest spots 15:55 where we wouldn't normally want to go. 15:59 So can you give me an example of an Adventist tentmaker? 16:03 Absolutely, I know of a family who's been serving 16:06 for quite a number of years and they have located 16:12 in a restrictive accessed country. 16:15 One is a teacher, another does a small business 16:18 and one by one, they make friends and generate interests. 16:25 Why are they doing this? 16:27 Because they want to share their faith 16:30 and a lot of people think that tent making means 16:33 what we call tent faking. 16:35 In other words, you fake getting a job 16:37 so you can go and start a church 16:39 but we're talking about people who are doing a legitimate job. 16:42 Who are doing the very highest quality work possible, 16:46 who have integrity with their Boston co-workers 16:49 and therefore, use that as an avenue 16:53 for sharing what's genuinely going on in their hearts. 16:55 Now how does the Adventist church 16:58 give support to people like this? 16:59 Well, we have had tent making program for quite a long time 17:04 and we are right now giving more exposure to this 17:08 because we realize that traditional structures 17:11 may not always be able to meet the needs of the word field. 17:15 You know we have many places 17:17 that if I sign up as a missionary, 17:21 I may not be able to go. 17:24 So if somebody is viewing this program and said, 17:27 well, there might be something I might want to try, 17:29 where you start? 17:31 I think the best place to start is to contact 17:35 our office at Adventist Mission. 17:39 I think that there is a way to find information 17:44 by contacting me there, info@adventistmission.org. 17:48 And I think that we can also support people 17:52 who are looking for places to go, 17:55 by sharing with them where the greatest needs are. 17:59 Is this something that is dangerous? 18:01 Is it risky? 18:02 It doesn't have to be. 18:04 You know I've lived in a number of countries 18:06 that people say, oh, I can't live there 18:09 because it's risky but if we were there as people, 18:15 not as a missionary sent, 18:18 but as people who build friendships, 18:20 who do our work well, we're not talking about 18:23 something that's illegal because every country 18:26 people are allowed to ask questions. 18:28 And when we live our faith with integrity 18:31 people are naturally gonna ask us questions. 18:34 So in the training sessions for tentmakers, 18:38 what are the sort of principles that are shared with them? 18:41 Naturally, we want people understand 18:42 how to do cross cultural ministry. 18:44 There's a lot of understanding. 18:47 We assume a lot that people everywhere think 18:52 just like us but as soon as we get out of North America 18:55 or whatever country you're from we find 18:58 that there is world view patterns, cultural, customs 19:01 and different things that make 19:03 people understand life differently. 19:06 So we have a training that helps people understand. 19:10 We also talk about the incarnational ministry of Jesus. 19:16 Tell me a little about more of that. 19:17 The incarnational ministry of Christ, 19:20 you know, He had the comforts of heaven, 19:22 He had all that anybody would ever want 19:24 and what did He do? 19:25 He gave it up, He came into a sin-sick world 19:30 and He was born into a barn with the flies 19:33 and cockroaches and animals 19:35 and He lived His life among the people telling the stories 19:38 to the people, connecting with people, 19:41 understanding the elements that people have 19:43 and so Jesus was one among us. 19:47 And that's what mission is. 19:50 So it's not a quick sorting into deliver information 19:53 and then escape out quickly again? 19:55 We tend to do that because it's easy 19:58 but the reality is Christ commitment was until death. 20:01 That's right. 20:02 And often times we haven't considered the cost. 20:06 Thank you, Rick for joining us today. 20:07 Pleasure. 20:08 And viewers at home, please pray for tentmakers. 20:12 These are people who extremely committed. 20:14 They have moved to different areas for one purpose 20:18 and that is to be a witness for Jesus Christ. 20:21 And that can be discouraging, it can be lonely at times. 20:25 Sometimes they don't know what their next step will be 20:27 and it is encouraging for them to know 20:29 that there is a world church who are there praying for them, 20:33 supporting them, who care for them. 20:35 If you want to find out more information 20:36 about tent making just go to AdvetistMission.org. 20:48 Of the Tanzanian shore of Lake Victoria 20:51 lies the city of Mwanza, nicknamed the Rock City, 20:55 it is home to more than 30 growing Adventist churches. 20:58 This growth happened in such a fast rate. 21:01 Churches are being planted in communities 21:03 throughout Mwanza and beyond. 21:05 The members here are on fire for the Lord 21:08 and the mission of the church. 21:21 One of these members is Priska. 21:23 She is dedicated to following God in any way He calls her. 21:32 Throughout the week she works hard to support a modest life. 21:36 Priska sells vegetables and herbs at a local market. 21:39 And many of which have medicinal values. 21:41 She works long days in the market looking forward 21:44 to the Sabbath when she can rest and spend time with Jesus. 21:48 From her earnings, Priska keeps only what she needs to survive 21:51 and the rest is given to the church. 21:58 At home Priska lives in humble quarters. 22:01 She praises God for what she has 22:03 and loyally spends time with Him. 22:06 Outside her home she allows people 22:07 to use her property to create bricks. 22:10 The small amount of money that comes from this 22:12 goes directly to the church. 22:14 She doesn't keep a single coin for herself. 22:17 She feels strongly that God will provide for her 22:19 as long as she is faithful to Him. 22:23 Priska and other members at Mwanza are committed 22:25 to the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church. 22:28 They willingly sacrifice what they have 22:30 so that they can help others learn about Jesus. 22:34 Here in Mwanza there is a great need for a hospital. 22:38 The small Adventist health clinic here is overcrowded 22:40 because peoplein the community trust Adventist doctors. 22:44 The members here give everything they can 22:46 so that they can see a hospital here some day. 22:49 Construction has already began, 22:51 thanks to the faithful giving of the local church members. 22:54 On this particular Sabbath 33 goats, 3 cows 22:58 and one sheep are pledged to the church 23:00 so that they can be sold 23:01 and the money can be used to continue building. 23:05 Thank you for supporting projects like this 23:07 around the world 23:08 by giving to your 13th Sabbath offering each quarter. 23:25 Global Mission pioneers are some of 23:27 the most courageous people I know. 23:29 Hundreds of pioneers are working around the world 23:32 to start new congregations 23:33 and new unintended often very difficult areas. 23:38 If you'd like to learn more about Global Mission work, 23:40 you need to receive our monthly newsletter 23:43 packed with stories and information 23:45 about pioneers around the world. 23:47 Simply call us or visit our website 23:49 and ask for Frontline edition 23:52 or if it's easy to remember just ask for offer number 301. 23:57 Please clearly state your name and mailing address 24:00 and be sure to mention Frontline edition or offer 301. 24:05 Well, I hope you've been challenged 24:06 and inspired by what you've seen here today. 24:09 Please remember to pray for and support mission in your church. 24:14 Thanks for joining us today as we leave 24:16 I hope you're blessed as you listen 24:18 to this prison choir in Kenya. 24:21 Until next time, I'm Gary Krause 24:23 wishing you God's richest blessings. 24:25 And I hope you can join us next time 24:27 right here on Global Mission Snapshots. |
Revised 2014-12-17