Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Earley Simon, Gerson Santos
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000051
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00:01 On today's program
00:02 the booming city of Lagos, Nigeria 00:04 with more than 21 million people, 00:07 a man named Friday learns about the Sabbath, 00:09 and the director of the Adventist churches 00:12 Mission to the Cities' initiative 00:14 talks about Mission to The Cities. 00:16 All that and much more coming up next 00:18 on "Global Mission Snapshots." 00:30 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:33 Jesus gave us a command. 00:36 He gave us a mission. Jesus said, go. 00:41 Go unto all the world, telling them of His love. 00:46 This is our mission. This is our "Global Mission." 00:56 Hello, I'm Gary Krause 00:57 and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 01:00 The international mission landscape 01:02 is a complex mix of cultures, 01:04 peoples, beliefs, places and stories. 01:08 Stories of people answering God's call 01:10 to carry the good news to every country, 01:13 language and people. 01:15 Today you can visit any major city 01:17 and find people from almost every country of globe. 01:22 On today's program we'll visit Greece 01:24 to find out how a Nigerian immigrant 01:26 discovered the Sabbath. 01:28 We'll also talk with video producer Earley Simon 01:31 about his trip to Lagos, 01:32 Nigeria one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. 01:36 And we'll talk to Dr. Gerson Santos, 01:38 director of the Global Mission Urban Ministry Center 01:41 who also heads up the Adventist churches 01:44 Mission to the Cities' initiative. 01:46 But first up, let's meet a family in Serbia 01:49 who dreamed of having a church in their own hometown. 01:56 When they were growing up, 01:57 cousins Magdolna and Eva heard the grown ups 02:00 talk about their dream 02:02 of having an Adventist church in their town. 02:05 The two grew up in Bajmok, now part of Serbia, 02:08 not far from the Hungarian border. 02:11 Auntie Helen's dream was would 02:14 we ever have a church in Bajmok where they all born. 02:20 Magdolna moved to Australia 02:22 but she never forgot her hometown 02:24 and her family's dream. 02:26 During a recent visit to Bajmok, Magdolna 02:29 and Eva sat and sang together 02:31 in their newly finished church 02:33 and they remember that dream. 02:39 They all dream that one day 02:41 we will not come together in somebody's kitchen 02:46 but we will have a little church to come together. 02:49 Magdolna remembers when her aunt died 02:51 and left her some money. 02:53 She and other relatives asked Eva to not send money 02:56 but to build a church. 02:58 And so the dream started to become a reality. 03:02 Friends and family hitched in. 03:04 Joseph, who was an elder for a long time Subotica 03:09 who Joseph Palcovich, who passed away already. 03:13 He worked tirelessly on this church building. 03:18 He was not well himself but we never paid him, 03:23 he would never take any money for it. 03:26 And other people started helping too. 03:28 Eva's husband was also supportive 03:31 even through he is not a member. 03:34 He had his friends on lunch and he turned to one of them 03:40 who was a factory manager who build furniture, 03:45 "What about you?" 03:46 And he said, "What about me?" 03:49 He said, "These people build the church, 03:52 can't you donate something?" 03:54 He said, "What can I do?" 03:57 And then of course the man turned to Eva and myself 04:01 and we said, "Well, we need lots of things 04:05 but amongst the lot of things 04:07 we need a pulpit." "Oh, what's that?" 04:12 Eva quickly ran to get a broacher 04:14 and showed him a picture of a simple pulpit. 04:17 "Oh, that's a pulpit." 04:19 He said, "Oh, something like that I can make." 04:23 And we asked him how much that would cost? 04:25 He said, "Nothing, that will be my donation." 04:28 A man who had nothing to do with our church 04:31 but a friend of Eva's husband. 04:37 All the pews in the church were also built 04:39 by Eva's husband's friend. 04:41 And though he charged for the materials 04:43 he didn't' charged anything for the labor. 04:46 Magdolna and her family haven't stopped dreaming. 04:49 Now their dream is that the church will grow. 04:52 Joseph always said, "If this church is small 04:57 we will push out that back wall 05:00 and we come towards this back building. 05:03 So we build a bigger church. 05:05 May God help us that church will be made bigger 05:10 that there will be no room in this church. 05:13 Before Jesus come that it will be too full 05:16 that we have to make it bigger. 05:19 This is the little church that is here in Bajmok. 05:23 Please pray for Eva 05:25 and for the small group of believers. 05:27 And please pray for other small groups 05:30 who are dreaming of a church in their town or village. 05:33 And I feel very happy that the dream 05:36 of my ancestors come true. 05:53 It's my pleasure to welcome Pastor Gerson Santos. 05:56 Gerson, thank you for joining us. Thank you. 05:58 You have a passion for urban mission 06:00 and you are the director 06:02 of our newest Global Mission center 06:05 for urban ministry. 06:07 Why is urban mission so important? 06:09 Why is it such a priority? 06:12 I believe the main reason is that 06:14 because we have more people live in the cities 06:16 than any place else in the world. 06:18 I mean, the population, 06:19 the urban population is growing so fast. 06:22 Another reason is that large cities 06:25 present a lot of challenges but also ministry opportunities. 06:28 So I guess these are the main reason. 06:32 Now more than 100 years ago Adventist 06:35 found a leader prophet Ellen White, 06:38 said that the church had neglected the cities. 06:42 Did we fixed that, did we stop neglecting them? 06:44 I don't think so, okay. 06:47 Considering large cities and when you see even though, 06:50 even areas that the church is growing 06:52 when you compare the growth, 06:54 the fast growing rate of the urban areas 06:57 with the church growth we are not following that. 07:00 So they still have a lot to be done. 07:03 And I think if she was alive today 07:06 she would give us even stronger advice 07:09 to focus the series and start new ministries it says. 07:14 You know, our focus has tended to be on rural areas, 07:18 villages, small town 07:20 because it's easier, it's more comfortable, 07:23 that's what we are more familiar with. 07:24 And do we need different methodology for the cities 07:29 or do we do the same thing that we do in rural areas? 07:33 I believe that the principles are same. 07:36 I mean, Sister White just emphasize 07:39 so many times the method that will bring 07:42 to success is following Jesus method. 07:45 I really don't think 07:46 its different working in countryside 07:49 or in an urban area if we follow the principles. 07:52 Of course we have to apply to different settings. Right. 07:55 Can you give me some examples of Adventists 07:57 who are involved in urban mission? 08:00 Well, I could give you so many. Let me take one. 08:03 I, not long ago, a couple of years ago 08:06 I met Gabriel and Miguel. 08:10 These two young men they formed a small group, 08:12 the group grew a little bit more 08:14 but they start with 12-15 young people 08:18 and they decide to make 08:21 a difference in a poor area of Orlando, Florida. 08:27 Orlando is well knows as a you know, theme parks, 08:30 people coming from all over the world to visit the city. 08:33 But there are some areas that are dangerous 08:35 and some how neglected. 08:38 And they focus on this specific area of South Orlando 08:42 that there are so many needs in the community. 08:44 And they-- to give you an example 08:46 there are several hotel buildings 08:49 that they have been converted into condominium apartments. 08:52 And then you'll face a whole family living in a small room. 08:57 And sometimes single parents 08:59 and sometimes even have a grandparents living together 09:02 with a couple of kids. 09:03 So they select some of those buildings 09:05 and with this team of missionaries 09:08 they visit those families 09:11 trying to have some information about how many kids, 09:15 you know, if they are of school age things like that. 09:17 And then they start providing assistance, tutoring, 09:22 after school program, food is they need, 09:26 back to school parties 09:27 they organized couple of times already. 09:29 At the end of the summer they put together a big party 09:32 in that condominium and receive donations 09:35 from people and agencies in the community. 09:38 And brought like hundreds of backpacks 09:41 full of new school material for the kids. Is that right? 09:43 So they have, they catalog all the families, 09:46 number of children, school age 09:48 and they try as much as they can 09:50 to prepare those backpacks 09:51 for the kids to go back to school. 09:53 I mean, this is just one example of how, you know, we can be-- 09:57 we can make a difference in a community in need. Yeah. 10:00 Now just when we've talked before you've mentioned 10:03 the importance of small group ministry. 10:06 Can you give me an example of where's that working. 10:08 Oh, there are so many place I could give you an example. 10:11 Let me tell you one-- 10:12 there is one specific place that is amazing. 10:14 I mean, James is a businessman. 10:17 He's a CPA, has an accountant firm 10:21 and his wife is a public school principal. 10:26 And they bought into this small group ministry 10:30 long time ago, they are really experts. 10:32 They train--they equip people to do small group ministries. 10:36 And a couple of years ago they developed 10:38 a strong small group ministry in their own local church. 10:42 But after while they recognize 10:45 that it would be more effective to reach out people 10:47 that were already attending the small group-- 10:50 visitors attending small groups 10:51 and integrate there in the church 10:52 if they plant their own church. So this is what they did. 10:56 With two small groups of about 10:57 seven or eight church members 11:00 they start implementing small groups 11:02 so the purpose of bringing the guest to a new church plant. 11:06 And this is what they did. 11:07 This church is a little bit over a year now 11:10 and they reach out so many families already. 11:15 They have an attendance that is probably four, 11:18 five times bigger than the membership. 11:20 They're being able to bring new people for the church 11:23 and they are very focused and empowered 11:28 and equip people to become leaders in their own community 11:31 through small groups. This is just one example. 11:35 James and his wife, they are doing an amazing 11:38 work to the small group ministries. Fantastic. 11:41 Now, Gerson, you are the secretary 11:43 for the Greater New York Conference, 11:45 you direct this center 11:47 but you also find time for personal involvement. 11:50 Why is that so important? 11:51 Well, I really, this is my real call. 11:54 I mean, I am doing some work for the church 11:56 because I've been hired to do that. 11:59 But my personal call is first of all being disciple 12:03 and also I--I also believe that God called me 12:07 for a special ministry to helping others to find 12:10 their function in within the church, 12:13 in Jesus' body as part of the family of God. 12:18 And so this is what I really enjoy doing. 12:20 So sometimes my assignment coincides with my call 12:26 and this is when we have real fun in ministry. 12:29 But I would say my real call is to help others 12:32 to know Jesus better and to be equip 12:35 to help others also. Fantastic. 12:37 Gerson, thanks so much for joining us. 12:39 You're very welcome. 12:40 And viewers at home, 12:42 please pray for Mission to the Cities, 12:44 the greater urban areas that Jesus loves so much. 12:47 To find out more information go to missiontothecitiess.org, 12:51 missiontothecitiess.org. 13:38 Earley Simon is a video producer 13:41 with the office of Adventist Mission 13:42 and also the producer of this program, 13:45 Global Mission Snapshots. 13:47 Earley, thanks for joining us 13:49 for coming from behind the camera to share with us. 13:52 You are a video producer, 13:57 you work on things such as the Adventist Mission DVDs. 13:59 So you are constantly gathering stories. 14:02 How does it affect you to, to actually witness first hand 14:06 various mission activities? 14:08 It's hard to admit but when I join the office 14:11 of Adventist Mission about a year ago 14:12 I didn't know much about mission. 14:14 And through threes trips I've learned so much 14:17 and I am so impress with the work. 14:19 It's defiantly something anybody would want to support 14:21 if they get involve with it, 14:22 if they find out what the church is doing 14:24 in this different regions of the world. 14:26 Good. I am glad to hear that. 14:27 Now you recently went to West Africa 14:30 and to the country of Senegal to the capital Dakar. 14:34 What did you, what did you go to visit there? 14:37 We went there as part of the, 14:38 what we call the 13th Sabbath offering trips. 14:40 We go there to visit some of the projects 14:42 that the church will be sponsoring 14:44 throughout the Pacific water. 14:46 And when we visited there was a school, 14:49 there's a school there that's receiving funding 14:50 from the 13th Sabbath offering. 14:52 And this is not an ordinary school 14:54 it's a very special school. 14:55 It's a center of Dakar, 14:56 it appeals to the wealthy of that area 14:59 and to other people as well. 15:00 But it was impressive to see that 15:02 many of the local businessman and the people there 15:05 that are high in government, 15:07 they bring their kids to this school. 15:09 The area is not a Christian area, 15:11 there are other religions there in this place. 15:14 And but even so a lot of these are the people 15:17 value Adventist education there 15:19 because of the high morals, they way they teach the kids. 15:21 It's a smaller school 15:23 so there's a lot of personal contact with each student. 15:26 And so we went to visit this one project. 15:28 They have a primary school, kindergarten 15:30 and they are beginning a secondary school. 15:32 And with the offering they will expand the school 15:34 so that they can have, teach more classes. 15:37 For those viewers who don't know 15:39 when you talk about 13th Sabbath offering, 15:41 what is this? 15:42 The 13th Sabbath offering is an offering 15:45 that's taking every quarter at the last Sabbath of the month 15:50 and this offer goes to help projects like schools, 15:53 churches, health institutions, radio stations, TV stations 15:58 it's probably had sponsored some in the past. 16:00 In a number of different projects 16:01 they are very well selected, carefully selected by the church 16:04 to receive these special, these are extraordinary funds. 16:08 And so how come people give to that offering? 16:10 It's very easy, if you attend 16:11 the Seventh-day Adventist church 16:13 you can just pick up one of the envelops 16:16 and mark that for the 13th Sabbath 16:18 or you can go online, which is even easier. 16:20 That's' the way I'd prefer to do it. 16:22 You can do it anytime. 16:23 You don't have to wait until the 13th Sabbath. 16:25 And so you get at adventistmission.org. 16:27 adventistmission.org. 16:28 And there is a place to donate, yeah. 16:29 And this is a place for anybody to sponsor 16:32 these missionary projects 16:33 for people to have education, to have health 16:36 but also to learn about Christ. 16:39 So, Earley, in this school in Dakar 16:41 did you get to meet any of the students or staff? 16:44 Oh, I got to meet a lot of very interesting children there. 16:47 And I go to meet a lot of the leaders as well. 16:49 Let me tell you a couple of stories 16:50 because there's actually a good range of stories 16:52 that we gathered there. 16:54 There is one girl that didn't have-- 16:57 didn't yet go to the Adventist school, 17:00 she was attending a public school. 17:01 But she was an Adventist and she lived out her faith. 17:04 It was very interesting because she would mingle 17:06 with her classmates and make friends with them. 17:09 And what she did is this one day she came to school, 17:11 they had their break. 17:12 That's their favorite time, they went out, 17:13 they played, they ran around 17:15 and then they had a little a few minutes 17:17 to get their lunch there 17:19 you know, their meal before they went back to classes. 17:21 And as they played and she noticed that 17:23 one of her friend was sitting in the corner. 17:25 She wasn't really engaging everyone that day. 17:28 And after they played, 17:29 she approached him and she said, 17:30 hey, why are you sitting there all by yourself? 17:32 And he said, oh, I forgot my lunch at home 17:35 and I am really sad about that. 17:36 He was a stronger guy so you knew that 17:38 we really wanted to you know, have his meal that day. 17:41 She said, well, I didn't bring much 17:42 but I'll share that with you. 17:44 So she pulled out just a piece of bread out of her lunch bag 17:47 and she shared that with his-- with her friend. 17:50 He was extremely happy about that. 17:52 And that goes to show, you know, the Adventist kids 17:54 they educated well, form emphasis. They are nice. 17:58 they like to give and they live to mingle 18:00 and make friends in that way. 18:01 The second story that I saw there 18:03 that's worth mentioning. 18:05 This student actually found a place in the Adventist school. 18:09 He started attending that school 18:11 after trying many other schools around the area. 18:14 He can't walk, he was paralyzed from the waist down. 18:17 And when he attended different schools 18:19 either they won't accept him or the kids won't make him, 18:22 won't make friends with him. 18:24 In some even the teachers didn't want him in the class 18:27 because they can't take him around, 18:29 it was difficult for them to care for him. 18:33 His parents of course you know, 18:34 they wanted to find him a good place 18:35 and they tried hard going from school to school 18:38 until they finally came to the Adventist school. 18:40 And they treated him very well. 18:42 I actually got there when they are about to have their break 18:45 and they--I saw the kids taking their friend 18:48 in a wheelchair outside. 18:49 They went to play soccer in the court 18:51 and what they did is because he couldn't run around 18:53 they put him in the goal. So he came out in his chair. 18:55 He was playing goalie. 18:56 It's one of those short goals and he was doing really well. 18:59 You could see that he liked the school. 19:01 And I got to talk to him and one of the things 19:03 that he said is he really likes the school. 19:05 He found that as home he wouldn't want to leave that 19:09 which points back to the school growing, you know. 19:12 Having secondary education helps the kids 19:14 where in those later classes 19:16 than now won't have a place to go 19:17 unless the school offers a higher grade. Yeah. 19:21 But, I don't know how much time we have. 19:22 Go ahead. Let me share one different story. 19:25 The first story you know, she was mingling making friends. 19:27 The second story, Adventist kids were meeting 19:30 the needs of the people like the boy in the wheelchair. 19:33 And the third story that I thought 19:34 was very impressive it's about this one man. 19:36 He went to several churches, 19:38 different churches, denominations 19:40 and in all those churches 19:41 people would ask him for his money 19:43 because he was a very wealthy businessman in the area. 19:46 And one day he visited and Adventist church 19:47 and all he was looking for is prayer 19:49 and advice for his life. 19:51 He got that there and at the end he asked, 19:54 "Is there anything I need to give you?" 19:55 They said, "No, just come back, join our service." 19:57 And he was so impressed with that, 19:58 you know, that people weren't after his money. 20:01 He started coming to that church, 20:03 he got baptized now he's Seventh-day Adventist. 20:05 That was one of the very interesting stories. 20:08 You meet people's needs, you can make friends, 20:10 you meet their needs, you win their confidence, 20:12 they become, you know, follower of Christ. Christ method. 20:15 The church is doing that in West Africa. Fantastic. 20:18 Earley, thank you so much 20:19 for sharing with us today. My pleasure. 20:22 Education is just one aspect of Adventist mission work 20:25 around the world, add to that medical work, 20:28 church planting, community services, 20:31 media, the list goes on. 20:32 And if you want to find out more about Adventist mission 20:35 at any time just visit our website 20:37 at adventistmission.org. 20:39 There you'll find stories, pictures, 20:41 videos, missionary blogs, 20:42 everything you need to know about mission. 20:50 This is Friday Michael 20:52 and here is his story about the Sabbath. 20:55 Friday grew up in a Christian home in Nigeria. 20:59 When he finished school he moved to Greece 21:00 in search of better opportunities. 21:03 As he arrived he joined 21:04 a Sunday worshipping church in the city of Athens. 21:06 However, Friday did not attend services often. 21:10 He was more concern with money making 21:12 and the church seemed like a setback. 21:15 Right away things started to go financially well 21:17 but Friday had no peace. 21:19 He felt something was missing in his life. 21:23 So at the beginning of a New Year 21:24 he made a resolution. 21:26 He pledged to read the Bible more 21:28 and get to know God intimately. 21:31 One day as he was reading the Book of Exodus 21:33 he was surprised with God's commandments 21:35 in regards to the Sabbath. 21:37 So he brought up the issue to his baptismal class teacher. 21:41 Although his class teacher could not show from the Bible 21:44 he was adamant that the God had changed 21:46 the seventh-day Sabbath to Sunday. 21:50 He said that Saturday worship was only for the Jews. 21:54 Friday struggled with this in his head 21:56 when suddenly a strange man in a bus stop approached him 21:59 and asked him, "Are you a Christian?" 22:02 Friday was startled by the direct question 22:04 and told the stranger that he was a confused Christian. 22:08 Then the man said, "You know, people who worship on Sunday 22:12 are confused about God's express requirements." 22:15 The man left as quickly as he came. 22:18 Friday was awestruck with the stranger's comment. 22:21 Now he was determined to find answers. 22:24 So he went to a Sunday church pastor. 22:28 I now brought this issue to him 22:30 and I said, I am having problem considering the Sabbath. 22:33 Which day is the Sabbath 22:35 because from what I am reading 22:36 in the Bible is seventh day, 22:39 I know its Saturday. He now said, yes. 22:43 He said you are correct. 22:46 He said, when I was a young Christian 22:48 I also found this out. So why do we worship on Sunday? 22:53 He said, look at the world, everybody worships on Sunday. 22:59 It doesn't matter which day you worship 23:01 whether Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 23:04 Monday, Tuesday, any day it's okay. 23:09 Friday left the pastor's office 23:10 reluctant to conform to the crowd. 23:13 A verse found in Ezekiel 20:20 kept coming to his mind, 23:17 "And keep my Sabbath holy 23:19 that they may be a sign between you and Me." 23:23 God were showing him light 23:25 and unlike his previous pastor 23:27 Friday wanted to walk in this new light. 23:31 So as he headed home he saw the bookshop 23:33 where he purchased his Bible, so he went in. 23:37 The owner of the bookshop was very friendly. 23:39 He listened to Friday's questions 23:41 and advised him to visit 23:42 a Seventy-day Adventist church nearby. 23:45 The man quickly pulled up a map 23:46 and pointed Friday to a Greek Seventh-day Adventist church. 23:50 That Saturday Friday got ready 23:52 and visited the Greek Adventist church. 23:55 He felt peace in his heart 23:57 and at the end he was told that 23:58 there was an international congregation as well. 24:01 He was thrilled. 24:03 He could now learn the Bible and worship in his own language. 24:07 Friday started attending the international church 24:10 and began taking Bible studies. 24:12 He found many answers from the word of God. 24:15 His religious life has never been stronger. 24:19 Today he reads the Bible more, understands it better 24:22 and he's defiantly more intimate with God. 24:26 This Sabbath, Friday thanks the world 24:28 Seventh-day Adventist church. 24:30 It is your faithful support 24:32 that sponsored an international congregation in Athens. 24:36 Your prayers have encouraged men 24:38 and women to work with the immigrants in this city 24:41 and the results are eternal. 25:03 We like to call that video, Friday's Sabbath. 25:06 What a wonderful story. 25:08 You know, you often hear us 25:09 talking about Global Mission pioneers on this program. 25:13 Pioneers are church planters who work in their own culture 25:16 to plant new groups of believers 25:18 in unentered areas or people groups. 25:21 If you are interested in meeting some Global Mission pioneers 25:23 and learning more about their work, 25:25 we have a special offer. 25:27 It's a DVD full of Global Mission Pioneer stories. 25:32 So if you live in North America, 25:33 please call our toll free number 1-800-648-5824 25:39 or visit our website at adventistmission.org 25:42 and just ask for the Global Mission Pioneer DVD 25:46 or offer number 310. 25:49 Don't forget to clearly state your name and address. 25:53 So on behalf of Adventist missionaries, 25:55 pastors, teachers and Global Mission pioneers 25:58 who are serving in mission around the world 26:01 thank you, so much for your continuing prayers 26:04 and financial support. 26:06 Until next time, I am Gary Krause 26:08 for Adventist Mission. God bless. |
Revised 2014-12-17