Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002702A
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00:24 A literature evangelist taken to a police station,
00:27 your mission offerings at work, 00:29 and the sights and sounds of Lyon, France. 00:32 All this, much more coming up next on Mission 360. 01:16 Hello, and welcome to Mission 360. 01:18 I'm Gary Krause. 01:19 Today's program is coming to you 01:21 from the city of Lyon in France. 01:23 And this city is a manufacturing city, 01:26 has a rich history, culture achievements. 01:30 But for me, the thing that stands out is that 01:32 this is the birthplace of Peter Waldo, 01:34 who is regarded by many 01:36 as the founder of the Waldensian movement. 01:39 He was a merchant from Lyon, 01:41 and he gave away all his property to his wife, 01:44 the rest of his possessions to the poor, 01:46 because he wanted to model a simple 01:49 and a humble Christian life, what an inspiration. 01:52 On today's program we're going to carry on 01:54 in that spirit of mission 01:56 as we look at mission around the world. 01:57 But first up, we asked the question, 01:59 are mission offerings still important? 02:02 I think you know the answer, 02:03 but we'll find out in just a minute. 02:05 Have you ever felt as if you're putting your money 02:07 into a black hole 02:09 when you give your weekly mission offerings? 02:11 Maybe you should think about it 02:13 more as dumping your offerings into the river. 02:16 Not to get rid of them, 02:17 but to help mission flourish around the world. 02:21 Mission offerings don't seem 02:23 to get as much attention anymore. 02:24 Yet they're still vitally important 02:26 to supporting work around the world. 02:28 Think of your mission offerings as a river 02:31 flowing through the entire world, 02:32 providing life-giving water 02:34 to help sustain the mission fields. 02:36 You probably know countries and projects 02:38 that are supported by part of your 13th Sabbath Offering. 02:41 But what about the regular mission offerings 02:43 you give each week? 02:44 Where do they go? What do they support? 02:47 And what do they achieve? 02:49 You may be surprised to learn that 02:50 your weekly mission offerings 02:51 help support the work of about 400 missionary families 02:55 around the world. 02:56 In fact, 70% of the weekly mission offerings 02:59 each quarter help 03:00 to support overseas missionaries 03:03 and the international work of the church. 03:05 Appropriations from the General Conference 03:07 to world divisions, 03:08 the Middle East North Africa Union Mission, 03:11 and the Israel Field help these regions build 03:14 and sustain mission activities 03:15 in their territories like water, 03:17 irrigating fields when there's not enough rain. 03:20 The remaining money helps 03:21 various institutions and agencies 03:23 that serve the world church. 03:25 For example, it helps the compassionate 03:27 medical mission work of Loma Linda University, 03:30 the outreach of Adventist World Radio, 03:33 and the humanitarian ministry of ADRA, 03:35 the Adventist Development and Relief Agency. 03:38 In recent years, millions of people 03:40 from challenging areas of the world 03:42 have found salvation in Jesus 03:44 and have joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 03:48 In 2018, every 22 seconds, someone became an Adventist, 03:53 and every 4 hours, a new church was organized. 03:56 Thanks to your offerings and the Global Mission focus, 03:59 thousands of new congregations 04:01 have been established in unreached areas 04:03 and among new people groups. 04:06 But after these new believers have been baptized, 04:08 how are they nurtured? 04:10 How do we make sure that 04:11 their new faith is strengthened and they grow as disciples? 04:16 Your river of mission offerings 04:18 helps grow and sustain new work throughout the world. 04:21 Please keep this life-giving river flowing. 04:24 Thank you for your faithful weekly mission offerings 04:27 and your continuing prayers for Adventist Mission. 04:49 My guest is Pastor Daniel Monachini, 04:51 who is the president 04:53 of the Adventist Church here in South France. 04:55 Thanks so much for joining me, Pastor. 04:58 Can you describe some of the makeup, 05:01 the demographics, 05:03 the territory that you're working in. 05:06 We work in the South France Conference 05:08 near Mediterranean Sea. 05:10 Yes. 05:12 There is, the France is getting in two parts, 05:16 the North Conference with Paris 05:19 and the South Conference with the south of the France. 05:24 You can get into the France 05:26 and there is two conference in our union. 05:30 Okay. 05:31 So you have some big cities and you also have rural areas. 05:35 Describe the big cities? 05:38 The big cities of the south of France 05:42 are very multicultural places. 05:48 We have a lot of immigrants 05:50 because I'm Italian and France 05:54 is very attractive economically, 05:57 but also philosophically, you know. 06:00 With the revolution in France, the philosopher said, 06:05 "France is not a country, is an idea." 06:10 Then people feel more free to be accepted in France. 06:16 Very interesting. 06:18 Now, what are the challenges that you face in mission here? 06:22 The big challenge is our territories, 06:24 you know, the south of Europe 06:30 is a Catholic, North, Protestant. 06:33 But France have this story 06:38 and story with the French Revolution, 06:41 the end of monarchy and destroying the monarchy. 06:46 The philosopher in that moment went to cast away the church, 06:51 the Catholic Church, but also the church 06:53 because they feel that the power of the king 06:58 it was helped by the church, 07:02 then they build deep 07:05 artistic feeling 07:09 and believing in the heart of the people. 07:11 Yes. 07:13 And it's not sort of like the gentle sort of atheism. 07:15 It's a very anti religious sort of outlook. 07:18 So what are you doing here in mission? 07:20 What are you doing to try to build up the church? 07:24 In this vision, the best way 07:28 is to connect with people 07:31 to build deep relation. 07:35 Relation that people can trust you, 07:39 knowing that you are Christian and Adventist, 07:42 but that you are normal person, 07:43 that you live in your community, 07:45 that you work with your neighbor, 07:47 that you want to be in the services 07:49 of your town or your city, 07:52 then we encourage member to be 07:55 part of their community to invest time, 08:00 emotion relation with the neighbor 08:03 and with people in their community. 08:05 Yes. 08:07 So, it would seem to me that 08:09 you are following Christ method of ministry. 08:12 This is very important for you. Yeah. 08:15 Tell me about the small group ministry? 08:18 The small group is the best way for a French people to begin, 08:22 to create it an atmosphere 08:26 where you can speak about your problem. 08:29 And you can also speak about spirituality. 08:34 A lot of people and the young generation 08:37 have a lot of questions spirituality 08:40 and an open mind. 08:42 Not on religion or in the doctrine of a church, 08:48 but the person of Christ 08:50 and the message of the gospel is very, 08:53 very interesting then what best of house 08:59 to create it the atmosphere, 09:02 and to speak friendly about this question. 09:07 Without the vision that, you know, 09:11 after me or beside me, 09:12 there is a trap where the church 09:15 was waiting for you. 09:17 Right. Right. 09:18 And for a city such as, like Lyon where we are now 09:24 where you got more than 2 million people 09:25 in the greater metropolitan area. 09:28 You simply can't afford enough church buildings, 09:31 so expensive. 09:32 So meeting in homes and other places 09:35 is a very positive way of doing church. 09:40 Now, I understand that 09:41 you're planning a center of influence here in Lyon. 09:44 Tell me about that? 09:46 Yes, we have the opportunity to build 09:51 with French administration 09:54 a project of services 09:57 where there is a place for church, 10:01 but there is place for different 10:07 from different form of services for the church 10:11 and for the community, excuse me, 10:13 like ADRA or we speak about a nursery, 10:17 a nursery community we speak about, 10:22 what is our culture 10:25 as Adventist for health ministries. 10:29 But, yes, we've a place 10:32 where we can offer 10:33 this different vision of the gospel 10:38 and of the Adventist message. 10:39 Wonderful. 10:41 Thank you, Pastor, for sharing with us 10:43 and God bless you in your ministry here. 10:44 Thank you. Thank you very much. 10:46 And viewers, when we think of a place 10:48 like the south of France, many people think of it 10:51 as a wonderful tourist destination 10:53 which it is, but there are millions of people here 10:56 who are, well, their defenses are up. 10:59 They're just not interested in religion 11:00 and that's a tremendous mission field 11:02 for the Adventist Church. 11:03 The number of Adventists to population, 11:05 the ratio is just amazingly low. 11:08 So please pray for the leaders here, 11:10 church members, the new center of influence 11:13 that God will open up new pathways of mission 11:16 to connect with the community 11:17 and share the good news of Jesus. 11:19 We'll be right back after this break. |
Revised 2020-10-06