OUTREACH Issue 20 | Apr - Jun 10 The Official Elim International Missions Magazine

[IN FOCUS]Updates from some of

our missionaries

this issue

THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

- The reality of the world in

which you live

Introducing speakers for Bible Week 2010

Updates from some of our missionaries

Training Academy Northern Ireland

BIBLE WEEK 2010What you can expect to see

from Elim Missions

We decided some time ago that for this edition of Outreach magazine we would focus on Christians suffering persecution for their faith. This has proved to be quite timely because, as I write this, news is breaking of missionaries of different nationalities being expelled from what had previously been perceived to be one of the most tolerant North African countries, plus the terrible news of the attack in Pakistan on an NGO which would be seen as Christian, resulting in the death of five nationals. And along with these most recent incidents, we are often reminded of the ongoing challenges faced by many Christians in the majority world, especially in such places as India.

As we read and hear about such happenings, we need to take action and encourage others to join us in such action. Together we need to make our voices heard and stand with those who are already doing what they can – together we can make a difference.

At our Sunday evening meeting at the Elim Conference in Prestatyn in June, we will be hearing from people who can help us understand more fully what is going on both in our own country and across the world as we learn to distinguish between disinformation, discrimination and persecution. It would be great if you are able to join us, but if this isn’t possible and you’d like to have a CD of the service, then please do contact the office.

Together our voices can make a difference for those suffering because of their faith.

God bless you.

Chris JonesElim International Missions

EDITORIALCHRIS JONES

ContentsIN FOCUS | 04

HAITI APPEAL | 08

COVER STORY - PERSECUTED CHURCH | 09

MISSIONS AT BIBLE WEEk 2010 | 12

NORTHERN IRELAND TRAINING ACADEMY | 14

PRAYER DIARY | 16

LIFELINk | 18

COVER STORY

PERSECUTED CHURCHWhat is our response to persecuted Christians overseas... a whimper or a roar?Read more on page 9.

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//TWENTYTEN TRAINING ACADEMY NORTHERN IRELAND//

21st Century training for 21st Century missions

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[ IN Focus] Elim MissionariesImpacting Nations

Bringing the Love of Christ to the nations

[Gordon & Sybil McKillop] Serving in Zambia

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Does Jesus heal today?

Let me introduce you to Mr Kalula, an evangelist and church planter in Zambia. Born in Angola during the civil war, he was the sole survivor of a ruthless village massacre and at the age of six months taken from the back of his dead mother and cared for by an elderly lady who had escaped the massacre when away visiting her relatives.

Life was hard for kalula and his adopted mother. Quickly they moved across the Zambezi to the relative safety of Zambia. When kalula was eight years old, the old lady died and left him alone in the world with no other living relative. He wandered from village to village trying to get enough to eat and survive. His life was becoming increasingly miserable as everyone viewed him as a thief and he knew if caught he would be severely beaten. Education and schooling passed him by and instead he learned the ways of the ‘abandoned child’ whose survival skills are honed to the keenest edge imagineable. As a young teen kalula was abducted by soldiers to join the army. He told the soldiers to kill him now and end his miserable life. While discussing what do with him he threw himself off the moving truck and disappeared into the bush. At the age of eighteen he heard the Gospel, was soundly saved and attached himself to an evangelist for three years. When he met his future wife he told her that God had called him to serve Him and that Christ would always be put first in his life. They married and although he travelled widely preaching and planting churches, God blessed them with healthy children. During one of his long evangelistic trips to Angola, his wife became ill. She was taken to Mwinilunga Hospital on a truck where a surgeon had to operate in the hope of saving her life. Sadly the tumour had invaded so many of the vital organs, he was unable to remove it. During the operation the surgeon learned that kalula had arrived from Angola by bicycle and went out to break the sad news to him. He explained the situation, telling kalula that there was no certainty of him seeing his wife alive again. Naturally kalula was distraught and asked the surgeon to pray with him. They knelt down together, although the surgeon was not a Christian, asking the Lord to heal his precious wife in order that he not be left alone in the world again as had been the case in his earlier life.

Dr Philippe returned to the theatre, removed the sterile cover over the operation site and stared at a perfectly normal abdomen. The massive tumour had completely disappeared. He confirmed this by extensive examination before closing the wound. kalula’s wife has been living and active for the Lord now for the last 12 years. Dr Philippe was so amazed at having seen God at work that he sought out a local missionary to ask questions. That same night he gave his life to the Lord. There is no question in kalula’s mind or in that of the surgeon’s that Jesus still intervenes into space and time today and performs miracles of incredible healing.

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[John & Rachel McDonough] Serving in Honduras

From A to B via P!We served for nine months at a children’s home in Paraguay last year and as much as we went to be helpful, we came back feeling like we were the ones who had been blessed.

As we developed our language skills, found a way to translate our English youth games into Spanish and played the Hokey-Cokey with four year olds, we really felt God expanding the place in our hearts for Latin America. In a country where many churches are not in a financial position to pay full-time workers beyond their pastor, it was amazing to be able to give our time freely as we received support from the Uk. We saw the change and development in the young people we worked alongside and even had the opportunity to see some of them baptised. However, we began to spend a lot more time working with younger children, 18 months to 11 years, and felt that we were beginning to lose sight of the ministry we had gone out to do which was youth work. It was at this time that we were invited by Elim Missions to help with some changes taking place with Elim Honduras.

Now the amazing thing is, if we hadn’t gone to Paraguay, what Elim Missions was offering would have been met with a resounding ‘no!’ as we would have felt ill-equipped, but God already knew what he needed from us.

We found out we were needed to help out with translating emails etc from the Honduran pastor, a skill we had already developed in an unexpected admin role at the children’s home. And as well as continuing with our youth work with the churches, we will also be helping out with a children’s feeding programme called ‘Project Joseph’. Well after nine months of being surrounding by babies and children in the children’s home, we could not have been better equipped!

It’s truly awesome to see how God already had this next step mapped out, how we had thought Paraguay was the focus, but that God, knowing the bigger picture, was easing us into the next phase. We have learnt so many personal lessons, not just about cross-cultural mission, but about

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our relationship and understanding of God; that as we choose to serve Him, even thinking we have nothing in particular to offer, God takes the willingness of our hearts and through His power turns our clay pots into lanterns. He knows where He is taking you; listen to His instructions because sometimes the best route from A to B is via P.

As we set out to work in Honduras, we are not only excited to see what is to come, what new lessons await us and to meet new people at the two churches, but we feel privileged that God would allow us to step out in missions and represent Jesus to those we meet, especially considering how much we sing the Hokey-Cokey!

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[John & Ann Turner] Serving in Cambodia

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We have been serving God in Cambodia for three years now. Currently we are back in damp and chilly Northern Ireland for six months or so. The main reason for our return is that I am a teacher on a career break and needed to return to fulfil teaching obligations. We hope to return to Phnom Penh in the summer for a further period and I won’t be continuing with teaching in the UK.

Ann and I received our call to the mission field separately – mine in 2005 while I was on a short-term missions trip to Malawi and Ann’s in 2006 on a short-term missions trip to Tanzania. The calls were clear and unquestionable and we knew we needed to respond and make ourselves available. Thank God for short term mission trips! God clearly said to Ann that she would be the mother of many nations. We were to take one bag each and to go in total faith in Him. After the short, but useful, Elim Missions training course in 2007 we headed off to Phnom Penh, going from a safe, financially cosy, comfortable, self sufficient, self controlled life into the unknown. We realise now that God was asking us to trust Him totally - and we did.

Our initial time in Phnom Penh was challenging. During one of the frequent torrential thunder storms the ceiling of our flat fell in on us. There were lizards - geckos- on the walls inside and out leaving droppings everywhere. We had a constant battle with ants that were all over the place and we seemed to be magnets for biting insects. We were horrified at the ease with which rats were able to invade our kitchen. However, we knew God was in control and our trust in Him never faltered.

Now, three years later, God has supplied all our needs and more. We were overweight and have lost around three stone each and our diabetes, which we both had, went below our radar a long time ago. We believe we have been healed.

We can truly testify that our God is amazing. We have found serving God in Phnom Penh extraordinarily challenging but exceptionally satisfying. That’s not to say we haven’t had low points, disappointments and made mistakes, we have, but we have found serving God in Cambodia to be an amazing learning experience. We have grown spiritually- beyond measure. And despite everything, including the loss of time with our families, we would do it all again and plan to return later this year.

We serve our Lord Jesus Christ. This is kingdom work. It’s such a thrill to see God doing things in such manifestly obvious ways. In Phnom Penh, we sometimes meet with other missionaries in a local coffee shop. The main topic of conversation is what God is doing or what He did yesterday or last week. It’s simply astonishing. This is a special time in Cambodia and God is moving mightily.Photo: Some of the children that John and Ann work

with in Cambodia

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[Harry & Rose*] serving in India

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We felt God’s calling to India over a six year period, during which we had three specific calls, and, like Samuel, answered, “Speak Lord for your servants are listening.” After being accepted as Elim Missionaries, we set off for northern India in November 2005. We are involved in many areas of ministry including leading worship and preaching in various meetings and churches; encouraging and developing indigenous churches; supporting, encouraging and counselling students and missionaries; working practically and spiritually with two mission hospitals; involvement with a girl’s orphanage and also teaching in a Bible school.

As well as being involved locally, we are also privileged to work with people from other nations who are based in India. We recently met with Pastor Yeshe*, a Tibetan who works within his own community. India has the highest population of Tibetans outside Tibet – around 120,000. Yeshe was born in Tibet and spent 10 years as a Buddhist monk. When he fled to India he heard about Jesus and accepted him as Saviour. It was great to catch up with him and hear how our Tibetan brothers and sisters are doing and also to see the new Tibetan Bibles we had been able to give him to distribute.

Yeshe went back to Tibet last year to visit family and was carrying a Bible with him. He was stopped by the Chinese authorities who questioned and tortured him. Thankfully he was released and Yeshe says it was a miracle he came out alive. His real heart is for Tibet and his vision is to return there someday to start a work. Tashe says he is willing to pay the price for the gospel of Jesus Christ and that if anything happened to him, his sons would rise up to continue the ministry.

We were also able to go to Hla’s* new home and have a traditional Burmese meal with him. We have known Hla for a few years now. He is a refugee from Burma and is now working with Burmese refugees teaching English. He has just been appointed the Assistant Pastor/Evangelist in the Burmese church that has about 700 members, all refugees who have fled Burma for different reasons. Upon their arrival in India, these new refugees cannot apply for ‘UN refugee status’ for two years, which means they have no rights and are open to exploitation in order to survive. Through Hla’s witness and good standing amongst his people, he has been invited onto the committee that works to help the Burmese people in his local city, and we are hoping that in the future we can be a help and witness too in this area.

At times the temperature here can rise to over 45°C – pretty hot! Then we long for the monsoon rains to bring some relief from the heat. At times like these we often head up to a hill station for a break. As well as enjoying cooler temperatures, this is an opportunity to be refreshed both physically and spiritually through sharing fellowship with others ministering in India.

It was a joy to us personally to be in Northern Ireland last autumn when Harry was ordained. It was a very special evening and the message brought by Pastor John Glass was very encouraging to us. This year we have had to return to the Uk for Rose to undergo surgery. Praise God all has gone well and we thank you for your prayers.

*names changed for security reasons

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//HAITIAPPEAL

Haiti is a Caribbean country and along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola. The total area of Haiti is 10,714 square miles and its capital is Port-au-Prince. French and Haitian Creole are the official languages. Haiti was the first independent nation in Latin America and the first black-led republic in the world when it gained independence as part of a successful slave rebellion in 1804. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has experienced political violence throughout its history. In February 2004 an armed rebellion forced the resignation and exile of the President and a provisional government took control with security provided by the United Nations.

On Tuesday 12th January 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti at 1653 local time (2153 GMT) 10 miles south-west of the capital city Port-au-Prince. As we woke on the morning of Wednesday 13th January and watched the news reports, the enormity of the devastation began to unfold. The Presidential palace, Parliament and many other important structures were destroyed, along with thousands of homes and businesses - Inadequate housing and sub-standard construction resulting in the death toll being exacerbated. Over 1.5 million are homeless and more than 150,000 are confirmed dead, although the actual number will never be able to be determined.

Elim International Missions launched an appeal for funds to help on Thursday 14th January: In a country that has so few resources, the earthquake that devastated Haiti on Tuesday, 12th January is a catastrophe. Thousands of Haitians have lost their homes. Many are severely injured. Through our partner organisations we would like to help those who have survived to rebuild their lives. If you would like to contribute, please send cheques payable to Elim International Missions and marked ‘ERA Haiti’. Thank you.

The Elim family responded quickly and cheques began to arrive almost immediately. Some of our Elim ministers joined a team to Haiti on 25th January and we were able to give £15,000 straight away which was used to provide food, water and medical supplies to thousands of families in an area which had not yet received any help. Now we are working closely with Habitat for Humanity, a Christian organisation that has been active in Haiti for nearly 30 years, to provide transitional shelters and shelter kits while assessing the most effective way of repairing damaged homes and beginning to rebuild good housing. Without a long-term recovery and rebuilding effort, today’s temporary shelters become tomorrow’s shanty towns.

To everyone who has already sent money we want to say a massive thank you - your giving is making a real difference.

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the realityof the world in which you live...

These two young women were arrested on 5th March

2009 and held in the notorious Elvin Prison in Tehran.

They were told to renounce their faith in Christ, but despite

enormous pressure being put on them, both women stood

firm. They were very aware that their world Christian family

was praying for them and that they had not been forgotten

saying, “Thank you for praying for us. We are humbled

and strengthened by your prayers and we are determined

to remain faithful to Jesus even unto death.” On 18th

November 2009 the wonderful news came that they had

been released from prison. Thank you to everyone who

has contributed to our appeal towards their legal, medical

and other costs.

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the reality

of the world in which you live...

When we heard about Maryam and Marzieh being imprisoned because they refused to deny their faith in Christ (see previous page), it touched a nerve within the Elim family. Many of us wondered what we would have done if we were in the same situation. Through God’s grace, would we have stood firm?

Many Christians across the world suffer terribly because of their faith. They are denied the freedom to worship, denied access to basic human rights such as education and housing, sometimes imprisoned, forced to work, separated from their families, tortured or even worse. Today it is considered that persecution of Christians is the largest human rights issue.

Countries where Christians suffer persecution because they love Jesus include North korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Maldives, Afghanistan, Yemen, Mauritania, Laoz, Uzbekistan, Eritrea, Bhutan, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Burma, Egypt ..... the list goes on. According to the World Evangelical Alliance, around 200 million Christians in around 60 countries are denied fundamental rights solely because of their faith.

200 million! That number is hard to take in. But that vast figure is made up of people like you and me, ordinary people who follow Jesus, choosing to be obedient to him no matter what.

In an interview with Premier Christian Radio, Sheikh Dr Muhammed Al-Hussaini said that the church hierarchy is to blame for Christian persecution around the world because ‘it simply does not care’ and only offers a ‘whimper’ in response to incidents: “The one thing we Muslims can absolutely rely upon is that whereas the

tiniest thing kicks off in Gaza or the West Bank and there are protests in Muslim cities all the way from Jakarta to Timbuktu, in the case of persecuted Christian minorities – horrendous machete attacks take place in Nigeria, Christians in Iraq are burned out of their houses, Christians in Pakistan are stoned or attacked on the slightest pretext, Christians in Palestine suffer under Israeli occupation – in all cases what we will hear is just a whimper.” He went on further to say, “We can rely on the fact that to the great majority of people, this issue is not sufficiently important. They may grieve about it, they may pray about it, but they’re certainly not going to upset their powerful self-interest as a result of this.”

This should be a wake-up call to each and every one of us. If we truly are all one in Christ Jesus, then we need to stand together with our brothers and sisters who face suffering, violence and even death because of their faith.

“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”

Hebrews 13:3

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Lord Carey recently said, “Christianity, which has given so much to our country, is now being sidelined as never before as though it is a stranger to our nation.”

In the Uk we have the right to freedom of religious belief. And we have the right to freedom of expression, including freedom of speech. But at the same time we cannot interfere with the rights of others nor use ‘insulting words or behaviour’ – but defining this is not clear.

Here in the Uk, would it be an infringement of people’s rights if a neighbourhood church plays loud music? In a work situation, could it be considered offensive to offer to pray for someone? And what about wearing a cross while at work? Can a minister or registrar refuse to officiate at a same-sex marriage? Can a doctor refuse to carry out abortions? There are no easy answers.

Thankfully in the Uk an organisation called The Christian Legal Centre exists, “to promote Christian Truth in the public arena and to protect the freedom of Bible believing Christians to speak the truth on matters such as life, marriage and the family, and to live their lives in accordance with their Christian beliefs.” We need such an organisation as never before.

How can we make a difference?

FIRST...Find out more information. Check out websites (see some examples below). Ask someone to speak at your church. Check world news websites for current information.

THEN...1. Pray - we can have a profound effect through prayer. Pray for persecuted Christians to remain strong in their faith; to experience the love and peace of God; to be full of grace and truth; to be protected from physical and psychological harm; for family members to remain strong.

2. Petition - send letters and cards of encouragement to those who are suffering persecution to let them know you care and to show governments that we are taking an interest; write to your MP to see if they are aware of a particular situation and ask what they are able to do to make a difference

3. Provide - give to organisations to enable them to support persecuted Christians through advocacy; to minister to families of those in prison; to raise awareness of persecuted Christians

Let’s not just whimper - let’s rise up and take action, let’s raise our voice and show we are united and we do care.

• Christian Solidarity Worldwide www.csw.org.uk

• Open Doors www.opendoorsuk.org

• Release International www.releaseinternational.org

• The Christian Legal Centre www.christianlegalcentre.com

• Christian Concern for our Nation www.ccfon.org

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ELIMCONFERENCE AND BIBLEWEEk : MISSIONS PROGRAMME

Sunday 7.15 : Celebration in LunarsCelebrate and ConcernCome and hear Mervyn Thomas and Andrea Minichiello Williams share their hearts about persecution overseas and in the Uk. Hear from some of our missionaries and much more

Monday 2.30 pm in the BallroomLifelink Celebration - Women in Missions - with Mandy and the Lifelink TeamWhat’s it like to be serving God overseas as a woman?Hear from Mervyn Thomas and Andrea Minichiello Williams about women suffering persecution because of their faith

Tuesday 7-8 am in the BallroomEarly Day with Pastor Joseph SerwaddaJoin us as we start the day with the Word and prayer

Thursday 2.30-4.30 pm on the Field Lifelink Fun Afternoon With bouncy castle, penalty shoot-out, face painting, refreshments and much more. Come and join us for an afternoon of fun and games

Thursday 10.00 am meet at the Railway Booking Office at the foot of Snowdon Sponsored Snowdon Trek – one of the most beautiful mountains in the worldPick up your sponsorship forms from the Missions StandHave a fun day out and raise money for Nepal and Elim Missions Missions Stand in the Exhibition areaCome and meet the missions staff and some of our Missionaries. Pick up the latest information and see some exciting DVDs and access our new website

Lifelink Shop with Integrity in the Exhibition areaWe have beautiful pashminas, jewellery, notebooks, handbags and much more. Everything you buy helps Third World people to support their families. Great ideas for birthday gifts!

Plus there will be various Focus Groups taking place during the week. Please come to the Missions stand for more information.

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SNOWDONTrek 10.06.2010

While you enjoy Elim Conference this year why not join us for a sponsored walk up Snowdon. This will be great day out for all enjoying the fresh air and superb views in the Snowdonia National Park whilst raising money for Nepal and Elim Missions.

Minimum Sponsorship £10 | Starting at 10amMeeting at the Railway station at the foot of Snowdon

Standing at 1085m above sea level Snowdon is the highest peak in Wales

For more info and to register contact us: 0845 302 6750 | missions@elimhq.net www.elimmissions.co.uk | Registered Charity 251549 / SC037754

ELIMCONFERENCE AND BIBLEWEEk : MISSIONS PROGRAMME

We are really excited to have two fantastic communicators speaking for us at our Sunday evening meeting this year. Read more about Mervyn Thomas from Christian Solidarily Worldwide and Andrea Minichiello Williams from Christian Concern for Our Nation below:

MERVYN THOMASMervyn is an accredited Assemblies of God minister and has been the Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) since 1999. He is also Chairman of Religious Liberty Partnership, an international network of organisations working with the persecuted church.

Mervyn is a passionate advocate for the worldwide persecuted Christian family, speaking on their behalf at conferences and churches, both in the Uk and internationally. He has extensive experience of parliamentary lobbying and travels widely to countries where Christians suffer persecution.

Married to Wendy, a community Matron, he lives in Farnham, Surrey. They have a 24 year-old daughter Vicki and a nine year old son, Seth. As a family they attend Elim’s New Hope Centre in Guildford. Mervyn is a busy man, but finds time to act as Chairman of Governors at Barfield School, Farnham.

ANDREA MINICHIELLO WILLIAMSAndrea is a Barrister who gained eight years’ experience at the Criminal and Family Bar before starting to focus full-time on her current work as a leading analyst, campaigner and spokeswoman on issues of national importance in the moral life of the nation and as defender of Christian liberties in the parliamentary process, the justice system and the media.

As well as leading the campaigning group Christian Concern for Our Nation and Christian liberties legal group the Christian Legal Centre, Andrea is a wife and mother of four children.

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//TWENTYTEN TRAINING ACADEMY NORTHERN IRELAND//

21st Century training 21st century missions

The Northern Ireland Academy under the leadership of Hugh Moore has proven to be an effective tool for the local church seeking to take its students on a journey of theology, leadership and church history to name a few of the courses offered.

At the beginning of January the International Missions Department was given the opportunity to teach a missions module held over 10 consecutive Monday evenings. Our aim is to equip the local church to be involved in mission. Therefore the content of the course contained the following:

• Missions: the hope for the world • Fund-raising for missions in the local church • Missions: reaching the outcast • Missions: a global perspective • Missions: raising passion for the harvest • Missions: the future • World religions: a Christian response • Global Pentecostalism

The course lecturers were myself, Chris Jones, Ray Cotter and Stephen Neill. The students were asked to complete a 1000 word essay related to the course book ‘Revolution in World Missions’ by kP Yohannan. They also had to bring a presentation on lessons from the life of a missionary. One of the evenings they listened to a presentation regarding the use of media in missions and also a talk from our missionaries John and Rachel MacDonough.

The students have been very positive in their response to the course:

“It has helped to bring clarity to my life.” - Jane

“A very well presented module bringing theory and reality together.” – Mark

“Wonderful ... my eyes are opened to missions.” – Mark

This was a trial for us and something we carefully prepared for. We are now looking forward to the next academic year for the Academy when the module will be offered again and we will build on this year’s blessing.

To see missions co-ordinators/leaders, church mission team members, people contemplating a mission trip abroad and people coming to the course simply because they wanted to know more, together discussing the ‘what, when, where, why, who and how of mission’ was exciting! We can only hope the local churches will now benefit from these members being challenged and stimulated in such a way and who are now returning to share what they have learnt.

We want to continue to reach the Uk and Eire Elim churches offering courses and presentations that will kick-start a church missions campaign or simply build on and educate further on what the churches are already doing, much of which is of a high and excellent standard.

“Both of us really looked forward to the Missions Module of the Elim Bible Academy and it hasn’t disappointed us. The team overseeing the evenings and guest speakers have been interesting, inspirational and helped us greatly in the path we feel God is leading us. We would recommend this course for anyone who has a passion for missions. ”

- David & Esther

Photo: Delegates attending the Training Academy in Northern Ireland.

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the years ahead • Discover new fresh ways to money raising ventures • Increase passion for the growth of God’s kingdom in the nations of the world.

With such objectives and with God’s blessing we know that the local Elim church will continue to help transform lives, communities and nations.

Paul Hudson is the Pastor of Elim’s Dewsbury church and is also on staff with the Missions Department as Training and Development Director. Paul

has a real passion for training, equipping and mobilising the church into mission.

Our hope is that when you hear of such courses being offered in your locality that pastors will send their mission leaders and teams and interested members and especially their young people to these events.

The objectives of this particular course were as follows:

• Develop a deeper awareness of global mission and its application to the local church • Gain lessons from missionaries past and present • Have an understanding of the main world religions • Reflect on what God’s heart is for the poor and marginalised • Contemplate the shape of mission in

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TRAINING DAYS : TWENTYTEN

We are delighted to be able to offer the opportunity of training in Mission which will help to prepare those who are going overseas to serve God.

At the end of the training each participant will have gained: A deeper awareness of Global mission and its application to the local churchLessons from past missionaries An understanding of the main world religionsknowledge on what God’s heart is for the poor and marginalisedPassion for the growth of God’s kingdom in the nations of the worldLeadership principlesBasic preaching skillsA brief overview of Global Pentecostalism(There will be a charge)

Contact: missions@elimhq.net | 0845 302 6750 | Days may be combined or changed depending on attendance.

11th Sept one day training for up to one year’s placement7th - 10th Sept Training for over one

year’s service

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APRILWeek 1 - 4th-10thSunday 4th April is Easter Sunday. A day of celebration where we rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pray that this Easter will be an amazing time for many across the world. Pray that through the special events and services that our missionaries put on, many will come and hear the Good News and be saved. Pray that this Easter will see the kingdom of God extended.

Week 2 - 11th-17thPlease pray for all short term teams involved in ministry during these coming months, including Derby team to Israel, Ingatestone team to Mozambique and Ilford team to Philippines. Pray for safety as they travel and that God would use them mightily as they serve the people, community and nations they visit. Praise God that they are stepping out and pray that as they step out God would guide them and use them.

Week 3 - 18th-24thPray for Lifelink. Pray for the team that head up this ministry: Mandy Campbell, Jo Rubens, Rachel Hesketh, karen Green, Amanda Blount and Lisa Lenton. Pray especially for the Lifelink team that will be going to Macedonia. Pray that all the women on this team would be used effectively and powerfully in Macedonia and that each of them would be a blessing to all those they come in contact with.

Week 4 - 25th-1stElim Guyana Celebrates it’s 60th anniversary. Pray that these celebrations will be an encouragement to those across our Elim family that God is using us to reach the people of this world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Praise God for those faithful leaders who have served and ministered to extend the kingdom in Guyana.

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JUNE

Week 1 - 6th-12thPray for Elim Conference. This year’s conference will be held in Prestatyn 5th-12th June. Pray that all those attending would be refreshed and renewed in God. Pray especially for the events that we will be hosting. Pray that these events will raise people’s awareness to the world around us and the need to not just talk but to act. Pray that world missions would be stirred in people’s heart and a passion to get involved.

Week 2 - 13th-19thPray for the team of Ministers in Training that are joining Chris Jones to visit Elim’s work in Honduras. Pray that this would be an amazing time for them. Pray that as they travel and see all that Elim is doing their hearts would be stirred for mission. Pray for safety as they travel and that as they leave Honduras it would be more that just a good experience but a passion would have been birthed to get involved.

Week 3 - 20th-26th23rd June 1978 is a date that many across our Elim family remember as the Vumba massacre. A tragedy because 9 of our missionaries and 4 children were martyred in modern day Zimbabwe. Pray today that their deaths would serve as a reminder that we are in a battle against the principalities and powers of darkness and that we are the salt and light that can bring God’s love to a hurting and dying world.

Week 4 - 27th-3rdSunday 27th is Elim’s World Missions Sunday. As many churches use this as their focus on missions pray that all the events and services planned would stir the people of Elim to get involved with missions by praying, giving and going.

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Week 1 - 2nd-8thPraise God that in a time of such need He has provided for the Missions Dept. Pray for the fundraising events we have planned. Pray for Paul Hudson, Pastor of Dewsbury Elim and Missions Development Director, as he tackles the gruelling Belfast marathon. Pray also for those others raising money for missions. Praise God for their dedication and sacrifice to help finance the work of Elim Missions.

Week 2 - 9th-15thPray for our missionaries across the world, especially those featured in our Infocus article pages 4-7. Pray for Gordon and Sybil Mckillop, John and Rachel McDonough, John and Ann Turner and Harry and Rose*. Pray that as they serve the nation to which they have been called, they would see an abundant harvest. Pray for salvations, healings and a mighty move of God as they seek to minister to those around them.*Names changed for security reasons.

Week 3 - 16th-22ndPray for the nation of Haiti after the devastating earthquake on 12th January. Praise God that 3 days of Prayer and Fasting were called and that as a direct result of those days 3000 confirmed conversion took place. Of those 3000, 101 were known Voodoo priests. As devastating as the earthquake was pray that God would use this to turn this nation to Him.

Week 4 - 23rd-29thPray for persecuted Christians around the world today. According to the World Evangelical Alliance, around 200 million Christians in around 60 countries are denied fundamental rights solely because of their faith. Pray for those suffering today. Pray that they would know that God is their strength. Pray also that the church would rise up and be a voice for those who suffer for the faith. Pray that the persecution of Christians across our world would stop and freedom would come to those persecuted.

Week 5 - 30th-5thPray for Chris Jones and the International Missions Department. Pray that as they work, travel and serve they would know God’s blessing and favour. In the day to day running of the office they would know God is using them all to extend His kingdom.

SIGN UPforPRAYERLINEemail: kathy.cooper@elimhq.net

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Paul Laurence Dunbar said, “Nobody else can do the work that God marked out for you.” What a great comment. So many of us look at others and wish we could be like them. We can often feel inadequate if we are not flamboyant or outgoing or able to preach a sermon, when in fact that is not what God has planned for us. Through wishing we were someone else, or even somewhere else, we never reach our full potential and we never actually do the work that God has marked out for us, because we are always wishing...

We can also feel this way about other ministries. We see someone begin a new work and wish we had thought to do that, so we don’t get involved because it wasn’t our vision. Or we might see a ministry flourishing, growing and affecting lives and, instead of praising God for it and blessing its leaders, we observe, we talk about it and maybe even criticise it just because it might not be how we would have done things.

God will not bless us until we begin to bless others. So it was a thrill for us to hear how Julia Lawton, wife of Pastor Simon Lawton, in our Newcastle church recently incorporated the ministries of Aspire and Lifelink into her ladies’ meetings. She is not only blessing many women through ministry, but is also raising funds for Lifelink at the same time. Julia shares with us about the day.

“I felt God challenge me that in Aspire we should not only be ministering to each other but also to ladies in the community and the world at large. I had always wanted to be involved with Lifelink and this seemed an ideal way. I shared my heart with the ladies and they seemed

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to get really passionate about it. We launched Lifelink with a brunch in October and invited Mandy to come and share with us about it.

“Whilst we were waiting, we set about raising money by firstly giving 10% of our registration fee for Aspire every time we meet. Secondly at every Aspire meeting we have a Lifelink table with gifts donated by our women. We also have this table out on Sunday evenings after the service when we have refreshments. Once a month we ask for donations for the refreshments to go to Lifelink. At Christmas we held a Christmas fayre and gave all the proceeds to Lifelink.

“At the launch we presented Mandy with a cheque for £350. Since March we have raised over £1200. I appointed a lady to oversee the Lifelink side of Aspire and she has a real heart and passion for missions and really runs with the vision. It has been so exciting as we have been able to run two great ministries side by side.”

It is just wonderful to hear what is happening in Newcastle and maybe this has given you some ideas for your own meetings.

God has a work marked out for us so let each one of us fulfil that work and get on with what God has for us to do, because we just don’t know what lives will be changed, what souls will be saved by our obedience to obeying God.

Lifelink is involved in raising money and ministering to those most in need in other countries. This is our work that God has marked out for us. Are you meant to be part of it?

Shop With IntegrityLifelink’s Shop with Integrity was present at The Gathering at Telford in March. Our ethically sourced goods attracted a lot of attention from the young people and they bought beautiful pashminas, jewellery, handbags, notebooks (handy for taking notes at the seminars!), keyrings and lots more – a great source of presents for Mother’s Day!

Shop with Integrity buys goods from Third World local enterprises known to us, enabling people to make a living to support their families. Then we sell the goods in the UK and the profits are sown back into missions. A win-win situation!

Look out for Shop with Integrity in June at Elim Conference, Prestatyn.

A Note From MandyThank you to everyone who is involved in Lifelink, praying and raising vital funds. I would like to encourage you in all you are doing.

Some of our Lifelink groups support Project Joseph in Honduras which really makes a difference in children’s lives through providing much needed food. Other groups are providing care for orphaned children in Swaziland, buying gifts from Lifelink Gifts4Life to transform lives, supporting pastors in Guyana and missionaries in Spain and much more. Thank you to all of you for all you are doing. I would love more churches to get involved with Lifelink. Do get in touch with me if you want to chat about this.

In April a Lifelink Team is joining me to visit the Elim work in Macedonia. This is an exciting fact-finding venture to a new project where we are church planting. Lifelink women will be using their gifts through dance and drama, speaking at ladies’ meetings and over coffee & cake, preaching and more. You’ll hear more about this in the next edition of Outreach. We are planning another Lifelink Team visit in 2011 so get in touch with me if you want to be involved.

mandy.campbell@elimhq.net07724 107 650

Photos: Lifelink’s Shop With Integrity at this years The Gathering

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