But as I sang the beloved carol for the first time this year, it was another line that got my attention: “Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies”. As I thought about those words, I realized they were actually an invitation being extended to the nations, one that many have yet to hear. A survey of the word translated “nations” or “peoples” in the Bible reveals two primary truths for us to consider; this invitation will be given to the nations, and they will indeed hear it and “join the triumph of the skies.”

The Psalms are filled with assurances of the former:

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

So that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. Psalm 67:2

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Psalm 96:3

The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Psalm 113:4

And prophecy assures us of the latter:

In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Isaiah 2:2

At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. Jeremiah 3:17

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Matthew 25:32

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Revelation 7:9

Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. Revelation 15:4

These scriptures and many others give us hope and encouragement that our labor in the mission fields of the world is certainly not in vain. They inspire us to embrace the Lord’s invitation for us, His children, to join Him in His worldwide recruitment of His Christmas Choir –

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

So when you sing that great old Christmas carol this year, listen for that invitation you are extending for ALL THE WORLD to ”JOIN THE TRIUMPH OF THE SKIES” While you’re at it, listen for God’s call to you to make disciples of all nations.

Eric Reese and his missionary wife, Ramona, work among the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. It is dangerous work, as this story and video show.

Approximately 57% of all our IMB field personnel live and work in highly dangerous (Security Level 3)
environments.  (Level 1 is like Canada, Level 3 is like Afghanistan and China).  Let’s remember to pray for these missionaries who are literally risking their lives to take the gospel to people like “The Godfather”.

Eric has recently undergone knee surgery. He writes,  “Continue to pray for full recovery. The doctor did not take out the 15 stitches in my leg during my first week’s return visit post surgery.  I will be visiting him today for my second week visit post surgery to have a checkup. I have been in tremendous pain and am taking my medication nonstop.”

To read the full Baptist Press story about this amazing interview CLICK HERE.

Rio’s ‘Godfather’ from Baptist Press on Vimeo.

Here’s the most recent report on the status of the Unengaged, Unreached People Groups or UUPGs across the globe. The first chart reports a total of 3,684 UUPGs, breaking those down by Affinity Groups. The second shows  the population size of the various UUPGs, revealing that 72 have a population greater than 1 million. The third chart presents the exertion level experienced by these people groups, indicating that over 1500 UUPGs live in extreme poverty situations. The fourth chart demonstrates why many peoples are still unreached due to the level of difficulty in accessing them. The final chart demonstrates how the various people groups are deprived of gospel materials.

The Unengaged, Unreached People Groups of the World

July 2011 (Based on June 2011 GSEC Report)

Fast Fact: 2,830 UUPGs have no known evangelical churches or believer.

Population

Fast Fact: The 72 UUPGs with populations of one million or more account for 156.7 million (or, more than 44 %) of the 354 million total population of all 3,684 UUPGs.

Physical Exertion (country level)

Fast Fact: 1,589 UUPGs are located in countries with low standards of living and short life expectancies.

Government Restrictions and Social Hostility toward Minority Religions

Fast Fact: 1,046 UUPGs reside in countries with both significant government restrictions and social hostilities toward minority religious beliefs and practices.

Resource Availability

Fast Fact: 845 of the world’s UUPGs, representing a combined population of 31.8 million people, have no known oral or written Christian resource.

 
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 Great new tool from IMB to get connected with Unreached People Groups (UPGs) !

“Getting There” is an on-line tool designed to help you explore, discover, and interact with UPGs and UUPGs. What’s a UPG? Glad you asked. UPG is the IMB acronym for Unreached People Group. UUPG stands for Unengaged and Unreached People Group. Still sound like a foreign language? Let’s break down the meaning word by word, starting with the largest denominator.

A People Group is defined as a population of people over which the gospel can flow freely, without cultural barriers of understanding and acceptance

Unreached is a missiological term that identifies a certain minimum percentage of evangelicals and churches encountered in the people group before it is considered “Reached” This percentage varies according to who you are talking to, but for IMB purposes it is under 2% evangelized.

Unengaged means that no one has a strategy in place to reach this people group with the gospel.

The “Getting There” site is an exciting interactive way for missions leaders to explore UUPGs that have been identified all over the world. You can ”let your mouse do the walking” across the globe by zooming in and out in a “Google Map” type format. Search by Affinity Group, People group name, or nations to pinpoint a certain group. Orange and Green Dots on the map representing UUPGs can be clicked on to zoom in on that particular people group and get more information, or even start the process for your chuch to adopt it! (Orange = no one has adopeted this UUPG, Green = someone has adopted this UUPG, but you can join with them).

There’s even an inspirational “Getting There Journal” to help guide you on your virtual journey of exploring UUPGs!

What are you willing to do to see churches planted among them?

Embrace Equipping Conference:

• Meet IMB team members ready to assist you and your church

• Hear how God is using other churches to engage a people group

• Learn what barriers have prevented these people from being engaged

• Gain effective strategies and methods to overcome these barriers

• Explore some unengaged, unreached people groups

• Identify training, tools to help you

Sept. 7, 2011- Johnson Ferry Baptist Church – Marietta, Ga.

8:00 – 4:00

Welcome and challenge by Bryant Wright

Sessions:

• Embracing the ends of the earth – Tom Elliff

• What will it take to Embrace? – strategic

global advancement

• Can we really Embrace? – one church’s journey

Lunch and materials provided

For registration and information

call2embrace.org.

Breakouts:

• Explore and identify unengaged, unreached people groups

• Identify training, resources and connection team members

• Explore ways to lead your church in next steps of engaging

(all 9 IMB Affinities represented)

For more event dates and locations visit call2embrace.org

April 8-9, 2011
Kentucky Baptist Building
13420 East Point Centre Dr.
Louisville, KY 40223
Click here for a map/driving directions

Details

Leading an international mission trip is an incredible privilege. It’s also a major responsibility. Prepare yourself now by learning what to expect, how to plan your strategy and how to manage those important logistics. Team Leader Training is open to any Kentucky Baptist planning to lead a mission trip or interested in learning more about leading a trip.

You’ll learn best practices for:

• Leading a Mission Team
• Communicating with Those Involved
• Planning the Team’s Strategy
• Building and Preparing a Team
• Funding the Mission Project
• Taking Wise Precautions
• Doing Missions on the Field
• Departing, Arriving, Returning, Reporting
• Putting it All Together

Spread the word! If you know someone in your church or association who would be interested in leading a volunteer mission team, please invite him or her to attend.

Schedule

Session Topics

• Qualities of a Good Team Leader
• Fundamentals of Team Leadership
• Training the Team for Effectiveness
• Team Spiritual Preparation
• Team Health and Safety Precautions
• KBC Volunteer Opportunities
• Church Planting Strategy and Your Participation
• Tips on Communicating
• Security and Crisis Management
• Funding the Missions Trip
• Passports, Visas and Other Necessary Documents
• Planning Your Trip Step-by-Step

Registration

There is no charge for the training, but registration is required. Click here to register now. Your gifts through the Cooperative Program support this valuable training event.

As an added bonus, those who complete Team Leader Training and then head up a team for the KBC in the future will receive a $500 scholarship toward that trip.

Join us March 3-4, 2011, in Nashville ,Tennessee at LifeWay, where you can learn how to move forward in your involvement in reaching this people group for Christ. If you are just getting your feet wet, experienced leaders will be there to help equip you. If you are already ministering, it is an opportunity to receive more training and information to help you go the next step. Here are a few things you can expect from this network meeting: 

• How your church/association can be equipped to strategically minister to Bhutanese/Nepalese around you and around the world
• How to connect with other leaders and explore opportunities for partnership
• How to connect to short-term mission trip opportunities
• How to engage in stateside prayer advocacy and other prayer initiatives

Conference Logistics:

• Check-In: March 3, 2011 from 10 AM –  12noon ( Meal Provided at noon)
• Last Session ends at noon March 4 – (box dinner provided)
• Conference Fee: $85.00 (includes meals [except breakfast] and resources)
• Last day to register is February 15, 2011 Schedule will be available soon

*Please Note – Childcare will not be provided*

Registration open soon.

For approximately $2000, a home for a family displaced by the 2010 earthquake can be built by purchasing all materials in country and exclusively employing Haitian workers. To date the project has completed 27 homes with another 34 currently in progress.

Haiti Rebuild Project Goals

• Provide 2000 homes for families buy the end of 2011, with a long term goal of building 6000 homes in ten different communities throughout the earthquake zone.
• Train and hire Haitian men from local churches to not only provide them with a home, but with lifelong job skills.
• To create evangelistic opportunities for CMBH churches to share the gospel.
• Provide encouragement to the pastors and church members by helping them repair and rebuild their places of worship.
• Provide funds to help the 225 damaged churches purchase construction materials
• Provide SBC churches and associations an opportunity to partner with CMBH churches through prayer and repair or rebuild assistance.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• PRAY – that the Lord will continue to open doors for home locations and provide safety for our workers and volunteers.
• GIVE – Consider challenging your church, Sunday School class, or family to raise funds to provide a home.
• GO – We need Skilled block masons and carpenters who would be willing to serve 2 to 3 weeks to train Haitian workers. We also need teams to go for a week and do land preparation and demolition for homes and churches. Ministry teams are also needed.

The projects are divided into three main areas: Home Rebuild, Church Rebuild, and Ministry.

HOME REBUILD

We are open to using US mission teams that want to come and help install roofs or hang doors, however, that is not our priority. For what it cost to house and feed your team we could build many houses.

 What we do need is teams of 2 men with construction background and teaching abilities to come for a 3 week period to serve as volunteer construction assistants. If you are interested, the contact is Eddie Blackmon <eblackmon@flbaptist.org for more details.

CHURCH REBUILD

Over 220 CMBH churches were impacted by the quake. US churches and associations are needed to come and partner with a church or churches to help them rebuild. You can provide funds, send teamsto help with construction, or a combination of both. If interested contact Eddie Blackmon eblackmon@flbaptist.org.

MINISTRY TEAMS

The Partnership Missions Department of the FBC has assumed coordination of all ministry projects with the CMBH. This includes evangelism, discipleship, pastoral training, medical and dental teams, children’s ministries, and teacher training. Opportunities are available throughout the entire country and not limited to the quake area.

COSTS: Teams are responsible for flighta and in-country costs which are approximately $100 per person per day (includes housing, 2 meals, transportation, translation, and security).

Contact Dennis Wilbanks dwilbanks@flbaptist.org for more details. See a video report on the HAITI REBUILD PROJECTS by clicking here.

• Do any of these cities ring a bell for you?
• Have you had or do you have a special connection with one or more of these unengaged cities?
• We are in desperate need of Priority Prayer Advocates for each of these important cities!

WHAT IS A PRIORITY PRAYER ADVOCATE?

A Priority Prayer Advocate is someone who feels a sense of calling to the task of advocating for a priority focus city where the East Asia Peoples Affinity Group does not yet have workers and ongoing work. We are looking for those who will champion entire cities through prayer! Your commitment to pray regularly and fervently for the salvation of these cities and enlist others in the process will turn the tide in the battle to bring the Light of the World to Japan.

Please contact missionary Carlton Walker carltonw@mymailworld.com if God has laid a city on your heart.