Let's Say Thanks

Thanks to Xerox, it is easy to say thanks to our troops overseas. Bless our soldiers and their families this blessed and holy time of year.

Missions in The U.S.

This week my church, Christ Church in Plano, Texas, is hosting a team of missionaries who are training to go out in to the mission field and start churches - in the U.S. They are supported by churches in the AMiA (Anglican Mission in the Americas) and receive pastoral oversight from the Rt. Rev. Emmauel Kolini, Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Rwanda - yes, Africa is sending missionaries to the U.S.

The United States is clearly viewed by Christians in the rest of the world as a mission field that needs new planting for the harvest - not because people have not heard the Gospel, nor because those who profess to be Christians are few. Statistically, the U.S. is overwhelmingly Christian, per data on the 20 largest churches.

Notice in this data that the second largest religious group in the U.S. is "Non-Religious", and that group has grown by 110% from 1990-2000. This is not the fastest rate of growth for a religion in the U.S., but considering the huge numerical difference between these top two groups and all other religions in the U.S., the 110% represents more than 1,4442,300 people in the U.S. "converting" to "non-religious" each year.

As a point of perspective, Christianity, along with fastest growing groups, based on 1990-2000 numbers of approximate annual new members per year in the U.S. (much of this represents population growth or immigration, rather than converts, for that sector):
Christianity = 780,500 (+5%)
Islam = 57,700 (+109%)
Buddism = 68,100 (170%)
Hinduism = 53,900 (237%)
Native American = 5,600 (119%)
Bahai = 5,600 (200%)
New Age = 4,800 (240%)
Sikhism = 4,400 (338%)
Deist = 4,300 (717%)

The U.S. religious environment remains very dynamic. According to a survey reported in CNN Feb 25, 2008, nearly half of American adults leave the faith tradition of their upbringing to either switch allegiances or abandon religious affiliation altogether. Some of this is due to the cultural environment, much is due to a "crisis in leadership" in our Christian homes and churches, which the AMiA is responding to.

"The AMiA is a bold missionary strategy born seven years ago in response to a crisis of faith and [Christian] leadership in North America. [The AMiA is] driven by a compelling vision of reaching the 150 million individuals in the U.S. and Canada who have yet to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by building communities of faith and transforming lives."

The Anglican Initiative for Mission's 2008 Anglican School of Church Planting, is being held this week, May 24 – June 1, 2008, at Christ Church, Plano, TX. This intensive training will "provide a theology, models, and practical application of the six characteristics of a functioning Anglican Church: Worship, Discipleship, External Focus, Communication, Administration, and Pastoral Care...church planters will work with coaches to develop a strategic ministry plan to shape the way each characteristic will be lived out in their new church. "

• May our prayers go up for these new ministers this week. They are facing an uphill battle, not only among the non-religious and those who have chosen to reject God outright, but by the growing numbers of Christians as well as non-Christians who have heard of God, but do not truly know and understand His great mercy and awesome power.

• Please join me in praying for all those who go forth to teach others about the God of the Bible - the God that pursues each of us so that we can dwell with Him. God began pursuing each of us in Genesis 3:8-9, not because He doesn't know where we are at, but because each of us is hiding, in so many ways, from the presence of the Lord God.

• Pray that others may know His will for their lives - may know the mighty God of Isaiah 46: 9-11 - "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand."

The Purpose and Results of Prayer

This World Prayer Night, I want to humble myself before God and make myself ready for approaching His almighty presence. My good friend, and accountability and prayer partner, has been "provoking me" to look deeper into prayer. “What does it DO?”

She is a nurse, so we talked about all of the positive physical outcomes, but in the Spiritual Realm - what does it do? We know that God is consistent and unchanging - so is the purpose of prayer to prompt God to do something – like a child before parents, or to have an effect within ourselves? I know this is going to be an ongoing discovery for Karen and I, but I made some discoveries myself today that lead into my prayers for this World Prayer Night.

From Purpose of Prayer’s (Executable Outlines) I found many outcomes of prayer, and that
“In August 2005, Newsweek and Beliefnet asked 1,004 Americans what they believe
and how they practice their faith. One of the questions was:  What do you think is
the most important purpose of prayer?  Here are their responses...

   a. To seek God's guidance (27%)

   b. To thank God (23%)

   c. To be close to God or the divine (19%)

   d. To help others (13%)

   e. To improve a person's life (9%)

   f. Other (4%)

   g. Don't know (5%)

All of these have an interesting back-story for the person answering, I am sure. There are so many leaders in this area for more devotion, more structure, more discipline that I have found so helpful in having a constant mind on God – Brother Lawrence, George A Buttrick, John Baille, Martin Luther.

Evelyn Underhill gave some great answers to “What do we mean by prayer?” in her books, “The Essentials of Mysticism,” a selection from “Mysticism” A Study in the Nature and Development of Man’s Spiritual Consciousness”

In my searching, I ultimately found what I think is close to the main point of prayer - that prayer forces us to realign our lives with God’s will, not the other way around. “Prayer interferes with our own ambitions and our personal agendas. Prayer forces us to surrender our independence and submit to God.” What is the Purpose of Prayer? (Focus on God)

With this mindset, I pray that in these prayers for the world, God will open my mind to understanding that the objective is surrender to His Will. Today, my prayers for the world are mostly thanksgiving – for God in my life to help me understand His will and focus on Him, andor friends like Karen in my world.ving - for God will open my mind to understanding His Will helpful in having, for friends like Karen in my world.

New Orleans Missions

Last month women from my church went on a mission trip to New Orleans to provide a women’s retreat for the women in the Broadmoor district of New Orleans, a particularly struggling area. The women of Christ Church Plano hoped to communicate God's empowering Spirit to the women of New Orleans who attended this retreat on February 8-9, 2008, at the Church of the Annunciation in New Orleans. I had great hopes of making a difference in the lives of the women I would meet and work with, but it turned out it seems I had nothing much to give compared with the incredible wisdom and peace and hope I got from the women and Father Jerry Kramer and his family.

This month, I just want to share these messages that you can link to, and to pray for these people, that they have moments of rest from the perpetual work and frustration and demands in rebuilding their lives and the city around them.

11 March 2008 AD
Dear All,
Here's a link to today's NPR story on Broadmoor featuring our intrepid parishioner and community leader Hal Roark. Any of you who've been here to visit us will know the much beloved Hal.
We're going through a very tough time here right now on many levels. Much good happening with volunteers in from all over and the parish growing stronger. But an unimaginable amount of stress, strain and nowhere near enough resources. It continues to be overwhelming. And we're all a bit worn.
Recently various groups, leaders, etc. have been asking me what we need most. Aside from prayers, I tell them we need long term partners, friends who won't leave us as we continue struggling to get back on our feet.
Prayers appreciated. Know of ours. All blessings from New Orleans,
jerry+ et al.

Annunciation Easter 2008 from Father Kramer

27 March 2008 AD
Dear All,

We enjoyed our best Holy Week and Easter since coming to New Orleans. Great attendance and spirit here at Annunciation. By God's grace we continue to grow in numbers, health and impact.

Two and a half years ago, folks from around the country raced to our aid in keeping us alive while exiled from home. Some dropped out, some jumped on as we pioneered our way back into New Orleans, paving the way for others to return. More dropped out, others jumped on. Somewhere along the way, God gave us a vision for what church could be. It was an experiment and . . . what the heck . . . we had absolutely nothing to lose! Those without eyes to see saw us driving the car over the cliff. But the bottom line is that something special is definitely happening here.

This radical reshaping of church around the Gospel, mission and community is undeniably in the spark stage. Thank you to all who continue helping us fan this flame. It's fun to watch other churches here responding heroically in various ways to the Spirit's prompting as well. Many of us are praying that what we're learning here can be shared more widely for the good of the Kingdom.

Ministry here is hard. It's challenging, it's constantly uphill, it's never ending, it's entirely overwhelming, it's not for the inflexible or status quo oriented . . . but it's incredibly exciting to watch God at work in our midst. You can keep up with our holy experiment in sanctified lunacy at http://www.annunciationbroadmoor.org/ . We hope to have some footage up shortly of our annual Palm Sunday "Palms and Ponies" Procession through Broadmoor.

Our Good Friday thought was and is that roughly one of twenty people presently living in New Orleans is homeless. Yes, one out of twenty. But then there's Easter. And the Easter proclamation demands an Easter response. Over the two weeks prior to Easter, volunteers here at The Annunciation Mission worked on 15 neighbourhood homes, contributing about $225,000 in volunteer labour. These wonderful missionaries of all ages spoke light into the darkness. Folk coming in to serve at The Mission have so far contributed more than $3,000,000 in services to our beloved city. And what a difference this is making.

We're still not really sure what we're doing here . . . but apparently we're getting better at it. Thanks again for all who continue to help us fan the flame here at Annunciation and at other Kingdom outposts in the impact zone.

As an aside, i'm terribly terribly behind on emails. Please know i read and enjoy them all (well, the positive ones anyhow). We had nearly three hundred people with us in the two week run-up to Easter, Holy Week was huge and now I'm down hard with a most impressive version of the flu. Eventually by God's grace i'll get to chipping away at them all. Please don't let my lack of response indicate a lack of intereste or gratitude. Oh, and I owe a ton of thank you letters.

Know of our prayers daily. Even if i haven't responded by email or snail mail, we are praying for you. If you have any special prayer requests please let us know. All blessings from New Orleans,
jerry+ op

The Reverend Jerry and Stacy Kramer
Annunciation, New Orleans
P.O. Box 750698
New Orleans, LA 70175
http://www.annunciationbroadmoor.org/
http://www.annunciationlives.org/

Kenya, Rwanda

This month, an African nation is once again gripped with fear and turmoil, as the Kenya fall-out from the presidential election takes place, while in Rwanda, God's miraculous grace and love has begun healing that never could be done by man alone.

The February World News & Prophecy Online describes the "Vacuum of Leadership" that faces Kenya, "Stable, tourist-friendly Kenya turned violent after a disputed presidential election. This highlights a crisis in leadership in today’s world...Tragically, they have done little to stem the tide of ethnic cleansings in Kenya's Rift Valley area. Scores of helpless civilians have been massacred and burned by armed youths who have closed the country's main highway and barricaded key towns."

My church group is receiving ongoing heart-wrenching emails from a former classmate who lives in the region. Some of her messages follow:

Feb 6 - "Greetings in the name of the Lord and thanks for your prayers. It is the first day today that there was no report on killings anywhere in Kenya. This is a big step ahead because of your prayers."

Feb 29 - "I take this opportunity to thank you so much for your prayers. The Lord is so faithful. He answers prayers. Yesterday, the principals signed the peace agreements and they agree to share power among themselves. So, because of your prayers, no more demonstrations and mass actions in Jesus Name. More negotiations are still on but the most serious one was taken care of yesterday. Thank you so much once again. Now start praying and asking God when He can permit you to visit Kenya."

This "good news" email was sent to us more than 4 weeks filled with violence after an agreement was finally reached, as reported in Guardian World News on February 1, 2008, "The former UN secretary general, Kofi Anaan, who has been acting as mediator in preliminary discussions between the Kenyan president, Mwai Kibaki, and the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, said the political opponents had agreed a four-point plan for talks that could end the violence "within seven to 15 days"."

At the Annual Winter Conference of AMiA in Dallas last month, January 23-26th, I learned that God is still pursuing us and taking hold of us to resolve violence and conflict in ways that our earthly leaders cannot. I saw a promotional clip for a documentary directed and produced by Laura Waters Hinson that describes what is happening in Rwanda. Take time to watch this 2-minute trailer - it will open your eyes to God's power in our lives. For more background on the Rwanda massacre, see Human Rights Watch.

I couldn't help but be amazed, even shocked, at the miracle in the hearts of men, from this presentation at the conference by Laura Waters Hinson and the video. "Look at the nations and watch -- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Habakkuk 1:5.

So, I am praying for Kenya and Rwanda, that:

• all those in Kenya will have healing and peace, freedom from terror and fear for the lives of their families, and that the hiding and struggle to survive will truly pass by.
• the incredible hope and forgiveness that has come to Rwanda will be seen by the world as truly a gift of the Holy Spirit of God, and not possible by man alone.
• Ms Hinson's video will turn hearts toward Jesus, and inspire new vision in leadership with fear and awe of God as our master and maker.

India

The focus this first month of 2008 will be the Hindus in India. There will be a video for those who are able to come on January 31st, or you can borrow the video if you contact me.

The prayer list includes Mazie Nakhro's ministry in northern India. Ask to get on Mazie's newsletter list.

In the recent "Celebrate 2007" event in India, "About 80 people turned up. At least two persons made decisions after the gospel presentation by Dr. Ramesh Richard. The entertainment brought by Abigail Nakhro and friends was a huge attraction."

This past year, Mazie's ministry initiated work in 2 more unreached places, conducted 11 baptisms, and started 2 new church plants.

Unfinished tasks that he would like prayer for:

• 6,721 unreached ethnic people groups


• 39.5% members of ethnic without viable churches


• 43,000 least evangelized ethno-linquistic groups


• 28% without access to the gospel

Specifically, Mazie plans on leaving to India and Sri Lanka for another training of workers from Feb. 18th to March 22nd. Pray that he will have the resources, support, safety, materials and words for this trip to adequately prepare workers for the harvest.

Please add any prayers you have for India and additional ministries this month as a comment.

If you are interested in coming to view the video on January 31, or in borrowing a video, please contact me.

Pakistan

Today, December 27th, 2007, Pakistan erupted in violence due to the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto during an election rally.

Per the conservative Canadian Post, Bhutto was "... a powerful secular politician who, despite a reputation for corruption, remained a symbol of modernity and democracy."Her murderers have made her a most courageous martyr, which may in the end prove to be a worse fate for them that had she won the election. However, in the meantime, the country is near to civil war over this incident.

In the Wall Street Journal, "Unrest wracked the world's most unstable nuclear power, as slain former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was laid to rest and questions remained about her killers."

Pakistan has been the center of travel and thus the blending and conflict of cultures for ages. The majority religion in Pakistan is Islam, and it is the second largest Muslim nation in the world. However, the primary religion was Buddhism centuries ago, when this country was part of India and this region was along the Silk Road from the Middle East to China.

Our prayers tonight are for the people of Pakistan.

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest." Isaiah 11:6-8 (NIV)

May there be

• the hope and peace and wisdom of Christ in the homes of people in Pakistan.
• open hearts that they may, person by person, learn the love and grace of Christ, to forgive and know that hate has no future for their children and their country.
  

Christian Arabs in the U.S.

There are Christians in our midst from many cultures and countries around the globe. These people have left behind much besides their families, their heritage, their homes to come here, and many have done it to be in a country where it is safe to worship as a Christian.

We have such a multicultural society, especially here in Dallas. The opportunity is in our own backyards to minister to the needs of others and bring the love and teachings of Christ into their lives. When we are confronted with ourself and self interests, our fears and mistrusting of others, we should deliberately look to the needs of others, especially those we consider possible enemies, through prayer, reaching out, helping, serving.

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." - Philippians 2:4 (NAS)

"I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Luke 2:27-28 (NAS)

Pray for

• Former Muslims who risk their life to reach out as Christians, including Kamal and Victoria Saleem and Koome Ministries
• Local ministries that reach out to those from other countries in this north Dallas community, which include those led by Jalil Dawood (pastor of the Arab Church of Dallas) (jdawood@aim.com) and Vinay Patras (leader of the local ministry of International Students Inc.) (vinaypatras@tx.rr.com)

Vinay Patras has said, "Jesus Christ has commanded us to minister to all we can in our community and stand by those who minister to the world."

Northwest Africa

Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya - these countries have been Muslim since invasions in the middle of the 7th century. However, these countries were largely Christian by the third century due to Roman persecution. Roman persecution of Christians was often severe in these countries.

From African Christianity - "Within a century the Christian church had died out, without any particular persecution on the part of the Muslim rulers, who treated the Christians leniently because they were "People of the Book." Christians were, however, required to pay additional taxes, and within a generation or two found these taxes too onerous to be worth maintaining a Christian identity. The church, divided and quarreling, could not persuade its members of the truth and importance of the Gospel message. If the blood of the martyrs had been the seed of the North African church, the feeling that Christianity was unfashionable and rather expensive withered the plant. Had Islam persecuted the North African Christians rather than tolerating them, Christianity may well have continued to flourish."

With this heritage in mind, Tunisia, located between Algeria and Libya on the southern coast of the Mediterranean, is sort of an oasis that provides relative freedom from religious persecution. However, there is also much apathy toward spiritual things, including among Christians.

In the other northwest African countries, Christian evangelism is forbidden, and there are great conflicts between western youth culture versus their own. Today, most Libyans are Sunnah Muslims. Mohamar Qadhafi, due to his radical interpretation of Islam, began in the 1970s rejecting traditional Islamic jurisprudence and the greater part of Islamic law - rejecting obedience to authority in favor of the right to interpretation of the Islamic law. This is one of the things that makes it a very unstable country, as well as unsafe for Christians.

This month we pray that
- there will be strength, wisdom, and passion for Christ in Christian families.
- that young Christian believers will find mates who are also strong in their Christian faith.
- that Christian believers will commit their lives to Jesus Christ, and will be willing to share this faith with others by example, generosity, caring, and teaching.
- that there is more effective coordination and follow-up of media contacts.
- that government leaders in Algeria and Libya will move toward a more stable structure that will not foster radical Islamic factions, and will allow residents freedom to choose to listen to the Word and follow Christ.
- that government leaders will be able to continue to protect the Tunisia from radical Islamists.

Mirpuris of Britain

On September 27th, the 15th day of the celebration of Ramadan for Muslims, we, along with other Christian groups who were participating in the 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus, prayed for the Mirpuris in Britain.

These are people who migrated to Britain decades ago from the Mirpur region of Pakistan, due to a dam being built in Pakistan which would destroy their homes and need for textile workers in Britain. The 30 Days booklet and a Dawn news article about the July 7 bombings in Britain give a good background on the conditions and hurdles in overcoming the move toward extremism among this sect in Britain.

Chuck Colsen discusses Islamic migration in his September 11 BreakPoint article:
"[Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo] notes that the process of migrating and establishing Muslim communities in non-Muslim areas is an important part of Islamic theology. In A.D. 614, Muslim refugees migrated to the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia, where they were allowed to worship freely. In A.D. 622, Mohammed and his followers migrated from Mecca, where they were persecuted, to Medina, where they established the first Islamic state.

"As Sookhdeo writes, Muslims view the establishment of Muslim communities in Britain as a contemporary migration, called a hijra. But, he adds, "an important question concerns which seventh-century hijra they compare it to: the hijra to Abyssinia in which the Muslims became contented and loyal subjects of a Christian king, or the hijra to Medina where they seized
political and military power.

"To Sookhdeo, the signs are not good. He notes that a book "published in 1980 by the Islamic Council of Europe gives instructions for how Muslim minorities are to work towards achieving domination of European countries through a policy of concentration in geographical areas.

"In England and France, this has already begun. Muslims have created large enclaves in urban centers in which sharia law is in effect, in "areas of finance and mortgages; halal food in schools, hospitals, and prisons, faith schools funded by the state; prayer rooms in every police station in
London." Instead of assimilating into the larger culture, Muslims have, he says, created a "parallel society in the UK."

"And with this parallel society has come increasing violence against non-Muslims, Sookhdeo warns. There has been a rapid growth of so-called "honor killings," and now, suicide bombings."

Pray for

• Christians to see the opportunity and have the courage to reach out and find ways to meet needs and open hearts to Jesus Christ and the love and mercy of God for all people.
• cross-cultural workers in these communities who are trying to overcome the generations of poverty and sense of disconnection, both in Pakistan before and in Britain now, due to inability to integrate into the communities. As the Dawn article describes, "Some in the Muslim community have been struggling with these problems for years, trying to challenge recalcitrant mosque committees, trying to set up youth projects; they have been well aware of the threat of extremism."
• wisdom for those working in these communities, as well as Christians who come into contact with the Mirpuris each day, in finding ways to build trust and soften hearts that have been hardened.
• Mirpuris Christians, that they will find ways to connect with each other to build strength and wisdom, to share the Gospel with sensitivity and the insight they have into the background of their people, and that they will be able to avoid persecution.
• the British people - those harmed directly and indirectly by the bombings on July 7 and other incidences of conflict.