EnterMission - Rob Wegner

One Prayer Sudan Update: After 25 years of Civil War...

Check out this report from the frontline of the One Prayer church planting movement in Sudan.

Sudan OnePrayer Report April 2009 from Gene Ort on Vimeo.

One Prayer Update: Slam Dunk

ONE Prayer ‘09/’10 is just around the corner.  At this point, over 1100 churches are committed!  Over the last year, we've been tracking the progress of the One Prayer church planting movement started during last year's One Prayer campaign.   

The team at Lifechurch.tv asked the EnterMission team to connect the hands of the churches in One Prayer with potential church planters in four countries: Sudan, China, Cambodia, and India.   The dream?  Plant 500 churches in 18 months.

We're pleased to announce that the dream is reality.   With six months still left in the this cycle, take a look at these figures:

Cumulative ONE Prayer Figures YTD 2009:

Pastors Enrolled:  609

Evangelistic Contacts:  65,563

Bible Study Participants:  44,618

Baptisms:  7,112

Churches Planted:  667

That's what you call a slam dunk!   The Kingdom is forcefully advancing through the loving service of these men and woman planting churches on the frontline of the Great Commission.   I can't wait to see where we end up!

Here's an breakdown on the individual countries:

Phase III Detail per Focus Area

Sudan

· Pastors Enrolled:  245

· Evangelistic Contacts:  26,466

· Bible Study Participants:  18,938

· Baptisms:  3,544

· Churches Planted:  82

India

· Pastors Enrolled:  240

· Evangelistic Contacts:  11,737

· Bible Study Participants:  6,886

· Baptisms:  3,558

· Churches Planted:  150

Cambodia

· Pastors Enrolled:  64

· Evangelistic Contacts:  8,479

· Bible Study Participants:  5,667

· Baptisms: 10

· Churches Planted:  295

China

· Pastors Enrolled:  60

· Evangelistic Contacts:  18,611

· Bible Study Participants:  13,127

· Baptisms:  0*

· Churches Planted:  140

EnterMission? Who Was that Masked Organization?

Thanks to the brilliance of Daryl McMullen, the official EnterMission web site is live! 

We've been operating for years without official business cards, letterheads, or a web site.  Kind of weird, eh?   For most organizations, these are the first tools they produce because they make you "legit."

This stuff has been way down on the priority list for us.  Let me explain why.

Our MO is grassroots, behind the scenes, low profile, bottom up transformation. 

You can get a lot done if you don't feel the need to get the credit. 

Hopefully, when EnterMission is working in a community, you'll never see an "EnterMission" sign, an "EnterMIssion" office, an "EnterMission" t-shirt or anything else that gives us away.  Hopefully, what you will see is the people of that community equipped to bring "up there" down here through their OWN talent, leadership, dreams, and resources. 

When that community is transformed through the power of the Gospel, people will look and say, "Who was that masked organization?" as we ride away.

Why? 

The goal of any EnterMission initiative is for us to no longer be needed.  Success is sustainability and reproducibility from within the community. Success is when the transformation is owned and sustained by that people of that community, be it in Monroe Circle, India, China, Cambodia, Sudan, or anywhere else Jesus invites us to join Him. 

With that said, a few weeks ago, our friends at Lifechurch.tv  said, "We dig that. But, with the size and scale of the  One Prayer project you are leading for this movement, we need you guys to get a web site already!  Churches need to know you are a real organization."

So, once again, hats off to Daryl, who pulled out all the stops and got this up and running.  We're not all the way done yet.  We'd love to hear your feedback.  So, please spin by the new site and drop a comment here with your feedback.

Thanks!

One Prayer Update Sudan: Danger Mines!

An update from the One Prayer Church Planting movement in Sudan

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My name is Brad McElya. I've done medical missions in a variety of capacities and now live in India with my wife, who works for a Christian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). I was approached by my friends at EnterMission to survey the work going on in Sudan through the ONE Prayer movement. So, on March 15, 2009, I traveled to Uganda and then on to Southern Sudan for ONE Prayer. I praise and thank God for the amazing opportunity I had to travel there and gain a larger vision of the Universal Church! Our brothers and sisters in Sudan welcomed and embraced me with the love of Jesus Christ, blessing me abundantly.

I spent only four days in Sudan, but those four days will forever impact my life. Conditions in Sudan are unlike any that I have seen before, due to the previous war and extreme poverty. We traveled down war-torn, dirt roads that were jagged, and some made for a very rough ride. During one journey, we were forced to carefully drive on a carved path because of the danger of land-mines. These hazards, along with no electricity, no running water, malaria, malnutrition, and even death due to lack of healthcare are common perils that the Southern Sudanese people face daily.

Over the four days that I was there, though, I wrapped myself in the lives of the Sudanese people and witnessed that in spite of the conditions there, our brothers and sisters had a true joy. Alongside them in my time there, I experienced this joy, laughter, true worship, reverent prayer, brokenness for the lost, heartache for the oppressed, and thankfulness. You see, the Southern Sudanese people are rejoicing in the midst of suffering, because they are experiencing God through church planting and ministry. All the harsh conditions do not prohibit the Grace of God from being poured out on them. Yes, God is moving in Sudan! Please pray that He continues to breathe life and pour out His grace upon the Sudanese people!

One Prayer Cambodia Update: Young Monks

An update from the One Prayer church planting movement in Cambodia

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He will bless those who fear the Lord, both great and lowly. ¹⁴ May the Lord richly bless both you and your children.¹⁵ May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalms 115:13-15 (NLT)

Those who go out to share the good news of Christ leave a trail of blessing in the families they reach, especially among Cambodia’s youth and children, who make up 50% of the population. You can clearly see God’s blessing in the life of “Ben” and his family.

Ben is a typical 14 year old Cambodian youth. Like 85% of Cambodians, he lives in a rural village with his family and works on the farm. He is required to go to school, but is not highly motivated, so he finds himself “walking around” a lot, as he describes it. Although he is growing up in a deeply religious Buddhist culture (95% of Cambodians are Buddhist) and dutifully attends rituals at the pagoda with his mother, he describes the experience like this, “I follow my mother to the pagoda but I do not really understand much. I am not really interested. It seems to have no meaning to me. Other religions do not really interest me either.”

Then one day a man named “Peng” came into his village. Ben says, “He came to our village and shared about God and about the good news of Jesus Christ. At first, I didn’t want to hear about Jesus, but every time Peng came to our village he would take time to visit me and my family. For six months I learned about God from the word of God as Peng shared it with us. Now I pray to God and learn word of God at home with my mother. After I understood clearly about God’s love for my life, I decided to believe Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Since I trusted in Jesus Christ, my life has been changing from day to day. I have happiness, true peace, hope and joy in my heart. I stopped just walking around and wasting time. I now obey my mother and help her do to housework. In my schoolwork, even my grades have improved!”

Ben has also learned of God’s special blessing in answer to his prayers. He relates this story, “One day my neighbor lost one of her earrings. I and other people tried to find it, but we couldn’t, so I had an idea, I prayed to God and suddenly I saw the earring, I picked it up and I gave it to her. I know that it was because I have God leading my life and He will help me when I need Him. I thank God that He has forgotten all my sins and is helping me be freed from the sins of my past and lets me know Him and His love for me.”

One Prayer Update India: Palanisamy

An update from the One Prayer church planting movement in India

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Here is brother Palanisamy from Salem district. he comes from a Hindu family background. He has a brother and a sister. The entire house hold is to worship many gods by walking on fire, sacrificing the goats and piercing their cheek.

One day his mother and brother were possessed by evil spirits. These spirits tormented them day and night and they used to scream due to unbearable pain. So he took them to the Hindu priests and magicians. But all efforts did not help them. So he was totally dejected by the situation.

That was the time a Pastor from close by village visited his own village. He shared the Gospel and prayed for the sick and needy. When Palanisamy saw this, he requested the pastor to come to his home and pray for his mother and brother. The Pastor prayed for them, and there was an immediate change, even in their faces. The pastor asked them to come to a worship center where his members fasted and prayed for them, and his mother and brother were miraculously delivered.

But they continued to worship the idols. After a week, they were again possessed. Then they were bought to the Pastor. The Pastor said, “if you invite the spirits, you will be possessed! You need to give your heart to Jesus, then only you will get permanent healing.” On that day, Palanisamy and his entire household decided to give their lives to Jesus. On that day they were miraculously healed. Then they started sharing their testimony to the villages. They have lead 80 people to Christ in the past 4 years.

Now that Palanisamy has joined our ONE Prayer “Kingdom of God” training, it has helped him to lead 50 people to Christ and into small group Bible studies. Now, through this, he has started a Church in Amarakunthi and started a cell group in Nurachivallavu. He is so thankful for the training we are providing!

One Prayer China: A New Leader is Born

An update from the One Prayer church planting movement in China.

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Before his conversion Gordon Lee was leading a very lose lifestyle: regular drinking, fighting addictive games, skipping work. All of this was a normal part of his daily life. He was often arrested by police for fights and hooliganism. His dear wife Anita on the contrary was a hard working woman. All the duties of keeping a household intact were placed on her shoulders. Gordon and Anita live in the most Northern part of China in the Heilongjiang province, in the town of Huma. One has to work extra hard in this climate to reap some harvest from a garden. Because of the hard work Anita was often sick and sometimes quite seriously.

Thomas Zhen moved to this region in order to plant a new church there. In this region lives an ethnic minority group, the Aloontsoon or Oroqen people. Thomas dedicated his live to preach the Gospel to this people’s group. Gordon Lee’s wife happens to come from this people’s group. Thomas was visiting every house in this town and was sharing Christ with its people and that’s how he met Anita.

Anita was very open for the good news of the gospel basically because of the hardships she was experiencing: the many illnesses, hard work and her husband’s lose lifestyle. After a short while Anita accepted Christ thanks to the preaching of Thomas. When Thomas asked her if she had a prayer need, she did not name her health or hard work as her greatest need in life, but the conversion of her husband!

Thomas decided to pray with Anita for her husband’s conversion for one month in their house. One time during such a prayer meeting Gordon showed up at home. Thomas began to share with Gordon about Christ to which Gordon said if God will heal Anita’s health, he will also become a believer and will open his house for worship services of the church!

Thomas and Anita continued to pray but for her healing from now on. No miracle happened immediately, but slowly her health improved and was getting better every day. And the heart of Gordon was getting softer and softer also day by day.

When Anita was feeling perfectly healthy and Gordon realized this also, he bowed his heart and head before God and prayed a prayer of repentance. A small group has been started in their house and eight people are regularly meeting there now.

Gordon joined Thomas in his ministry and now they visit people in their village from house to house and preach the gospel to them together. Besides that Gordon has a good singing voice and is using it in his service for the Lord. He is in charge of the worship group that meets in their house.

Please pray for the ministry of Thomas among this ethnic group and also for Gordon as he grows into a new minister of Jesus Christ.  A new leader is born.

Tool Box Filled and Ready

A report from the frontline of the One Prayer movement in Sudan.

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Fifty more church planters have been trained and are now moving out to begin their ministries in Sudan! The training session in KajoKeji, Sudan focused on the practical skills needed to build relationships to share the Gospel. Each church planter has a satchel bag with a change of clothes, their Bible, some posters for story telling, song books, and a water bottle. They call this their “tool box”.

One church planter said, “When Jesus was a carpenter he had a tool box, and now, we work for Jesus and this is our tool box filled and ready for work.”

The bottom photo is of three local tribal elders who have come to pray and commission the church planters to reach the whole of Sudan for Jesus.

What's New?

Awhile back, Dave Ferguson, pastor of Christian Community Church and the visionary behind the New Thing network, shared with me "The Power of New."  Ever since then, this little thought has been working on me, underneath the surface, like a slow release capsule.  I hope it sets something free in you.

“The future is in the NEW” it is not based just on my own experience in leading one church and pioneering one network.  Dave Olson, the Director of the American Church Research Project has done groundbreaking research from over 200,000 churches in the United States and it is clear from his research that the future of the church is in the NEW! 

This graph shows the percentage of yearly growth according to the decade upon which a church was started going back over 200 years. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Of the 22 decades shown, 18 (out of 22) show a negative growth rate, 2 show a plateau (less than 1%)
• And only two decades show a positive growth rate in their churches.  The churches that showed a positive growth rate are those started in the last two decades; the NEW churches! 
• If you look even closer you will note that those churches started 10-20 years ago grew by slightly more than 2%
• But those NEW churches that were started in the past ten years grew by 9%! 

If the mission of Jesus is to expand and accomplish the dream of God, it is obvious our best future is in the NEW.

Right now, at GCC we're working on a new series, a new multi-site location, and 500 new churches.

So, the question is: What's new with you?

I'd love to hear what your up to.

Four Stories from the Numbers

Yesterday, I posted some "numbers" on One Prayer.  Each one of those numbers is a person who known and loved  by Jesus.  Each of those numbers is another story of grace.  Today, you will get to hear four stories from the "numbers" in Cambodia.

Throughout the villages of Cambodia, people like these were waiting to hear about Jesus Christ for the very first time. Have you ever wondered what kind of impact that offering you gave last year to One Prayer is having for the kingdom? Just ask any one of the hundreds of people who have shared their stories of transformation and victory in Jesus Christ with us. Each month I spend hours reading the reports from the 50 church planters who are being trained and mobilized in Cambodia through your offering. Each month those reports include from 50 to 80 translated testimonies of new believers. I have the blessing of being one of the first people to hear about their changed lives. I wanted to share some of those vignettes of victory with you. Here are some of their stories from January 2009.

Bob Craft – Coordinator / Trainer for One Prayer, Cambodia

Victory Over Loneliness And Pain Name: Doc Soka Male, Age 42

Before I believed in Jesus Christ, I felt lonely inside. Our way of living was not good, and I was sick all the time. Even though I worshipped all the local spirits, they didn’t give me any peace. So I wanted to find a true God who could help me and my family.

One day I heard about God, I was very interested in Him from the first time I heard about Him. And I wanted to know more about Him and His words. When I learned and understood that God could give me peace in my life and in Him we could find joy and happiness also. It touched my heart and gave me hope. I also came to know that Jesus Christ died for my sins and I wanted to follow Him. I gave my life to Him and made Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior.

Since I began following Him, my life has been changed more and more. God blesses our family with His goodness. In my life I now have peace, joy and happiness. I will always have hope in Him. I give thanks to God for His forgiveness and His blessing.

Victory Over Hate And Anger Name: Bo Dan, Male, Age: 31

In the past, I did a lot of bad things that turned the people in my village against me. I didn’t want to make peace with others when they did something wrong to me. I had a difficult life. I believed in the Buddha and worshiped evil spirits and idols. I believed that they could give me wealth and all the good things in life, so, I prayed to them. One thing became clear, they could not give me what I asked for. That made my life very hopeless.

One day in December, I heard about Jesus Christ when some Christians invited me to join their Christmas celebration. I joined them only for having fun, but they told me about Jesus Christ. They said that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to the world for our sins. If we believe in Him, He can save us from our sins and can give us peace in our life. It touched my heart. I was very interested to hear more. They shared stories of Jesus from the Bible and I understood what He had done for me. I decided to give my life to Him.

Since I trusted in Jesus Christ my life has changed. All my hatred has gone and I can control my anger now. I have faith in Him and this gives me hope in my life. Not only me, but my whole family also has experienced joy and peace. I am so thankful to God for giving me new life and allowing me to experience this peaceful life. I give thanks to God for all His blessings and saving me from my sins.

Victory Over Abuse and Hardship Name: Nourn Female, Age 45

Before I believed in Jesus Christ I had a husband who would drink alcohol every day and wouldn’t work to support our family. He always made trouble for me. I didn’t have a happy life. Then he died and I was a widow, living in hardship with my children. During that time I believed in Buddha, worshiped evil spirits and idols, and asked them for happiness, peace and blessing. But those things couldn’t help me. I lived my life in darkness.

One day when I went out to cut lotus leaves, I met some people who shared that Jesus could help all people be free from their sins and sorrows. “If you put your faith in Him, He will help you have a happy heart. He is the true light for all people.” So I desired to know more about the Lord Jesus and I went to hear more. They taught me and other people about God’s love. At that time the word of God touched my heart and I had a deep desire to believe God. I studied more of God’s word with them. I understood and decided to trust Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior.

Since I put my trust in Jesus Christ, my life has been changed day by day. I live in the new life that God has given me, and I have true hope in my life. The Lord Jesus truly can help all people and He leads my life to walk in His light. I have found the true light in God and I won’t go back to those idols and evil spirits. God forgave my sins and helped me be free from my sins, let me to know Him and His love for me.

Victory Over Poverty and Sickness Name: Brea Male, Age 43

I had serious illness in my life for a long time. I tried to find healing from Khmer traditional medicines but could not find any relief. I was living in hopelessness because my family was poor and had no money to buy medicine to help me.

One day, I heard the good news about Jesus from pastor Cherng. He shared me that there is a Creator God who is the real God who loves everybody. He alone is the perfect one. He came and died on the cross to redeem my sins. In my heart I knew that it was true and I put my trust in Jesus Christ that time. After that, pastor Cherng prayed and asked God to heal me. Immediately I was healed. God is wonderful!

Since I have believed in Jesus Christ, my life has changed. I have a desire to serve God. God has saved me from my sin and curse. God blesses me. God always cares for me and healed all my pain in my body. My family is now living in joy and peace through God. I praise the Lord Jesus every day.