Summer Missions Idea
Planning a trip to Native America for your summer vacation?

Serious about your church reaching Native American and Can- adas First Nations people? Heres how to get started:

More than 600 native tribes live in the United States and Canada. photo by paul obregoN

Groundwork. Get on your knees. Pray for the tribe God has laid on your churchs heart. Pray that He would open doors, give you a burden for the physical needs of the people and a sensitivity to the specific culture of the tribe.

Network. Contact the missionary commissioned to the area you want to visit. This enables you to form a partnership with someone in or around the culture who has specific knowledge about the customs, traditions and economy of the tribe. Ask for any materials that may give you insight into the tribe youre trying to reach. Nail down a good date for the trip as well.

Prepwork. Months before you head out, the mission team leader should initiate a dialogue through email or telephone on how to approach the tribal people. Ask your missionary for homework and discussion materials to review with the group.

Fieldwork. Youve prayed, researched, prepared and now youre ready to fulfill the Great Commission among the Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux or another tribe that has created in you a burden for ministry. Before piling into the bus to hit the reservation, refine your vision. Remember:

Their culture, not yours. Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ regardless of ethnicity and cultural traditions. Your presentation of the gospel should reflect Gods love and not overwhelm them with your culture. See Biblical Guidelines for Contextualizing Native American Church Ministry at www.nambnative-ministries.org.

Meet their needs. While sharing the hope of Christ will be a blessing to your group, its important to remain in line with Gods leading and not your agenda. This means being sensitive to the physical needs of a tribe. The gateway to meeting spiritual need is quenching physical hunger. If necessary, partner with another church or association that might help provide the necessary resources. Ask your missionary for the best way to pool these resources.

Follow up. Reaching a native community requires a relationship, which means regular, even annual, trips to the location where your group makes genuine friendships and creates an air of mutual respect. Tap into your missionarys vision for the people in the tribe and try to commit to being a part of that vision until it bears fruit.

While many Native American and Canadas First Nations people reside in urban areas, reservations continue to be distinct cultures in great need of the gospel. For more information about how to plan a trip to reservations and other native populations, visit the North American Mission Boards native ministries website at www.namb-nativeministries.org. Also, look for more in-depth coverage on this growing mission field in the July/August issue of On Mission magazine.

My turn
Helping folks back home

By Jane Moran

When we moved into our neighborhood in Hope Mills, North Carolina, a city right outside Fort Bragg, my husband Tony and I prayed that God would help us find ways to reach and influence our neighborhood. A community filled mostly with military personnel from the 82nd Airborne, the Army Special Forces and Pope Air Force base, who, in times of deployment, often leave behind spouses and children, our neighborhood has proven to be a ripe mission field. God has shown us opportunity after opportunity to minister to families who need anything done from simple chores around the house to meals to disaster relief and a listening ear.

 We have mowed lawns while neighborhood husbands have been away on extended military deployments, taken in mail and newspapers, cared for pets, assisted with computer repair, cooked meals, helped deliver puppies, shared tools and babysat.  We have played Trivial Pursuit, watched football games, helped clean up after hurricanes and listened to marital problems.

As military deployment becomes more and more frequent, we expect to see our ministry grow tremendously. During these times, even something as simple as a cup of coffee and a little conversation can result in a life-changing decision.

I pray that we have given them a taste of Christ- centered community and that He will use our small acts of service to draw them to Himself.

Soldier missionaries go to war With an Internet connection and a computer, soldier missionaries can attend stateside Sunday school from thousands of miles away. photo by hans halberstadt/corbis When Jimmy Atkinson says goodbye to church members who transfer or go off to battle with the U.S. military, he doesnt look at it as losing members but rather as sending missionaries. We are a missionary church. We send out missionaries, he says. We train them here at Arran Lake Baptist Church, and we send them around the world. Minister of education at Arran Lake Baptist Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Jimmy says his church is very transitional, especially during military activity overseas. With a congregation made up primarily of military personnel (65 to 70 percent), Arran Lake is located just outside Fort Bragg and has a new congregation every three and a half years. In addition to sending out soldier missionaries with each military deployment, Jimmy says he will soon have Sunday school on the Internet. Hell post an audio version of each Sunday school lesson at www.arranlakebaptist.org. This resource will not only keep soldiers sharp in their personal studies, but it also will provide the opportunity to share Christ with others who listen in on the cyber Sunday. And though thousands of miles away, soldiers can email Jimmy at the completion of each lesson and be counted in the regular Sunday school roles. While spouses are away, Arran Lake also ministers to families back home through its Sunday school classes. Visitors to the churchs classes are automatically enrolled not only in the class but also in a ministry that includes helping with anything from chores to transportation to moral support.

Personal evangelism
On mission parenting in uncertain times

As international uncertainty and a sluggish economy stay in the headlines, Dr. Mary Manz Simon offers us some insight on shepherding our children to be on mission in such times. A well-known author, speaker, consultant and parent with a biblical perspective on child development and practical parenting, she reaches thousands of parents each year through magazine articles and conferences.These are her thoughts:

Give children peace of mind. Remind them that you will do everything possible to protect them.  Encourage them to think of other people who help to keep us safe. (Suggest first responders, soldiers, etc.)  Childrens anxieties often emerge before nap or bedtime, so help them memorize a simple verse that reminds us of Gods care. Psalm 4:8 (CEV) reads:  I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, Lord, will keep me safe.  Older children can search the Psalms to find other references that highlight God as our protector.

Speak on your childs level. Carry on a conversation, not a lecture. Answer concerns with another question. For example, if your child says, My friend says soldiers are going to come and get us, ask, What do you think?  By listening carefully to your childs response, you will have the opportunity to correct misinformation, provide information and remind your child of steps you are taking to keep him safe.

Avoid media immersion. Because young children cant tell the difference between live and recorded events on television, they think they are seeing the same event happen repeatedly.  Turn off the television and tape it for your later viewing.  If something comes on TV that needs explaining, filter and interpret.

Turn uncertainty into opportunity. Whether your child is 5 or 15, there are outreach opportunities during times of tragedy. For example, young children can gather toys or clothes they dont use anymore and donate them to a shelter or donation center. Older children can help with blood drives by serving cookies or pouring juice for donors. Sharing the love of Christ through acts of kindness provides an on mission approach to work through anxieties.

Practice your everyday family traditions. Routines provide comfort for children.  Regardless of what happens on the national or world stage, continue regular devotions.  Have your regular dinnertime discussion about what happened today at school.  Attend Bible class and worship. Tragedy or terror may grab front page headlines, but children still need their normal mealtimes, plenty of sleep and the security that comes with daily rituals.

Model an on mission mindset. Even if children are too young to understand the dangers of war and economic downturn, your actions and words can reflect your personal dependence on God.  We are primary role models for our children, so invite children to join you in prayer for the neighbor who lost his job or the soldier whos been deployed overseas. 

Teaching children to share this perspective with their friends can open up doors for them to share the  gospel.

evangelism for men
Unmasking the masculine

Trying to reach the guy next door? You see him mowing his lawn on Sundays, defrosting his windshield on Mondays and even one day, youve decided, you want to see him accepting Christ. So whats stopping you from reaching this action- oriented seeker?

Men tend to think and do, says Jaye Martin, who directs NAMBs womens evangelism ministry. Women tend to share and feel. In other words, reaching men requires a unique perspective and set of tools. In contemporary  times, the tools of the trade are changing to break down the barriers built between men and Christ by todays culture.

Men are trapped in the rat race, bored, underchallenged, disconnected from their masculine core and are trying to be something other than themselves, says Brian Peterson, a publishing media consultant for Christian organizations. This means men need to be engaged in ways that will bring out their personalities and a vulnerability to the love of Christ. 

Men must bow their wills to Christ, but our approaches in personal evangelism should allow them to maintain control and affirm their manhood, writes Will McRaney in The Art of Personal Evangelism due to be released in May. Professor of Evangelism at New Orleans Theological Seminary, he adds that we can do evangelism best on neutral ground or on their turf, not in a place where they feel vulnerable, such as a church building or a small group in a Christians home where they may feel cornered. Talk with men, not to them, especially not down to them as if they are children or ignorant.

For more ideas, insight, and inspiration on crossing the gender gap with the gospel, look for the July/August issue of On Mission magazine featuring Good News for Modern Man, an article by John Eldridge, author of Wild at Heart.

chaplaincy
Chaplains earn their stripes

Nearly a thousand chaplains have been commissioned by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) to minister in all branches of the United States armed forces.

While these chaplains perform ceremonies such as weddings and funerals, they also look for opportunities to share the gospel.

The chaplain has the opportunity to initiate dialogue and relationships through which they can influence people with the hope we have in Jesus Christ, said David Mullis, a retired Navy chaplain serving with NAMBs chaplaincy team.

Currently, SBC chaplains are playing an essential role in the war in Iraq. To learn more about NAMBs chaplaincy program and how to support your  military chaplains, visit namb.net/evangelism/cev.  

Youre invited...heres my card

Things thinner than your insurance card can help save lives. At least this is the idea of the pastors of Cottonwood Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On his business card, Cottonwood worship pastor Craig Sundheimer provides several points of contact (three phones and three addresseselectronic and otherwise) and a generous invitation to visit a place with a casual, relevant and contemporary atmosphere. Whether by phone, fax, Internet or in-person, making contact with Cottonwood Church is as easy as a flip of a fold (the business card is a mini brochure) and the push of a button. One panel of the card simply says Youre Invited. 

Your business card (youre in the business of evangelism)even the standard two-sided versioncan contain anything from an invitation to Sunday services to your contact information and an invitation to hear more about the gospel. You may even include a favorite quote to spur thoughts about Christ. While three and a half by two inches may not be enough space to delineate Gods plan of salvation, it could be enough to start an important conversation.