Man Changing World One Facebook Group at a Time

Peoria, Illinois - "I'm part of the solution now," says Peter Cardwell as he proudly opens up his Facebook profile. At just 31 years old, Cardwell is determined to make a real impact for the Kingdom through the use of Facebook groups and causes. From his mother's basement in Peoria, Cardwell rises each morning about 11:00 and spends 12 to 14 hours per day on what he calls his "mission field."

"I started doing this about 2 years ago after I lost my job at Subway," said Cardwell. "I started this group called 'Just Because I Lost My Job, I'm Not Losing Faith' and about 9 people joined, so I began thinking this could really take off in a big way."

After that Cardwell began spending more and more time on Facebook, each day starting new groups and causes, making more friends and inviting people to join his "missionary" endeavors. He now administrates over 4000 groups and has started over 6000 causes. Some examples of his groups include:

The Former Christian Employees of Subway Network - 3 members
Let's Finally Overturn Roe vs. Wade - 6 members
Christians United Against Hugo Chavez - 2 members
Let Your Kids Join Facebook this Sunday, They Need and Deserve It! - 4 members
Believers Who Want to Leave Britney Alone - 75 members

Since he started spending more and more hours on Facebook each day Cardwell has dropped out of church, choosing rather to sacrifice his Sundays in order to spread the gospel.

"I did go to church occasionally before all of this got started, but I really believe that this is my true calling in life" he said. "There's a lot of hurting people out there on Facebook who are looking for a group to plug into. I don't really care if each group doesn't get that big. It's not about numbers."

Cardwell is currently being supported by his 59-year-old mother, Patricia Cardwell, and says that he has no plans to go back to work in the "secular world" anytime soon.

"I'm devoted to this. This is my calling, and I have no plans to quit. You wouldn't up and ask a missionary to Africa to quit what he's doing and come back home to work at McDonald's would you? It's hard work sitting here all day for hours on end with nothing but pizza, fried chicken, Oreos, potato chips and Dr. Pepper to keep me going, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice."

Girl with No Birth Record Deemed "Not Really Alive"

Martal, Brazil - Young and playful, little Maria (that's the only name she has) likes to spend her afternoons with her friends catching bugs or just playing hide-and-seek in her small Brazilian village. For her, life is slow, simple and hard. Orphaned almost 6 years ago, she is one of the many poor children of Brazil who live from day to day not knowing where they came from or what the future may hold for them.

At "seven something" little Maria also faces another predicament, one which could ultimately make her an outcast among her own small group of friends. It all started about a year ago when missionaries arrived in her small village of Martal to setup work among the poor and orphans. Life began to instantly improve for many in the village as a new orphanage was built and a clinic was setup to provide basic medical care for people. Maria was instantly taken into the orphanage.

"I liked my new home very much when they brought me to the orphanage," she said. "It was clean and I began to make new friends with other girls like me who had no mother or father."

All seemed to be going well for little Maria until just a few weeks ago when the orphanage began filing records on all of the children. When it came time to process Maria's birth record, none could be found anywhere.

"This presents us with a genuine predicament," said Roger Forth, the missionary who runs the orphanage. "It's very hard for me to believe that she doesn't know when she was born. I think it's obvious that if one is really alive he or she will be able to know the exact moment in which it happened. If little Maria can't produce this information then we have no credible reason to believe she's really alive to begin with."

While some have objected to the stringent requirements, others working with the mission are in firm agreement with Forth's position.

"I think Roger is exactly right on this one. How can you really be alive unless you can go back and remember a time when you weren't alive?" said fellow missionary Parker Gillis. "I can tell you the exact moment I was born. I have my birth certificate at home and it has my birthday clearly written on it, right down to the minute. If ever I doubt that I'm alive I just look at that birth certificate and I'm assured that I really exist."

Until little Maria is able to produce a credible testimony of her exact moment of birth, she has been deemed "not really alive" by the orphanage and thus ineligible to remain there. She is currently residing with an elderly lady in the village until she can find other arrangements.

"I know it must seem cruel," commented Forth. "We're not trying to be mean or anything, but we must reserve our space for those who are truly alive, specifically those who can go back to a time and place and tell us specifically when their birth experience happened. I seriously doubt that anyone without that knowledge is truly a person."

Missionaries Help New Churches "Worship Properly" with Projectors

Since the beginning of modern missions Western missionaries have been helping newly converted indigenous peoples learn how to "worship properly." In the late 1800's through the early part of the 20th-century, missionaries took Western instruments and worship materials with them to the four corners of the earth. Since all of the primitive instruments of the pagans were base and vulgar, and too deeply tied to idolatry to be used in a godly way, missionaries often took pump-organs since they had never been used for any sinful purposes.

As time passed, missionaries learned to help the poor pagans "sing properly" teaching them that four-part hymns are the only proper mode of musical worship. Soon the evil practices of singing with drums, singing in odd meters, or using indigenous tonality were done away with as newly converted tribes-people were taught the finest translated works of Ira Sanky.

Eventually, some missionaries began to take pianos, the "holiest" of all instruments, because it had essentially no "evil baggage" at all, having never been used by ungodly people in ungodly ways to play ungodly music. Once on the field, they set about to teach the pagans that their flutes and drums and stringed instruments could not be used because of their "wicked connotations." But now, in this age of modern technology and travel, a new "essential instrument" has emerged on the scene helping converted pagans now "worship properly." That "instrument" is the projector.

Called by some simply as a "Power Point Projector" after Microsoft's popular Power Point presentation software, a projector can be hooked up to a computer, DVD player or even a television and then projected on a screen or wall to allow a large number of people to view something. The projector has become very popular over the last 15 years in many churches in America and the West for use during worship. The words to praise songs are projected up on the screen where everyone in a congregation can see them and sing.

"Ever time we come back to the States for a visit we buy more projectors" said Brent Howell, a missionary to rural parts of South America. "Many of these people we are trying to reach come from oral traditions, where they learn their songs by rote. Many who become believers keep on trying to do that, memorizing songs and teaching them to others. But it's important that these people really know how to worship properly, and that is done by having a projector hooked up to a computer so that everyone can see the words."

Others like Howell are taking the same position. Peter Leiken of New Awareness Missions spoke to TBNN about their latest efforts to raise money for projection screens in Asia.

"When we send out our missionaries now we always send them out with a new projector to take to the field," said Leiken. "Projectors have become so much smaller and more compact over the years that it's very easy to take even two or three. But what's most important here is helping these new church planting movements so that people can worship in right ways."

Also along with every projector NAM also supplies a solar cell so that the projector can be used in areas where electricity is not available.

"We are focusing over a million dollars on our projector ministry for 2008," said Leiken. "Our next focus is the projection screen itself. We're able to take it to some places already, but it's very difficult. That's our next most urgent need. Until then some our people will just have to keep projecting things onto walls, which isn't best, but it will have to do for now."

Churches in India Divided over Federal Vision

Remunda, India - For over 10 years pastor Isia Cinjam has led a small flock of Christian believers in the little Indian village of Remunda. He became a believer almost 20 years ago when he encountered Australian missionaries in his home city of New Delhi. After working in the church there for several years he felt a strong calling to take the gospel to some of the unreached peoples in his country. So moved to the small, remote village of Remunda in India's east, not far from the coastline of the Indian Ocean. For about 5 years he lived among the people, every day sharing with them the good news of the gospel.

"One by one God opened hearts," Cinjam told TBNN. "I labored for so long with no results and then suddenly one day people began to show up at my house asking me about the gospel, asking me about Jesus. People wanted to become Christians!"

Almost overnight Cinjam's church began to grow until he had 30 converts regularly coming to services and being discipled. For the last 10 years he has seen members come and go, but a steady flow of new converts has kept him encouraged. But recently, a controversy has arisen within his church that now threatens to divide his small congregation.

"A new pastor named Aakash Chatura moved to Remunda about two years ago to start a work here," said Cinjam. "At first, I had no problem with this. There are many many lost people here who need the gospel, and I cannot do all of the work myself. I tried to work with him, and at first our relationship was good, but then I began to notice some of my people leaving our congregation and going to work with this other man. Soon they began to tell me strange things about baptism and communion."

It was not long before Cinjam became acquainted with a doctrinal system he had never heard of before known as the "Federal Vision." Cinjam is now concerned because the new teachings threaten to divide his church and the Christian believers in the village.

"We don't get anything productive done anymore it seems" said Cinjam. "Every time we get together for Bible study an argument starts about paedo-communion or the efficacy of the sacraments. Just the other day two of our brothers Narendra and Parmeet spent two hours arguing about the inner-trinitarian covenant and the visible and invisible church. When it was all over Narendra was accusing Parmeet of being a sacerdotalist! It really got ugly."

For now Cinjam does not know what he is going to do exactly.

"I'm trying to maintain peace amongst my people and keep my small church together, but it's getting harder and harder. Pastor Chatura keeps giving my people all of these strange books, and the latest is some book by a guy named N.T Wright about Paul. I just pray for wisdom in these matter."

Chinese House Churches Adopt KJV-Only Position

Zhongmu, China - A recent flurry of theological change has swept the Chinese secretive house church movement. A Chinese pastor, simply known as "Pastor Zheng" (full name withheld for safety reasons) told TBNN that because of recent convictions after reading literature by prominent KJV-only advocates that he and most other house church pastors have come to the conclusion that the King James Version of the Bible is the only accurate Bible in the entire world.

"The arguments are very obvious and the conclusions more serious" said Zheng. "After reading literature by such persons as Dr. Ruckman and Mrs. Riplinger I cannot help but say that the King James Bible is the only true Bible in the world today. All other translations, including our own Chinese translation must be corrupted, filled with errors. Therefore we in the house church movement of China will use only the King James Bible."

While Zheng is, overall, very excited about the change he does admit that there are some problems, namely that less than %0.10 of all house church attendees are able to understand English.

"My ability to speak English is rare amongst our people" said Zheng. "But that doesn't negate the fact that we must use this Bible no matter what. If we don't then no one can be saved."

Beginning last Sunday believers from all over the house church movement threw away their "corrupt" Chinese Bibles and picked up their brand new KJV 1611 editions that were passed out.

"I do not understand English" said one elderly woman through a translator. "But they say that this Bible I have here is the only true translation of the word, that it is perfect, and that if I want to go to heaven I must read from this Bible. It will be difficult because I am old, but I will try."

Vegan Missionaries Find Certain Fields "Tough"

Dallas, Texas - Dellia Love is a vegan, a "raw vegan" to be precise. The word "vegan", which is taken from from the first and last syllables of the word "vegetarian" is a form of vegetarianism but differs in that vegans eat no animal by-products whatsoever. So as a vegan, Love not only refrains from eating any form of meat, but also from eating anything that comes from any living creature including milk and eggs. Furthermore as a "raw vegan" Love also does not eat any food that has been cooked above a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. So with such a strict diet, Love decided that the perfect way to spend her summer was on a missions trip to "the middle of nowhere."

After examining a number of different summer trips with different organizations, Love chose Mongolia for its "exotic flair."

"I was looking around on the internet at 3 in the morning and got really interested in Mongolia" said Love. "I thought, 'yeah Mongolia, it's so weird.' I just knew that's where I was like being called and stuff, yeah Mongolia, it's so exotic."

So Love proceeded to contact the mission agency offering the trip, filled out the required paperwork and raised her support to go. All seemed to be going well until, though, she arrived in Mongolia.

The team flew into the capital city of Ulaanbaatar and from there drove three hours to the remote village of Baala where the group stayed at the house of a small family of Christian believers.

"We were all starving when we arrived" said Love. "We hadn't eaten since the plane ride. The lady and the man whose names I can't remember, immediately started fixing us some food for dinner."

As it turns out the simple village family dutifully started preparing a small feast for their guests. The husband, whose name is Baat, began by slaughtering a goat and roasting it over a fire. He then proceeded to walk down to a small stream and catch five fish which he cleaned and cut into small raw pieces. In the meantime Oyon, his wife, went out to their chicken coop, killed three chickens, plucked them and began cooking them as she gathered several eggs to bake bread. Amazingly, within just about 1 hour the group sat down to a feast of goat, raw fish, chicken, bread, goat tongue, congealed and seasoned pig fat, boiled horse intestine and caviar. To wash it all down Oyon produced a Mongolian treat called Kymus, fermented mare's milk. While the other team members graciously began to eat what had been set before them, Love found herself in a bit of a dilemma.

"There wasn't a thing on the table that I could eat" said a frustrated Love. "They kept putting food in front of me, but I kept trying to tell them that I was a vegan. I pointed to the food and said it really loudly and slowly 'vegan, veee-gaaan' but they didn't seem to understand. They just kept encouraging me to eat."

Love's lack of Mongolian language skills coupled with the families lack of English language skills provided the perfect environment for a cultural misunderstanding to take place. And before long the Mongolian family had come to understand that "vegan" meant "sick" and quickly began to set out to find a remedy for their guest's illness.

Oyon left the table for a moment and returned with what appeared to be two recently severed chicken's feet. She then dipped the feet into some of the congealed pig's fat and took Love to a back room where she proceeded to try to spread the substance on her ears in an effort to remedy her sickness.

"I didn't know what this lady was doing" said Love. "She just kept trying to rub pig fat all over me with chicken feet."

Love resisted and "remedy" after "remedy" was presented to her. The family tried to get her to soak her feet in some of the kymus, all the while saying "vee-gaan, vee-gaan." They then attempted to get her to wrap up her throat with a rag soaked in a mixture of milk, egg and horse intestine oil.

As the evening wore on the situation became more and more frustrating for Love and her hosts. In the end, Love prevailed in resisting the "treatments" and dinner also. Still hungry, she managed to find a head of cabbage and finished it off before going to bed. Love spent the next two months in Mongolia living off of cabbage and raw potatoes.

"It was a miserable experience" said Love. "I'll never do it again. These people are barbaric. They don't eat any tofu or soy or anything. It's all just meat and dairy stuff."

Despite the bad experience, Love still has plans to keep trying at different mission fields.

"I'm not going back to Mongolia, I can tell you that for sure, but I'm seriously looking at some remote parts of Africa for next summer."

Man "Devastated" to Discover Krakozhia Not Real

Halifax, Nova Scotia - Three years ago Christopher Price saw a movie that deeply affected his life. Price went to see the move "The Terminal" with several of his friends one night, and what he saw in the movie touched him deeply. The setting of the movie is in the International Transit Terminal of JFK airport in New York. The story is about a man named Victor Navorski, a traveler from the country of Krakozhia, which, in the movie, is depicted as a former Soviet Republic. Due to a revolution that breaks out in Navorski's country while he is en route to the United States, his visa is revoked. He gets lost in the shuffle of bureaucracy for nine months, having to live in the airport terminal.

As amusing as the story line might be for most people, for Price it was anything but.

"When I saw the movie I had been interested in missions for a number of years" said Price. "While we watched this movie my friends all around me were laughing and enjoying it, but I was crying on the inside. I couldn't stop thinking about Krakozhia. I had never heard of the place and seriously wondered why. Why hadn't someone gone there with the gospel?"

Price further recalls that night. After the movie was over he went back to his apartment and spent the night searching maps for Krakozhia, only to come up empty-handed. By the next morning, Price had "surrendered to missions" and had dedicated his life to reaching the people of Krakozhia. Price then began to set about the task of raising support to serve on the "mission field."

"I had prayer cards made up" said Price. "I would talk to perfect strangers on planes and buses and tell them about my vision for the unreached people of Krakozhia. Most people, like me had never heard of the place. Some had, and some even had the audacity to laugh at me, sometimes hysterically, when I told them that I was going to be a missionary there."

Price's passion for the people of Krakozhia continued to grow and grow, until this past weekend when he finally came to grips with something sad but true...that Krakozhia is not a real place.

"I was at church this past Sunday and we had some new visitors that day" said Price. "I was talking to one of them after the service and gave him my prayer card, and the guy laughed. I thought 'Yep, here's another guy who just doesn't care.' Then this guy says to me, 'Hey, you know this place isn't real.'"

The conversation that followed was filled with shock and dismay for Price. Not only did he have to come to grips with the fact that the country did not exist, but that his friends and church members had never had the gall to tell him the truth.

"We just didn't want to hurt him" said friend Mindy Adams. "He was always so excited and pumped up, I just didn't have the heart to break it to him."

"I always thought it was just a joke" said Alvin Connely, Price's pastor. "I just assumed it was meant to be funny. Never once did I think that Chris was being serious."

Now, "devastated" by the shocking revelation, Price is seeking direction for his life.

"I have not the faintest idea what I'm going to do now" said Price. "Everything I've been pursuing for the last three years has been from the neighborhood of make believe."

Several of Price's friends have tried disparately to get him to look at other possibilities for mission work, but seemingly to no avail, as Price notes,

"Mindy was telling me the other day about these places called Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and I just told her 'Look, I'm not going to be made a fool of again!' I'm not about to look ignorant again, that's for sure. 'Tajikistan,' ha, where did she get that one from?"

First "Mega" Church Plant in Laos a Success

Ba Na, Laos - The village of Ba Na is small and simple. The residents are poor and rely heavily on their annual rice crop to feed and sustain them through another year. The people of Ba Na often struggle with finding adequate drinking water and basic health care. Most of the residents have no education and live in simple, small grass and wooden huts. The infant mortality rate is high, and the average life expectancy for men is only 39 years.

It was statistics like this that caught the attention of one church, Parkview Heights Christian Assembly in Dallas, Texas. Three years this church of 18,000 members sent a small medical missions team to Laos. When they returned they recounted tales and showed pictures of the sad state of life for the Laotian people. Debbie Armstrong was one of the members of that team.

"I was deeply affected by that trip more than any other thing in my life" said Armstrong. "These people didn't even have toilet paper. In some of the villages we went to they didn't have ice for their drinks and it was over 100 degrees outside. There was no air conditioning, no sodas or even electric fans. The conditions were miserable."

For a year the church prayed about how they could further help the people of Laos until finally
they believed it was time to go.

"As a church we caught this vision" stated pastor Rick McElhannon. "We had a number of people who were willing to go, and even a pastor ready to make the commitment. So we began a fund raising campaign to send the people and start up a church."

Over the course 18 months the church raised almost $47 million dollars toward starting up a new work in Laos. The village of Ba Na was picked because many of the residents remember the extremely poor conditions there.

"Ba Na was horrific" said Merrideth Barber, who also participated in the missions trip. "I didn't know people could live in such a terrible place."

After the fund raising campaign ended, the church immediately set about securing all of the necessary paperwork and visas to begin building Parkview Heights Christian Assembly of Ba Na. Nine months later a dream was a reality.

"The structure is amazing" noted McElhannon. "It stands in the midst of a rice field and rises out of the ground like a beacon for all to see."

The church structure includes a sanctuary that can seat 1800, complete with 40 Sunday School rooms, a youth center, 55 bathrooms and church offices with wireless internet access. There is also a fellowship hall and kitchen.

"Our first Sunday was a tremendous success" said the church's pastor, Rev. Patrick Clemens. "I think the entire village of Ba Na showed up for our first service this past Sunday. The praise band did an excellent job. I'm a little concerned that the people didn't pay attention that well during the sermon, but all things come in good time. They all attended the dinner on the grounds afterwards and seemed to really enjoy themselves."

TBNN was able to catch up with some of the residents of Ba Na and interview them with the help of our own correspondent Brother Slawson who is fluent in Laotian.

"There is not a soul in Ba Na who can refrain from this place" commented Khamkong Xok, an elder in the village. "The waters are pure, and on days when the sun is very hot, inside of this place there are refreshing winds, cool and pure. I will go to this place. These people speak in a strange tongue, but I will go to this place and drink and not be thirsty. And I will go and not be hungry."

"We saw them make this place for a long time" said a man simply known as Phant. "We all wondered for so long what they are doing. Then four days ago we all hear a sound, like a bell from this place. We all began to walk toward this noise and we see that the doors are open to this very big house. When we go inside the people are all smiling at us, and the house is like nothing we have ever seen before. Everything shines like the sun. These people make strange music and a man stands and talks for a long time. We do not understand him. But like Khamkong, I too will go to this place, for if I go I may live longer."

"We are excited about the future of our church" said Clemens. "We really feel like we're reaching these people. As long as we get our weekly airdrops of supplies like Coke, Hershey bars and other necessities, and as long as the generators keep the AC running, we'll be alright. This is what missions is all about."

Pensacola Christian College Trains "Missionaries to Mega-Churches"

Note: Some of the names of people in this article have been changed to protect their identities.

Memphis, Tn - It is a typical Sunday morning for a man we will call John. He wakes up early, spends some time reading his Bible over a cup of coffee, prays, and then gets ready to go to church. Only for John, "going to church" doesn't mean the same thing as it does for everyone else who will be going there on this Sunday morning. About a year ago John joined a rather well known and a rather large Southern Baptist church in the Memphis area, but for John the decision to join had little if nothing to do with his desire to fellowship with other Christians and grow spiritually. For John joining the church had everything to do with evangelism and missions, evangelism and missions not outside of the church to the community, but inside of the church to its members.

"Years ago I felt the call" stated John. "As I entered P.C.C. years ago I met new friends, many of whom felt the call to missions. Some of my friends went on to Africa, others to South America. I began to feel a burden for all of those lost souls out there that attend these liberal, apostate Baptist churches out there, you know the ones that use guitars in worship and don't believe in the King James Bible. There's no way that most these people can be saved. They need to hear the gospel."

John is part of a larger plan of action conceived by P.C.C. over a decade ago. The plan involves training men and women to be secret missionaries to "mega churches" throughout the United States. Students are trained to learn how to become involved in the churches, how not to appear offended with the New International Version is read, how to endure contemporary music, and other liberal tendencies.

"If the student follows his or her training well, no one will even know why he or she is there at the church" stated Dr. Michael Keaton, head of the Biblical Studies department at P.C.C. "Their goal is to get involved and to, as quickly as possible, gain a teaching position so that they can spread the true gospel throughout the so-called church."

"So far it's been a tough go" stated John. "It's very difficult attending Sunday after Sunday and having to put up with all of that mess that's passing off as the 'gospel.' I'll never forget the first time that they started playing those drums during the worship service. My heart just sank. I started praying for all of those some 10,000 lost souls around me. Then the preacher opened up his Bible and started reading from the NIV. It was all I could do to keep my composure. Then one day in Sunday School the teacher used an example from some movie called Lord of the Rings. I just closed my eyes and prayed for his lost soul."

John eventually hopes to work his way into being able to teach a Sunday School class in the future.

"I've made a lot of acquaintances" he stated. "There are some nice enough people, but they're just lost as a goose. But I've volunteered with a lot of church activities like soup kitchens, fixing up people's houses and stuff like that. I've also volunteered to teach some children's Sunday School, and have been put on an alternates list."

As it turns out John is not the only "missionary" that is working in the church.

"There are 60 of us here at this one particular church" he stated. "We all know each other behind the scenes, but we play it down in church. Each of us has the same goal, to truly bring this gospel to this church and see it become a shining example of Independent Fundamentalism for the future."

Lausanne Designates "The Smelly" as New People Group

SOUTH HAMILTON, MASSACHUSETTS

The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism (LCWE) announced on Thursday that it has designated as a new people group those who suffer from chronic body odor problems. The announcement came after several weeks of discussion by members of the committee around the world.

"We hail this as a major step towards evangelizing all peoples" said LCWE North American director Earl Robinson. "Throughout history those who smell bad have always been rejected and marginalized by society. It's now time to recognize that these people need the gospel."

In a report by LCWE entitled Christian Witness to the Smelly the committee published information regarding the problem of body odor around the world.

"Estimates of the total world smelly population vary. The most recent statistics number smelly and extremely pungent persons at 1.5 billion."

"In the United States alone just over 30% of the population stinks" said Robinson. "There are real needs here that we have to meet for these people to help them."

The report further described how the smelly might be helped.

"Generally one may describe the needs of the smelly as counter-repugnantness. Deodorants, soaps and antiperspirants are the most pressing needs. Concern about future olfactory offensiveness can be overwhelming for the smelly person. Those who work with the smelly will need to communicate good hygiene habits in addition to providing the necessary sanitary materials. Genuine concern for the well-being of the smelly person proves the gospel credible."

"All throughout Scripture the idea of something being a 'stench' is bad" said Robinson. "A billion and a half people in this world stink, and we have an opportunity as Christians to help them."

Already a number of churches have taken the vision. While some have decided to focus on domestic odors, a few churches have already looked to other nations to begin their work.

"We're looking to Eastern Europe" said pastor Clark Herring, of New Falls Baptist Church in New Falls, Nevada. "I was in Eastern Europe just last year and I know the great need that exists there. Our hope is to ship 10,000 cases of Old Spice to various former Soviet Bloc countries by the end of the year. Eventually we'd like to send mission teams over with supplies of Irish Spring"

Man Aspires to be Missionary to the Extremely Wealthy

DOVER, MICHIGAN

Patrick Morgan has wanted to be a missionary since he was 10 years old and met some missionaries to Africa on furlough at his home church in Dover. He majored in history during his college years, and then went on to study missions at seminary. But after seminary he went to work not doing what he had always dreamed of doing but working as a manager of a restaurant in his hometown. Now at age 36 Morgan again feels the pull to the mission field. This time, though, the calling is not to Africa or even to a foreign country. Morgan feels that he is called to be a missionary to the extremely wealthy in Beverly Hills, California.

"I know it sounds crazy." Said Morgan. "But those people need the gospel too. I've prayed a lot about where I should go, and Beverly Hills just keeps coming up over and over again."

Morgan recently presented his idea to the deacons and pastor of his home church, Lighthouse Baptist Church in Dover, but the idea was not well-received.

"We were excited when Patrick said he felt called to the mission field, and we were ready to support him fully." Said deacon Alec Fryer. "But when he started telling us about where he wanted to go and how much it was going to cost, he lost us completely."

As it turns out, in order for Morgan to fulfill his "vision" he will need to raise at least $5 million dollars a year, plus an extra $8 million dollars to make an initial purchase on a mansion in Beverly hills.

"I've found a lovely place right next door to actor Jackie Chan that I think would be perfect." Said Morgan. "The other $5 million will go towards clothes, cars eating out, and joining a number of prominent organizations such as country clubs, health clubs and such. I'll also budget some vacations in there too."

But for the time being Morgan's vision is just that, a vision. He has so far been unable to raise any money towards going.

"Things have not been going too well thus far." He Said. "My own home church will not even support me in this, nor have I found anyone else willing to help. It just upsets me, here I am willing to go and take the gospel to all people and no one will support me at all. I'm going, but there's no one sending."

Contributions can be made to Morgan's mission endeavors by contacting the Tominthebox News Network.

Mission Field at 30,000 Feet

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Some missionaries go to Africa, others to South America, and others to various parts of Asia. For James DeLaney his mission field is wherever Delta Airlines is going.

DeLaney always had the desire to become a missionary, but never felt called to any one particular country. But five years ago while he was checking his email he received a notice of weekly specials from Delta Airlines informing him that he could fly from Atlanta to London for only $350 round trip. Without hesitation he purchased the flight, and thus he entered his "mission field."

"Since that day five years ago I've flown every week, sometimes multiple times." Said DeLaney. "Once we're airborne and at our cruising altitude I try to strike up a conversation with the person in the seat next to me which will hopefully lead to an opportunity to share the gospel. Some people are very receptive, while others are resistant. But I never stop trying."

On average DeLaney flies a total of 25,000 miles per month, which usually includes at least one international flight, sometimes two.

"Whatever is on sale with Delta is what I fly." He said. "Last week I flew to Prague on a great deal. Next week I'm off to Johannesburg, South Africa. That flight is great. We fly almost 20 hours. During that long of a flight people are really eager to talk, even if they do think I'm a 'religious nut.' What's really great though is if we have some rough turbulence. Now that's when I can really get a hold on some nervous passenger and say 'Do you know where you'd go if this plane crashed right now?'"

Ever since beginning his work on the 'mission field' five years ago DeLaney has shared his vision with churches around the country, and has managed to raise enough support to keep him airborne almost year-round.

"I've got churches all over the United States supporting me." He said. "I take my flights and then rest for a few days wherever I am, and take in a couple of sights. Then I'm back in the friendly skies. I usually try to fly first or business class when I can, because those people need the gospel too."

Despite the grueling pace of his work, DeLaney says that he has no plans to slow down.

"There is such a great need out there." Said DeLaney. "The Altlanta-Paris flight is one of the toughest to get to know people on. I'm planning on focusing on that route next year at least once a month, flying business class, of course. Those rich Parisians are so hard-hearted to the gospel, and I feel it is my calling to press them hard."

Church Youth Group Prepares to 'Sacrifice' for Mission Trip

COLUMBIA PARK, MICHIGAN

The youth of 15th Avenue Church of God have felt a deep conviction for some time now. Last year during the church's annual missions conference almost all of the church students went forward at the end of the week to commit to serving in missions during the next year. Now they are hoping to live up to that promise.

"We want to do what's right and fulfill that promise that we made." Said 15 year-old Megan Porter. "We promised to devote time this year to spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth, and now we're going to do just that."

Over the Christmas holidays the students who had made the pledge got together with the church's youth pastor, Mark O'Neil to decide on possible places to go.

"I wanted this to be their call." Said O'Neil. "Things like this really work best if they come from the hearts of those who serve. So I told them that I would back them 100%, no matter what they chose, and that the church would pay for their trip completely."

O'Neil suggested a number of places to the students such as working in an orphanage in Mexico, serving in a soup kitchen in New York, or even venturing out to work with native peoples in the Canadian wilderness. But the students already had a place that they were passionate about. And so with little debate the students reached a unanimous decision. This year all 18 of the students will give up their regular Spring Break plans to spread the gospel at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

"We're so excited about serving down there!" Said an enthusiastic Stewart Conner. "We really think that we can make a difference in the lives of the people we're going to serve."

"We've been really training a lot for this trip." Said Porter. "We've been doing some role-playing down at the mall like standing in line and talking about the new Newsboys album out loud so that people will know we listen to Christian music."

The students say that they also plan to 'witness' to people as they ride the various rides at Walt Disney World's four main parks by praying silently to themselves before meals, wearing Jars of Clay t-shirts and by saying 'Thank the Lord that's over with' after scary rides.

"We know that this time down there is going to be blessed." Said Conner. "We don't want people to pity us or think we're somehow super-spiritual because we're making sacrifices. I mean, sure it will be hard giving up our Spring Break and all that, but this is what we've committed to do, and we're going to stick to our word."

The church will be putting up the cost of $1200.00 for each student to fly all of the students down to Orlando, put them up in one of the Disney resorts and purchase them 6 day passes to all of the parks.

"I was hoping for something a little bit more cross-cultural for these kids, but if these kids learn to share the gospel through this experience it will be worth it." Said O'Neil. "We've already had many of our other kids show a tremendous interest in becoming involved with missions for next year, so that's already a positive result."

Church Goes "Glam Rock" to Attract "Old Rockers"

MEYERSVILLE, INDIANA

It is a Sunday morning at Holy Kiss Baptist Church. The lights in the sanctuary dim as smoke fills the room. Suddenly in the darkness spotlights begin to move around. Cheers and screams arise from the congregation. Then the mysterious sound of the lone beat of a kick drum begins pounding out a 4/4 rhythm, accenting the first beat every time. The tension and excitement heighten when an electric guitar lets out a growling "thrash" on a single chord that seems to ring forever. And finally, when it seems that the building momentum can go no further in runs Pastor David Remington, face painted, hair-waving. He falls to his knees sliding to the center of the stage and air-guitars to an improvised solo by the church's praise band guitarist.

"Are you ready to solid rock?" Screams Remington to the cheering crowd that responds with a resounding "Amen!" Repeating himself, he screams again, "I said are you ready to solid rock all you saints?" "Amen!" the shouts come again. The praise band begins playing the music to Poison's Don't Need Nothing But a Good Time, but the words are that of Rock of Ages Cleft for Me.

Thus goes a typical Sunday at Holy Kiss Baptist Church, a church that, until about 5 years ago, resembled most average mainstream Baptist churches in America. But when the church determined to focus their outreach to "Old Rockers" they decided to contextualize their worship in order to make people feel more comfortable.

"We now have more than 1000 people attending now." Said Remington. "All of the songs that we sing are new words set to old Rock tunes."

Examples of the church's music include Prepare Me for Heaven set to Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, and Save Me Up set to the Rolling Stones' Start Me Up.

"One song that always gets the crowd going is when we do Sinful Ways set to Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze." Said Remington as he broke into an impromptu rendition,

"Sinful ways,
All in my life,
Causing me
So much pain and strife.

It ain't funny,
And I tell you why,
'scuse me while I pray and cry."

"And, of course," Said Remington, "some songs like The Doobie Brothers' Jesus is Just Alright With Me, need no adjustment whatsoever."

"It's been the coolest thing I've ever been to." Said church member Henry Woodriff. "Brother Dave just tears the place apart week after week."

Remington usually ends the time of praise and worship which he calls the "Solid Rock Concert" by either smashing or burning a guitar on stage. This is followed by his sermon which he calls the "backstage pass." During this time, Remington sits on a couch on the stage, kicks up his feet and just talks to his "fans" about something from the Bible.

"Attendance is growing and growing." Said Remington. "If things continue I think we'll start bringing in some opening acts."

Pastor's Inability to Speak Russian Hinders Russian Outreach

PORTLAND, OREGON

Wayside Bible Church had a great idea; some 50,000+ Russian immigrants lived and worked in the Portland area, so why not reach out to these people with a weekly Russian service? The church, under the leadership of its pastor of 15 years, Rev. James Kiln, began weeks of planning for Saturday evening evangelistic services for Russians that would take place at the church. All seemed to be going well; the pastor was motivated, the church members were on board with the project, and many volunteered to help out getting things started, advertising in local newspapers and Russian communities around the Portland area. But on the night of the first service things did not go as smoothly as they had planned.

"I was very interested to know more about Christianity and the Bible and things like this," said Sergi Bagachov, one of the few Russian immigrants at the service who spoke English. "We spent many years under Communism where we were not able to hear these things, so this was something I had great interest in. But suddenly this man stands up and he begins to speak English, but not the normal English. He was speaking English but with Russian accent. I guess he thought we would understand him if he just spoke this way."

As the service progressed Rev. Kiln and the rest of the Wayside members who were assisting all spoke English...but with Russian accents to the Russian immigrants in an effort to communicate.

"We feel like it went okay" said Kiln. "I spent a lot of time practicing my Russian in the weeks leading up to the service. I watched Hunt for Red October several times, and it wasn't until too long that I was picking up on it. For instance, I just have to change the "th" sounds to a "z" or an "s" sound, and roll my "r" a lot. I also have to switch word orders around and leave out some words. So when I preach in Russian I say something like, 'Please to take zee Bible and we are to open to zee chapter 9 of book of Gospel of John' or 'We are to be studying zis Bible today for long time.' I really think we reached the people by speaking their language.

"They sang songs in English," said Bagachov. "This man read from Bible in English. One man stood and gave a speech about Bible for many minutes in English, but he spoke his words funny, like he was trying to be a Russian man speaking English bad."

"I thought this man was madman," said Irina Kapilova in broken English. Kapilova, a 58-year old from the Urals immigrated to the United States in 1999 to seek a better life for her and her 5 children. "I hear of this and I say I want to know more. My English not so good, so I only understand very small things. But there were old babushkas (grandmothers) at this place who spoke no English. They told me later that they thought this man is crazy man, and they will not come back."

Many of the Russian immigrants living in the Portland area are over the age of 50 and have very limited English skills. Most immigrated to the United States in the years immediately following the collapse of the Soviet Union between 1992 and 1996. While there are already a number of all Russian congregations in the area, a number of local churches have made efforts to reach out to un-churched Russians.

"I'm appalled," said Pastor Mike Lawrence of Temple Baptist Church in Portland. "We've been trying to reach out to the Russians in Portland for the past 10 years. I started studying Russian in my spare time 10 years ago, and I've just gotten to where I can preach without a translator to the people that come to our Russian service. The fact that these people don't realize that speaking English with an accent is not the Russian language just baffles me."

Despite criticism Kiln and his congregation intend to continue with the weekly service for Russians.

"Our attendance has slacked off greatly in the past few months, but my Russian is getting better. I've been watching more movies lately, and I hope that will help things pick up again."