Campus Toolbox–Practical Ideas Click Below
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Jan
29
Idea: Andy Gets His Partners Involved
Filed Under Activism, Africa, Campus Toolbox, whole gospel | 1 Comment
Andy McCullough sent the following letter to ministry partners and friends. We thought it was a great idea on many fronts — relationship with partners, getting partners engaged in planting movements, balancing good news and good deeds, etc.
All
Soon you should be receiving our January letter either by snail mail or email. In the letter, I share briefly about my trip last month to South Africa and about going back next summer.
Even before I went I started dreaming about returning this coming July and inviting you all to join me. Sort of a Ministry Partners Missions project. This summer marks the twentieth anniversary of my first international project. That summer I went to Kenya and the experience changed my life. I couldn’t think of who I’d love to go back to Africa with that those of who partner with Robin and I through your prayers and gifts.
Here’s some basic info of this opportunity…
· Tentatively, we would leave July 18th (a Friday) and return on the morning of July 28th (a Monday).
I would reserve tickets for our group and we would all meet up at Dulles Intl Airport in DC and fly together. (Those of us from CO we would fly to Dulles from Denver together.)
For the week of 21st we would serve Beam ministry as they ministry to orphans and the poor. I’d love to have…
1. People from medical community so we could set up either a medical clinic or dental clinic or both.
2. Anyone with computer skills that could teach basic skills in their computer lab.
3. Someone with small business skills to train some adults how to start up their own business.
4. Anyone who could help minister to kids whether through a program like VBS or just loving on them. So teachers or anyone who just loves kids.
5. Anyone willing to serve in any way. We will
We would spend some time too encouraging the Campus Crusade project that will be there that month.
We also would go on a safari one day and visit an African church too.
I am still working on the actual costs. I have found that plane tickets in July are rather expensive so it may cost somewhere between $2500 and 3000. Our Church here in Boulder is setting this up as one our mission trips so you can raise support and people can get a tax deduction.
So… would prayerfully consider going with me this summer for 10 days to South Africa? If I did this right, there should be voting options on the email. If you are at all interested please let me know.
Andy McCullough
Associate WSN Director
Great Plains Int’l
720-841-5778 (m)
303-926-3814 (o)
skype: andymccullough27
A Few Minutes with Andy <http://andymccullough.blogspot.com/>
STINT Leaders <http://stintleaders.blogspot.com/>
Here I am Send Me! <http://isaiahsixeight.blogspot.com/>
Facebook profile <http://www.facebook.com/p/Andy_McCullough/500699312>
“God’s part is to put forth power; our part is to put forth faith.”– Andrew Bonar, missionary to Palestine, 1810-1892.
Jan
26
Campus Toolbox: Good Deeds and the Gospel of Jesus
Filed Under Campus Toolbox, Evangelism, whole gospel | Leave a Comment
Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16) Anytime believers engage in good deeds in the Name of Christ, the goal is always that people would see something of the glory of God and be stirred within to praise Him. But almost without exception, when believers do good things in Jesus’ Name, their motives, their source of strength and power, or the significance of the deeds are misunderstood, and observers do not praise the God of the Bible.
Therefore, when believers help the needy in the Name of Christ, their good deeds require an explanation that leads people to glorify God. Usually, the best way to explain our good deeds is to share the Gospel or some portion of Gospel truth.
For example, in Acts 3, Peter and John heal a man who had been lame from birth. When people who knew him saw him walking, they were amazed. But they misunderstood the good deed Peter had done. They thought that Peter and John had healed the lame man by their own power. So Peter responds, “…why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?” Peter immediately explains the healing by explaining the Gospel. The flow of Peter’s explanation is, Jesus Christ is God’s Son and Servant, He died unjustly on a cross, He was raised from the dead, and it is faith in the resurrected Jesus that has healed this man. Peter’s explanation climaxes in an awesome invitation: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you …”
In Acts 14, the same thing happens. When Paul and Barnabus heal a lame man in Lystra, the crowds who saw what Paul did for this man totally misinterpreted the event and assumed that Paul and Barnabus must be gods. They actually thought Paul was Hermes and that Barnabus was Zeus, and the priest of Zeus brought oxen and garlands to sacrifice to them! Paul and Barnabus are understandably alarmed and begin shouting to the crowd that they are not gods but simply men who preach the gospel so that they may turn from the worship of false gods to the living God.
Good deeds are often misinterpreted in our time as well. While helping a Thai villager rebuild his home after the tsunami last year, he said to me, “Your god is going to give you a lot of merit.” Because he naturally interpreted my good deeds through his Buddhist world view, he assumed that my motive for helping him was to make merit with my god and build good karma. This opened a door of opportunity. I explained that God does not give merit but something better. The Thai villager was shocked – so shocked that he was primed to listen to me talk about the awesome grace of God in Christ Jesus.
So, as we engage in good deeds of any kind in the Name of Christ, we have to explain our motives, the source of our strength, and make connections to the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus. The best way to do this is to talk about Jesus and the Gospel of our salvation. Our prayer as we engage in good deeds is always that people see what a glorious Savior Jesus is, and glorify the Father who sent Him.
– Chip Scivicque
Jan
19
Thus says the Lord . . . to Israel . . .
they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. (Amos 2:6)
Jan
19
Campus Toolbox — Ministry to the Poor
Filed Under Activism, Campus Toolbox, inner city, salt and light, whole gospel | Leave a Comment
Do you have a burden for the poor or others in the margins of society and want to get students involved?
Here’s a list of potential partners – it’s from World Magazine’s “Profiles in Effective Compassion” (’06 & ’07). These groups are offering tangible help, seeing long-term results, and “soaking every activity with the gospel.” Most are local, but some national or international – check out their websites.
- Bay Area Rescue Mission, Richmond, CA
- Jobs for Life, Raleigh, NC
- Rachel’s House, Columbus, OH
- CityTeam Ministries, Chester, PA
- Manoomin Project, Marquette, MI
- Earth Keeper Project, Livonia, MI
- Christian Women’s Job Corps, Nashville, TN
- (Google the Rest)
- A Hand Up for Women, Knoxville, TN
- Guiding Light Mission, Grand Rapids, MI
- Habitat for Humanity, Flint, MI
- Mission Solano, Fairfield, CA
- Urban Promise, Camden, NJ
- Truth Seekers, Memphis, TN
- A Way Out, Memphis, TN
- Crossroads Center Rescue Mission, Hastings, NE
- Citizens for Community Values, Memphis, TN
- Neighborhood Christian Center, Inc., Memphis, TN
- Mariner’s Church Lighthouse Community Center, Santa Ana, CA (50 programs focused on Minnie Street)
- St. Francis Center, Redwood, CA
- Mile High Ministries, Denver, CO
- Interfaith Housing Coalition, Dallas, TX
- Christian Women’s Job Corps of Middle Tennessee, Nashville, TN
- Victory Trade School, Springfield MO
- Arkansas Sheriff’s Youth Ranches, Little Rock, AR
- Happy Hands Education Center (Ministry to the deaf), Tulsa, OK
- Vision Youthz, San Francisco, CA
Look for service opportunities that:
- Connect students with people and where there’s potential for long-term relationships to develop
- Unbelievers can be invited to join you
- Students can be equipped to connect the story of Jesus with the stories of people they serve
These things lead to long-term solutions and impact, to transformed lives, and to people coming into the Kingdom.–Chip S.
Jan
15
The Human Trafficking Issue
Filed Under Human Trafficking, Not for Sale, Slavery | Leave a Comment
Hey all,
Here are some websites that relate to the issue of human trafficking. They can also catch you up to speed on how this is defined and the complexity of the issue. One thing that is really profound that I heard last Friday is that of the illegal enterprises worldwide, human trafficking is number three after drugs and arm sales…within 5 years it will surpass arm sales. Currently it is a 32 billion dollar enterprise! Human trafficking is also alive and well in the US.
At the USF website look into the project that deals with human trafficking in san fransisco you can see what a group of college students did with this issue.
The USF website:
Not For Sale Campaign
Some other relevant websites:
The Polaris Project
Nightlight Bangkok
The Hidden Slave Trade (New York Times)
Orange Country Register article
Aloha john waidley
Jan
12
The Blend of Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy
Filed Under Holistic Gospel, salt and light, whole gospel | Leave a Comment
We’re all trying to find ways of expressing clearly the notion of a holistic gospel. I ran across the following description of a division of books within NavPress. I thot the words helpful, as it expresses Jesus’ model of life and ministry–as the incarnate Son of God living life as we should. Of course, any 40 line summary will not also capture Jesus’ uniqueness as God and Savior, as atoning sacrifice for sins, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, etc.
From the very beginning, God created humans to love him and each other. He intended for his people to be a blessing to everyone on earth so that everyone would know him (see Genesis 12:2). Jesus also taught this over and over and promised to give his people all they needed to make it happen—his resources, his power and his presence (see Matthew 28:20 and John 14:12-14). NavPress Deliberate takes him at his word and stirs its readers to do the same—to be the Children of God for whom creation is groaning to be revealed. We have only to glance through the Bible to discover what it looks like to be the blessing God has intended: caring for the poor, orphan, widow, prisoner, and foreigner (see Micah 6:8, Matthew 25:31-46, Isaiah 58); and redeeming the world—everyone and everything in it (Colossians 1:19-20, Romans 8:19-23 are examples).
Deliberate books explore the mystery of faith and how to actively live it out. As we plumb the mystery, we use Jesus as our guide—a man who, after spending 40 days of solitary contemplation in the desert, announced:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”— Luke 4:18-19
So began a career that is a study of profound faith in action, a perfect blend of orthodoxy and orthopraxy. He broke firm Jewish mores when he talked to the Samaritan woman alone at the well. He upset the unholy money making in the temple. He left everyone speechless when he defended the woman who slept around. He helped everyone he came across on his way to visit a dying friend. He taught through stories and riddles. He told his followers to love their enemies. He treated party-goers at a wedding reception to the best wine late in the evening.
Jesus told us to live like he did and to do even greater things. He told us to live deliberately, combining faith and action.
NavPress Deliberate encourages readers to embrace this holistic and vibrant Christian faith: it is both contemplative and active; it unites mystery-embracing faith with theological rootedness; it breaks down the sacred/secular divide, recognizing God’s sovereignty and redemptive work in every facet of life; it dialogues with other faiths and worldviews and embraces God’s truth found there; it creates culture and uses artistic ability to unflinchingly tell the truth about this life and God’s redemption of it; it fosters a faith bold enough to incarnate the gospel in a shrinking and diverse world. NavPress Deliberate is for everyone on a pilgrimage to become like Jesus and to continue his work of living and discipling among all people.
Deliberate is theologically grounded. While exploring the mystery, it is important to be mindful of the signposts God already has placed for us through biblical doctrine and church tradition. This grounding is not wholly limiting, however—it pulls from many traditions, readings, and expressions of Scripture, but it will also “test the spirits” to remain as faithful to God’s Word (both written and incarnated) as possible (1 John 4:1).
Deliberate follows Saint Augustine’s guiding principle:
In essentials, unity;
in non-essentials, liberty;
in all things, charity.
Jan
12
Stories: Oh that such men were more common.
Filed Under Activism, Stories, Wilberforce, salt and light | Leave a Comment
Samuel Morse
was an American painter of portraits and historic scenes, the creator of a single wire telegraph system, and co-inventor, with Alfred Vail, of the Morse Code. He made the following observation about William Wilberforce.
Mr. Wilberforce is an excellent man; his whole soul is bent on doing well for his fellow man. Not a moment of his time is lost. He is always planning some benevolent scheme or other and not only planning them but executing them; he is made up altogether of affectionate feeling. What I saw of him in private gave me the most exalted opinion of him as a Christian. Oh, that such men as Mr. Wilberforce were more common in this world. So much human blood would not be shed to gratify the malice and revenge of a few wicked, interested men.
Jan
10
Todd Hunter wrote the following response to the new book, “unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters” (David Kinnaman, Gabe Lyons)
Effectiveness in evangelism depends now on “the Christianity” of Christians. Thus we need a new story to tell. We need a version of the Gospel that naturally and routinely affects our actual life—not just our death and afterlife. It is clear from Jesus and the major writers of the New Testament that life has always been the focus of the authentic Gospel. . . .
When I put the research of Kinnaman together with the Gospel as explained by those writers I come up with two key thoughts.
First, we need to change our evangelistic question. Instead “if you died tonight do you know where you would go” we should ask “if you know you were going to live tomorrow, how would you decide how to do life? What story would you embody? Who would you follow?”
Second, when asked what does it mean to be a Christian, I now answer “it means that in our actual lives—the events and people of our daily routines—we are the cooperative friends of Jesus, seeking to live constant lives of creative goodness through the power of the Holy Spirit…and we do this for the sake of others”.
Excerpted from Todd’s Article: The Next Wave
Jan
8
Campus Toolbox: Acting On AIDS
Filed Under AIDS, Activism, Africa, Campus Toolbox | Leave a Comment
Our Crossroads Ministry just opened up significant discussions with several growing movements among college students who want to make a difference in the AIDS pandemic. One movement that has partnered with World Vision and now IV is Acting on AIDS*. Our ministries at several locations have already helped start effective partnership with Acting on AIDS. Explore their website.
*Acting on AIDS is a program started by Christian college students to create awareness and promote activism on the global AIDS pandemic at colleges and universities across the nation. With the support of World Vision, Christian college students have formed a broad network of Acting on AIDS groups on college campuses that seeks to change hearts on campuses, create awareness in communities, and advocate for those affected by the global AIDS pandemic.
Jan
7
Damned Nonsense
Filed Under C.S. Lewis, Christianity | Leave a Comment
I wonder it’s ok to swear when you are really frustrated. Maybe not. Anyway, C.S. Lewis resorted to “damned nonsense” to capture the frustration he felt, and we all feel, when Christianity loses its “fighting” edge. I’m increasingly angered by a Christianity that retreats to “fly fly away” and doesn’t become a force for good–both for eternity and for now. . . by a Christianity that accepts injustice and doesn’t fight it. But I must admit that it took me awhile to get here—30 years of following Christ and I never was frustrated enough with my “pie in the sky” theology to swear out loud or at least to use words like “damn” in a blog post. But that’s changing–due in part to believers like Lewis and William Wilberforce. Here’s how Lewis puts it:
Confronted with a cancer or a slum the Pantheist can say, ‘If you could only see it from the divine point of view, you would realize this also is God.’ The Christian replies, ‘Don’t talk damned nonsense.’ For Christianity is a fighting religion. It thinks God made the world–that space and time, heat and cold, and all the colors and tastes, and all the animals and vegetables, are things that God ‘made up out of His head’ as a man makes up a story. But it also thinks that a great many things have gone wrong with the world that God made and that God insists, and insists very loudly, on our putting them right again.–from Mere Christianity
