Steph’s Story: Searching for an Open Door

Reading Time: 3 minutes

On Go. Serve. Love, we talk a lot about strategies to reach the 4.13 billion unreached.

This month, we’re geared up to share stories from Avant Ministries, which since 1892 has focused on planting and developing the church in unreached areas of the world.

Through church planting, church support ministries, media, education, camp and business, Avant hopes to establish churches among the unreached: mature, nationally-led churches that desire to plant more churches, first in their own city, and then all over the world. read more

Bonus! 6 Side Benefits to Fundraising

Reading Time: 4 minutes

benefits money fundraising

1. Continued maintenance of relationships.

Let’s be honest. Support-raising propels you to still cultivate relationships with that friend from high school; that relative you usually only see once a year; that couple you’ve talked with only a few times at church, but you know they love the country you’re going to.

At times, this may feel false to you: I wouldn’t be pursuing this if there wasn’t money involved.

But you realize this is about more than money–and that the mission is greater than your discomfort. You also realize you’ve gotta persist in asking until the goal is reached. read more

#BestoftheBestFriday: I Wish I’d Known; Africa’s Evangelism Challenges

Reading Time: 2 minutes

bestofthebestfriday

We’re back with current need-to-know missions thoughts from around the web.

What I Wish Missions Had Told Me

Remember our posts, What do you wish you’d known before you went? Parts I and II? Some great minds over at A Life Overseas have collaborated for Dear Missions, I Wish You Had Told Me…as well as 7 Questions to Ask during Your First 7 Days on the Field. read more

FREE PRINTABLE Infographic: 5+ Ways to Pray for Your Support-Raising

Reading Time: < 1 minute

We know: Sometimes you want so badly to be DONE with support-raising, for the love of Mike, that your prayers are confined to some version of ohpleaseohpleaseohplease help me find the money.

Don’t hate us for this? There’s a lot of richness to be found in this crazy, so-tired-I-could-sleep-on-an-African-bus journey.

So we want to give you something to hang your hat on–something to anchor your soul. We’ve given you 6 printable verses to encourage your support raising, so we’re taking the next natural step. read more

What You Need to Know: Muslim Social Pressure

Reading Time: 7 minutes

photo courtesy of imb.org

Ramadan began this week–and there’s still time to pray along with us (c’mon! Everybody’s doing it!) for the 1.8 billion Muslims around the world. So you’ll be seeing a little more from us about these painfully unreached people groups around this third rock of ours.

That’s why we’re honored that the International Mission Board has allowed us to reprint a super-informative article about community in Islam–one of the most significant obstacles to Muslims coming to Christ. read more

2 Ways to Reach Out to a Muslim Right Where You’re At

Reading Time: 5 minutes
Muslims

photo courtesy of IMB.org

A friend who served overseas once told me a story from her recent home assignment. She’d said hello to two Muslims she’d seen walking together on her jog; she saw them in the carpool line where her girls were putting in a semester during their time in the States. She said hello to them, and welcomed them to the U.S.

One of them began crying. We only walk together, she explained. We’re too afraid to walk alone here. read more