Tomorrow at 7 pm, at the Orlando Marriott, is the start of the Going Global Conference, entitled, “Mobilizing for Missions.” Plenary speakers include R.C. Sproul, Elliott Greene, Carl Ellis, and others. The conference is sponsored by the Going Global Network, which is aimed at equipping leaders in the African American church. It is a free conference, but registration is requested. Visit www.goingglobalconf.com for more information and to register.

We are getting very excited about the upcoming “Preparing for a Career in Medicine and Missions” Conference. As details fall into place, it is apparent what an exciting time this will be for students that come and for the providers they will be able to work with.

We have two wonderful clinic opportunities set up where students will be able to see doctors, dentists, nurse practitioners and other medical professionals at work to care for needs in our own backyard. Students will have the opportunity to work at Good Samaritan Clinic in downtown Atlanta or Good News Clinics in Gainesville, Georgia. Both are leading clinics for the underserved population and will provide exceptional experience in seeing day to day clinic function and the Gospel in action.

We also have some wonderful speakers lined up!

Drs. Ted and Sharon Kuhn will be joining us for the entire weekend and will be speaking and available to talk with students during free time and meals. They will also be working as providers during our clinic experience – so students will have the opportunity to work alongside them.

Drs. Ted & Sharon Kuhn

Dr. Walter “Ted” Kuhn is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Medical College of Georgia where he is Co-Director of International Medicine in MCG’s Center for Operational Medicine. He sub-specializes in Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine.

Dr. Sharon Kuhn is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia and also specializes in Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine.

Drs. Ted and Sharon Kuhn serve as Co-Directors of the Medical Department at Mission to the World. They seved as career medical missionaries in South Asia before joining the faculty at MCG and as staff at MTW.

The missing piece is YOU! The early registration deadline and opportunity to receive a $50 discount in overall conference cost is March 31st - so register today! We also have a limited number of needs based scholarships - so if cost is a factor, please be in touch with us as soon as possible!

We in the medical department are happy to answer any questions that you have or help you as you consider your next step in medicine and missions - so please contact us!

We look forward to seeing you May 31 - June 3.

For more information, contact:
Hope Williams
MTW Medical Recruiter
678.823.0004, ext. 2551

by Bill Yarbrough

Reading Jerram Barrs’ book The Heart of Evangelism has been like a breath of fresh air for me, for a few reasons. The first is that evangelism has been so much a part of my life since my early days in the Jesus Movement. So I consider tools and perspectives that feed and equip the Church for that task to be gifts. Secondly, the book is rooted deeply in a Reformed and covenantal view of Scripture and the world—something I never had (or at least didn’t understand) in those early years. And thirdly, I love what Barrs writes in the first sentence of his introduction: “This is more than 30 years of reflection on what the New Testament teaches us about evangelism; and it is the fruit of more than 30 years of desiring to practice in some poor way what I have learned from that study.” It’s this kind of personal insight that makes this book sing.

There is an emphasis on the Spirit in this book that scratches an itch many of us have in our work around the globe. There has been a tendency to either ignore or minimize the Spirit’s work in many aspects of our ministries, mostly I believe in reaction to the extremes witnessed in parts of the charismatic and Pentecostal streams of the Church…continue reading this article from InVision.

by Keith R. Bucklen

Right now my church is basking in the afterglow of several short-term mission trips. And well it should! What a privilege to be a co-laborer (with the Lord and His servants) in the ministry of the gospel cross-culturally; and what a joy to imagine that God has used us for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom. He has conferred on us a lofty position, to be sure.

But what about short-term missions? Is a week or two in a foreign country really worth it? The cost is substantial, especially when one compares the expenditures necessary to translocate a group of Americans to another country (in our case, another continent) with what that money could produce locally. Just think of the indigenous workforce who could accomplish the same tasks at a fraction of the cost …continue reading this article from InVision.

Time Magazine, interestingly, published a recent Top Ten list on things that are changing the world. Number three was Calvinism. Yes, Calvinism…as in John Calvin. And to me, the article is surprisingly positive. It’s not how I would have necessarily written it, but I was impressed coming from Time. Keep in mind, these are things that are changing the world, not just America. Interesting missional thought. Click here to read the article.

by Seth Wallace

“We have a leadership vacuum.“

“Our greatest need is leaders.“

You’ve heard these statements before. For several years now, we have heard this in a variety of contexts. In our denomination it has been ubiquitous. The need for developing leaders is great, but the progress has been slow. I’ve heard current leaders bemoan the “young leader pool,“ saying there aren’t many good prospects. I’ve heard those in my generation say that few current leaders want relationships or are willing to listen. Are leaders born or are they made? Will one generation flop about because it can’t lead? That question has probably been leveled at every generation to come along…continue reading this article from InVision.

Anyone who has ever ministered in a context where their native tongue is not spoken knows the challenges of teaching or preaching through an interpreter. It can be frustrating or at least challenging just to maintain focus. Momentum is difficult to gain. But there are steps to prepare both for you as a speaker as well as for the one who will interpret your words. Dennis Bills, PCA pastor in Winifrede, WV, has written a helpful article on this very subject.

Click here to view the article about speaking with an interpreter.

Pastor Bills’ desire is that this material be used to serve people going short or long term. He is also open to your feedback. You can find contact information and more about him on his personal website here.

A pastor recently contacted me for some book suggestions as his church prepared for their annual missions conference. I thought it might be helpful to put some of the links here as well. Know that this is not an endorsement of every book on these sites, or even the ministries themselves. But these are certainly tools that can be used in any evangelical context, and a Reformed worldview can certainly be expressed through them.

I think stories are particularly compelling, and connect with many people who will never really take interest in theories. There are a few on our “books” page (which you can find here):

Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, Elisabeth Elliot
A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, Elisabeth Elliot
Through Gates of Splendor, Elisabeth Elliot
C.T. Studd, Norman Grubb
Bruchko, Bruce Olson
Peace Child, Don Richardson
The Spiritual Secret of Hudson Taylor, Howard Taylor

Another good list is Mongergism’s Book page.

As far as children’s materials, that has been an ongoing need we see in the PCA. There are some folks beginning to develop materials that we know of, but we’d like to find more so we can collect and share with others. There is probably a lot more out there, may not formally prepared, but good stuff and we just aren’t aware of it. As far as books for children:

Amy Carmichael
Corrie Ten Boom
John Patton
Tales of Persia: Missionary Stories from Islamic Iran
Jim Elliot Story - this is actually a DVD; 30 minutes, animated
The Girls and Boys Who Made History series books also have missionary stories in them

Grace & Truth has quite a list of stories and biographies for children on their site. Although not distinctly Reformed, I think there are many useful titles here. I haven’t read/reviewed them personally, but I think you can get a feel for the material from the website.

Another site that is not Reformed, but is evangelical, is Child Evangelism Fellowship. They offer a handful of missionary stories for use in a SS or other class. You can find them online here.