At the initiative of the Chilean ministry “Evangelio Creativo” (Creative Gospel), a group of children and pre-teens participated in a simulation of their first missionary trip in the city of Concepción, Chile. The activity included a time of preparation, a simulated arrival in a foreign country with passport and immigration checks, and training for outreach.
We can too easily embody cultural expectations, often reinforced by common sayings that are accepted as wisdom or truth but turn out to be unhelpful, and sometimes even destructive. We are wise to question whether our cultural 'truth' matches Jesus' truth.
Among many of us there is a quiet yet unsettling recognition that the ways we’ve tried to broker good in the world often feel hurried, fragmented, and unsatisfying. A we try to live at a machine pace, the Kingdom moves like seed in soil, quietly, organically, sometimes unseen for a season, yet full of divine potential. To be a true blessing and effective witness it requires wise charity.
Water is a true wonder we easily take for granted. It is so essential for life on planet Earth, and so rare in the known universe that it deserves the utmost respect from us all. The characteristics of water provide us with a great example of grace. As we contemplate the wonder of water, let us give praise for God's glorious grace.
Across Africa, millions of children are growing up in rapidly changing communities filled with tremendous opportunities and significant challenges. It’s an extraordinary opportunity to reach the next generation with the gospel.
Two Swiss theological training institutions are joining forces with a complementary outlook with hopes to attract, inspire and bolster the numbers of younger people for pastoral training.The brands for the Theological Seminary of St. Chrischona (TSC) based in Bettingen-St Chrischona and Institute for Community-Orientated Continuing Education (IGW) in Zurich, with campuses in Germany, will remain–as will the independent sponsoring associations of TSC, IGW Switzerland and IGW Germany–but from Jan.
![[Interview] Understanding children with additional needs, so our churches can be places of welcome and belonging](/media/cache/thumbnail/0/13/1350sp_240w_170h_1x_1y.jpg)
In an interview with Christian Daily International, Mark Arnold - also known as the additional needs blogfather - shares valuable insights into what it means for churches to provide a welcoming environment for children with special needs. “Jesus spent a disproportionate amount of time with people who today we would say had additional needs, and he teaches us important things in many of these encounters,” he says.
Tony Campolo, a bestselling author, teacher and evangelist preacher known for championing a movement called “Red Letter Christianity,” has died. He was 89. Campolo’s death was announced on his Facebook page on Tuesday evening. The message to his friends and followers said the notable preacher “died at his home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania,” where he was “surrounded by his family and loved ones.”
The United Methodist Church has garnered criticism for a plan to possibly cut funding to the 1-million-member Côte d'Ivoire Conference, which voted to leave the denomination earlier this year before the original deadline to do so.
“Spark Europe", a missional network of Christians started 10 years ago, has launched a cash prize award to recognize innovative and impactful mission projects throughout mainland Europe. The Spark Award, intended to be held every four years, was inspired by technology awards in California rewarding innovators for their pioneering spirit and shedding light on their endeavors to inspire others to do the same and more.
Mental health issues are largely “normalized” within Canadian churches but stigma about the problems still exist, according to a survey sample of 1,000 church leaders and churchgoers. The survey was featured in the first of four webinars on “What Canadian Church Leaders Should Know about Mental Health & Illness in their Congregation” hosted by Flourishing Congregations Institute (FCI) and supported by Ambrose University in Canada.
Following attacks on clergy in Sudan’s South Kordofan state last month, another church leader in Heiban town was abducted last week, according to sources.
