And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
- Matthew 28:18-20
What's new this week
Last week, we shared about an intrepid Tangale evangelist who found his way into a highly Muslim enclave by selling fruit. This week, we share more about the Tangale Church, which seized on the missionary vision and began sending at a terrific rate. These couples went out to the Hausa, with a mustard grain of faith.
new for you
Karau Pane - the fruit seller who opened the way
Gombe Emirate and Gombe town, the seat, was described in missionary records as the “hardest and most closed area”. The first white missionary posted to Gombe, around 1920, was denied residence and driven out of the town. Up until 1929, white missionaries made repeated efforts to work in the Gombe Emirate, but faced Muslim resistance. The Hausa people circulated malicious stories about the whites, while making threats. Karau Pane from Tangale was the first Christian to unlock Gombe. Baptized in 1930, he was trained as an evangelist and language teacher, and also worked as a gardener for the missionaries. He was a hard-working man who cultivated mangoes, oranges, bananas and guava trees, and when he began selling fruit at the Gombe market, he discovered a ripe field for evangelism.
Single missionaries share challenges
A recent series of interviews by Sophie Parker uncovered some of the challenges and benefits single people find on the mission field. She talked to missionaries both from the West and the Global South, and discovered some surprising answers, including to the question "What are the benefits you find of being single on the mission field?"
Missionary profile - Suzy Abrahams
I was only eight when the Lord told me I would travel the world to tell people about Him. Two things were clear—I was going to be a missionary, and I was going to do it as a single woman. Years later, I had suitors seek my hand in marriage, but I was confident that God wanted me to serve as an unmarried girl. I have never struggled with this decision and wanted to be totally sold out to God. I knew that having a husband and children would be a great responsibility. I wanted to give everything to Christ. I would ask myself, “Will I have the time for a family and Christ?"
Missionary profile - Paul
The Jesus Film was my introduction to salvation. Once the credits started rolling, I knew I needed this Jesus. Much later, as a university student, while attending the Commission Conference organized by the Fellowship of Christian Unions (FOCUS), I first heard about the Great Commission and my role. God spoke to me through John 20:21, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” On that day, this call felt very personal; God was sending me to go to the nations.
7 encouraging trends in global Christianity
One might think that Christianity is losing ground. The latest statistics and projections from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (CSGC) paint a much different picture, however. The global church is advancing in ways previous generations could have only imagined.
Here are seven trends to encourage you about the status of Christianity around the world from the 2023 Status of Global Christianity Report.
How a small church can be a sending church
From the Gospel Coalition: Small churches may wonder what they can contribute. The small church may struggle to pay its bills, much less a pastor. How can such a church be a sending church? The good news is that it’s possible. Small churches can care deeply about the Great Commission and be fruitful in obeying Jesus’s command to make disciples of all nations. We just need to be intentional and thoughtful in our approach. Here are four ways small churches can do their part in global missions.
Missionary profile - Samuel Afrifa
As a short-term missionary in northern Ghana, my heart was broken for the unbelieving nation I was reaching. I cried to God, “Lord, please send your Church here!” This became my daily plea until one day, God asked me, “How about I send YOU?” I was baffled, and it ironically took me eight more months to accept that call. I’m now serving in northern Ghana as a missionary.
Why the Western Church needs the Majority World Church
Joash Thomas thinks the Western Church could learn a few things from Majority World Christians if they took a posture of humility. Too often,they take a posture of white savioristic colonization (yes, non-white immigrant church leaders are guilty of this too by the way) and ask, “How can we convert these people into our way of life?”
Missionary profile - Dr. E
My wife and I are medical professionals. We felt a divine calling to embark on a mission when I was in medical training at the University. This led us to engage in global medical missions in 2017. We're now relocating to West Africa as medical missionaries to provide healthcare services through different mission assignments. We have a strong sense of calling that extends even further. We observed a significant gap in healthcare access in Western Africa. Who could have predicted this?
10 takeaways from the missional life of Jesus
From TEAM: Many Christians think of the apostle Paul as the first missionary. They look at his rhetoric, who he ministered to, how he contextualized, and his evangelistic methods. His letters, inspired by the Spirit, are the written word of God. But, when I think of the first and best missionary, I think of Jesus.
Here are ten takeaways when we base our mission on the life of Jesus.
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Missionary profile - Dickson Kaburu
I was a young man, working as a banker and cruising in life at high altitudes. Life was good until the day a cooking gas tank exploded at home, leaving me with extensive, almost fatal burns. I was in hospital for eight months at the mercy of doctors and nurses. I could have died. The day I left the hospital, I knew I’d never be the same person again. I dumped my career as a banker; I’m now a medical missionary in South Sudan.
5 questions to ask when missionaries seek support
What do you do when a missionary asks you for support? The Gospel Coalition's Bradley Bell says that the best response is to encourage his good desires and thank him for asking. Then pose some important questions. These are worth considering not simply to help you make a wise financial decision but to help determine if you want to join his work.