The National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, or NESSL, has been pouring into its female leaders equipping them for the next decade of ministry and outreach in their communities. These women represent their churches in the biblical cities of Sidon (Lebanon) and Damascus (Syria), in cities prominent in international news such as Beirut and Aleppo, and in many lesser-known but vital communities. Each participating church sent one long-time leader and one emerging female leader.
Read MoreOur team is traveling to Ukraine in the next month and we don’t want you to miss this wonderful opportunity to help Ukrainian soldiers still in the throes of war. These brand new U.S.-made first aid kits are crucial for the safety of the soldiers as it's been said that those who receive these kits have an increased survivability rate nearing 90% over those who do not have them.
Read MoreThe Outreach Foundation recently received a request from one of our key partners in Mexico, the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico, to join them in prayer on March 20th (6 am to 9 am CDT). The request for prayer stems from the growing violence in the southern state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala. Large numbers of immigrants from Central and South America as well as Asia and Africa funnel through the mountainous terrain between these two countries. The Outreach Foundation partners with a church plant in the capital city of Tapachula which ministers to the large volume of immigrants that are passing through the state on their way north. A high volume of drugs also transit through this area.
Read Moreby Caryl Weinberg
Tumekutana is a Swahili word meaning “We Have Come Together.” Founded 11 years ago, the Tumekutana conference began as a gathering of Presbyterian and Reformed Women’s leaders from 16 countries in Africa and 26 denominations. This year’s conference, the fourth Tumekutana gathering, will include women from 23 countries and 33 denominations.
Each conference focuses on a theme identified by the African women, relevant to the setting of the gathering. During the conference women receive training, are challenged and encouraged, and establish friendships and networks that go far beyond each meeting. Whether leading women in a denomination of five million people or “only” 250,000, these women leaders have important roles with the potential for significant impact on the women and families in their churches and countries.
Read More"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."
1 Corinthians 3:6
“They are the very heart of all we do at our presbytery!” In an unequivocal way, Rev. Emmanuel Martey, chairperson of the Upper Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, described the importance of the 169 catechists and caretakers that endeavor to support congregations without pastors in their region, which is close to the borders with Burkina Faso, Togo and Ivory Coast. Under the name “Apollo’s Project” they try to visit the often remote locations and preach, teach and lend their support to the people of God gathering in those places. They do this out of a sense of call for being supportive to the congregations that are formed through the joyful, evangelistic efforts of Presbyterians in their ethnically and religiously diverse communities. Often times the catechists travel on bicycles or public transportation without receiving a salary or being reimbursed for their expenses. While the Gospel continues to be planted, the presbytery has identified the “watering” of those churches as what they need to concentrate their energy and attention on.
Read Moreby Marilyn Borst
"Do more with less" usually means to be (more) productive or creative with less money or resources. Business “guru” Bloomberg muses that: “The traditional view, from both the organization’s and employee’s perspective, is all about what employees need to do to help organizations accomplish more with fewer resources.” (Yea…. like that is gonna work!)
I just finished reading an in-depth report, written by one of The Outreach Foundation’s partners in Jordan, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). For the past few years, and with generous gifts from churches and individuals, TOF has supplied funds for MECC’s ministry with some of the 2.7 million – million – Iraqi and Syrian refugees who have sought a haven in this country, which, admirably and with great dignity, refers to them as “guests.”
Read Moreby Juan Sarmiento
In his youth the Rev. Shan Wei-Xiang was the pastor of a typical Chinese congregation during those years: One that owned no Bibles. In fact, since the only copy of the Scriptures in town was found in the library, the congregation had agreed that nobody else but him would check the Bible out each week from the local library and they would help him write down by hand copies of the passage from which Pastor Shan would preach to have it distributed among the people.
Things have changed significantly in recent decades but Rev. Shan’s commitment to sharing God’s message remains strong. He now heads a program of the Church in China that is responsible for the distribution of the Bible inside China. Since the late 1980s, tens of millions of Bibles have been distributed inside China as the church has tried to keep up with the growth of disciples of Christ. The most conservative estimate of the number of Protestant Christians in China is 46 million, up from less than one million in 1949 when the Peoples Republic of China began.
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