 |
 |
|
 |
 |
As I read through the article about the pastors' book-sets, my mind went back to last summer when I spoke at a Pastors' Library Project conference in Ethiopia. It was, indeed, an exciting time for everyone involved.
I had the privilege of teaching the principles of expository preaching to more than 200 pastors; most had never received that kind of instruction. I also showed these men how to use many of the tools in their book-sets.
|
|
| You Can Help Change the World:
By Prayer
|
|
Please join SIM in praying for these needs and opportunities around the world.
Remember the Persecuted
| Our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering at the |
 |
hands of those who oppose the gospel. Christians in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other countries have been arrested, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith. Believers have also seen their homes and churches burned.
|
|
|
SIM is a community of God's people who delight to worship Him and are passionate about the gospel, seeking to fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ in the world.
SIM has more than 1,600 active missionaries serving in over 40 countries on 5 continents. We are made up of united organizations that began more than 100 years ago, including Africa Evangelical Fellowship, Andes Evangelical Mission, International Christian Fellowship, and Sudan Interior Mission. Our field ministries work with about 15,250 congregations with about 9 million members and adherents.
The purpose of SIM is to glorify God by planting, strengthening, and partnering with churches around the world as we:
| • |
evangelize the unreached, |
| • |
minister to human need, |
| • |
disciple believers into churches, and |
| • |
equip churches to fulfill Christ's Commission. |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
More than 25 million people have already died of AIDS. India has approximately 5.7 million people living with HIV--more than any other country in the world. An estimated 15 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents to AIDS, and in the next 24 hours, 6,000 children will become AIDS orphans.
AIDS statistics can be staggering, but as one AIDS victim states, "It is easy to read a lot of [AIDS] statistics and feel sad, but please don't stop at statistics. There are faces and real lives behind all the statistics you read."
The Faces of HIV/AIDS
|
Caring staff at the SHALOM Center embrace children orphaned by AIDS--providing love, compassionate care, and the hope of Christ. |
|
Every one of those "statistics" has a name, andevery one of those "statistics" has needed help, loving compassion, and hope as they have lived and died with the disease.
That's why the SHALOM Center, run by our partner, EHA (Emmanuel Hospital Association) in Delhi, India, is having such a powerful impact on people's lives. As tragic as the AIDS pandemic has become, it has also provided incredible opportunities to demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ and to share the hope of the gospel.
Following are a few testimonies to the powerful effect the SHALOM Center's motto of "transformation through compassionate caring" has had on the lives of just a few of those "statistics." |
|
 |
SIM is one of the largest medical missions in the world supporting more than 40 hospitals and clinics and 175 medical personnel. |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
Imagine trying to prepare sermons and impart biblical knowledge without biblical resources. Sadly, church leaders in many countries where SIM ministers must serve their congregations with few, if any, study aids.
But thanks to your support, SIM's Pastors' Library Project has remedied that lack for more than 89,270 Christian leaders by providing small resource libraries to help pastors shepherd their flocks.
Each book-set includes a wealth of resources including a study Bible, commentaries, and books
on doctrine, Christian living, church leadership, |
|
and spiritual warfare. And to ensure recipients are equipped to use their new resources, they are distributed during special training conferences with teaching on topics from expository preaching to marriage and finances.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The breakup of families is a tragic reality in China. The divorce rate is rapidly increasing--as is the number of single parent families, unwanted pregnancies, and couples living together out of wedlock.
With your help, SIM wants to address these problems by opening a new Lighthouse Center in a metropolitan Chinese city. Although the center has not opened yet, our team is in full swing preparing the curriculum and infrastructure that will allow the Lighthouse Center to be a beacon of Christ's light for families in danger of being torn apart by divorce.
|
|
In the coming months, the center will provide premarital, marriage, and parenting classes, as well as a library of books that provide Christ-centered teaching on many aspects of marriage and family life.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
