A squeaky-voiced, mighty oak falls
Phnom Penh, Cambodia — When I first met Chamnan Rorn on…
Around the World: Leadership development in Ecuador, door knocking in Tanzania and more quick takes
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Around the World is our monthly rundown of news briefs, links and quotes from Churches of Christ all over the globe. Got an idea for this column? Email Erik Tryggestad at [email protected].
Featured image (above): A minister leads a group to the waters near Mumbai, India, for baptism. In a nation where Christians face persecution from Hindu nationalists, 13 young women and one young man recently gave their lives to Christ in baptism at Aksa Beach in western India, said Marilyn Swing, a member of the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ in Nashville, Tenn. “We give praise for the decision made by each,” Swing said, “and prayers for growth in their faith in the days ahead.”
CAMBODIA
CHONG SPEAN — A motorcycle brigade of Christians made their way along muddy paths to reach this village near Siem Reap. The believers delivered school supplies and planted trees at a primary school, said minister/motorcyclist Kim Chan Lork.
ECUADOR
TULCAN — Christians from Ibarra, Ecuador, traveled to this town near the Colombian border to teach classes on dealing with divisions and disagreements, improving commitment to Christ and the need for holy lives. Latin American Leadership Development provided support for the work.
The Church of Christ in Tulcan “has exhibited a great desire to study the Word of God, with attendance at the studies and training at about the same level as Sunday morning attendance,” said Bob Young, a longtime missionary to the Spanish-speaking world who directs Latin American Leadership Development. “The studies have resulted in the baptisms of four youths and an adult. The church is more unified and more committed to participating in area events with other Churches of Christ.”
Future studies will focus on church organization and leadership, said Young, who encouraged Christians to “pray that the church will be able to develop biblical leadership and move forward toward greater kingdom service.”
The Zorn family explores their new home in Budapest.
HUNGARY
BUDAPEST — Brandon and Jessica Zorn spent eight years serving in Poland, conducting English and Bible studies and helping Ukrainian refugees in the city of Łódź. They moved to the Hungarian capital to work with the One Kingdom team. The Calgary Church of Christ in Canada supports the work.
The team uses Media to Movements, an evangelism method that identifies individuals seeking spiritual answers online, Brandon Zorn said. “But it goes beyond that. It aims to connect these seekers with local believers who can engage with them face-to-face, fostering deep discipling relationships that multiply discipleship within communities.”
Learn more at onekingdom.team. The ministry is part of Team Expansion, a disciple-making nonprofit supported by Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. It is not connected to Louisiana-based One Kingdom.
Related: A squeaky-voiced, mighty oak falls
SWEDEN
HÖLLVIKEN — Thirty-two Christians, representing small Churches of Christ across Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, gathered for a weekend retreat in this seaside community. The Copenhagen Church of Christ in Denmark organized the event.
The group “came together in great fellowship and love, worshiping God Almighty,” said Gabrielle Opoku, a church member in Åkersberga, Sweden. “We wish and pray that there will be even more brethren next summer, Lord willing.”
Even when the door is a curtain, a Christian does door-knocking in Dar es Salaam.
TANZANIA
DAR ES SALAAM — The sultan of Zanzibar established this coastal East Africa city in the 1860s and gave it an Arabic name meaning “abode of peace.” Some 160 years later, Christians conducted an old-fashioned door-knocking campaign in the city, which now has a population in excess of 5 million souls. The campaigners came from the Andrew Connelly School of Preaching and from Churches of Christ in the U.S.
The Kingugi Church of Christ in Dar es Salaam coordinated the campaign, which resulted in multiple Bible studies and two baptisms.
The visiting Christians also conducted a seminar for the Kingugi church on the importance of contributing talents and resources to the church. Steven Hill, minister for the Sullivan Village Church of Christ in Lawton, Okla., was the speaker.
