Around the World, September 2010
A boatload of jungle docs in Ecuador
A team of 26 North Americans and 14 Ecuadorans and missionaries treated more than 1,500 patients in villages along the river during a weeklong medical mission along the Cayapas River in Ecuador, missionary Kent Marcum said.
During the trip the group stayed at the Kumanii Christian Center, a base for jungle ministry overseen by the Quito School of Biblical Studies in Ecuador’s capital. Marcum seeks a congregation to sponsor the center, providing support for maintenance, administration and evangelists.
In addition, “we would like to find a North American person, or couple, who might take on this ministry, administering the facility and evangelistic work.” For more information, contact the Southwest Church of Christ in Pueblo, Colo., at (719) 564-3873.
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EQUATORIAL GUINEA
MALABO — Christians in this West African country want to collaborate with Spanish-speaking brethren around the world.
African missionaries moved to Malabo, on an island south of Nigeria, to work with believers in Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish-speaking nation on the continent. Spanish materials are hard to obtain. The island’s few church members don’t even have a Spanish hymnal, said missionary Leonardo Kinson Bueto.
“We have the desire to interact with other Spanish congregations, within or outside of the U.S., to enable us advance in the ministry,” Bueto said. “We want Gospel bearers within the brotherhood to come and strengthen us.” To help, e-mail [email protected].
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ITALY
VELLETRI — More than 100 church members attended a recent National Meeting for Churches of Christ. Vittorio Vitalone and other members of the Rome congregation organized the event. Longtime U.S. minister Jim Woodroof was the guest speaker. Woodroof used material from his book “Between the Rock and a Hard Place: Adventuring into the Life of Jesus of Nazareth.”
“My wife Tonia and I helped in the translation (into Italian) of this very interesting book, which is now being distributed to all congregations in Italy,” Vitalone said.
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ISRAEL
JERUSALEM — What does botany have to do with the Shroud of Turin?
Members of the Netivyah ministry found out when they hosted Avinoam Danin, a botanist at Hebrew University. Several Churches of Christ support Netivyah, a Jerusalem-based Gospel ministry for Jews worldwide. Danin showed that three flowers found on the shroud “could only be found in the Jerusalem area during the months of March and April, around Passover,” said minister Joseph Shulam. That evidence lends itself to the belief that the shroud was the burial cloth of Jesus.
“One special thing that Netivyah does is to connect the academic community of Jerusalem … with the disciples of Yeshua (Jesus),” Shulam said.
Recently Netivyah launched “Davar Acher” (“Something Else”), a Hebrew-language publication. The magazine “is special because there is not much local Hebrew literature that speaks of Yeshua our Messiah in a Jewish context,” Shulam said. For more information, see www.netivyah.org.
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MYANMAR
PYIN OO LWIN — After training at a Bible school in India, a church member named Nathan has returned to his home country of Myanmar. The military junta that has ruled the former Burma since 1962 allows religious groups to meet but can restrict their activities. For security reasons, Nathan’s full name is withheld.
“Pyin Oo Lwin is a nice place … full of excellent flowers,” Nathan told The Christian Chronicle. “Though there are a few Christians, they are still weak in their spiritual condition. Most of the people are Buddhist. I approach them daily by helping them work in the fields.”
Nathan hopes to open an orphanage in the coming years. He asked for prayers as he works among the people of Myanmar.
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NEPAL
BIRTAMOD — Shanti Kumar Chettri’s ministry spans three nations — all within less than 100 miles of each other.
Chettri ministers in Birtamod, a city in extreme eastern Nepal that borders “the chicken’s neck,” a narrow strip of land that is part of India. Not far away is the mountainous Kingdom of Bhutan.
In addition to working with churches in Nepal and India, Chettri and fellow Christians reach out to Bhutanese refugees living in eastern Nepal administered by the United Nations. About 100,000 people live in the camps, according to news reports.
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SWITZERLAND
GENEVA — Church members from Scotland, Canada, France and the U.S. took part in a week of activities celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Church of Christ in Genenva. Doyle and Barbara Kee and their three children helped plant the church in 1970.
Today the 90-member congregation has four elders, four deacons and a full-time worker who supervises educational activities.
James Jones, Yann Opsitch and Arlin Hendrix were guest speakers during the celebration. For more information, see www.geneva-churchofchrist.com.
A team of 26 North Americans and 14 Ecuadorans and missionaries treated more than 1,500 patients in villages along the river during a weeklong medical mission along the Cayapas River in Ecuador, missionary Kent Marcum said.
During the trip the group stayed at the Kumanii Christian Center, a base for jungle ministry overseen by the Quito School of Biblical Studies in Ecuador’s capital. Marcum seeks a congregation to sponsor the center, providing support for maintenance, administration and evangelists.
In addition, “we would like to find a North American person, or couple, who might take on this ministry, administering the facility and evangelistic work.” For more information, contact the Southwest Church of Christ in Pueblo, Colo., at (719) 564-3873.
{{MAP}}
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
MALABO — Christians in this West African country want to collaborate with Spanish-speaking brethren around the world.
African missionaries moved to Malabo, on an island south of Nigeria, to work with believers in Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish-speaking nation on the continent. Spanish materials are hard to obtain. The island’s few church members don’t even have a Spanish hymnal, said missionary Leonardo Kinson Bueto.
“We have the desire to interact with other Spanish congregations, within or outside of the U.S., to enable us advance in the ministry,” Bueto said. “We want Gospel bearers within the brotherhood to come and strengthen us.” To help, e-mail [email protected].
{{MAP}}
ITALY
VELLETRI — More than 100 church members attended a recent National Meeting for Churches of Christ. Vittorio Vitalone and other members of the Rome congregation organized the event. Longtime U.S. minister Jim Woodroof was the guest speaker. Woodroof used material from his book “Between the Rock and a Hard Place: Adventuring into the Life of Jesus of Nazareth.”
“My wife Tonia and I helped in the translation (into Italian) of this very interesting book, which is now being distributed to all congregations in Italy,” Vitalone said.
{{MAP}}
ISRAEL
JERUSALEM — What does botany have to do with the Shroud of Turin?
Members of the Netivyah ministry found out when they hosted Avinoam Danin, a botanist at Hebrew University. Several Churches of Christ support Netivyah, a Jerusalem-based Gospel ministry for Jews worldwide. Danin showed that three flowers found on the shroud “could only be found in the Jerusalem area during the months of March and April, around Passover,” said minister Joseph Shulam. That evidence lends itself to the belief that the shroud was the burial cloth of Jesus.
“One special thing that Netivyah does is to connect the academic community of Jerusalem … with the disciples of Yeshua (Jesus),” Shulam said.
Recently Netivyah launched “Davar Acher” (“Something Else”), a Hebrew-language publication. The magazine “is special because there is not much local Hebrew literature that speaks of Yeshua our Messiah in a Jewish context,” Shulam said. For more information, see www.netivyah.org.
{{MAP}}
MYANMAR
PYIN OO LWIN — After training at a Bible school in India, a church member named Nathan has returned to his home country of Myanmar. The military junta that has ruled the former Burma since 1962 allows religious groups to meet but can restrict their activities. For security reasons, Nathan’s full name is withheld.
“Pyin Oo Lwin is a nice place … full of excellent flowers,” Nathan told The Christian Chronicle. “Though there are a few Christians, they are still weak in their spiritual condition. Most of the people are Buddhist. I approach them daily by helping them work in the fields.”
Nathan hopes to open an orphanage in the coming years. He asked for prayers as he works among the people of Myanmar.
{{MAP}}
NEPAL
BIRTAMOD — Shanti Kumar Chettri’s ministry spans three nations — all within less than 100 miles of each other.
Chettri ministers in Birtamod, a city in extreme eastern Nepal that borders “the chicken’s neck,” a narrow strip of land that is part of India. Not far away is the mountainous Kingdom of Bhutan.
In addition to working with churches in Nepal and India, Chettri and fellow Christians reach out to Bhutanese refugees living in eastern Nepal administered by the United Nations. About 100,000 people live in the camps, according to news reports.
{{MAP}}
SWITZERLAND
GENEVA — Church members from Scotland, Canada, France and the U.S. took part in a week of activities celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Church of Christ in Genenva. Doyle and Barbara Kee and their three children helped plant the church in 1970.
Today the 90-member congregation has four elders, four deacons and a full-time worker who supervises educational activities.
James Jones, Yann Opsitch and Arlin Hendrix were guest speakers during the celebration. For more information, see www.geneva-churchofchrist.com.
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