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October 2005
volume1, issue 3
We are excited to share this edition with you. Within this page, we hope you find information that will be useful to you in your ministry. Please feel free to share this page with friends and colleagues.
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When I faced the daunting call to serve as pastor of a new church with virtually no core group, my wife began to pray for God to raise up "mighty men" to stand with me, as He did for my namesake when he faced the daunting call to serve as king with virtually no subjects. David's mighty men are described in 2 Samuel 23:8-39 and 1 Chronicles 10:11-47, a catalog of those devoted to David and to the Lord whom David served.
And just as the Lord surrounded David with mighty men to fulfill his calling, so too did the Lord surround me with mighty men (and some wonderful women!) to fulfill mine. One of the most difficult parts of becoming Director of the D.Min. program was leaving those who had stood alongside me faithfully through the challenges of starting a new church.
What made this even more difficult was wondering if I'd have any "mighty men" and "wonderful women" in this new situation. I praise God that He has already answered those prayers in abundance!
Our D.Min. staff has jumped right in, showing great patience in getting me up to speed and great wisdom in how they carry out their responsibilities on your behalf. We held the fort while Jennifer Drummond was out on maternity leave (and rejoiced with her in the birth of her daughter, Catherine) and are delighted to have her back as our Admissions and Recruiting Coordinator with slightly reduced hours. Helping to make up those lost hours is our new student worker and Conference Coordinator, Megan Pryor. Peter Cooper has assumed the role of the Hamilton Residency Coordinator now that Bridget Erickson has been promoted to Assistant Director.
In addition to this fantastic team, the Lord has raised up other "mighty men" and "wonderful women" in our D.Min. faculty mentors. In our first retreat together at the end of August and in my one-on-one conversations, I have been impressed both with their encouragement of me and with their excitement about and commitment to their D.Min. students. If you feel like working on your thesis-project is like having to go down in a pit on a snowy day to face a lion, they will be your Benaiah for you (see 2 Samuel 23:30; 1 Chronicles 11:22)!
Who are your "mighty men" and "wonderful women" in your ministry? As their names come to mind, make a list of them as David did, and take a moment to thank the Lord them. If no one comes to mind, ask God to raise up some folks to stand beside you, so that you may serve your people and your Lord as effectively and wholeheartedly as David did.
Christ is all, Dave Currie
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A Missionary's Perspective on the Borderlands
by Tim Long (Missions & Cross-Cultural Studies)
News from the Mexico-USA border receives almost daily attention. It is described in
terms of the unprecedented influx of illegal aliens through the porous border with
Mexico, the resulting strain on the US economy and abuse of our social welfare programs,
the terrorist connection, and the consequent breakdown of the American way of life.
Yet, the broader contexts, both the historical and the contemporary, are important
to know if we are to correctly understand the current situation!
Our ministry has been along the Borderlands of the Californias for ten years. We are alien to this land, yet called to minister alongside our Mexican and Mexican-American sisters and brothers. We are called to follow Jesus and to 'radical personal discipleship in Christ Jesus.' With this in mind, I am writing a slightly in-depth analysis of the situation, from the perspective of a missionary who crosses the border almost daily.
The term, "Californias," is not a mistake. There are two Borderlands: the extreme southwest USA, and the extreme northwest Mexico. They strongly influence one another, and both have demographics that distinguish them from their respective countries. In the past, their frontier status kept border issues largely confined to local circles. However, Borderland happenings are no longer of marginal consequence to their respective countries. In fact, cross-border activities in the Californias mirror, to a certain degree, the current world climate. What was once peripherally important to the nations as a whole has moved closer and closer to the core of economic and social concerns.
At the same time, the actual border daily becomes a more fortified zone. Border barricades are going up in the mountains and deserts. The corrugated metal barricades in towns and cities are strengthened and enlarged. The Tijuana-San Diego border now sports a 15 ft. concrete column wall that runs for miles along the urban ways, creating a no-man's land between the old metal fence and the new concrete barrier. We are thus faced with a seeming incongruity, that of an ever-more fortified border that is accompanied by an ever-greater movement of people and resources.
Discussions of the Borderlands must keep in mind the double nature of the Californias. One's perspective should not be limited to what occurs north of the line, nor to the happenings only to the south. Both sides of the border depend on one another. Social problems and issues due to recent immigration on the US side of the border pale in comparison with those on the Mexican side of the border where population has skyrocketed in recent years without the commensurate infrastructure, educational and medical services. Ethnic diversity not only represents a major aspect on the US side but also on the Mexican. The majority of new residents who move north to the Mexican border states are from many distinct indigenous people groups in southern Mexico.
The Tijuana-San Diego border is the busiest international border crossing of the world. US government figures from 2004 show 43,000 vehicles, and over 171,000 people cross from Tijuana to San Diego daily. This does not include the four other ports of entry between the Californias. Most who cross are Mexicans who have legal papers to work in San Diego or who visit local shopping centers and other venues.
The border between the Californias was, at one time, an unmapped division between two territories within the Mexican spheres of influence -- Alta (Upper) California and Baja (Lower) California. But, in 1848, the USA-Mexican War ended, and Mexico lost nearly half of its land to the USA. North of the border, the end of the war initiated over a century of stereotypic notions of Mexicans. Many Americans pictured Mexico as little more than a land of lawlessness and Mexicans as people known for siestas and laziness, fiestas and debauchery. That view is changing today. Around the States, hardworking Mexican immigrants are known for their willingness and eagerness to put in grueling days of work that few others will do.
Economic opportunities draw people to Baja California. Mexico's border states are the fastest growing areas as families head north for jobs. In Baja alone, over 1200 new internationally owned assembly plants, or maquiladoras, take advantage of a cheap labor source and government incentives. A Mexican worker in the maquiladora system earns only $6.70 a day while a worker in California, sometimes just a few feet away, earns the minimum wage, $6.75 an hour.
It is understandable why hundreds of thousands cross the border daily. It explains the rapidly expanding Hispanic immigrant population. The Hispanic population in the USA is the biggest minority group and growing at a rate far greater than any other group. 12.5% of the population was Hispanic-American in 2000, up from 9.0% in 1990 and 4.5% in 1970. The growing buying power of both documented and undocumented Hispanics is a prime concern for the nation's businesses that eagerly cater to both. Also, most of their earnings do not stay in the States. A large percentage is sent to family in Latin America. Mexicans and Mexican-Americans working in the USA sent home approximately 16 billion dollars last year, the second highest source of foreign income.
The disparity in wages between the two countries fuels the border crossing of undocumented immigrants. There is no shortage of jobs for the undocumented who make it safely across the border and many residents or recent arrivals to the Borderlands of Mexico are looking to cross the line. The number of unauthorized immigrants moving north since 9/11 has dropped. In 2004, an average of 208 undocumented immigrants were apprehended each day in California and 2409 along the whole southern border. Figures were twice these in the nineties. Yet, it appears that the numbers are rising again. Although difficult to estimate, approximately the same amount who are apprehended make it safely into the States.
The religious sphere of life among the Mexican and Mexican-American populations evokes little news coverage. Yet, it is foremost on the minds of many, if not most, Mexicans. The strong Catholic identity and recourse to traditions, along with devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe are ever-present for many. In many places the Mexican side of the border fence is embellished with crosses, skulls and crossbones in remembrance of those who have lost their lives attempting to cross. Gratitude is given by many who have made a successful journey north through the retablo or ex-voto Catholic art form, in which expressions of thanks are painted, usually on tin, for the favor received. Mention is always made, either of the Virgin, a recognized saint, or commonly, even to one of three popular folk heroes who have become 'special' patron saints for the Mexican Borderlands.
The gospel is another aspect of religious life that is growing significantly in the Borderlands. People have taken to the Bible, and look, first and foremost, to Jesus Christ as their key to the past, present and future. They are found, for the most part, in more charismatically oriented Catholic Churches and home groups, or in the growing Protestant or evangelical churches of the area. This author spends his time within the evangelical community, and more specifically, the Baptist Churches. There is no greater joy than to witness those who gain a new lease on life due to their faith in Jesus Christ. It is a privilege to walk with Mexican women and men called to church planting ministries!
Easy access to the border has allowed substantial interaction in ministry and missions. Historically, the flow of Christian ministry has been from north to south. Recently, there is more south to north activity as well. Anglo-Americans who come south often mention the exercise of faith in Mexico is so vibrant. However, Latin Americans going north express concern about how dull and unimportant the Christian faith seems to be for many Christians in the US. Both comments must be understood as first time reactions to a way of doing Church quite different than previously experienced. But the point is taken; perhaps we Christians of the north do have a lot yet to learn.
Evangelical Christians are a formidable force within the Hispanic-American population. For over a quarter of a century, 25% of Latinos in the USA have considered themselves Evangelical or Protestant. In 1970, 2.8% of the Baja population considered themselves evangelical. That number grew to 5.3% in 1990, and doubled to 10.6% in 2000.
The Borderlands is a happening place. Understanding the bigger picture may help us evaluate the subject with more integrity. And there's an even greater story unfolding: God continues to do His work, oftentimes in surprising ways and through those we least expect. As we look to what God might be doing and our participation in it, the psalmist's hymn of praise is as impelling and relevant today as it has been through the ages.
| I will praise God's name in Song |
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And glorify him with thanksgiving.
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| This will please the Lord |
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More than an ox;
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More than a bull with its horns and hoofs.
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| The poor will see and be glad - |
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You who seek God, may your hearts live!
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| The Lord hears the needy |
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And does not despise his captive people.
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| <(Psalm 69:30-33) |
(full version of article can be seen at: www.internationalministries.org. Click on missionaries, go to Tim and Patti Long, journal dated Sept. 2, 2005)
If you have identified a trend you would like to highlight for future issues, please
e-mail berickso@gcts.edu and in the subject
line, write trends. We are looking for students like you to tell us what is
going on in your area of ministry - what seems to be a trend and how you are working
with that trend.
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Scott Russell Sanders is a prize-winning essayist and English professor at Indiana
University. In his latest book, Writing From the Center (1996), he tells about a prominent
builder in a small Ohio town who was asked to join the volunteer fire department.
He politely declined. After all, what could he get out of it? His home was brick,
wired to code, and fire-resistant.
But one day his house caught fire. The volunteer firemen showed up with the pumper
truck. But before turning on the water, they playfully asked the contractor if he
still saw no reason to join. Without hesitation, he said he would be glad to join
right then and there, and the fire was extinguished.
Sanders likes to tell this story because his dad was one of the volunteer firemen
that day. He also likes to tell it because of what it says about being a part of a
community.
"We should not have to wait until our houses are burning before we see the wisdom
of facing our local needs by joining in common work...We had better learn how to live
well together, or we will live miserably apart."
-Steve Wilson, "Cult of the Individual Weakens Sense of Community," The
Arizona Republic, 15 September 1996, A2.
If you have an illustration or quote you would like to share as noteworthy, please
submit to berickso@gcts.edu and in the subject
line, write illustrations.
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by Peter J. Cooper (The Preacher & The Message; Hamilton Residency Coordinator)
Every Sunday morning, congregations around the world gather for worship. They gather
to pray together. They gather to sing together. They gather to hear the Word of God
as the preacher explains it, illustrates it, and applies it to their lives.
As preachers, we know that a great deal of time and work goes into preparing a message that is both faithful to Scripture and relevant for our hearers. Throughout the week, we use every exegetical and homiletical skill we possess, combined with our creativity, to shape and form the message. Preaching is both an "art" and a "craft."
The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching edited by Haddon Robinson and Craig Bryan Larson (Zondervan, 2005) is an invaluable tool for today's preachers. Over 100 contributors from varying perspectives have provided more than 200 articles. From the life of the preacher to the study of the text, and from illustrations to delivery, this book will both challenge us to grow as preachers and provide us with tools to do the same. The book is divided into eleven major headings covering such topics as "Style," "Structure" and "Considering Hearers." Each chapter stands alone so that you may also focus on one aspect in the middle of your sermon preparation without having to read the entire book to understand it. An audio CD supplements the book by providing various sermon examples by well-known speakers such as Bryan Chapell, Bill Hybels, and Rick Warren
The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching will provide you, the preacher and teacher of God's Word, a resource for life as you seek to effectively communicate the Gospel to the world in which you live.
Take a moment to review the schedule of upcoming cohorts. Let us know if you would like us to send information to anyone you know.
Also, take a moment to see where we will be over
the next few months. Maybe you can join us!
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Featured here are links to websites that have proven to be a useful resource for ministry. Also featured here are subjects for research and good topics for thesis-projects. For example, wouldn't it be nice if there were a curriculum developed for teaching homiletics in India? If you have anything that you would like to add to this section, please submit it to berickso@gcts.edu and in the subject line, write links.
www.ministrylist.com - Gordon-Conwell's online source for ministry jobs and candidates.
PulpitTalk is an Audio Journal on Developing Preaching Excellence. Check out this wonderful resource, on sale for half price right now!
New Testament Abstracts
/library/onlinedata.php
"This database contains more than 33,000 article abstracts, 1,200 review abstracts,
12,600 book abstracts, and 50 software abstracts. Each year an additional 2,150 articles
from more than 500 periodicals in numerous languages are selected for inclusion. In
addition, nearly 850 current books are also summarized annually. Article coverage
in the database dates back to 1985."
For remote access, please contact Nargis at nbarton@gcts.edu or 978-646-4079.
PreachingToday.com
The login name has changed for PreachingToday.com to the following email address:
reference@gcts.edu. The password has not changed. If you are not familiar with the
database, be sure to check it out. PreachingToday.com provides unlimited access to
more than 6,000 illustrations, Bible reference and practical articles from leading
preachers and communicators to refresh your spirit and refine your preaching skills.
PreachingToday.com also provides full-text access to Leadership Journal. If you have
any questions, or need the password to access this database, please feel free to e-mail:
reference@gcts.edu.
www.thinkingthefaith.org - Victoria Lee,
from The Preacher and the Message (May 2005-2007), recommends
this site. This project brings together the collective, creative reflections of eight
young adult ministers, all leaders within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), concerning
the calling of God and the Church to lifelong service as spouse, parent, and minister
of Word and Sacrament.
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Check out what is happening with your colleagues around the world by clicking here. We have a special feature on the recent hurricanes and how it has affected our students.
If you have any news you would like to share, please contact us at berickso@gcts.edu and in the subject line, write news. Also, if you have any prayer requests you would like us to share, please contact us at berickso@gcts.edu and in the subject line, write prayer requests.
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