GatheredTogether.org » evangelism

69,000+ in Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico Place Faith in Jesus

seniorSOY — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:20:13 +0000

CHARLOTTE, N.C. /Christian Newswire/ — Equipped with evangelism training and filled with a passion for the Gospel, Christians across the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico this year opened their homes for meetings and witnessed a combined total of 69,188 make commitments to Jesus Christ. The gatherings were a part of My Hope, a ministry of the Charlotte, N.C.-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). The projects were the largest evangelism outreaches in the history of both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

“These faithful Christians took a bold step in inviting their friends and neighbors to their homes, and God truly worked through their efforts and prayers,” said Bill Conard, director of international ministries for BGEA. “Projects like this show that evangelism is not only for pastors, but for anyone who longs for those around them to experience the hope and love found only in Jesus Christ.”

After months of preparation, the programs culminated in a combined total of more than 59,000 home events in March and April, which included a TV program featuring a sermon from Billy or Franklin Graham and a personal testimony from the host. In the Dominican Republic, 55,391 people made commitments to Christ, with 13,797 doing so in Puerto Rico. Altogether more than 5,500 churches from across the evangelical spectrum were involved in the projects.

“Collecting results from all churches often takes weeks, and we just recently received the final numbers from Puerto Rico,” said Conard. “During that time follow-up efforts were made to help new believers become involved in a local church body and thereby grow in their faith.”

“We’ve been so encouraged by the stories we’ve heard,” he continued. “One small, 70-member church in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, held 11 home meetings as part of My Hope. Of the 71 who attended the gatherings, 62 made commitments to Jesus Christ – most of them first-time decisions.”

Since My Hope began in 2002, such projects have been implemented in 50 countries. Upcoming projects this year will take place in Malawi and four sensitive countries in Asia. Preparations are beginning for 2011, for potential My Hope outreaches in Portugal, Spain, Haiti and select African countries.

For more stories, please visit bit.ly/ccstQl. Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico project announcement releases can also be found at bit.ly/bbM4HY (D.R.) and bit.ly/cZjHW1 (P.R.).

About BGEA
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which is celebrating 60 years of ministry in 2010, proclaims the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world by every effective means available. From its headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., the BGEA directs a wide range of domestic and international ministries, including: large-scale festivals led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; Dare to Be a Daniel, a youth evangelism training project; My Hope World Evangelism Through Television; the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team of crisis-trained chaplains; and many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.billygraham.org. Get BGEA news updates on Twitter @Twitter.com/BGEAMediaPR.

Pakistani Muslims Assault Pastor, His Pregnant Wife

seniorSOY — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:58:57 +0000

Washington, D.C. – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on June 3, fourteen Muslims attacked a pastor, his pregnant wife, and his brother in Sahiwal, Pakistan.

Mumtaz Masih, pastor of the Full Gospel Church of Pakistan, and his wife Noreen came under attack after Muslims accused them of evangelism.

Imam Maqsood Ahmed allegedly led the assault, injuring the pastor’s legs and his wife’s hands and belly. The younger brother of the pastor was ambushed when he went to get medical help for his wounded brother and sister-in-law.

The Christians complained about the attacks to the police, but the police took no action against the perpetrators.

ICC’s Regional Manager for South Asia, Jonathan Racho, said, “We strongly condemn the violence against pastor Mumtaz and his family. Pakistani Christians come under attack from Muslims for expressing their faith in Christ. In our conversation with Pastor Mumtaz and many other persecuted Christians in Pakistan, the persecuted believers have repeatedly told us their determination to stand for their faith despite the persecution.”

Please contact the embassy of Pakistan in your country and ask the Pakistani officials to bring the perpetrators of the attack against pastor Mumtaz and his family to justice.

Pakistani Embassies:

USA: (202) 243-3254 (phone), (202) 686-1534 (Fax)
Canada: (613) 238-7881 (phone), (613) 238-7298 (Fax)
UK: 0870-005-6967 (phone)

April 26th is International Web Focus Day for Churches

seniorSOY — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:01:06 +0000

“I recently discovered that over 500,000 of the population of my home town use the networking website Facebook,” writes a surprised computer user. Remarkably, 1.5 billion people now access the Web for a wide range of activities. A new internet service called ‘Twitter’ recently enabled eyewitnesses to pass on to thousands of other people their firsthand accounts (with pictures) of the jet that ditched in the Hudson River, well before TV and radio could tell the story. The digital world seems to change every time we blink!

How can Christians use this bewildering mix of technologies to share the good news? One place to find answers is Internet Evangelism Day’s website. It provides detailed resources, ideas and strategies to help Christians use what many leaders have called a ‘God-given medium’. These include a self-assessment tool for church websites, enabling them to better reach out into their communities.

Internet Evangelism Day as the name suggests is also an annual web-awareness focus day. Churches and other Christian groups can build a short focus spot into their meetings on 26 April, to explain to their members more about the potential for online evangelism, and how anyone can be involved in this rewarding ministry. A customized presentation (anything from 5 minutes to 50) can be easily created using free downloads from IE Day’s website: video clips, Powerpoint, handouts, music and drama.

One surprising fact is that online evangelism is for anyone, not just the technically gifted. “There are many ways to share your faith online, without any technical knowledge at all,” says IE Day Coordinator Tony Whittaker.

Church leaders who have already used these materials are excited. “This is a huge help for small churches such as ours,” writes a minister from California. “I am glad to commend Internet Evangelism Day,” says elder statesman John Stott.

IE Day’s website is at InternetEvangelismDay.com.