May 01, 1983 by

What is the front line in our battle to see the "hidden peoples" reached? Amazingly the battle for these unreached "nations" will be won or lost not on the 'foreign" field but on the home front (wherever the Church is at home, in the West or in the Third World). Why is this? Because, as Britisher Eric Alexander pointed out at the 1981 Urbana conference, "the front line in missions today is prayer. Prayer for the awakening of the Church, to new action. Prayer for laborers for a  massive assault on these final frontiers. Here is some of the NEWS on the "front" line here in North America.

• United Concerts of Prayer for renewal and world evangelization (initiated by David Bryant of InterVarsity Missions and widely promoted by the National Prayer Committee) will continue to be held regularly in over 250 cities across the U.S.! (For information see the March/April issue of MF or call 1 7114 882 9931.
• Leaders like John Bennett, Executive Director of the Association of Church Missions Committees, are urging further that such gatherings 'extend into a commitment to daily intercession for world missions .... These Concerts of Prayer and hundreds of thousands of households using the Frontier Fellowship Daily Prayer Guide for (even) forty days will profoundly move the Church in North America one step closer to the essential discipline of regular prayer for world missions." (Don't miss the outstanding ACMC North American Conference, Wheaton, IL, July 21Zii. See page 22 for more detail.)
• Over 20 mission agencies, denominations, and other organizations are now promoting the Frontier Fellowship campaign, including (most recently) Operation Mobilization, Theological Students for Frontier Missions, and Dick Eastman's newly formed Change the World Ministries.
• The pioneering Overseas Missionary Fellowship (formerly China Inland Mission, founded by J. Hudson Taylor) has also thrown its weight behind the Frontier Fellowship!
• Over 20,000 copies of the Frontier Fellowship Daily Prayer Guide are being distributed each month, In a dozen customized versions, through these participating groups!
• Denominations like the Baptist General Conference and The Missionary Church are exploring ways to use the Frontier Fellowship to trigger new daily prayer and giving for their frontier mission work.
• Evangelicals are spearheading mission renewal in mainline denominations as well. The Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship under Rev. Harold Kurts, Director, and Laura Dickman, Associate Director, is hoping to enroll 100.000 Presbyter ins in the Frontier Fellowship daily devotional discipline. A Methodist student leader is facilitating the establishment of a United Methodist Frontier Fellowship, which could conceivably enroll 200,000 members in the movement!
• The April issue of the new World Christian magazine was completely given over to the theme "Penetrating the Last Frontiers" and included a feature report on the Burma/Frontier Fellowship plan
• There is growing commitment among local churches to the iron tier missions challenge! Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena, CA, was among the first churches in the country to receive a certificate from the national Frontier Fellowship movement, recognizing them as a Frontier Missions Outpost. See page 5 for the exciting explanation of this church's involvement. Information on the Frontier Missions Outpost plan, outlining five exciting goals for involvement in the Frontier Missions movement, can be ordered on page 23 of this issue,
• The newly formed Mission Outreach Fellowship at Rev, Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA, has picked up the challenge of frontier missions. Over 125 members gather bi¬weekly on Saturdays with Assoc. Pastor Malcolm Wild to learn how to live as World Christian disciples. Many are adopting the Frontier Fellowship daily devotional discipline,
• Jesus loves the little children of the world... and the children at First Baptist Church of La Crescents, CA, Sunday School primary grades 1 3 know it' They have taken on the challenge of preying and saving their loose change for ministry to the unraached Hidden Peoples. They even started a "Hidden Peoples Club." A new generation with new vision! (For more information write to Mrs. Carry Dueck, c/o First Baptist Church of La Crescanta, 4441 La Crescents Ave., La Crescents, CA 91213.)
• The Frontier Fellowship concept itself, which was born in Southeast Asia and came to North America via Burma, is now being picked up by national mission leaders in South Africa and India  the blessing comes full circle!

The excitement of this growing army causes us to thank the Lord! How about you and your group? Are you willing to enlist in this global battle of prayer? You can order a subscription to the Daily Prayer Guide or a copy(ies) of the newly revised "Five Global Facts" to help you fight the battle and enlist others. See pages 23 & 24 of this issue of Mission Frontiers for order information.

As you read the rest of this issue, consider other aspects of this battle. There are many different points to consider in the whole war, Yet the goal of our fighting is to see unreached peoples touched by the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.