November 01, 1989 by Ron Shaw

Cooperating North American Centers

Alberta Center
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
(403/474-1712)
Nick Van Zyderveld asks special prayer for the Perspectives program which is to start Jan. 9. For the location, please phone him.

He also states that Jan. 2l-22 the Center will be participating in a “Missions Fest” at the Calgary Chapel in Calgary.

Northwest Center
Vancouver BC, Canada
(604/874-5022)
Sue Anderson asks for prayer for an upcoming (Dec. 6) Senior Missionaries Fellowship. She hopes to engage at least 30 retired missionaries in the area, teaching them TESOL and computer skills. Sue’s father, Andy Anderson, retired founder of the Northwest Center, will coordinate them to reach Vancouver’s unreached people groups such as Muslims. Another plan is to involve them to encourage churches to raise their sights for missions around the world.

Regional Offices and Centers
Carolina Office
Raleigh NC
(919/846-1839)
Amy Duncan has returned to the North Carolina area following her five-month internship at the Pasadena Center where her particular contributions included work on a regional centers procedural manual, re-editing of the Perspectives Coordinator’s Notebook and her happy encouragement of overworked central staff members! Pray for Amy’s current housing needs and an office arrangement as the Carolina Office implements mobilization plans throughout the state.

Praise is offered by Bob Stevens—newly married and returned from his and Ellen’s honeymoon—for the Oct. 26 Concert of Prayer in Raleigh which drew 1200 people. Many stood at an invitation to be available to mobilize others for prayer. November strategies included a one-day Mini-Perspectives Seminar with George Miley at Moorhead City and a seminar with Bob Sjogren in Raleigh. For prayer, please remember these new Perspectives courses for next year:

• Nashville TN--Begins Jan. 14. Contact Wally Quillen (615)373-0313.
• Chapel Hill NC--Jan. 15. Contact Bob Stevens (919)846-1839.
• Charlotte NC--Jan. 16. Contact Martha Cromartie (704)552-7899.

Proclaim Center
Portland OR
(503/249-0157)
Boyd Morris is praising God for doing great things at the annual Proclaim Student Missions Conference in November. He feels the sessions have linked together a stronger network of student mission activists. The conference motivated students to cooperate with churches, mobilizing them for missions and providing them with a new generation of mission leadership.

Prayer is requested for the ongoing Proclaim program as the Portland-based team encourages groups of college students to adopt a people and stabilizes them in continuing to pray for, learn about, give money towards, and send workers to their adopted people-group.

Upper Midwest Office
Minneapolis MN
(612/823-1635)
Jim and Michelle Nielsen suggest praise to God for the response to the recent Perspectives Curriculum Workshop in October: Ten people graduated with plans to begin six new courses within a year! The November Concert of Prayer in the Metrodome is regularly the largest in the country with over 10,000 attending.

Jim asks for prayer that more sites will be opened up for Perspectives—also that more local speakers can be located and approved. Jim and Michelle have invited Bob Sjogren with his “Destination 2000” seminar for Dec. 2

Rocky Mountain Center
Denver CO
(303/691-9877)
Tom and Sue Craig ask much fervent prayer for the Concert of Prayer to be held this coming spring on May 11. Also continue to pray for the logistical needs of the Center. Give Sue or Tom a call to encourage them and, particularly if you’re in the area, ask them how you can put your shoulder to the wheel and help!

Great Lakes Center
Columbus OH
(614/365-9494)
Gene Pierce and Scott Sweet offer praise for the Statement of Purpose recently hammered out for this developing Center.

They also report 70 people recently graduated from their Perspectives course. Gene requests prayer for:

• another Perspectives course soon,
• a Curriculum Workshop to train coordinators,
• the student “Mandate ‘90” conference in Columbus January 12-14 (contact number 614/236-0737),
• and local churches willing to collaborate in mobilization efforts.

Mid-Atlantic Center
Southeastern PA
(215/971-0296)
An outstanding matter of praise is reported by Fran and Sue Patt, working with a group of five churches who have together adopted an unreached people in Java. These five congregations have already sent several teams of short term workers to bring back firsthand reports, and now report several long-term missionaries heading for the field! They request urgent prayer for more Center staff, both volunteer and fulltime.

Gulf States Center
Baton Rouge LA
(504/769-4231)
Wayne Gregory reports that the Perspectives course has been presented now in three cities with numbers not as high as desired but with praise for the response. Many graduates are praying to be of use in their local churches. Wayne’s area has never heard much about the Centers for World Mission before, and he thanks God for assembling a fine board of directors and helping them plan together for 1990.

He asks prayer for five seminars planned to heighten mission awareness in Louisiana.

Southwest Region
Pasadena CA
(818/398-2200)
Meanwhile back at the ranch: The Southwest Regional mobilization effort is operating out of the U.S. Center offices with Dave Sand and Vern Dueck doing most of the legwork.

USCWM Mobilization chairman Wes Tullis will detail in the January Mission Frontiers the specific plans to spread the vision of unreached peoples and closure in the Southwest; lessons learned in the plan can serve as models for other regional efforts at mobilizing whole areas.

Pray as the Southwest team works closely with ACMC regional rep Larry Walker and AIMS rep Gary Clark to divide the region into 21 areas. Each area is challenged to meet and set goals for the number of churches to be mobilized and the number of people groups to be adopted by 1995.

Church and student mission activists met in three areas last month to consider forming area-wide Mission Mobilization Networks (MMN). Groups brainstormed mobilization strategies in the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and Orange County. To find out the dates and times of other Southwestern areas’ MMN strategy sessions, contact Dave or Vern in Mobilization—818/398-2200.

A highlight of Southwest regional activity was the November 18 Southwest Region ACMC Conference at the First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton. More than 700 local Missions Committee members attended and several USCWM staff members presented workshops.

New England Center
Boston MA
(617/647-0221)
Chris and Sue Hill and Tim Brauns report that they now have an office! They ask prayer for the Perspectives course to be offered in Boston on Monday nights beginning Jan. 29.

Patty Murray, one of the New England team, is interning these months at the U.S. Center in Pasadena. Pray for Patty as she attempts to fine-tune regional office procedures while helping lighten the load of the few staff laboring in Personnel at the Pasadena Center.

Please see the listing of centers on this issue’s back cover for other locations and personnel.

Regional Interface Conference 1990!
Regional Center staffs and mission enthusiasts interested in starting Centers in their regions are getting together in Pasadena for a Regional Interface Conference January 19-21.

A “nuts and bolts” track is open to regional office and affiliated center staff members, while a “Vision Track” is designed for those who are planning toward or are simply exploring the possibilities of establishing a center. The two tracks interact in several sessions for inspiration and fellowship, and they then separate to better address the needs of each group.

For housing, meals and conference information contact conference coordinator Patty Murray at 818/398-2335.

NOTE: A recurring prayer request from most regional directors is for MORE STAFF—?both volunteer and supported, both full- and part-time. Most of our regional personnel are operating on a tight budget, many out of their own homes. Several are only partially supported themselves. They have a burning vision for their area, but have only begun to scratch the surface in mobilizing Christians to see the world harvest that is waiting. If you too have a vision to make a difference for the Lord and you live near one of these offices, please call and work out ways and times you can help.