This is an article from the January-February 1982 issue: What Does God Consider to be the Most Significant Stories of this Generation?

Agencies at and Around the Center

Agencies at and Around the Center

Artists in Christian Testimony (ACT)

ACT is a missions and discipleship ministry for the purpose of involving musicians and artists on the mission field through awakening them to the need, awakening churches to the need, and raising funds to train and mobilize people for that purpose.

The most effective evangelism and preaching focus around what many label as "music and the arts." Development of methods and personnel is priority in this next decade if we are to see many of the unreached cultures penetrated.

The general Christian community has often overlooked their strategic value in ministry because of a mistaken view that music and the arts are secondary in priority, and/or worldly by nature Musicians and artists make up a reservoir of untapped resource for ministry in missions and world evangelism. ACT is helping to mobilize them into effective service for Christ worldwide.

Chinese World Mission Center

CWMC was founded with a twofold purpose. First the mission seeks to encourage churches in North America to actively participate in the evangelization of the Chinese quarter of mankind. Secondly the mission seeks to promote greater involvement on the part of Chinese churches in world evanglization through missions.

That is done through prayer campaigns, research, and training programs, such as the Summer Institute of Chinese Studies and the MA. program. The mission also offers mission leaders conferences, Chinese Challenge and Awareness Seminars. Services are also offered to help Christian professionals prepare to serve Christ in areas where missionaries cannot

go. Among the 1981 students, fully 70 per cent are now serving in different fields of Asia.

Episcopal Church Missionary Community

The Episcopal Church Missionary Community is an autonomous society serving the Episcopal Church. It focuses on awakening the Church to the unfinished task of world Evangelization, elicits prayers and provides training so Episcopalians can take a more responsible part in assisting the overseas Churches and planting Churches among unreached peoples.

The 1982 schedule includes "A Day of Missions" in the Dioceses of Los Angeles, Pittsburg, Southern Ohio, and Tennessee. One Week Introduction to World Missions Course is scheduled at Trinity Episcopal School of Ministry; St. Columba, Inverness, CA; University of the South, Sewanee, TN; and ECMC, Pasadena, CA. Orientation and Training Sessions will be given to Episcopal missionary candidates.

Euro Inner Asian Frontiers

Formerly Slavic Ministries, Euro Inner Asian Frontiers is a ministry of Youth With A Mission to the people of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

This immense part of the world is made up of more than 100 nations speaking 150 different languages. It is a vast diversity of mankind from every religious and social background imaginable.

The ministry of Euro Inner Asian Frontiers is primarily evangelism, done through student and job opportunities, summer programs and other means. The Euro Inner Asian Studies program has trained hundreds of workers for ministry in Eastern Europe.

Evangelical China Office (ECO)

The Evangelical China Office under the directorship of Dr. Eddie Lo and Associate Director Dr. Alan Gates (veteran Conservative Baptist missionary in Taiwan, and author of Think China), is dedicated to keep abreast of current trends in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and among the Chinese of the Dispersion through monitoring of the best available data from research centers in Asia and the western world.

ECO also serves as a coordinating influence among evangelical agencies as together we seek to implement the Great Commission for the Chinese. ECO informs Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association/Evangelical Foreign Missions Association/North American Congress of Chinese Evangelicals constituencies regarding current trends among Chinese peoples around the world, with suggestions for evangelical involvement at the level of the church or mission agency.

Consulting services are offered to students, church and para church groups and mission agencies. ECO sponsors workshops and consultations for the purpose of raising "China Awareness" among both Chinese and non Chinese evangelicals in North America, and to implement concrete plans for involvement in the evangelism of Chinese peoples.

Fellowship of Artists for Cultural Evangelism (FACE)

FACE is a Christian missions organization whose main concern is the research and development of indigenous (native) art forms for missions communication.

FACE helps missionaries become sensitive to artistic expressions of other cultures, such as drama, music, painting, sculpture, folklore, dance, etc., so they may better understand how to effectively communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Last fall, in Bandung, Java, two seminars were held for groups of Indonesian pastors and Christian artists, encouraging development of Christian communication through Indonesian music, dance, and traditional shadow puppets (Wayang). Church leaders and artists expressed high enthusiasm in planning for future FACE Ethnic Arts Awareness Seminars and training workshops in Java and the Philippines to develop their own artistic expressions for ministry.

INDIA NATIONAL INLAND MISSION (INIM)

INIM is a young, strong, evangelical mission. Paul Pillai, founder and director, was trained in India and the U.S.A. The headquarters in New Delhi houses the Delhi Bible Church, Grace Center, a sixty acre campus; and is the home of Grace Bible College where 80 young men are trained for pastoral and evangelistic ministries. There is also a medical center, a Technical Training School and the Bethesda Children's Home.

INIM's purpose is to take the Gospel to the five unevangelized states of North India, population 120 million people. Less than 20 million have ever heard about Jesus.

INIM's goal is to mobilize and train a witnessing force of 5000 nationals to win a million souls to Christ in the next ten years.

Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS)

ICS is called and committed to follow Him in carefully and diligently searching for hidden Chinese groups through: monitoring, collecting and analyzing data on Chinese people groups world wide; and preparing intensive people profiles with suggested mission strategies.ICS also channels research findings to mission leadership, and strives to create a new awareness of hidden Chinese peoples among North American Christians.

ICS publishes "Watchman on the Great Wall," a bi'monthly educational and prayer bulletin focusing on the needs of Chinese people groups all around the world; and "The Extended Family," a regular research publication featuring profiles of Chinese people groups, mission strategies and other results of ICS research.

Institute of Hindu Studies (IHS)

The purpose of IHS is to focus and stimulate frontier mission effort among Hidden Hindu Peoples.

IHS plans to 1) research specific situations of interest to IHS through recuriting, training and supporting a number of young, unmarried Indian research assistants in cooperation with the Church Growth Research Center in Madras, India, 2) offer an introductory course on Mission to Hindu Peoples, Spring term (1982), at William Carey International University, 3) produce a booklet on India peoples, a slide tape, and IHS newsletter, and 4) establish a Prayer Chain with indigenous missions prayer bands in India and prayer groups in this country.

Director Bruce Graham is working with Dr. Donald McGavran to write a history of missionary efforts among the Satnami peoples of Central India.

This past year the IHS was primarily a desk, office and a collection of information helpful to the Institute. Presently the Institute is ready to move ahead on these plans.

Institute of Japanese Studies (IJS)

The newly formed (September, 1981) Institute of Japanese Studies, under the direction of Neal Browning, TEAM missionary to Japan is designed to focus attention on the unreached masses of Japan (population now nearly 118 million, with only about 1% Christian).The overall purpose of US is to define more precisely different groupings of unreached people and to mobilize and develop resources to reach them. Plans include: 1) the incorporating of US as a non profit research and mobilization organization, 2) making available to churches and mission agencies results of research that pinpoint needs and opportunities for specific kinds of evangelism, and 3) providing orientation for missionary candidates to Japan. A North American Board of Directors and a Japan Advisory Board is now being formed, and the administrative pattern of US is taking shape.

Institute of Tribal Studies

The Institute of Tribal Studies, under the leadership of Don Richardson (author of Peace Child and Eternity in Their Hearts) is researching the more than 5000 tribal groups (of approximately 16,750 Hidden People groups) which are completely unreached and cannot be reached at present because of language, culture, or other barriers. God wants people from all nations, tribes and tongues to have the salvation freely offered through Jesus Christ.

Of the 55,000 North American Protestant missionaries, about 50,000 are working with already established churches. Only 5,000 are working among Hidden People groups.

The Institute of Tribal Studies purposes to: 1) Research the 5,000 tribal Hidden People groups and focus attention of the Church on them, 2) Enlist prayer partners and/or prayer bands for each tribal group, 3) Correspond with mission agencies and churches concerning new outreaches to these totally unreached people groups, and 4) To interest prospective missionaries in the tribal peoples and direct them to missions involved in new hidden people outreach.

International Missionary Advance

The purpose of International Missionary Advance is to promote an indigenous missionary movement in Third World countries.

This work is done by. 1) Conducting pastors' missions conferences, 2) Encouraging national churches to plant their own mission agencies, 3) Making available professional missions counsel to indigenous mission agencies, 4) Helping stimulate indigenous lay commitment and ability to support a growing wave of new missionaries, and 5) Encouraging national mission agencies to establish their own research centers. Work has begun in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Paraguay, Brazil, Kenya, and Indonesia.

In its two and one half years, IMA has influenced enlistment of 1,000 student missionary volunteers, formation of 25 mission agencies, and establishment of missions budgets in a growing number of churches   all in Third World countries.

Missionary Strategy Agency (MSA)

Specializing in the research and development of missionary and evangelistic strategy and in the training of lay Christians in personal evangelism, MSA serves as a consultant to many mission agencies, denominations, local churches and Christian groups of all types.

Dr. Masumi Toyotome, founder and director, has conducted more than 250 workshops in 21 countries on all six continents. These workshops are available to all groups upon request. MSA is also engaged in basic research which will contribute to the effectiveness of all missionary endeavors, such as the pioneering effort to apply mathematical methods to missionary situations and basic research on the strategy of Satan.

International Films Inc.

The vast majority of the world's population can not read a tract and may never meet a missionary. One effective way to communicate the Gospel to them is through films, television programs and slide tape shows.

International Films Incorporated, directed by Ray Carlson, is a non profit organization formed in 1963, is committed to using audio visual tools to evangelize the world. To date, 119 has produced over 20 films in many different countries, such as Madagascar, Japan, and Holland. Currently, IFI is the catalyst for a film for Hispanic children and an annual workshop in India for training Christians in audio visual production.

Mission SoS

Mission SOS (Save our Souls), with Scandinavian origin, was founded by Erik S. Stadell, who was a missionary in Greenland for 10 years. Mission SOS was one of the founding members of the U.S. Center for World Mission, and Dr. Stadell had a similar vision to have the Pasadena College campus become a world mission center. Mission boards have been established both in Sweden and in the United States. Mission work is at present going on in the Philippines, Peru, Germany and Spain.

The main purposes of Mission SOS are to: 1) Win disciples for Christ, 2) Incorporate these new believers into local churches, 3) Instruct and train national leaders to lead their own churches and plant new ones, and 4) Encourage national mission agencies to reach across cultural frontiers.

Missions of Baja Inc.

The pioneer ministry of Missions of Baja has borne fruit in the establishment of two indigenous churches, eleven missions, and one orphanage. The Mexican president predicts an influx of 100,000 people to move into our immediate ministry area of Baja California, in Mexico.

The current boom in economic and population growth indicates that that large area is now awakening. New businesses, factories, and developments in petroleum, mining, fishing, agriculture, and communication have brought people with hungry hearts that are uniquely prepared to hear the gospel. The time is ripe for this vital program of church planting.

Overseas Counseling Service (OCS)

OCS is a service designed to match Christian lay people with marketable skills with secular, salaried positions in spiritually needy countries with the goal of making Jesus known.

The Apostle Paul supported his ministry by making tents as he traveled and preached. In like manner, "tentmaking missions" is an opportunity for Christians without extensive theological training to make a spiritual impact in areas of the world that may be "closed" to the gospel.

Under the direction of Ruth Siemens, the Overseas Counseling Service researches and makes available computerized information on thousands of openings in more than 540 job descriptions all over the world. OCS offers information on overseas employment and study opportunities, summer service opportunities, beginning businesses and retiring abroad.

Omega World Missions Inc.

The primary purpose of Omega World Missions is to mobilize churches and fellowships in the Full Gospel tradition for frontier missions. Our primary target is the linguistically isolated peoples, however, the great need for an independent, faith missionary sending agency has opened other doors of opportunity for Omega.

In translation and literacy ministry, Omega works very closely with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Omega prefers to maintain fraternal relationships with existing agencies where this is possible, rather than duplicate field structures.

Omega, in 1 1/2 years, has placed personnel in the Philippines and in North Africa. Others are involved in research, strategy planning and mobilization in the U.S. Several candidates are now preparing for overseas service.

Samuel Zwemer Institute (SZI)

The Samuel Zwemer Institute is an evangelical organization which exists to help churches and mission agencies meet their responsibility to the Muslim peoples around the world. This is being done: 1) by motivating churches and

agencies through our publications, consultative services, and Muslim Awareness Seminars, 2) by research of the 3500 Muslim people groups by individuals and special task forces, and 3) by training on all academic levels coupled with fieldwork experience to equip men and women for effective ministry among Muslims. Since its inception in 1979, over 200 students have received training, 27 churches have benefited from the Muslim Awareness Seminar and more than a dozen countries around the world have used the Zwemer Institute's services.

Racers for Christ International (RFC)

RFC is an outreach ministry to people involved in motorsports, the fastest growing spectator sport in America. Utilizing the popularity of motor racing as the platform, RFC seeks to share Christ and His Gospel with racers and spectators alike, thousands of whom frequent racetracks on any given weekend.

Today's Mission Magazine

Today's Mission, the World Christian magazine, is a contemporary, full color magazine devoted to motivating, educating and directing young adults towards a mature commitment to world missions. It is not the magazine of any particular mission agency and thus has the freedom to represent the work of several different agencies.

Besides regular features on countries and peoples untouched by the gospel, Today's Mission has regular columns on the Church, Hidden Peoples, advice on being a World Christian, language learning, mission fears, achievements in Missions and student mission activism. Regular bimonthly publication began in January. Subscription price is $12.00 per year.

United Presbyterian Center for Mission Studies (UPCMS)

The UPCMS is a "think tank" for crosscultural mission study organized for and by United Presbyterians under Chapter XXVIII of the Book of Order. It attempts to keep the issues of cross¬cultural mission before the church in a highly visible way.

(JPCMS responds to many specific questions from Presbyterians about missions, counsels mission committees and potential missionary candidates, and produces occassional papers related to the church's cross cultural mission opportunity and responsibility.

The office also encourages efforts to organize small unit Presbyterian mission support and information groupsPresbyterians United for Mission Advance (PUMA) and publish the Missions Update, a missions information newsletter.

Youth with a Mission (YWAM)

YWAM is an international movement of youth from many denominations unified by love and dedicated to presenting Christ personally to this generation, with the theme, "TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN."

YWAM conducts "live in" training courses on the campus of the USCWM which are followed by two months of ministry in the U.S. or a foreign country. Such "outreaches" are conducted in conjunction with local churches and include working in orphanages, door todoor Bible distribution, evangelism, drama, music and preaching.

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