This is an article from the March 2001 issue: God’s Story

Further Reflections

Further Reflections

I first attended Urbana during my third year of year of college. That year a friend, Doug Houch, and I were seeking to challenge our college/career group toward mission. We created an insert that was put in our church bulletin every other month called "Mission Madness." I can't believe they let us do ithats off to South Hills Community Church!

In October of 1976, we took about 25 from our group in San Jose up to Stanford University for a Student Conference on World Evangelization (SCOWE). We were trying to prepare for and learn as much as we could in various ways to make the most out of Urbana later that year.

Another activity Doug and I were involved in starting in 1976 was praying through a new book at the time called World Handbook for the World Christian, the early–U.S. edition–of Operation World, handwritten cover included! I used the information in that book to build a stained glass map of the world for our church. Each country was color-coded for the broadest level of spiritual need based on information in that book.

Those activities, prayers, Dr. Ralph Winter's talk, Urbana 1976 and other things gave direction to my life and stimulated our vision, it helped us to learn about a world that we couldn't visit and didn't see on the news or, of course, the web. Doug is still involved in reaching out to people in various ways from evangelism to coordinating Perspectives classes in the Davis, California area.

At this year's Urbana, the students had access to resources beyond what we could have dreamed about in 1976. Resources and access to information has expanded in amazing ways. Operation World has been through five editions, and the next edition is planned for September 2001.

Another book, Operation China, on the peoples of Chinafocusing on the minority groupsis a similar tool. The 120 copies sold in two days at Urbana 2001 were the first available here in the states. Already, another 2,500 or so have been sold to agencies and invididuals who pre-ordered copies. This is a daily prayer tool with 400-plus full-color photos and 700 pages! See pp. 46-47 to order a copy or a case of 10.

But if you want to get more than 100 (10 cases), we'd like to help. Books and resources like this shouldn't be hidden behind the usual retail pricing that a book like this might havesay $99 or more. That is why we try to make resources available like thisat a price where you can afford to pass it on to others. Perhaps you can share a case with local churches in your area, or with a differently, friendly student group.

If you would like 100 copies or more of Operation China, please e-mail me, at: [email protected]. I will give you pricing depending on how many and where we are shipping them.1

Now back to Operation World. As I mentioned, in September 2001, Operation World will come out in a new edition. The last time it arrived in 1993, we pre-sold 80,000 copies before the presses were rolling and the remaining 20,000 that shipped here to Pasadena were sold in four months! We hope to double that this time. The only way to get books out as far and wide as they deserve to get more and more people informed and praying is to pre-sell them in large quantitites straight from the printer.

Obviously, printers can't afford to ship one book at a time to people, or even a case to individual addresses. But they can ship 100 or more.

So ... here we go.

We don't have final pricing yet, but this 800-page 6" x 9" book will likely be less than $5.00 each for case lots of at least 100.

This would be a great way to start out the school year as a project for a student groupwhether it be IVCF, CCC, Navs, Chi Alpha or BSUor for a church to share with other churches in their area.

If you would like a large quantity of Operation World (100 or more)2 shipped directly from the printer next fall, please e-mail [email protected] and give us your contact information: name, address (for shipping the books), e-mail, or write to: me at:

Greg Parsons
c/o OW
1605 E Elizabeth St.
Pasadena, CA 91104

We need to be in serious prayer for our world. These books give informationin one country or country-by-countryto fuel our prayer and focus our attention away from ourselves. In the mobilization God has allowed me to be part of, that often leads to action.

Endnotes
  1. This is for North America only.

  2. Large orders only; pricing on small orders will be provided later.

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