February 01, 1980 by

Thousands of students across the country will participate in Urbana Onward conferences designed for those students wishing to integrate "World Christian perspective" with everyday responsibilities. David Bryant (top) and John Kyle, both of Inter Varsity Missions, are two of the prime movers behind this major step in developing the response of students to the Urbana Student Missions Conference held in December, 1979. Over eighty conferences, some as large as three hundred students, will be held during the month of February.

Sister Centers Begin Communication

In January the U.S. Center for World Mission began formal monthly communication with the other emerging Centers worldwide. The communique will give an official update on projects, plans, and personnel. Dr. Ben Jennings, executive vice director of International Missionary Advance (IMA), is directing the "Sister Center Relations" department of the USCWM. IMA, an agency devoted to helping younger churches across the globe develop younger mission sending agencies, recognized the importance of a solid fraternity of centers in the pulling together of Third World "frontier mission" efforts. The January report states that centers are being developed or discussed by Christian leadership in thirteen other countries.

Muslim 'Awareness' Materials Expand

A crop of new materials focusng on Islam is becoming available through the work of the Samuel Zwemer Institute, a Pasadena based agency directed toward Muslim research and training.

Don McCurry, director of the Institute, has helped produce two new titles in conjunction with World Vision's MARC. The Gospel and Islam a major new resource containing forty foundation papers which explore new approaches in Muslim evangelization, is actually the compendium pulled together by lcCurry following the Consultation on Muslim Evangelization, held in Glen Eyrie, Colorado, October '78.

The other, Unreached Peoples '80, is actually the second of MARC's annuak directories, which identifies groups of peoples unreached with the Christian message. This edition gives particular focus to Islam, providing articles and case studies on Muslim evangelism, almost eighty one page descriptions of different Muslim peoples and a glossary of key Muslim terms. (Both are available through MARC, World Vision Intl.,919 W. Huntington Drive, Monrovia CA 91016).

Institute of International Studies' students, working in conjunction with the Zwemer Institute, have almost finished the final stages of an Iranian HandbookIt's primarily an overview for Christian workers in North America who need to work sensitively and effectively with Iranians. It helps you start meeting Iranians, develop friendships, and share Jesus Christ with them.

Two other organs, the Zwemer Institute newsletter ($3/year; $5/ year for overseas subscriptions) and the Muslim Awareness Seminar are also available. The Seminar, designed to help you become aware of Muslims in your midst as well as to introduce churches to the scope of Islam worldwide, is $18 per person (includes registration, notebook and materials). For further information, use the Mission Frontiers Book Service on back of periodical.