UBC Mission & Mercy Ministry Update - 2023, Issue 3
Prayer Focus:
Muslims During Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, considered the holiest month, and is also thought to be when the Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad. This year, Ramadan will be observed from March 22 through April 21.
During Ramadan, Muslims worldwide are intensely fasting, praying, and seeking Allah. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and considered the highest form of worship. Muslims will fast from sunrise to sunset each day of Ramadan to suppress their earthly desires, receive atonement for their sins, and increase their faith and devotion to Allah. At Sunset they gather to break their fast, enjoy time with each other, pray, and read the Qur’an.
Also, during Ramadan, there is belief that Allah may reveal himself via dreams & visions. Many Muslims also increase their charitable giving to the needy (which is another one of the Five Pillars of the Muslim faith).
This yearly observance provides Christians with a specific opportunity to pray for and engage with Muslims.
Pray for:
Opportunities to engage with Muslim neighbors, coworkers or friends.
The hearts and minds of Muslims to be open to the pursuit of Jesus in their lives.
The Holy Spirit to identify and rid you of fears and prejudices related to Muslims.
At the following link, there is a prayer calendar (free download) that can be used daily:
Missionary Spotlight:
B and N - Middle East
Grandpa B. and Grandma N. are living in a sensitive area of the world, mentoring missionaries from another sensitive area of the world. Praise God that He is sending missionaries from everywhere to everywhere!
They are thankful for:
Sufficient support in finances and prayers.
An apartment that meets their needs for housing, language learning, ministry, and hospitality.
A good international fellowship where they can contribute and learn.
Good language tutors.
Pray for:
Grandpa B who is finishing his master's thesis on how adults learn languages. Grandma N is his editor. Pray that they will meet all the deadlines, and that the thesis will have some positive impact for God's kingdom.
Preparations for three couples who are coming in July for an eleven-month internship. Pray for wisdom to guide them well.
Continued progress in learning the language.
Wisdom and God's participation as they continue to develop relationships with some neighbors who have become good friends.
Their daughter will be having a baby soon. Pray for a safe delivery and traveling mercies for N who will be coming to provide support.
Grandma N is doing volunteer English teaching at a center for refugees. Pray that her service -- and everything happening at this center -- will somehow have an impact for God's kingdom.
Recent Mission Highlight:
Mission Trip to Togo
In January, seven members of the Clemens-Wing growth group traveled to Mango, Togo to visit Bryce and Natasha Nattier and their family, the first missionaries sent out by UBC. The Nattiers serve with ABWE at the Hospital of Hope (Hôpital de l’Esperance) where Bryce is a general surgeon and Natasha is a nurse practitioner. The growth group “adopted” the Nattiers as part of the Core Mission Team’s strategy to increase engagement with UBC-supported missionaries. They began communicating regularly, investing in and supporting each other. The primary focus of the trip was to encourage and serve the Nattiers in person, and to see how the Lord is using them as a family as they serve at the hospital.
The team had the opportunity to:
Accompany them in the hospital and clinic during patient visits. Some even had the opportunity to go into the operating room.
Pray with the local chaplains, and accompany them in the hospital as they visited and prayed for patients, whether they were believers or not. (Many were Muslims.)
Go out to local villages to worship with small church plants, or participate in Bible studies. One team member was able to participate with teenagers in a village.
Visit a local prison, pray for the inmates, and participate in a Bible study with 15 inmates.
Build a conference room within the hospital to help for future discipleship and training.
Travel to Kara (a city two hours south of Mango) to participate in a spiritual retreat for hospital staff. The group included two new residents who are part of a training program that is raising up African doctors/surgeons to serve in hospitals in various countries in Africa. The seasoned doctors/missionaries shared how to make disciples and share the love of God (provide spiritual healing) as they also provide physical healing for their patients. Four members of the UBC team helped by leading devotions, worship time, and providing training on how to share their story and the good news with Muslims and other non-believers.
Recent Mercy Ministry Highlight:
Called to Care Serves a New Family
In February the Called to Care ministry was thrilled to launch a care team around a second UBC foster/adoptive family! As with the first care team, this one will be able to help with meals, transportation, childcare, other needs that may arise, and most importantly - prayer. This second family is a couple who has completed the foster care licensing process and will open their home to children in March. This ministry exists to provide spiritual, emotional and tangible help via community to those called to care for vulnerable children.
Opportunity:
Info Meetings for Mission Trips & New Refugee Ministry
Mission Trip Information Meeting – March 12
Anyone interested in finding out more about upcoming UBC mission trips to Uganda (June), Bosnia (July), and Argentina (August) should plan to attend one of the informational meetings on Sunday, March 12 after each service in classroom #4 at UBC East. Jim Corbin and Aldin Falfulovic will provide details/dates/cost and answer your questions.
Refugee Ministry Information Meeting – March 26
The Dayton area is home to thousands of refugees from around the world, and in the past two years has welcomed many fleeing unrest and war from Afghanistan and Ukraine. If you have an interest in engaging and serving local refugees, plan to attend an informational meeting on March 26 led by Sara Dixon and members of the newly-formed Mercy Ministries Core Team. The meeting will be held after the last service. Location TBD.
Interested in going on a mission trip this year? The following UBC-sponsored trips are open to UBC members and regular attenders.
Contact Jim Corbin jim.corbin@ubcbeavercreek.com or Aldin Falfulovic aldin.fafulovic@ubcbeavercreek.com for more information.
To read past Mission Updates or to get more information about UBC on Mission, visit www.ubcbeavercreek.com/mission.