Mission & Mercy Ministry Update - 2024, Issue 6
Table of Contents
Prayer Focus: The Unreached People of the Middle East
Mercy Highlight: Compassion Sunday - May 5
Mercy Highlight: Sewing & Craft Open House - May 18
Spotlight: Perspectives Class Celebrates an Impactful Semester
Opportunity: BYOL with Missionary Natasha Dobson - July 7
Upcoming UBC Mission Trips: Planning for 2024
Prayer Focus
The Unreached People of the Middle East
During the month of June, we will be focusing our “everywhere” mission prayers on the Middle East. UBC supports two missionaries in this region. One couple are members at UBC, and the other team is from another church in the Dayton area. The areas they serve in are undisclosed for their safety.
The Joshua Project (JP) groups Northern Africa with the Middle East and includes 19 countries, 5 of which are in Northern Africa. This is also referred to as MENA (Middle East/North Africa). Note that Iran and Turkey are not included in the JP list. Some other lists do not include Northern Africa but do add Iran and Turkey. https://joshuaproject.net/regions/6.
Prior to the 20th century, this area was referred to as the Near East in contrast to the Far East (area of China that did not include the Arab countries). Regardless of what list you consider, the commonalities in these countries include things such as being Muslim majority and Arab constituting the largest ethnic group. (Israel is the only country that is not majority Muslim.) There is often high persecution against Christians in the Middle East with 6 countries listed in the top 50 of the World Watch list. Eleven of these countries ban religion-related groups according to Pew Research and proselytizing is illegal.
To help us grasp the lostness in this region we need to consider the numbers. The population in MENA is 408,504,000 with a total of 574 people groups. Of these 574 people groups, 391 are considered Unreached People Groups (UPGs) numbering 278,652,000 people. Among these UPGs there are a significant number of Frontier people groups. UPGs have less than 2% Evangelicals and less than 5% Professing Christians. Frontier Peoples are a subset of UPGs with 0.1% or fewer Christian Adherents and no reported church movement.
Let us intentionally pray for the Middle East this month. Below are suggested prayers.
Prayers
He will say, “Build up, build up, prepare the way! Remove the stumbling-block out of the way of my people.” LORD we cry out to you to remove the stumbling blocks in this region so more will come to know You as their Savior. (Isaiah 57:14)
I pray that repentance and remission of sins would be preached in Jesus’ name to all the Middle East. (Luke 24:47)
O Lord, bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. Lead them on paths that they don’t know. Make darkness light before them and crooked places straight. Do not forsake the lost in this region. (Isaiah 42:16)
Father, I ask that you open the eyes of the people in these 19 countries who do not know you, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. I pray that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus. (Acts 26:18)
Lord, we pray against the oppression of women and children in these countries. We know righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. (Psalm 89:14)
Mercy Highlight
Compassion Sunday - May 5
University Baptist Church held our first Compassion Sunday on May 5, 2024.
Why did we decide to partner with Compassion International versus other similar agencies? Compassion is Christ-centered, church-driven and child focused. What makes Compassion International different and stand out is that it has Jesus at the core and everything they do is to reflect God’s heart of compassion as they serve, through the church, to meet the needs of the child.
Pastor Stephen Oundo, who was a sponsored child growing up in Jinja, Uganda, was our guest speaker. He relayed to us his story growing up, and how a single ill-fated moment on June 26, 1989, when his father was tragically murdered by rebels left his family in dire needs. His mother was left with 4 young children to raise, with no qualifications or job. In the midst of the darkness, when hope was lost, it was clear to them that they were poor and endured days when they went without food. But through it all, God was merciful, and they did not give up but continued to be in prayer. He then talked about how in 1992, Compassion International came to Jinja. In 1992, his sponsor was in a church in England looking at a packet and picked him for sponsorship. Compassion was more than just school fees, food, medical supplies, and Christian teaching. In all of that God was hugging him. As Pastor Oundo said, “through Compassion, his father came to life.”
We give praise for the children (over 120) who were sponsored by our attenders in May.
Mercy Highlight
Sewing & Craft Open House - May 18
Sixteen people came out to help prepare donated fabrics for take-home sewing projects for Hope Rising in Xenia at our newest Mercy Ministry’s first open house on Saturday, May 18th from 1:00 -4:00 PM. Even non-sewers and a young granddaughter joined in helping measure and prepare fabrics for those doing the final cutting! Everyone had a job to do whether separating and putting together coordinating fabrics, ironing, cutting with rotary cutters or scissors, or making up kits for those who wanted to take them home sew. 43 kits were prepared during the open house, plus about 20 additional pre-made kits ready to distribute were brought in by those attending. 32 of these kits were “checked out” to complete at home. These will be sewn and returned to the ministry center by June 2nd. We hope to deliver at least 40 baby blankets to Hope Rising next week!
It was enjoyable meeting new friends and spending time working together for a good cause. We pray God will use those with various crafting skills to bless many in the weeks and months to come as they use their skills to glorify our Lord and share His love with others.
The next open house will be on July 13, 2024 from 10:00 AM -12 PM at UBC East. The group plans to work on more baby blankets, burp cloths, and potentially begin making fleece “tie” blankets for Hope Rising as fall approaches. Non-sewers please join us! You an meet other crafters and help tie some blankets. Come join in the fun!
Spotlight
Perspectives Class Celebrates an Impactful Semester
On May 2, the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement class at UBC concluded with a Celebration Night. Students and Coordinating Team members brought international foods and desserts, shared testimonies, and prayed for the nations. It was a fitting way to end the four-month-long class in which students learned how God has been working throughout history to bring His gospel to all peoples of the world.
Students could choose to participate in the class at either the Key Reader level or the Certificate level. The Certificate students had weekly homework based on their reading assignments and wrote a final paper which integrated principles learned throughout the course. At the Celebration Night, students shared about their final projects and received certificates for successfully completing the course. Everyone had the opportunity to share their “next steps” after Perspectives and ways the class had impacted them.
In the course evaluation, one student wrote:
“This course has been genuinely life changing in a world that continues to drag one down mentally, physically, and spiritually. Perspectives has been a key in unlocking many truths that I’ve held my whole life, but did not have the tools, or -perspective- to access. I cannot recommend this course enough for the Christian that desires to be used, desires for purpose, and desires to be a part, no matter how small, in Christ’s grand plan for us all.” –Caleb Fecher
Perspectives classes have been offered at various locations across the Dayton area, but this was the first time UBC served as a host. The Coordinating Team organizing the class included members from three different area churches. UBC was represented by Jim and Sandy Corbin, Brian and Tammy Sahadak, John Vanderwal, Sue and Harry Steck, Aaron Perry, and Sharon Kerestes.
Seventeen UBC members or regular attenders participated as students along with students from six other area churches: Patterson Park, Lighthouse Baptist, Fairhaven, Grace Covenant, Arbor Church, and Brantwood Baptist. It was encouraging to see believers from all over the Miami Valley connect and bond over a desire to see Christ known and glorified among the nations.
Information about the Spring 2025 classes will be announced this fall.
Opportunity
BYOL with Missionary Natasha Dobson - July 7
Sunday, July 7th is another Missions BYOL – that’s Bring Your Own Lunch! We’ll be hearing from our own Natasha Dobson. She has been serving for the past two years teaching in the Dominican Republic. She will be sharing stories, highlights, and photos!
This is a great opportunity to not only hear about how God is using her but a way to encourage and bless her during her time in the states.
We will meet at 12:30pm at UBC East. You can register here. .
Bring a friend, bring your family – and bring your lunch! 😊
Monthly Mission Quotes:
"But our primary motive, in my view, is the command of our commander-in-chief, the Lord Jesus Christ. We engage in evangelism today not because we choose to, or because we like to, but because we have been told to. We are under orders. Our Lord has commanded us to go, to preach, to make disciples–and that should be enough for us. Evangelistic inactivity is disobedience. ”
— Billy Graham
Upcoming Mission Trips
Planning for 2024
UBC has multiple mission trips available through 2024. There are local trips (prayer walking around the UBC neighborhoods), national (STUMIN is heading to Logan, Utah; Builders for Christ in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and other opportunities coming soon), and global. Some of the available trips are listed below. A full listing of trips may be found here. You may also reach out to Jim Corbin (jim.corbin@ubcbeavercreek.com) to get more details on any of the trips. If you do not see a trip to a place that is on your heart, please reach out. We would love the opportunity to hear and to help you find a trip.
Location/Date
May 13-Aug 10
Builders For Christ
Come help the build in Eau Claire, Wisconsin (The Haven Church). There are 2 remaining trips this summer: July and August.
Contact: Dave GneiserAug 2-11
Argentina
Work with Pastor Fabian Santillan and his church as they share the gospel and plant another church.
Contact: Jim CorbinContact to learn more:
Jim Corbin
jim.corbin@ubcbeavercreek.com
To read past Mission Updates or to get more information about UBC on Mission, visit
https://www.ubcbeavercreek.com/mission-and-mercy-ministries.