Class Info

Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

Location: Valley Community Baptist Church 590 W. Avon Rd. Avon CT 06001

Contact: Arshi Paul

(336) 287-7193

• • Instructor

    
    

• • Lesson 1

    The Living God is a Missionary God

    God's purpose is three-fold: against evil—kingdom victory; for the nations—redemption and blessing; and for God—global glory in worship. God's purpose revealed in promise to Abraham. Exploring God's purpose for the nations: Blessing to the nations described.

  • Instructor

    

    Steve Treash

    Fairfield CT

    Steve Treash is the senior pastor of Black Rock Congregational Church in Fairfield, CT. After Wheaton College and Gordon Conwell Seminary, Steve earned a Ph.D. in theology and church history from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Steve and his wife Jen live in Newtown, CT with their fourteen year old twins, Caileigh and Parker.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 2

    The Story of His Glory

    Exploring God's purpose for Himself: How God has been steadily unfolding a plan throughout all nations and generations to bring about His greater glory, ultimately drawing to Himself the worship of all the peoples. Passion and prayer for God's glory.

  • Instructor

    

    Peter Smith

    Trumbull CT

    Originally from Connecticut, Peter attended Furman University in Greenville, SC. It was at Furman that Peter met his wife, Kasie. They were married after graduation, lived in Greenville for several years and then moved to North Carolina, where Peter attended Wake Forest University School of Law. After receiving his J.D., Peter practiced law in Jacksonville, FL but felt God calling him to full-time pastoral ministry. He attended and graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with a ThM in pastoral ministry. Peter's ministry experience includes serving on staff at The Howard Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and in pastoral roles at churches in metro-Atlanta, and Savannah. Peter presently serves as Lead Pastor at Calvary Church in Trumbull, CT. Peter and Kasie have four children ranging in ages from 5 to 13.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, January 30, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 3

    Your Kingdom Come

    Exploring God's purpose regarding evil: How God has accomplished a defeat of evil powers in order to open a season of history in which the nations can freely follow Christ. The kingdom of God as the destiny of all history. Christ's mission seeks a hindering of evil to bring about a sign of the coming peace of the kingdom of God. Our prayers contend with evil in order to bring about the transformation of society with Christ's kingdom in view.

  • Instructor

    

    Jay Abramson

    Valley Community Baptist Church, Avon CT

    Jay is the senior pastor of Valley Community Baptist Church in Avon, CT, where he and his wife Liz have ministered for nearly 28 years. Jay has an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College, a master's degree from Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN., and a PhD in Educational Philosophy from the University of Connecticut. Jay’s primary passion is teaching and preaching God’s Word but he is also seriously engaged in discipling and training pastors throughout Africa. Jay and Liz have three adult sons, Nate, Jesse and Adam. Adam and his wife Adi and their three children live in Israel.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 4

    Mandate for the Nations

    Jesus shows great strategic interest in Gentiles; wise strategic focus by initiating a global mission on a few disciples among the Hebrew people. The Great Commission and the ways of God's sending in relational power. Dealing with the ideas of pluralism (all religions the same) and universalism (all persons saved).

  • Instructor

    

    Victoria Kowarick

    Walnut Hill Community Church, Natal Not in USA

    Vicky combines a passion for evangelism, a concern to reach out to the local community and a commitment to the worldwide Church. As Pastor at Walnut Hill Community Church she gets to encourage all three! Vicky studied Theology at Durham University, a secular college in her home country of England. She later did her Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies (majoring in Theology and Missions & Intercultural Studies) at Wheaton College, IL. With a breadth of cross-cultural experience in international development, Vicky has worked among the poor in India, and with those living with HIV and AIDS in Kenya, Rwanda and the UK. She has so far lived in four continents. She is also author of 'Illusions of Grandeur,' speaker and loves hiking. Having moved to Connecticut in 2007, she is enjoying discovering parts of New England that she didn't know existed!
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 5

    Unleashing the Gospel

    The first followers of Jesus: obedient in costly, foundational ways. The climactic act of the book of Acts is the freeing of the gospel to be followed by Gentiles without Jewish traditions as a requirement. A foundational act of God which speaks to the situations where the gospel is hindered today. Strategic suffering and apostolic passion.

  • Instructor

    

    Chris Clayman

    Global Gates, Bronx NY

    Chris Clayman is the Co-Founder and an Associate Director of Global Gates (www.globalgates.info), a mission organization focused on reaching the ends of the earth through global gateway cities. He has been involved in pioneer mission work in urban and rural West Africa and New York City among unreached Muslim peoples. Chris is also the author of Superplan: a journey into God’s story (thesuperplan.com) and ethNYcity: The Nations, Tongues, and Faiths of Metropolitan New York (unreachednewyork.com). He has initiated and helped develop numerous mobilization and outreach efforts focused on unreached peoples, including Heart for Muslims (heartformuslims.com), Welcome Africans (welcomeafricans.com), and UPG North America (upgnorthamerica.com). Chris lives with his wife Nichole and three children in New York City.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 6

    The Expansion of the Christian Movement

    The story of God's purpose continues relentlessly from Abraham's day until the present moment. An overview of the largest and the longest-running movement ever in history—the world Christian movement. How the gospel surged through the peoples and places of the world. Important insights for our own day.

  • Instructor

    

    Todd Johnson

    , South Hamilton MA

    Todd M. Johnson is Eva B. and Paul E. Toms Distinguished Professor of Mission and Global Christianity and co-Director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Johnson is visiting Research Fellow at Boston University’s Institute for Culture, Religion and World Affairs leading a research project on international religious demography. He is co-editor of the Atlas of Global Christianity (Edinburgh University Press) and co-author of the World Christian Encyclopedia (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed, 3rd ed.) and World Christian Trends (William Carey Library). He is editor of the World Christian Database (Brill) and co-editor of the World Religion Database (Brill).
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 7

    Eras of Mission History

    The greatest explosion of growth ever has taken place in last 200 years in three "bursts" of activity. Why we could be in the final era of missions. The global harvest force comprised increasingly of non-Western missionaries.

  • Instructor

    

    Glenn Sunshine

    Every Square Inch Ministrieswww, Newington CT

    Glenn is professor of early modern European history at Central Connecticut State University and specializes in the Reformation. He teaches in the Centurions program, a worldview training program set up by Chuck Colson, and has consulted for and appeared in a variety of worldview DVD series. He is also the founder and president of Every Square Inch Ministries.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 8

    Pioneers of the World Christian Movement

    Today we anchor the race by continuing what others have begun. It's a day of finishing. All the more reason to learn the wisdom and the heart of ordinary people who did extraordinary things in earlier generations. Reading the writings of William Carey and other leaders to discern what these people have left to us. Exploring the contribution of women in missions throughout the centuries.

  • Instructor

    

    Ellen Livingood

    Catalyst Services, Newtown PA

    Ellen Livingood is a missions mobilization writer, consultant and trainer who helps mission agencies and local churches to collaborate more effectively in expanding global impact.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 9

    The Task Remaining

    God's pressed His purpose forward until the present hour of amazing opportunity. Understanding the concept of "unreached peoples" to assess the remaining task. Recognizing the imbalance of mission resources shapes strategic priorities. The basic minimal missiological achievement in every people group opens the way for working with God against every kind of evil so that the gospel of the kingdom is declared and displayed with clarity and power. The need and opportunity of urban mission.

  • Instructor

    

    John Pitterle

    Advocates for the Unreached; Volunteer with Cafe 1040, State College PA

    John is a Penn State grad and currently works at Penn State. John's family spent several months in South Africa and Namibia with YWAM. With the Assemblies of God, his family lived in Madagascar for four years as the Lord used them to help bring the story of Jesus (Book of Hope) to children and then to help start the first Malagasy study Bible. John has been on short-term trips to Ukraine (with YWAM), India (with Global Awakening), and Zambia twice (with Dynamis World Ministries). He is an author (http://AdvocatesForTheUnreached.com/ebook.pdf) and shares regarding the urgency to prioritize the unreached (http://AdvocatesForTheUnreached.com).
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 10

    How Shall They Hear?

    Culture and intercultural communication of the gospel. Communicating the gospel with relevance at the worldview level helps avoid syncretism (blending of cultural error with God?s truth) and also enables powerful movements of the gospel. Sensitive missionaries will look for ways that God has preserved or prepared people to hear the gospel, often finding redemptive analogies for God's truth.

  • Instructor

    

    Alfonse Javed

    First Baptist Church , Metuchen NJ

    Dr. Alfonse Javed is the founder of RAM Foundation, an organization dedicated to serving religious minorities in the Muslim world. He is also the Executive Director for Heart for Muslims, an organization which equips believers to reach their Muslim neighbors for Christ. He holds three doctoral degrees, three masters degrees, and three bachelors degrees in various subjects both secular and spiritual. He lives in New York City with his wife and young children.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 11

    Building Bridges of Love

    The incarnation as a model of missionary humility. How missionaries can enter appropriate roles in order to form relationships of trust and respect to develop a sense of belonging, and thus to communicate with credibility for understanding. Explore the intricacy of identification in another culture. Explore the even greater complexity of presenting identity with integrity in a globalized, terrorized, pluralized world. Recognizing the dynamics of social structure in order to initiate growing movements of ongoing communication throughout the society.

  • Instructor

    

    Robert Antonucci

    Frontiers/EPC, Wenham MA

    Robert has worked in Church-planting and Development work in Central Asia in a war torn country 15 of the last 20 years. He and his wife and 3 children have led Frontiers Church-planting teams in new areas most of that time. Rob has an MA in World Christianity from Denver Seminary and teaches Christians insights useful in understanding Islam/Muslims in the world today. He did MDiv. studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, is a Doctor of Ministry program there and is Assistant Director of the Dr J Christy Wilson Jr. Center for World Missions and an adjunct professor at Gordon Conwell. He works with Frontiers and with EPC World Outreach consulting on ministry among Muslims.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, April 17, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 12

    Christian Community Development

    A survey of world need. Dynamic balance of evangelism and social action. Hope for significant transformation as a sign of Christ's Lordship by Christian community development. Exploring the charge that missionaries destroy instead of serve cultures. Healing the wounds of the world between the peoples.

  • Instructor

    

    Craig Parker

    The Navigators, Winthrop MA

    Craig Parker is the city leader for the Navigators in Boston, seeking to transform the city through life-to-life discipleship. Craig has worked for the Navigators for 37 years, with previous staff assignments in New Hampshire, Germany, and Virginia. He served as campus director at Boston University for 7 years, and at Dartmouth College for 17 years. As founding board member and former chairman of the board of directors of the Lwala Community Alliance, he has engaged in international development in western Kenya. He has also worked among Roma people in Croatia, helping to create a long term Croatian partnership with the Northeast Collegiate Navigators. Craig and his wife, Nancy have four children and seven grandchildren. Many years ago he attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 13

    The Spontaneous Multiplication of Churches

    Look beyond institutional features of churches to understand churches as dynamic movements of Christ Himself being followed. Such a view of churches as organic, living things opens up the practicality of seeing them multiply rapidly as movements and also flourish in society bearing the fruit of social transformation. Churches as counter-communities, acting as salt and light, bringing change to their cultures. How movements multiply by connecting with entire families and larger social structures.

  • Instructor

    

    James Cha

    Crescent Project, Leesburg VA

    Rev. James Cha was born in Korea, but grew up here in the US. He studied electrical engineering at Cornell University, and worked ten years as an engineer. In 2000 he and his wife, Faith, took their 3 kids to Central Asia, where they served ten years as church planting missionaries with Pioneers. They are now back in the US reaching out to the Muslims in the Washington, DC area. James & Faith are Washington DC Area Coordinators for Crescent Project. They also direct ESL ministry in Leesburg, VA. They have three adult children and one grandchild. James recently published a book about their missions journey - Fear Not: Living a Life of No Regrets. Available on amazon.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 14

    Pioneer Church Planting

    The hope of planting churches among unreached peoples. How the breakthrough of the gospel in an unreached people requires that the gospel be "de-Westernized". The difference of contextualizing the message, the messenger and the movement. Distinguish and appreciate people movements, church planting movements and insider movements.

  • Instructor

    

    Pam Arlund

    All Nations, Kansas City MO

    Pam is currently the Co-Editor of Perspectives 5th Edition and a member of All Nations. She lived in Central Asia for ten years, where she planted churches among three people groups, two of whom are Muslim. She earned an MA and PhD in Linguistics (i.e. Bible Translation) from the University of Texas at Arlington. She has published numerous books and articles in missions. She is most well known as “The Stick Figure Lady” for her popular book “Stick Figures Save the World.”
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

• • Lesson 15

    World Christian Discipleship

    What it means to integrate life for Christ's global purpose as a "'World Christian". Into the great story for His glory: a Person-driven life as a way of. pursuing a purpose-driven life. The basic practices of world Christians: going, sending, welcoming and mobilizing. The essential disciplines of World Christian discipleship: community, giving, praying and learning. Simplifying your lifestyle as if in "war-time". Exploring the practical ways of pursuing God's purpose. Business and mission. Short-term mission. Welcoming international visitors. Wisdom in working with local churches and in partnership with Christians in different parts of the world.

  • Instructor

    

    Douglas Christgau

    World Outreach, Farmington CT

    Rev. Doug Christgau MedSend Global Ambassador Doug has served as mission pastor in three churches from 1985 to 2019. During that time his churches have sent 42 long-term missionaries. Doug has led 100 short-term mission trips in 45 countries and has engaged almost half of the congregants he has served in missionary prayer partnerships. The three churches served by Doug have been described in books on outstanding U.S. mission churches. Doug is a former board member of the National Association of Missions Pastors. Currently he is vice-chair of the board of MedSend. He is co-founder of Mission Consortiums in IL and CT. Doug is a presenter for Perspectives on the World Christian Movement and speaks at church mission events. In 2020 Doug began work as a full-time volunteer with MedSend, assisting churches in increasing the impact of their world missions ministries. 1/20
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2018

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

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