Class Info

Date: Thursday, January 3, 2019

Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM

Location: New Life Christian Fellowship 6115 Shattuck Rd. Saginaw MI 48603

Contact: Maryjane Engelhart

(989) 245-1918

• • 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

    

    Wayne De Wet

    One Plus God Ministries, Marion OH

    Wayne de Wet and his family had the privilege to grow up in the lovely, and very diverse South Africa. Wayne had learned since childhood how to put his trust in God no matter what, and how precious time is to make a difference to God’s glory! Over the years Wayne gained a global perspective, through his studies and missions involvement in several African countries, Haiti, Jamaica, Papua Indonesia, Thailand and the Karen State of Myanmar. He does not only have a burning passion for God’s Word, but also a broken heart for the lost, that inspired him to start One Plus God Ministries in 2013 to continuously pursue mission mobilization.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, January 3, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 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

    

    Dave Shive

    Frontier Ventures (formerly US Center for World Mission), Catonsville MD

    Dave Shive is a 1968 graduate of the Washington Bible College, a 1972 graduate of Capital Bible Seminary with a Th.M. in New Testament Studies, and a 1994 graduate of Baltimore Hebrew University with an M.A. in Biblical Literature. Dave has spent the past 47 years in full time ministry as a pastor, Christian school director, and college professor. He currently serves with Frontier Ventures (formerly the US Center for World Mission) as a missions mobilizer for the northeast region of the United States. Dave lives in Catonsville, MD, with Kathy, his wife of 52 years. Dave and Kathy have three married children, Dan, Mike, and Becky. They are also the proud grandparents of 9 grandsons and 2 granddaughters.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, January 10, 2019

    Time: 6:35 PM to 9:30 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

    

    Brent Slater

    Highland Park Baptist Church, Farmington Hills MI

    "Brent Slater grew up as a “missionary kid” in rural Africa. After studies at Denver Seminary, he returned to serve in church planting, evangelism and leadership development for 22 years. His teaching at Kampala Evangelical School of Theology and his PhD studies at the University of Edinburgh represent his passion for developing culturally appropriate learning systems among African peoples. He is presently pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church in Metro-Detroit".
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, January 17, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 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

    

    Craig Johnson

    Grand Rapids MI

    Craig and his wife Dorothy spent twenty wonderful years in the Philippines with SEND International. During their time there they assisted in church planting, national leadership development, and mission administration. The Johnsons returned home to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2010, and the Lord has led them along a different path: Craig now works as a financial advisor, partnering with families and business owners to help them strengthen their financial plan. Craig and Dorothy are excited to serve as coaches, mobilizers, and missionary encouragers through their home church, Calvary Church in Grand Rapids. The Johnsons have four children--all of whom were born and raised in "The Pearl of the Orient"--and a growing number of delightful grandchildren.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, January 24, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 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

    

    Charles White

    Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor MI

    Chuck White has taught the life of Jesus to Islamic studies majors in Nigeria, Perspectives to students in the Philippines, Bible stories to teachers in India, evangelism to physicians in Mexico, and hermeneutics to pastors in Iraq. He is professor of Christian Thought and History at Spring Arbor University where he teaches Perspectives as a regular college class.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, January 31, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 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

    

    Brad Gill

    Frontier Ventures, Livonia MI

    Brad and his wife, Beth, helped launch the U.S. Center for World Mission after meeting at the early Perspectives course in 1975. They served in student mission mobilization and in 1980 gave leadership to the Int'l Student Consultation on Frontier Missions in Edinburgh, Scotland. They then served among the Muslims of North Africa for 13 years. They returned to the States (Detroit) in 1998 due to medical needs, and worked initially in the development of training programs for Muslim ministry. Brad is presently the senior editor of the International Journal of Frontier Missiology and has served as president of their society. He speaks and teaches on mission history and Muslim culture in campus and church settings.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, February 7, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 6:30 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

    

    Estera Pirosca Escobar

    Culture Bound, Mt Juliet TN

    As a former international student from Romania, with a career in international student ministry (ISM) spanning over 15 years, Estera brings contagious enthusiasm and passion to everything she does. Estera is a gifted writer and speaker, a sought-after Perspectives instructor and is also involved in various cross-cultural training projects. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Intercultural Education from Western Seminary. Estera is married to Francisco, a global nomad originally from Chile, and they have a beautiful daughter, Esmeralda. They live in Nashville, Tennessee.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, February 14, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 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

    

    Barbara Yandell

    Hope for the Nations, Round Rock TX

    President Hope for the Nations, director of Engage Course and teacher at Horizons International, ordained minister and board member of the Alliance of Reformed Churches, Interserve USA, founder of Legacy Muslim Ministry conference.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, February 21, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 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

    

    Georgia and Stephen Coats

    SIL International, Greeley CO

    Stephen & Georgia’s first love is Jesus the Messiah. Their zeal for language and people comes from the promise of Revelation 7:9—that one day people from every language will worship around God’s heavenly throne! As members of SIL International, along with their three children, they seek to intentionally love and serve their diverse neighbors in Dearborn, MI, for 17 years, and currently in Greeley, CO. Stephen is an International Media Consultant and Director of Sabeel Media. With a lifelong passion for story, culture, and spirituality, he serves to produce and promote culturally embedded and spiritually uplifting media that is biblically guided. He has a degree in Radio, TV and Film from Biola University. Georgia is a teacher, writer, neighbor, and language learning coach. She coaches others through language learning processes, focusing on building bridges into other people’s lives and cultures. Her Master’s Degree is from Wayne State University in Language Learning, Spanish, and Linguistics.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, February 28, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 6:30 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

    

    Edward Speyers

    Wycliffe Bible Translators, Saugatuck MI

    Ed and Linda Speyers joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1976 and invested 20 years (1979-1999) in South America doing incarnational ministry which included Bible Translation among the Suriname Javanese people. In March 2000 the fruit of their efforts culminated in the dedication of the Suriname Javanese New Testament. At the time this also marked the 500th New Testament in which Wycliffe members (known as SIL overseas) had been involved. The Suriname Javanese New Testament also marked a transition in the way Bible translation was approached in the years that followed. Until this translation, most projects were done by generalists. That is, field workers handled nearly all of the logistics of a translation project such as linguistics, literacy, translation, distribution, and Scripture Use. The Suriname Javanese project was a different approach to translation in that local speakers were equipped to become proficient themselves in Bible translation techniques and all other aspects of the work. This led to greater involvement of local speakers which led to more proficiency and ultimately greater accuracy. With this approach, the Speyers assumed a more facilitator-type role as expatriates on the translation team with the nationals as the specialists in their own areas of expertise. Largely because of this transfer of ownership and responsibility, translation of the Old Testament continued by the Suriname Javanese translators until August 2018 when the entire Bible was completed and dedicated. Around this same time, Wycliffe marked their involvement in the 1000th New Testament. The first 500 took 67 years and the second 500 took 17 years. This indicates the accelerated pace of Bible translation today. The Speyers currently reside in MI and serve as recruiters on Wycliffe’s Mobilization team traveling to graduate schools and seminaries nationwide looking and praying for translation consultants and exegetical workers. They love to tell their story and encourage others to join the movement of God called Bible translation.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, March 14, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 6:30 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

    Mohammad Abdul

    Madison Heights MI

    Mohammad Abdul is a former professor at Wayne State University in Detroit MI. where he taught in the Department of Anthropology. He is a frequent contributor to various International and national events promoting meetings for better understanding. He is a former professor of Comparative Religions and has studied and lectured internationally. He is a Viet Nam era Veteran and is married. He and his wife of forty-nine years, have three boys twelve grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Mohammad is very personable and enjoys the give and take of interactive discussions.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, March 21, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 6:30 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

    

    Samuel Vinton, Jr

    Grand Rapids MI

    Dr Sam Vinton Jr was born and raised in Congo, Africa, where his parents served for 76 years. After graduating from Grace Bible College in 1955, he and his wife Rebecca were married and five months later left for Congo where they served for 21 years: training pastors, writing textbooks, and heading a Swahili translation project. From 1976 to 1990 Dr Sam taught missions and theology at Grace, was the academic dean for 2 years, and the president for 5. He then assumed the presidency of Grace Ministries International from 1990 to 2010. Dr Sam earned two masters degrees from Grand Rapids Seminary and a doctorate in missiology from Trinity Seminary.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, March 28, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 6:30 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

    

    Vicky Warren

    MissionNext, Mena AR

    Vicky spent 33 years working in innovative and creative environments from multimillion dollar technology deployments, alliances with technical luminaries such as Steve Jobs, Nicholas Negroponte's MIT media lab, Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and The Walt Disney Studios to entrepreneurial startup businesses. Her primary focus in these organizations included leadership and business development, strategic planning, research and development, innovation and creativity. She became "known" in these organizations for her heart for the Gospel through her daily walk in these high paced and demanding environments. Her passion for Christ took her on a 30-year journey of adventure as she walked on burning coals, assisted with eye clinics in Mexico, participated in medical relief efforts in Bolivia, planted pioneer businesses in Asia and Africa, came face to face with the persecuted church in Orissa, and served widows in the rainforest of Panama. Now she is committed full time to taking the Gospel to the nations through Pioneer Business Planting, building Kingdom businesses, and gobalization!
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, April 4, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 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

    

    Stephen Holman

    Kenya Hope, Hudsonville MI

    A second generation missionary, Steve has served in the nation of the Philippines as an urban team church planter for 18 years. After serving as a pastor in West Michigan for more than nine years, he returned to missions and served as a non-resident missionary to the persecuted church in closed countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, from 2008 to 2018. For the past 3+ years, Steve has served as US Administrator for Kenya Hope, a ministry to rural communities in the Maasai region of Kenya. This has involved developing administrative systems for a rapidly growing organization. In addition, his job includes developing and implementing a long term pastoral training strategy and church planting strategy for these communities. To further the goal, Steve works to mobilize churches in the United States to send teams to help build up these communities.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, April 11, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 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

    

    Wayne Shabaz

    CDAWN Learning, LLC, Ft. Myers FL

    Wayne and Cindy Shabaz founded CDAWN Learning that offers consulting, workshops and e-Learning courses to prepare people in the marketplace & in church organizations to understand, communicate, and work in culturally different and changing arenas. CDAWN is a virtual team of more than 125 culture-specific resource people, workshop leaders, and program specialists across the world.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, April 18, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM

• • Celebration

    Celebration

    Celebration

  • Instructor

    

  • Class Info

    Date: Thursday, April 25, 2019

    Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

• • Class Info

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