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Columbia City, IN S20    Spring 2020
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Don't miss out on Perspectives class 
beginning in January 2020! 
God is on the move--come learn about His plan 
for all peoples and nations 
and how you can be a part of it!



God's been drawing people to Himself since the beginning. 

"Perspectives on the World Christian Movement" is a fifteen week DISCIPLESHIP COURSE designed to give you a fresh and deeper understanding of God’s redemptive plan for all of mankind. You can find your part in His work right in your own community or anywhere around the globe. 

Want to find the part God designed for you?

God has a role for every Christian in His global purpose! Maybe, like some, you feel that you're treading water in your Christian growth experience? Each week, you will read interesting, solid, and thought-provoking articles by biblical scholars, historians, and missions practitioners. This course is valuable for any Christian seeking to live a purposeful life. A new or young believer will benefit greatly by seeing what God has in mind for him/her as a Christian.  Most who have taken Perspectives say that they now see God clearer than they ever have before.



COLUMBIA CITY PERSPECTIVES
WWW.PERSPECTIVES.ORG/COLUMBIACITY

Key Reading, Certificate, or Credit Levels

15 Life-Changing Weeks 

15 World-Class Instructors

 January 12 thru May 3, 2020
Sundays: 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm  
  
Meeting at
First Church of God 
1200 West Depoy Drive
Columbia City, IN 46725

Due to Covid-19, 
our class will be meeting via Zoom until further notice.
Please contact class coordinators for details.

For More Info:
| 260-229-0106
 or 
| 260-244-5959

See and comprehend God's Plan from these four perspectives: 
 Biblical         Historical         Cultural         Strategic

Class Info

Date: Sunday, January 12, 2020

Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM

Location: First Church of God 1200 W Depoy Dr Columbia City IN 46725

Contact: Heather Ward

(260) 229-0106

 
    • 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: Sunday, January 12, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Luke Kuepfer

      The Truth Made Simple, Prospect Heights IL

      Luke Kuepfer is a keynote speaker, workshop leader, and co-author of Becoming a Leader Worth Following. Having founded and directed a non-profit in Southeast Asia, he now serves as president of the Reverb Network, a non-profit organization committed to growing missional leaders and starting serving leadership movements around the globe. Primarily focused on the business world in North America, Luke facilitates workshops on Serving Leadership, The Art of Listening, Employee Engagement, Teamwork, and Winning at Customer Service. He has a Master's degree in Leadership and has taught a class on Foundations of Management and Leadership at Colorado Christian University. As a leadership developer and life coach, Luke helps business and non-profit leaders understand how to maximize their God-given potential to lead and serve others. His newest venture in the experience economy integrates leadership development with high-mountain trekking adventures. You will find Luke online at LukeKuepfer.com, thetruthmadesimple.org, and ReverbNetwork.org.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, January 19, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Scott Miller

      Salem Church, McDonough GA

      Scott and his wife, Chris, have been married 40 years and are blessed with two grown children and one grandson. Scott completed a BSBA from Mars Hill University (NC), a Master of Divinity from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY., and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Seminary in 1995 in Evangelism and Church Growth. After serving as a Lead Pastor for 34 years he has now made the transition to invest 100% of his ministry in Missions as the Pastor of Global Missions at Salem Church in McDonough, Georgia. He is personally involved in mission partnerships on four continents and serves as the Co- Director for Mustard Seed International. He has led 69 short-term mission trips to Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central America. Scott also teaches 6 Perspectives on the World Christian Movement lessons and seeks to weave stories and experiences from the front lines into the time-tested practical principles of the world of missions. He loves helping to mobilize churches and individuals to catch God's vision for the world and to develop ongoing mission partnerships between local churches and believers here with indigenous partners in unreached areas. He loves to teach God's Word in its simplicity and power and has a passion to reach the unreached and to see believers grow in Christ and become pioneers of Kingdom growth.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, January 26, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Samya Johnson

      Call of Love Ministries , Cincinnati OH

      Samya was born into a Christian family in Beirut, Lebanon. She accepted Christ at age six. Samya lived in three Middle Eastern countries serving among Muslims before coming to the US with her family in 1999. She and her husband Mike founded Call of Love Ministries in 2001. She hosts English TV and radio programs. She continues to author publications and teach seminars that equip believers to reach Muslims. Samya’s 25+ years of Islamic research, writing, teaching, and working among Muslims bring a fresh and enthusiastic outlook about evangelism to Muslims. Samya resides with her family in Ohio. www.calloflove.org | samya@calloflove.org | 832-220-4040

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, February 2, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Stan Yoder

      World Partners, Maquoketa IA

      Stan and his wife, Valli, served full-time with World Partners since 1978. Valli passed away in November 2021 after a long battle with M.S. Their experience includes 10 years of church planting and curative medical work in Sierra Leone, West Africa among the Yalunka People; 3 years at the US Center as Administrative Director for the Adopt-a-People Clearinghouse; 3 years mobilizing churches to adopt unreached people groups; 2 years training students at Bethel College, Mishawaka, IN; 4 years coaching workers in Africa and the Middle East; and 16 years reaching out to Middle Wast refugees in Kansas City, Missouri. They moved to Maquoketa, Iowa in October 2018 and will begin a new ministry to Middle East students. Stan will continue to serve with World Partners as a traveling evangelist among Muslims and instructor for Perspectives.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, February 9, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Luke Fetters

      Huntington University, Huntington IN

      Luke Fetters is the Vice President for Academic Affairs & Dean of the Faculty at Huntington University. Previously, he served as professor of Ministry & Missions and founder/director of Huntington University's Institute for TESOL Studies. Luke served in Macau from 1986 until 1997 as the director of the English Language Program, a conversational English program for adults in Macau. While in Macau, he helped to establish the United Brethren Mission and plant two local churches. For nearly 30 years, Luke has consulted on English teaching methodology for numerous school districts and universities in China.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, February 16, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Joe Gerber

      Loving Shepherd Ministries, Mahomet IL

      I am honored to be a servant of Jesus Christ. My wife and I have 5 children. God has blessed us with a number of experiences that have given us a deep appreciation for the work of God around the world. It is our joy to play a small part in making His glory known locally and abroad. It's all about Him!

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, February 23, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM

    • Lesson 8

      Culture Night

      This will be a special cultural immersion night.

    • Instructor



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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, March 1, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Andrew Royer

      Ethnos360 Bible Institute, Waukesha WI

      Andrew Royer is a missionary with Ethnos360, an organization founded in 1942 as New Tribes Mission. Ethnos360 plants churches among least reached people groups. Andrew holds a Masters of Divinity in Intercultural Ministries from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake Indiana and currently serves as the president of Ethnos360 Bible Institute for perspective missionaries at their campus in Waukesha Wisconsin.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, March 8, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Meredith Johnson

      All Nations, Kansas City MO

      Meredith Johnson is a beloved daughter of the Father, the wife of Joshua and the mom of Luke. She loves cooking, hiking, reading, traveling, and befriending Muslim-background people. She serves as the Co-Executive Director of All Nations Kansas City and coaches and trains people to live in loving obedience to Jesus and His commands. She loves 2 Timothy 2:2 and is thrilled by the idea of exponential multiplication! She has lived in the Middle East for seven years and has been engaged with catalyzing Disciple Making Movements among Muslims since 2005. She has a Masters of Divinity with Global Missions emphasis and a Cambridge CELTA ESL Certificate. Meredith sometimes co-instructs Perspectives classes with her husband Joshua.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, March 15, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Jenni

      Youth With A Mission, Tiskilwa IL

      Jenni is from Sydney Australia. She has been a Missionary with Youth With A Mission since 1982. She has ministered in 56 countries, has been a Perspectives Coordinator and taught every lesson. She is also a RN and has a degree in Social Work. Jenni has a passion for evangelism and missions and is a gifted speaker. Her stories and zeal for the Lord will challenge you to pursue God's adventure for your life!

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, March 22, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Richard Mendola

      International Friendships, Upper Arlington OH

      Rich was born in Buffalo, NY, the grandson of immigrants from Italy who settled in Western, NY. His mother and father were both raised in the Italian section of the city. Although he was raised in a religious family who attended church, he did not personally know Christ until he was 17 years old. Prior to that, the death of his father at age 13 triggered a search for meaning and truth. This eventually led to studying the Bible, where he discovered that the true purpose of life was to worship and serve God. Through reading the New Testament he learned that Jesus Christ made it possible to come to God because of His sacrificial death for sins. Immediately upon coming to know Jesus, Rich had the strong desire to let others know the good news. Rich attended Colgate University in New York State where he majored in Biology and minored in Education and Philosophy and Religion. After his graduation, he had the first opportunity to pastor and was called to serve a rural congregation . At the same time he served on the Dean’s staff at Colgate University as the Director of Housing. In addition, he studied for a Master’s degree in counseling. In 1979 Rich and Janet attended.the Urbana Mission Conference. There Rich sensed a call to full time cross-cultural ministry. In 1980 he began to work full-time with international students in Buffalo, NY. At the same time, Janet attended medical school at SUNY Buffalo. In 1987 they moved to Athens, Ohio to open a new ministry to international students while Janet fulfilled her obligation to the National Health Service Corp – a program placing physicians in shortage areas. In 1991, Rich and Janet moved to Columbus, Ohio to work with International Friendships. Since 1998 he has served as the Executive Director. He also leads Bible studies and does 1-1 discipleship with students. He has written several Bible studies for internationals. He has served as the Chairperson for the Association of Christians Ministering to Internationals. Rich has also helped to plant two churches. He currently serves as lead pastor for All Nations Christian Fellowship. During Rich’s 29 years of service among internationals hundreds have come to know Jesus and many have returned as effective witnesses of Jesus among their own people. The kingdom of God is advancing among Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and atheists because of the ministry to internationals. Jesus can share many wonderful and dramatic stories of God’s work among internationals. Rich is a regular speaker at missions conferences, evangelistic outreaches, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement and is a lecturer at Vineyard Leadership Institute. Rich and Janet have 6 children: Grace, Danielle, Hope, Philip, Melody, and Paul. Rich’s interests are: Evangelism, Discipleship, trips, chess, and hats. Rich’s spiritual gifts are leadership, exhortation, and evangelism.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, March 29, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Eric Black

      Lagro IN

      Using a team-teaching approach modeled in their work throughout the developing world, Eric and Johnson are Perspectives alumni and passionate promoters. Eric combines a background in business and entrepreneurship with a contagious passion for missions. Johnson was a long-term church planter among working classes in an Asian urban setting shaping his approach to discipleship and business as mission. They have worked individually and together with teams in over 20 nations, most with restricted access. Currently they focus on training near-culture disciple-makers to multiply workers among least-reached peoples.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, April 5, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Anil Yesudas

      GYAN RATNA MANDIR, Chicago IL



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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, April 19, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 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

      Joseph Shane Bennett

      Healing Nations , Rye CO

      Shane helps Christians love Muslims and Muslims love Jesus. He has served in missions mobilization since 1987, recruiting, training, and sending short term research teams. He's been on teams in Bangkok, Bombay, and Turkey and he's lived among Muslim migrants in Europe. Shane writes a weekly email called Muslim Connect that helps Christians think about Muslims the way God does and love them like Jesus does. He works with Healing Nations and he and his family live in southern Colorado.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, April 26, 2020

      Time: 1:00 AM to 1:00 AM

    • Celebration

      Celebration

    • Instructor

    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, April 26, 2020

      Time: 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM

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