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Cranston, RI // S21
Spring 2021
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WELCOME TO PERSPECTIVES!
Next class is this Thursday, February 4th @ 630PM EST.
We desire to see the diverse body of Christ realigned with God's purpose for the world and empowered by the Holy Spirit to make Christ known and worshiped through disciple-making of neighbors, students, families, and colleagues of the many nations living in our city, leading to greater engagement in the local church, and increased unity and partnership with the global church.
With everything that has
happened in this time, now more than ever, the call to the Church to
go and make disciples of all the nations is compelling and urgent.
Our world is facing fear, despair, and death, and we must equip
ourselves in order to respond to that call.
You are invited to explore,
discover, and embrace how God has made you for more! Perspectives is
a 15-week course about God's plan of redemption from beginning to end
and how you fit into it. There are four components:
Biblical (Lessons 1-5): Have you ever wondered why the word "missions" isn't in the Bible? We'll take 5 weeks to illuminate God's unchanging promises as they unfold from Genesis to Revelation. These lessons will highlight how God has always been a missionary God, and how that gives us our charge to engage in missions worldwide.
Historical (Lessons 6-9): You will discover your spiritual lineage and learn that God has always been at work throughout history making His name known among the nations. You'll gain perspective and insight into how the past has shaped our understanding of Christianity and missions today.
Cultural (Lessons 10-11): The peoples of the world come alive as we see expressions of the New Testament church thriving among every nation, tribe, people, and language of the earth so that Christ Jesus is worshiped.
Strategic (Lessons 12-15): Find your place in God's story through endless opportunities to help complete the Great Commission. Learn practical application of broader strategic topics as it pertains to the many facets of missions throughout the world.
Dates: January 21- April 29, 2021 When: Thursdays 6:30 pm-9:30pm Where: Virtual via Zoom (laptop or desktop highly recommended)
First Two Nights Free: Register at no cost to try out this course. Everyone is welcome to hear the first 2 lessons before deciding to commit to the course.
Notes on cost: Because this is a virtual course, it will cost less than in past or future years. Also, there will be "early-bird" and pastoral discounts.
Perspectives offers 3 levels for completing the course:
Key Reading Level ($225 + book): Prepare for great speakers and great material with light reading. Be challenged to consider your own role in world missions. This level requires about 1-2 hours of optional reading each week with little written homework. Five "Personal Reflections" assigned during the term will require about an hour each to complete.
Certificate Level ($225 + book): This is the recommended course level which provides a rich learning experience. It involves weekly homework assignments, five "personal reflections" and one research project due by the end of the course. This level requires about 4 hours of work per week.
Credit Level ($570 + book): An in-depth study with 3 semester credit hours given through Trinity International University. It involves additional reading and two research projects. It is offered at the undergraduate or graduate level. FAQs about PerspectivesWhat is Perspectives?
Perspectives is a Christian education course designed to help believers understand God's heart for all peoples and the active role they can play in their day-to-day lives for the great commission. Why take Perspectives?
Perspectives equips believers with the Biblical, Historical, Cultural, and Strategic context in which missions is derived. It provides resources for believers of all walks of life to engage those around them in effective evangelism, discipleship, and partnership. In this course, you will learn about Abraham’s calling in Genesis to be a blessing to all nations. You will learn about the movement of the church after Acts and up to the present day. You will learn about God’s current work in redeeming people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to himself, and you will learn about the task that still remains. Throughout this course, led each week by 15 different key speakers sharing their experience and knowledge, you will discern God’s own invitation in your life to serve him, and begin to hear how and where God is leading you. Which enrollment level is right for me?Key Reading Level: This is for people unable to commit to the reading requirements of the Certificate level. We recommend you sign up for Certificate level and if you can't keep up with the homework, you can change to Key Reading at any time during the course.
Certificate Level: While the course provides fantastic instructors, the richness and full impact of this course come from the readings. This level provides accountability, and is often required by missions agencies. It is also required by those looking to coordinate a Perspectives course in the future. Because Certificate and Key Readings are the same price, we recommend students register for Certificate level and drop down to Key Reading at any point during the course if they are unable to meet Certificate requirements. Students who complete Certificate level can take future Perspectives classes as Alumni at no cost. Credit Level: Graduate credit students attend class, read weekly articles, take weekly reviews, take 2 exams (midterm and final), and write a 18-20 page paper at the end of the course to receive graduate credit. This level requires 5-8 hours of reading per week. Additional work may be required depending on the Graduate program. *With either Undergraduate or Graduate Credit levels, if students are planning on transferring credit, provided through Trinity International University, it is their responsibility to check with their adviser to ascertain their school's policy on transferring credit into their program.
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Instructor
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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.
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Instructor
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Joe G
PIONEERS, Orlando FL
Joe has been with Pioneers for 18 years. Previously, he spent 5 years on staff with the Traveling Team sharing the Biblical Basis of Missions and mobilizing college students. He and his wife Sarah served on church planting teams in Central Asia in and out of country from 2002-2012. He currently serves as the VP of Mission Engagement for Pioneers USA. Joe, Sarah and their sons Ezra and Eli live in Orlando. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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Instructor
Jamie Farr
Wycliffe Bible Translators, Orlando FL
I grew up in the South Pacific in Papua New Guinea the son of Translators speaking four languages. I experienced the joy of watching my ethnic people receive the NT and experience the power of God in amazing ways.
I later went with my beautiful Wife Anita to Thailand to serve with Wycliffe. On our watch we have seen over 2000 missionaries go to serve among over 1800 people groups in the last 24 years. We are passionate about God's glory to be experienced by all peoples. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, January 28, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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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. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, February 4, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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).
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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. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, February 11, 2021
Time: 1:00 AM to 1:00 AM
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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.
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Instructor
Philip Curtis
Ministry Training Network of Southeastern New England, Exeter RI
By the grace of God, I committed my life to Jesus Christ in 1970. Founding Pastor of Exeter Chapel: 1982-2019. Exec. Dir. of Ministry Training Network of Southeastern New England, 2019-present. Exeter Chapel is whole-heartedly involved in the global mission of the Christ: serving as a sender of cross-cultural missionaries, both short-term and career, and partnering with our missionaries on the field. I have been privileged to participate in five short-term missions to five different nations. This will be my 6th opportunity to teach with Perspectives. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, February 18, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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Instructor
David Gadoury
TOGETHER, Cranston RI
David Gadoury served as Lead Pastor of the Cranston Christian Fellowship for 42 years, a missions focused church that invested heavily in its global partners and directly engaged in numerous projects among the world's unreached peoples. He and his wife have ministered to cross-cultural workers in nine foreign countries. In 2017 he became Executive Director of TOGETHER, a multi-church, multi-denominational partnership formed in 2010 to advance the gospel in the greater Rhode Island area.
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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Instructor
Dan Darko
Wenham MA
A New Testament Professor at Gordon College. A native of Ghana, Dan served as a Director in Youth for Christ (Ghana), Dean of Students at the Evangelical Theological Seminary (Croatia), Seminary and University chaplain in Croatia and Ghana, and local church pastoral positions in Ghana, Croatia, England (Fulham–London) and the Poconos (PA) United States. He was educated in Ghana, Croatia and England. Dan and his family (Maryl his wife and two daughters, Esther and Debbie) live in South Hamilton, MA.
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, March 4, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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Instructor
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Michele C
International Church at Yale, New Haven CT
Michele serves in an oversight role for a Christian humanitarian organization working among the poor in North Africa. She also serves part-time as co-pastor with her husband, Joseph, at the International Church at Yale - an outreach to international scholars and their families - in New Haven, Connecticut, where she and her husband are based living in an inner city neighborhood while also spending time each year in North Africa and other Muslim-majority regions. Michele and her family lived and worked for over 15 years in North Africa in one of the poorest nations on earth. For several years she directed a Maternal-Child Health program providing health education, nutritional monitoring and supplementation to 15,000 malnourished children and mothers. She also helped to oversee their organization’s wider work in agriculture, literacy, education and microcredit. In addition to her oversight responsibilities in North Africa, she also does consulting for NGOs in other nations. Her areas of expertise and interest include public health and nutrition in developing nations, cross-cultural communication issues in Islamic societies, and the concerns and challenges of Muslim women. During their 15 years in North Africa, Michele and her family lived among the poor as the poor. Michele and her husband rented two small rooms in an urban dwelling with two local families, without running water or electricity, sharing an outdoor latrine with them. It was a transformative experience for her and for her friends and neighbors. Michele holds a B.S.N. in nursing from Duke University and an M.A. in Intercultural Studies (concentration: Islamic Studies) from Fuller School of Intercultural Studies. Through hard work and God’s grace she speaks fluent Arabic and French, and has some knowledge of German, Spanish and Koiné Greek. Michele and her husband Joseph are parents of twins – a daughter and a son – born in 1992. She homeschooled her twins from kindergarten through eighth grade. By God’s grace she has learned to live with the challenges of endometriosis and ADHD and so to say, “…we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, March 11, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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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. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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Instructor
Joshua Johnson
All Nations Family, Kansas City MO
Joshua is the Executive Director of All Nations Kansas City – a missions training and sending organization that oversees church planting work in 25 countries. He is also a core team member, coach, and consultant for 5Q, an organization that unlocks and releases the potential of five-fold ministry in the body of Christ and part of the mDNA Training Ecosystem team that is a part of Movement Leaders Collective. Joshua spent 7 years in the Middle East and Asia catalyzing movements to Jesus and saw many Muslim background people get baptized, say yes to following Jesus, and start simple reproducing Jesus communities amidst their own culture. He loves to coach and train others to ignite movements to Jesus. He is also the host of the podcast Shifting Culture. He loves movies, traveling the world, being surrounded by nature, and spending time on the golf course. Joshua lives in Kansas City, Mo. with his wife Meredith, who co-leads All Nations Kansas City. They have one son, Luke. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, March 25, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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Instructor
Gabriela Phillips
Adventist Muslim Relations Coordinator for North America, Ooltewah TN
Gabriela Phillips and her husband have served for over twenty years among Muslim in Central Asia, the Middle East and currently they are in North America, where they serve among refugees from the Middle East. Gabriela is currently pursuing doctoral studies in the area of Missiology and loves to share the many ways in which God is drawing Muslims to himself. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, April 1, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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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. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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Instructor
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Rick and Julie S.
Newton NH
Rick and Julie S. currently work as full-time missionaries and are involved in mobilizing teams to ignite church planting movements with unengaged, unreached people groups in the 10/40 Window. Rick and Julie have recently left their vocational careers in Finance (Rick) and Occupation Therapy (Julie) to pursue their passion for reaching the unreached. Rick and Julie have been married for 31 years and have 3 children. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, April 15, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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Instructor
Susan Patt
Frontier Ventures, Exton PA
Sue Patt has worked as a mobilizer for more than 40 years (since 1982) with Frontier Ventures, formerly the US Center for World Mission. She has served as a Perspectives Regional Director (13 years) and as the Perspectives National Program Director (7 years). Her current assignment is Chief Strategy Officer with FV. She has been developing deliberate friendships with Muslims since 1980, and Hindus since 2005. She is married to Fran Patt since 1986. They have 3 adult children and live in Exton, PA in the Philadelphia suburbs. b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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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.
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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.” b
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Class Info
Date: Thursday, April 29, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
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Instructor
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Class Info
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