November 2019
AMAZON - BRAZIL EVERY HOME FOR CHRIST
Taking the Gospel to the Amazon Brazil is a land of contrasts. Most people live in mega-cities such as Rio de Janeiro where 11 million people live and to reach every home in Brazil will be a mammoth task, supervised by the Brazil EHC Director, Alessandro Alexio (pictured below). However, there are also many communities living along the rivers who can only be accessed by boat and
Alessandro also has a plan to take gospel literature to these, mainly indigenous, men, women and children. His plan involves using the two boats provided by Every Home for Christ in Australia and New Zealand - small fibreglass boats which can wend their way through the river and its many tributaries. In 2009 Every Home for Christ supporters in Australia and New Zealand purchased these two boats for humanitarian work along the Amazon and you will be delighted to know that, now that this aid project has finished, the boats will be used for taking gospel literature to remote river communities.
Please pray for Alessandro and his team in Brazil that the Lord will provide the staff and the funds he needs to make this dream a reality. Alessandro Alexio Brazil EHC National Director
Each boat would “house” a team of workers - staff, volunteers and a Captain who will drive the boat to these remote communities. Already Every Home for Christ in Australia is providing funds for gospel literature each month but now we would like to “go the extra mile”and provide funds for this ambitious plan to visit each community along the Rio Negro and Amazon rivers starting from Manaus. The boats are currently being repaired so that this vital work can commence.
Transform the World!
AN EHC PIONEER MISSIONARY AND H I S FA M I LY I N C H A D .
From a Montana Shack to the Ends of the Earth The light had long since faded, and snowy conditions had made the roads nearly impassable by the time Thomas Johnston set out. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to brave the snow for one last appointment. He kept thinking about Lewis and Emerald Miller, the young couple who worked as cattle ranchers and lived in a small shack down the road. So Thomas donned a heavy coat and ventured into the blizzard. The rural road was not easy at the best of times, but the local preacher felt an urgent need to tell the Millers about Jesus. He found their small home, shook the snow from his boots, and started a conversation that would reverberate through generations. I know the impact of this conversation firsthand — because Lewis and Emerald are my grandparents. As the young couple knelt down before their wood stove and dedicated their lives to Jesus, God was doing an incredible work. Through this one encounter in a Montana shack, salvation reached down through entire generations of my family. This story stirs me deeply, not only because it is my family history, but because millions of people are still waiting for someone like Thomas Johnston to bring them the Good News. Unless someone reaches them, they will never hear the Gospel. If the eternal destinies of every one of the 7.7 billion people living on this planet matter — and they do — then it really matters that they get a chance to hear the life-giving gospel message. But is it possible to reach everyone on Earth with a presentation of the Gospel?
In 1953, EHC Founder Jack McAlister stood on a street corner in the most populous city on the planet — Tokyo. As he handed out gospel literature, he came to the realisation that he could not possibly reach everyone. For every person he reached, 10 others slipped by. That’s when Jack and his friends began to implement a systematic method of taking a gospel message to every home in the city — thereby ensuring they wouldn’t miss a single person. For decades, indigenous Pioneer Missionaries and volunteers have diligently shared the Gospel with their people. Today, it is my privilege to oversee our leaders as they work in nations from the Philippines to Argentina, South Africa to Russia. This behind-the-curtain look gives me a profound appreciation for the amazing heritage that we have at Every Home for Christ. Even so, I feel Jack McAlister’s question burning in me for a new generation. For my generation. Like Thomas Johnston, I feel a very personal sense of urgency. This question — How can we reach everyone? — has set me, along with all of Every Home for Christ, on a new course for the future. And yet, it’s been our heart from the beginning.
by Tanner Peake Vice President of International Ministries
IS IT POSSIBLE? I deeply believe that each generation must take personal responsibility for the Great Commission. As Hudson Taylor famously said, “The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” When I was first appointed as Vice President of International Ministries, the task seemed impossible. I saw that we would not be able to reach every home on Earth in our lifetime — at least, not at our current rate. Although we were reaching millions of people with the Gospel every year, we weren’t reaching everyone, everywhere. Embracing the Great Commission has perhaps never been more challenging than it is today. Recent research by Barna suggests that only 17% of the Church in the United States can even identify this critical command of Jesus.1 Not only that, but nearly half of millennial Christians believe it is wrong to share your personal beliefs with another in a hope that they will come to the same belief — even if that belief in Jesus will bring a person new life.2 How could we persuade many in the Church to join us in a venture they didn’t even believe in? Outside the Western world, the challenges may be even greater. In many nations in and around the Middle East — the historic centre of Christianity — the persecution of believers has reached what some have recently termed “genocide” levels.3 Reports from our offices and strategic partners around the world paint a picture, confirmed by news reports, of religious persecution from militant Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist www.barna.com/research/half-churchgoers-not-heard-great-commission/ www.barna.com/research/millennials-oppose-evangelism/ 3 www.christianpersecutionreview.org.uk/interim-report/ 1 2
“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” — Hudson Taylor
BARNA RESEARCH GROUP
CHURCHGOERS: Have you heard of the 1 Great Commission?
NO. 51%
I'M NOT SURE. 6%
YES, AND IT MEANS... 17% YES, BUT I CAN'T RECALL THE EXACT MEANING. 25%
Active Nations
ACTIVE NATIONS Of the world’s 216 nations, islands and territories, Every Home for Christ is currently working to share the Gospel in over 150. Through the OIKOS Initiative, we have set our sights on all 216.
Creative Access Nations* (Cannot disclose if there is ministry activity for security purposes) Inactive Nations (Pray that these nations would be opened) *Currently active in more than 30 Creative Access Nations
groups, often with government-sanctioned factors, and we began to see a way forward. pressure. This is not to mention the tribal If Jesus had commanded us to go, He would and ethnic struggles and warfare that empower us to accomplish what He asked. plague many regions. A plan began to take shape, and it was both As I considered these obstacles, the new and familiar. We kept returning to the challenge to preach the Gospel and truth that homes are the basic building make disciples of every nation seemed block of any community, and they are also insurmountable. And yet, the faces of the centre of gospel transformation. countless people who had not yet heard haunted me as I again considered Jesus’ For me, this has always been personal. My story with God started when a command to go. man reached my grandparents’ home So my team returned to the drawing board, with the Gospel. And Every Home for and we prayed more fervently. We examined Christ’s story began when God gave global population growth, inflation rates, Jack McAlister the vision to reach people geopolitical situations and a dozen other at home. Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 ABN: 88001276240 www.everyhome.org.au E-mail: ehc@everyhome.org.au New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 NZBN: 9429043322862 Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738 www.everyhomeforchrist.org.nz
What will it take to reach every home in my nation from January 2019 to December 2039?
ENLISTING OUR EHC FAMILY Every Home for Christ’s vision has always been to reach every home on Earth with the Gospel. But to ensure that millions of people are not missed, it was crucial that we add a timeline. I spent much of the spring of 2018 travelling to our different offices and regional conferences around the world to rally our leaders around this new challenge. I wanted to raise the vision of our faithful Pioneer Missionaries to believe that they could reach every last home in their nations. In order for this to become a viable plan, we needed to enlist the whole global family. Previously, my team had managed hundreds of unique evangelistic projects for cities and regions every year. Now, we restructured to entrust our international leaders with greater ownership and capacity. Rather than proposing and managing special outreaches, each Ministry Director would build a comprehensive plan to reach his or her nation in 20 years. This approach reoriented every nation’s strategy around one central question:
For nations with fewer people and fewer hindrances, everyone could be reached in a relatively short time frame. For others, reaching everyone in the 20year window would be an enormous challenge. Everyone in the EHC fellowship was starting to feel the gravity of this new vision as they developed their own national strategic plans. I will never forget the tears in the eyes of so many of our workers, especially in nations where evangelism and free expression of worship are hugely restricted. They would approach me quietly after meetings and say with faith, “It can be done!” I will also never forget the Ministry Directors who have been working tirelessly — some for three or four decades — who said that this was the reason they joined Every Home for Christ in the first place. By the end of 2018, the majority of our international offices had completed a fully-formed strategic plan to reach every home in their nation. The OIKOS Initiative was becoming a reality.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REACH EVERY HOME WITH THE GOSPEL?
Our EHC methodology has remained remarkably consistent through the years.
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1. We serve and train the local church so that new disciples will be integrated.
2. We go home to home systematically. This value ensures no one is left behind.
3. We share the Gospel faceto-face.
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We leave a repeatable gospel message in a print or audio format.
We follow up with discipleship and Bible distribution.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
- the first new nation to be launched since the start of the OIKOS Initiative. On January 23, 2019, Ministry Director Daniel Oscar launched a comprehensive plan to reach every home in the Dominican Republic with the Gospel by 2039. Within 24 hours of that launch, his team was already setting out with the same strategy it will continue for years to come. Here’s what that first day looked like.
1. UNITING WITH THE LOCAL CHURCH To accomplish the OIKOS Initiative in his nation, Daniel must work with at least 300 local churches every year. Already, his team has connected with churches throughout the nation. Among the 200 people who attended the OIKOS launch, nearly every major evangelical denomination in the Dominican Republic was represented — Baptists alongside Pentecostals, Episcopalians sitting beside Nazarenes. “We feel a good spirit of unity,” Daniel says. “Here in the Dominican Republic the harvest is ready.” 2. EVANGELISING HOME TO HOME Daniel trained volunteers from the Church of God the Radiant to reach their
neighbourhood with the Gospel. Alongside EHC Pioneer Missionaries, these volunteers walked systematically through their streets, visiting homes and praying with people. The day was sunny, and this first outreach set a precedent for countless outreaches to come, as the Holy Spirit moved and families responded to the Gospel. By the end of the day, the team had reached every home in their neighbourhood. 3. PARTNERING WITH MINISTRIES The Great Commission doesn’t belong to one church or ministry — and neither does the OIKOS Initiative. Every Home for Christ partnered with Campus Crusade, Youth With A Mission and the Bible Society for a street outreach. The atmosphere was festive: worship music
over loud speakers, EHC gospel literature passed around with drinks and snacks. It was a powerful display of unity among ministries, and many people encountered Jesus. DAY ONE, YEAR ONE — WE’RE JUST BEGINNING On the first day of the first year of OIKOS in the Dominican Republic, God is already on the move! Through dynamic partnerships, the Church is mobilising to go forth with the Gospel. Through home-to-home ministry, Jesus is changing lives.We can’t wait to see what else He has in store.“We want to see our nation filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters flow in the sea,” Daniel says. “We are part of a big, big movement to respond to the Great Commission… We are going to impact an entire generation through OIKOS.”
NOVEMBER 2019 Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from the Daniel, Hosea, Joel and Amos. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading program these chapters are in brackets.
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PRAY FOR DICK AND DEE EASTMAN. Dick is the International President of Every Home for Christ with a large responsibility for EHC ministries across the world. Daniel 7 (Nehemiah 1 - 7)
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PRAY FOR DIPLAVE POKHREL Please continue to pray urgently for the Immigration Department to approve Diplave’s visa so that he can continue working with Every Home for Christ. PRAY FOR ERIC AND LORRAINE LEACH Please ask God to guide them, especially as Eric draws up the plan to visit every home in Australia and helps with New Zealand as Executive Director in both countries. Daniel 8 (Nehemiah - 10) PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY - sons, daughters and grandchildren, plus others to come to Christ. Get a piece of paper and write down their names. Get their photos and pray every day for their salvation; eternity without Christ is a long time! Daniel 9 (Nehemiah 11 - 13) MEXICO Pop. 129,200,000 Map. 178 Praise God for the EHC workers who accepted the call to evangelise. They were able to reach 427,420 homes with gospel booklets in one month. Pray that many will accept the love and salvation that Jesus offers and begin studying His Word. Daniel 10 (Malachi 1- 4) CREATIVE ACCESS Martha is a new believer in Jesus who is isolated. Her husband opposes her new faith. A local believer has made contact with her, but because of her home situation, it is difficult for them to meet. Pray that she will grow in faith and that her husband will encounter Jesus. Daniel 11:1-22 (Matthew 1 - 2) SOUTH AFRICA Pop. 56,700,000 Map. 1 Please pray for the gospel outreaches in Mohlakeng and Randfontein, near Johannesburg. An EHC team has joined hands with 23 pastors and their congregations to saturate these areas with the Gospel. Pray for a great harvest. Daniel 11: 23 - 45 (Matthew 3:1 to 4:11)
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EAST TIMOR Pop. 1,300,000 Map. 144 Pray for the people who received EHC gospel literature in the district of Bobonaro. May they understand the gospel message and accept Jesus as their Lord. Pray for the health of all EHC staff so they may continue serving the Lord. Daniel 12 (Matthew 4:12 to 7:29) CZECHIA Pop. 10,600,000 Map. 82 Most of the people living in the border county of Tachov in western Bohemia are nonreligious. During a recent outreach, more than 17,000 homes there received EHC pamphlets with the good news about Jesus. Pray for open hearts to respond to the love of Jesus. Hosea 1 (Matthew 8:1 to 11:1)
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COTE D’IVOIRE Pop. 24,300,000 Map. 41 An EHC team recently completed a home-tohome gospel outreach in the city of Bouake. Pray that God will protect and give wisdom to Ministry Director Lolo Christian Lopeze as he goes to encourage pastors and new believers in the new Christ Groups there. Hosea 2 (Matthew 11:2 to 13:53) CREATIVE ACCESS There are laws against sharing gospel literature in this nation, but that does not stop our brothers and sisters from taking great risks to reach homes with the Gospel. Nor will landslides or feet bloodied by leeches and mosquitoes stop their work. Pray for grace for these faithful workers. Hosea 3 (Matthew 13:54 to 16:28) BURUNDI Pop. 10,900,000 Map. 18 Zaina, a former Muslim professor, has a new testimony. After hearing the Good News from EHC Pioneer Missionaries, she decided to give her life to Christ. She realised her husband might kick her out of the house, yet she accepted Christ anyway. Pray for her. Hosea 4 (Matthew 17:1 to 19:2) BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA Pop. 3,500,000 Map. 70 Pray for a children’s event and a gospel outreach that will follow immediately in the Muslim-majority city of Bugojno. Pray for protection for everyone involved. And pray that the Lord will touch hearts of young and old alike and bring them into His Kingdom. Hosea 5 (Matthew 19:3 to 23:39)
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ARMENIA Pop. 2,900,000 Map. 104 An EHC discipleship team recently had a chance to visit a hospital and pray for a young man named Raja, who listened to the Word and prayed the repentance prayer. Please pray for him to grow in the knowledge of Christ and find true joy in obeying His Word. Hosea 6 (Matthew 24:1 to 26:2 )
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MOZAMBIQUE Pop. 29,700,000 Map. 8 People from the village of Licuar worship the spirits of their dead ancestors. Pray for the EHC team as they visit this community to present the Gospel. These villagers have rejected the gospel message in the past. Pray for God’s spirit to prepare hearts. Hosea 7 (Matthew 26:3 to 27:66) CREATIVE ACCESS Pray for Anou, a new believer who is in prison for his faith for several months and there is no word on when he will be released. Pray also for four families that have been kicked out of their village. May God comfort them all in Jesus’ name. Hosea 8 (Matthew 28) CAMEROON Pop. 24,100,000 Map. 24 Our Pioneer Missionaries have been sharing the Gospel home - to - home in the north, which is predominantly Muslim. Praise God that even some Imams have dared to invite them back for further discussion about salvation in Christ. Pray for God to bring in His harvest. Hosea 9 (Mark 1:1 - 13) CREATIVE ACCESS Mark is a courageous Pioneer Missionary. He goes home - to home in a difficult region filled with Muslims and Hindus and few believers. Recently, he has encountered opposition while witnessing to Muslims. Please pray for him. Hosea 10 (Mark 1:14 to 3:35) BULGARIA Pop. 7,100,000 Map. 77 The three Bulgarian counties where EHC teams have not completed coverage with gospel literature have no churches willing to go home to home. Please pray that the Lord will raise up more workers in this nation to take the Gospel to their cities with boldness. Hosea 11 (Mark 4 - 5) NIGERIA Pop. 190,900,000 Map. 35 Please pray for EHC workers in several villages who are experiencing opposition from local churches of a different denomination. These churches want to keep them from evangelising. Pray for unity among believers and for wisdom for EHC coordinators in these areas. Hosea 12 (Mark 6:1 to 8:26) ROMANIA Pop. 19,600,000 Map. 24 Every Home for Christ will be holding an evangelism training camp in Hunedoara. Around 150 leaders from across the nation and from different denominations will take part. Pray for the outreach that will follow the training and for much fruit from this event. Hosea 13 (Mark 8:27 to 10:31) INDIA Pop. 1,300,000,000 Map. 129 An EHC team is conducting an outreach in a Hindu dominated village. Pray for their safety and for wisdom from God to overcome all obstacles. Pray for physical strength and a courageous heart for every team member. Pray that God will be glorified through their obedience. Hosea 14 (Mark 10:32 to 13:37) CREATIVE ACCESS Some Americans shipped Bibles to this African nation, but the government confiscated them. Now the officials have announced they intend to investigate those who have changed their belief. Please pray for God’s wisdom and protection. Joel 1 (Mark 14 - 16)
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ALBANIA Pop. 2,900,000 Map. 75 Recently, a team of believers reached every home in the villages of Voskopoje and Voskop with the Gospel. Praise the Lord for the homes that were open to the Good News. Pray for people to surrender their lives to Jesus and for new churches to be established. Joel 2 (Luke 1 - 2) HAITI Pop. 10,900,000 Map. 191 Gangs and lawlessness cause many problems for our teams. Clashes of rival gangs left several dead and many homes destroyed. By God’s grace, our teams are OK and continue to spread the Gospel. Pray for peace in Haiti and protection for our teams. Joel 3 (Luke 3:1 to 4:15) LIBERIA Pop. 4,700,000 Map. 42 During an outreach, an old man named Wleh confessed that he was a sinner and asked for prayer. EHC team members prayed with him, and he broke down in tears. He finally remarked joyfully, “God has sent EHC to my home for my salvation!” Praise God for His eternal salvation. Amos 1 (Luke 4:16 to 6:49) URUGUAY Pop. 3,500,000 Map. 224 Pray that churches in Uruguay will have God’s heart for their people. Many churches are suffering financially becuase of a lack of members, but they don’t make sharing the Gospel a priority. Pray that the Holy Spirit will infuse every believer’s heart with Jesus’ love. Amos 2 (Luke 7:1 to 9:50) CREATIVE ACCESS Pray for Yosef, an EHC worker who is determined to reach 200 students at the lcoal university with the Gospel in one month. This is a very tough mission since this univeristy is full of fanatical students who belong to the Muslim Brotherhood. Pray for wisdom and safety. Amos 3 (Luke 9:51 to 12:59) KOSOVO Pop. 1,800,000 Map. 72 EHC Pioneer Missionaries encountered resistance in several villages recently as they shared the Gospel. They are praising God that even the resistance gave them heart to persevere in sharing the good news. Pray that many lives will be transformed by the Gospel. Amos 4 (Luke 13:1 to 18:30) INDONESIA Pop. 264,000,000 Map. 143 Pray for peace and comfort for the family of an EHC worker who died recently. His death leaves the team in his area disheartened and shorthanded. Pray also that God will raise up a worker to take his place, as they are in need of 10 workers in this area. Amos 5 (Luke 18:31 to 21:38) RUSSIA Pop. 144,500,000 Map. 106 One of our missionaries was arrested and fined for sharing the Gospel. Officials confiscated his literature and took him to court. This kind of thing happens all too often. Pray for boldness and courage for our workers as they continue sharing the Gospel, even at great cost. Amos 6 (Luke 22 - 23)
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