November 2016
t was a defining moment in my life that I still remember as though it were yesterday. I was a 20-year-old college student who had met the girl of his dreams (my wife, Dee, to whom I’ve been married for more than 52 years). Though I was absolutely certain she was the one for me, the rest of God’s plan for my life was unclear. As soon as classes ended that momentous afternoon, I went to my prayer closet to spend time with the Lord (a literal closet I shared with my two roommates). I could hardly wait to voice my concerns and need for direction to the Lord when, before I even had a chance to open my mouth, He began speaking to me. What He revealed to me that day would not only make a profound impact on my life, it would ultimately lead to a “harvest beyond my wildest dreams” (Mark 4:20, MSG). The vision God gave me all those years ago was as vivid as though He were in that
closet with me and we were talking face to face. I remember kneeling in silence below sweaters and shirts as He spoke gently in my heart, saying that one day, my wife and I would be involved in a harvest that would see millions coming into the Kingdom. He spoke further, saying that I would not be some famous evangelist, but that these souls would be “prayed into the kingdom!” I, of course, couldn’t understand exactly how that might happen, but I knew prayer would be the source of power to gather in such a harvest. Little did I know that almost two decades earlier, God had given birth to the very strategy that would answer my prayers, realized in a 23-year-old Canadian pastor named Jack McAlister.
Lookin g ba ck …to forge ah ea d
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A Loo k Back D i c k E a s t m a n , I n t e r n at i o n a l P r e s i de n t
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Jack McAlister (left) and Dick Eastman (right) sharing a moment in Switzerland in the late 1990s. Jack, as founder, and Dick, as a succeeding president, shared many memories along with their burning passion to reach the world for Christ.
Dick Eastman visited the Kwaio people in Fiji, where God moved dramatically in this tribe after their chief came to Christ.
“Prayer, alone, will remove every obstacle that stands in the way of Jack had begun a new radio program in western Canada called the Tract Club of the Air. One day, he challenged his listeners to support global missionaries by providing them with printed gospel literature to share with people. The response he received was so overwhelming that, within months, Jack was shipping gospel messages by the tens of thousands to missionaries throughout the world. When the events of World War II crippled Japan, Jack was compelled to take the ministry further. With the hopes of evangelising the struggling nation, he flew to Tokyo with a fellow missionary, and together, they began sharing gospel literature with travellers at a busy railway station. They soon became frustrated when they saw that, for every person they were able to talk to, many more passed by unreached. Discouraged — yet tenacious — Jack and his colleague got on their knees that night and asked the Lord for a strategy. They believed that, for the Great Commission to be fulfilled (Matthew 28:19), there had to be a way to reach every person with the Gospel. It was during that time of earnest prayer that Jack got the idea: Take the Gospel to people right where they live — to their homes. That was the beginning of the ministry
known today as Every Home for Christ, and this month we celebrate 70 years of home-tohome evangelism using gospel literature. I am happy to say, 70 years later, Every Home for Christ continues to operate on an unwavering foundation of prayer. In fact, our dependence on prayer is clearly stated in one of our three unalterable convictions: “Prayer, alone, will remove every obstacle that stands in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission.” Not only is our leadership dependent on prayer, our global workers rely on the power of prayer as they share the Gospel with the unreached — often in threatening situations. Not a single salvation message is given to a seeking soul without first being saturated with the power of prayer. Since those early days in my prayer closet, God has allowed me the privilege of spending my life calling others to also cultivate a life of prayer. It has been my joy to witness growing numbers of night-and-day prayer movements spring up in churches and on university campuses throughout the world where men and women, college students and teenagers devote themselves to prayer and intercession for the nations.It is my belief that an unwavering foundation of prayer is what continues to allow
In 2011, Dick Eastman celebrated an important milestone — 100 million people responding to Christ and 65 years of ministry.
fulfilling the Great Commission.” Every Home for Christ to impact the world for Christ, resulting in 52,000 searching souls responding to the Gospel every day. Since its genesis in western Canada 70 years ago, Every Home for Christ has developed many exciting and effective ways to reach those once considered “unreachable.” The non-literate are reached with the help of visual charts, and the hearing and visually impaired are reached with the help of media technology. Our follow-up biblical discipleship program, offered free of charge to all new believers, as well as the training offered to under-equipped pastors and church leaders, help many tens of thousands of Christ Group fellowships thrive and grow into self-supporting churches. This focus on “making disciples who make disciples of others” has raised Every Home for Christ up to be a global champion of systematic, hometo-home evangelism that leads to massive church planting. Join me in celebrating 70 years of an amazing harvest. Over 1.8 BILLION homes have received the Gospel delivered at their doors, resulting in more than 173 MILLION responses to the Gospel and leading to the formation of 297,000 new church plants worldwide! Those numbers are not exaggerated.
We report them with confidence in their accuracy thanks to our systematic method of tracking the homes our global workers visit. But what is most important to us is that behind every statistic is a soul who has been touched by the Good News! As we begin year 71, I want to thank our global supported staff of some 8,000 and the more than 60,000 monthly volunteer workers who sacrifice much to share the Gospel in the neighbourhoods, prisons, hospitals and unreached areas of their nations while equipping new believers to mature in their faith. I also want to thank our faithful ministry partners for making what we do possible. Every Home for Christ is more than our name — it’s our mission. Wouldn’t it be great if we could reach every home on earth with the Gospel in this generation? With your help, I believe we can.
Celebrating 70 years of Ministry Homes Reached & Prayed For Historical Total: 1.8 billion Current Pace: 311,000 per day
People Who Responded to Gospel
Have the
Historical Total: 173 million Current Pace: 52,000 per day
Christ Groups Planted Historical Total: 297,000 Current Pace: 76 per day
A Legacy of Impact i n te r n a t i o n a l by Tanner Peake
Editor’s note: Tanner Peake is the Senior Director of International Ministries at Every Home for Christ’s headquarters in Colorado Springs. He provides oversight and direction for our global evangelistic offices.
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very Home for Christ has set one of the most ambitious goals in the history of the Church: to share a face-to-face presentation of the Gospel with every person, in every nation, within a generation. For the last 70 years, Christ’s commands to preach the Gospel to every person (Mark 16:15) and to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) have compelled this ministry to mobilise the Church to go to all people in every place. These commands given by Jesus have sent EHC gospel workers everywhere: hiking the highest mountains,descending the deepest valleys, travelling dusty trails to distant villages, paddling boats to unmapped islands, journeying into war-torn conflict areas, and climbing skyscrapers in the heart of urban civilisation. Reaching all and every means that Every Home for Christ is committed to reaching every person on earth — not just those who are easy to find. Such determination is greatly needed for a task of such immensity. And the task continues to grow as we look forward to the next 70 years. Every day, an average of 360,000 new people are born, and another 151,600 people die. That means the population of the earth is growing by over 200,000 people daily, people who have yet to hear the Gospel. Even though Every Home for Christ shares the Gospel at the doorsteps of over 311,000 homes daily — about 1 million people each day — there is still more to be done. All and every require intentionality, which is why Every Home for Christ has approached the task systematically.
Our desire is that “none should perish” (2 Peter 3:9). We are committed to leaving none behind. Because everyone lives somewhere, Every Home for Christ takes the Gospel right to where people live. But sharing the Gospel at the home is more than just our preferred evangelism method. It’s also strategic. The home is the source for societal transformation. In the most basic sense, a home is a place where people live, an abode or dwelling place. But we all know that a home is far more than a building; a home is also the people who live in the building, the relationships these people have and the experiences they share. In every culture around the world, whether on mountaintops, in deserts, in cities or in rural areas, all people have a sense of home. The home is a place of refuge, a place where families exist and grow. While some live in trees, others wander as nomads in deserts, and still others live in urban skyscrapers. Home is universally understood as the place of significance. For decades, sociologists, economists and others from a wide range of academic fields have written about the significance of the home within society. It is generally held that the home is the most fundamental social unit and that all of our political and social institutions are reflections of the home. The home has even been called the “crucible of the social system.” Families, living
together, are generally believed to be the heart of society. If you can change a home, you can change a community. If you can change a community, you can change a nation. This is why Every Home for Christ has long emphasised the strategic importance of reaching homes. People often ask, “What will the next 70 years of Every Home for Christ’s history look like?” My answer is always the same: In many respects, the next 70 years are going to look similar to the last. With all of the complexity and nuance that has always existed in the world, the mission of Every Home for Christ has remained consistent. We serve the Church to introduce every person to Jesus, home to home, on their doorstep. The simplicity of this mission has allowed Every Home for Christ to remain timeless, even though our world continues to change. People continue to need to hear the Gospel. They continue to need face-to-face interaction with Christ followers. And they continue to need hope beyond their circumstances.
“Families, living together, are generally believed to be the heart of society. If you can change a home, you can change a community.”
The homes and families reached every day by EHC workers are varied. Whether from urban centres or teepees, people come out to hear and engage with the life-changing news of salvation.
Even so, as we look forward into the future, we can’t help but anticipate both the victories and the challenges that we will confront as we live out our mission. Taking the Gospel to the homes of people in some parts of the world is risky, and it will continue to be risky. Every Home for Christ knows firsthand the cost of preaching Jesus in nations that are hostile to the Gospel. Our founder, Jack McAlister, said that reaching the first third of the world would be easy, reaching the second third would be difficult, and reaching the final third would be bloody. We are now in the final third.
Today, as you read this article, there are thousands of real individuals, emboldened by the Holy Spirit, who are sharing the Gospel and risking their lives to do so. They do this because they are convinced that the Gospel has the inherent power to transform the lives of every person — not because it is an organisational mandate and not for a pay cheque, but because they love those without Christ. In the next 70 years, Every Home for Christ will continue to serve those who risk their lives to share the Gospel.
Our name says it all: Every Home for Christ. It’s simple, yet powerful!
S IN CO FOR AS TM IS R a di CH
In
ild ol bu cho -to h S ed ig for ileg ir v n aH rp re de ild un ch
COINS FOR CHRISTMAS
“Coins For Christmas”is easy to do and gives you the potential to save someone from a life of poverty and despair. In India there are thousands of children without-a-good-future and some even in slavery because no-one was there to help them! This is how you can help the children of India. The coins collected with the “Coins For Christmas” stockings will be used to build a High School in India to give Indian parents the opportunity to send their children to a Christian High School with no financial costs. This will also give children a way forward to University as, without a University education in India, they “most likely” will always be very poor. Most children have no hope of going to University but you can help them by loving them enough to distribute these stockings “Coins For Christmas”and encouraging your friends, your family, your church people, people at your workplace, or at school or University to take a stocking to get their friends to help too! Without embarrassment you can ask your friends, your family, your church, your business acquaintances, your neighbours, to either put coins in your stocking or for them to take a stocking themselves and get their friends to help fill it. You can request a quantity of the Christmas stocking and brochure to distribute at your church, your workplace, University and for High Schoolers to help too. Enclosed is a Reply Card for you to request “Coins For Christmas”stockings and brochures as pictured. You can order enough brochures and Christmas stockings to give one to everyone at church and work and to your friends. To get additional Christmas stockings and brochures, phone 02-95708211 or email ehc@everyhome.org.au or send the enclosed Reply Card. THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU Eric Leach, Executive Director
The 6-page brochure as pictured here can be sent to you too.
with a Christian emphasis
COINS FOR CHRISTMAS India - to build a High School for underprivileged children
We will send you as many Christmas stockings and brochures as pictured here that you can use for your friends, family, workplace and church!
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR CHILDREN Maybe for your EHC sponsored child in India, Bangladesh or Nepal you would like to send a Christmas gift. That would be a blessing to the child as this is possibly the only gift they will get this Christmas. It is best to send a gift of money and EHC will purchase a gift in the country where your child is sponsored as it is expensive to post gifts. TO DONATE, SEE ENCLOSED GIFT SLIP
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR EHC WORKERS & EVANGELISTS Many of God's servants overseas do not have enough money to buy Christmas presents for their families and we are honoured to help them have a "best-ever" family Christmas.
Maybe you sponsor an Every Home for Christ worker or evangelist or maybe you don't but would like to send a special gift to encourage one of God's servants.
NEPAL In 1960 it is estimated there were 25 believers in Nepal and today the number has risen to over 1 million with the projected increase doubling in the next 25 years.
The photo below is a group of Every Home for Christ workers training to do door-to-door gospel literature evangelism throughout Nepal. Please pray for them.
During the Christmas time (November - January) Nepal Every Home for Christ have planned to distribute a huge amount of gospel tracts, and these tracts are already being printed. Nepal Every Home for Christ reports that they have ordered to print 200,000 copies of these tracts and that they have already talked to other Christian leaders to help. Christmas season is the best time to present the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ because many Hindus consider that Christmas is a festival of Christians in Nepal and they respect Festivals of other groups of people. Because of this, there is less risk to present the Gospel. Please continue to pray to God that every team may be able to reach out to as many homes as possible during this Christmas season. Because of persecution from the government and other religions, some pastors and leaders are afraid to partner with Every Home for Christ in evangelism, but also many are willing to take the risk. Please continue to pray.
RUSSIA BANS CHRISTIAN EVANGELISM The State Duma building in Moscow
Russia has banned virtually all types of evangelism outside of a church or religious site ...The law which came into effect on July 20th prohibits evangelism anywhere outside a church or religious site - including private homes and online.Those in breach of it will be fined or imprisoned. Only 'named' memebers of religous organisations will be able to share their faith and even informal witnessing between individuals is forbidden. According to the New York Times, this ban includes 'preaching and praying' outside the boundaries of 'officially recognised' religious institutions.
All over the planet, the Christian faith is under assault. In the western world we may not have to face much violent persecution yet, but our faith is relentlessly mocked, ridiculed and demonised on television, in movies and on the Internet ... Just like much of the rest of the world, we are starting to discover that there is a great price to be paid for following Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "If they persecute me, they will persecute you also." ... They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me." John 15: 20-21
Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738 www.everyhome.org.au ehc@everyhome.org.au
NOVEMBER 2016 Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from Romans and I Corinthians. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading program these chapters are in brackets.
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CREATIVE ACESS Please pray for our workers who were recently imprisoned for sharing the Gospel in this closed nation. Pray that the Lord will minister to the hearts of the workers and their families, and that He will use this time of great trial to glorify His name. Romans 4 (Nehemiah 1-7)
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BULGARIA Pop. 7,200,000 Map 77. Our workers are talking with a pastor in the town of Kardzhali about possible opportunities for evangelism. Pray that, if it’s God’s will, the EHC vision of reaching every home will catch fire in this pastor’s heart and there would be a great outpouring of the Gospel. Romans 5 (Nehemiah 8-10)
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UNITED STATES Pop. 321,400,000 Map 176. Please pray for the newly launched Encounter Life initiative! This is our first campaign to return the United States to its God-loving roots. Pray that we will see a great revival and a nation set on fire for God once more! Romans 6 (Nehemiah 1-13) MOZAMBIQUE Pop. 25,300,000 Map 8. After the Manhacua village was struck by a serious drought, our workers sought to bring comfort and hope through the sharing of the Gospel. Please pray that the Lord would bring restoration both to the land of Manhacua and, most importantly, to its people’s souls. Romans 7 (Malachi 1-4) GHANA Pop. 26,300,000 Map 39. Please pray for our workers in Ghana to be encouraged as they continue with home-to-home outreaches. Pray that rejection will not be seen as defeat but rather as fuel for their passion to reach every last home with the Gospel. Romans 8 (Matthew 1-2) BELGIUM Pop. 10,300,000 Map 87. Our workers’ hearts are burdened to reach every home in the city of Brussels, where the harvest is plenty but the labourers are few! Pray that our workers will be able to form a collaboration with Brussels’ churches and ministries to accomplish this work. Romans 9 (Matthew 3:1 to 4:11) CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for our team in this nation, which will present the Gospel through a production called “The Light House.” Pray that God will bring people to this event whose hearts are open and receptive to the message of the Good News. Romans 10 (Matthew 4:12 to 7:29)
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WRITE YOUR PRAYER REQUEST
and send it to us in the enclosed envelope and we will pray for you.
PRAY FOR ISRAEL, ROMANS 11:28
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BURUNDI Pop. 10,700,000 Map 18. Every Home for Christ Burundi recently held a fiveday training camp on how to effectively share God’s love. Please pray for a blessing on all those who participated in this event, and that a great harvest of souls will be gathered in from their future outreaches. Romans 11 (Matthew 8:11 to 11:1) CROATIA Pop. 4,500,000 Map 69. On Croatia’s inhabited islands, there exists little to no church influence. Pray our workers will make breakthroughs in reaching these islanders with the Gospel and that they will have opportunities to create a lasting presence of God’s people through Christ Groups Romans 12 (Matthew 11:2 to 13:53) MEXICO Pop. 121,700,000 Map 178. Please pray for the fervent efforts of our workers in Mexico as they continue home-to-home outreaches. Pray that they will be anointed by the Holy Spirit and will work through His strength and speak His words as they witness. Romans 13 (Matthew 13:54 to 16:28)
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA Pop.6,700,000 Map 146. Our team in Papua New Guinea has recently been working in Enga Province, where they frequently experience tension among warring tribes. Pray that God will use our workers as light in the darkness and will bring a heavenly peace to the peoples of this land. Romans 14 (Matthew 17:1 to 19:2) ANGOLA Pop. 19,600,000 Map 13. Please pray for the volunteers who have pledged to work with our team in Angola doing home-to-home outreaches. Pray that there will be solidarity and unity of purpose among those participating so that they will be able to cover the whole of Huíla Province. Romans 15 (Matthew 19:3 to 23:29) CREATIVE ACCESS Praise God for Mr. and Mrs. S who recently accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour! Continue to lift them up in prayer as our team seeks to connect them with other believers for fellowship within this closed nation. Romans 16 (Matthew 24: 1 to 26:2) CAPE VERDE - Pop. 600,000 Map 43. PMs. D was suffering from painful ulcers in her left leg, so our team shared the Gospel with her and asked to pray for her. A week later, the team found out she was miraculously healed! Pray for God to use this miraculous healing as a testimony of His love and power. 1 Corinthians 1 (Matthew 26:3 to 27:66)
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MOLDOVA - Pop. 3,500,000 Map 102. Home-to-home outreaches recently took place in seven different villages throughout the former Soviet Republic of Moldova. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to the residents of these villages the truth of the Gospel, leading to repentance and discipleship. 1 Corinthians 2 (Matthew 28) CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for the protection of our workers in this closed nation who often face violent opposition while sharing the Gospel. Pray that, as they face these challenges, the Lord will endow them with a spirit of love and gentleness that will attest to the sacrificial love of Christ. 1 Corinthians 3 (Mark 1:1-13) ALBANIA Pop. 3,000,000 Map 75. Many opportunities for evangelism have opened up for our workers in Albania. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will guide them to the right projects and will go ahead of them to soften the hearts of those with whom they share the Good News of salvation. 1 Corinthians 4 (Mark 1:14 to 3:35) MYANMAR Pop. 56,300,000 Map 135. Praise God that even hard rains couldn’t stop our pioneer missionaries from reaching 15 remote villages they were called to. Pray that God will continue to show favour to these workers, and that many who have never heard the Gospel will experience the saving grace of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 5 (Mark 4-5) GUINEA BISSAU Pop. 1,700,000 Map 46. Please pray for the continued cooperation between our team and local church members in the capital city of Bissau. After a recent home-to-home outreach, more churches approached our workers asking how they, too, could help evangelize their city! . 1 Corinthians 6 (Mark 6:1 to 8:26) SLOVAKIA Pop. 5,400,000 Map 81. Our workers in Slovakia recently received an order of 70,000 pieces of gospel literature. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will place each and every piece of literature in the right hands, and that the message contained within will pierce even the hardest of hearts. 1 Corinthians 7 (Mark 8:27 to 10:31) CREATIVE ACCESS Pray for the minority group that our workers reached in this country. This group is blinded by a traditional religion that’s directly opposed to the Gospel. Pray that the literature our team gave each home will leave a lasting touch of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 8 (Mark 10:32 to 13:37) NAMIBIA Pop. 2,200,000 Map 11. Praise God for the 150 students and staff who gave their lives to Christ after a Jesus Film showing in a school! Continue to pray for these brothers and sisters as our team places them in fellowships that will guide them through the journey of discipleship. 1 Corinthians 9 (Mark 14-16)
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PHILIPPINES Pop. 101,000,000 Map 169. The Lord is gracious to provide for His children who call on His name! Please pray with our team in the Philippines for a continued provision of all means necessary to carry out effective evangelism in their nation. Acts 23 (Luke 1-2) LESOTHO Pop. 1,900,000 Map 2. Please pray for the efforts of our team in Lesotho, which is focused on uniting the different denominational church leaders. Pray that the wisdom and peace of the Lord will produce a solidified front for the advancement of the Kingdom. 1 Corinthians 10 (Luke 3:1 to 4:15) CREATIVE ACCESS BFAM training and prayer seminars were conducted in this closed nation with a total of 180 leaders participating in the events. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will refresh these labourers and that they would be sent into the harvest fields in a mighty way. 1 Corinthians 11 (Luke 4:16 to 6:49) ROMANIA Pop. 21,700,000 Map 78. Pray for boldness in our new church partners and volunteers who will be doing home-to-home outreach in Suceava, Romania. Pray that, as they evangelize, they will abide in the confidence of knowing that God has already overcome any obstacle they may face. 1 Corinthians 12 (Luke 7:1 to 9:50) RWANDA Pop. 12,700,000 Map 17. Praise God for our workers in Rwanda who walked for miles along flooddestroyed roads because they were determined that people should hear the Good News of salvation. Pray that their resolve to share the Gospel will be a living testament to those they came in contact with. 1 Corinthians 13 (Luke 9:51 to 12:59) EAST TIMOR Pop.1,200,000 Map 144. Please pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit over the peoples of East Timor. Pray that even before our workers head out on a home-tohome outreach, God will already be working to open the eyes and hearts of those they will share the Gospel with. 1 Corinthians 14 (Luke 13:1 to 18:30) MONTENEGRO Pop.600,000 Map 73. Our team in Montenegro recently organized a three-day outreach at a music festival. The team had an opportunity to pass out 20,000 gospel messages! Pray that those they reached will be touched by the Good News and will come into a relationship with God. 1 Corinthians 15 (Luke 18:31 to 21:38) CREATIVE ACCESS Please pray for the safety of Mr. T and his family who are travelling to a neighbouring country for an outreach opportunity. Pray that God’s hand will be over every aspect of their trip and that the Holy Spirit will work mightily through this family. 1 Corinthians 16 (Luke 22-23)
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