| JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-475 * 7 MAY 2004 * WWW.JOELNEWS.ORG IN THIS EDITION: JN475-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Ask and you will find JN475-2. PRAYER FOCUS: God's work among Native Americans JN475-3. NEWS: Churches growing in Rwanda since 1994 genocide JN475-4. TREND: Number of unchurched adults in America doubled JN475-5. RESOURCE: What is Peter Wagner doing in Spain? JN475-6. WEBLOG: No labels, please! --- JN475-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Ask and you will find "One day, I noticed that I had lost my golden bracelet," writes Beate Bolliger from Switzerland. "It was given to me at the time of my daughter's birth, and it was worth a fortune. I looked everywhere, posted advertisements, everything. Eventually, I gave up the search and prayed 'Lord, you alone know where my bracelet is, and I know that if you want me to have it again, you can return it or show me where I can find it.' On the way to the shops, I came upon a snack stand. I wasn't hungry, but to my own surprise, joined the queue. I discovered that the woman selling food had my bracelet on her wrist! I could hardly believe it. She told me 'I hung a notice in the window for a long time, but nobody ever came to claim it.' I had my bracelet back! I bought the woman a box of chocolates, and felt that the Lord had shown me how much he cares for us, even taking care of 'unimportant' things." Source: Friday Fax --- JN475-2. PRAYER FOCUS: God's work among Native Americans "There is a growing movement of God all across North America among the Native People of the land," reports Debbie Kneeshaw from Kamloops, BC, in Canada. "The Lord has been raising up native (Christian) leaders, musicians, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, whose voices are beginning to be heard worldwide. Credible prophetic people are saying that the First Nations people, as the original gatekeepers and stewards of the land, hold keys that could lead to reconciliation, healing, revival, and great blessing throughout their nations. Native people have much to offer the Body of Christ, with a rich heritage and spiritual insight that goes back thousands of years." Let's pray that Native believers hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying today and will follow God faithfully as He leads this somewhat controversial new movement. There are many social problems and issues facing Native Americans. Pray for them to recognize their place within the Body of Christ and that they will learn to value their many differences and commit to walk in love and respect. Pray that they will be equipped and ready to fulfill their proper role in the Kingdom. Pray that the majority Church will hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying in these last days regarding the First Nations people, and related issues; that they will be willing to respond in love and obedience as Creator's plan unfolds. LINK: http://www3.telus.net/creatorscircle/ --- JN475-3. NEWS: Churches growing in Rwanda since 1994 genocide Last month the world was commemorating 10 years since the genocide in Rwanda. The tribalism pitted Hutus against Tutsis. The result? About one million people were killed and scores fled this small African nation. However, the Baptist World Alliance has played an important part in the healing process. As a result great things are happening, reports Wendy Ryan. "Among both groups the church is growing. And, it is growing because the genocide brought people to the need for a much more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and the change that Christ brings." Many Rwandans are turning to Christ. Ryan says that's causing another problem. "There's so much growth now that they do not have enough theologically trained leaders." LINK: http://mnn.gospelcom.net/article/5920 --- JN475-4. TREND: Number of unchurched adults in America doubled Since 1991, the adult population in the United States has grown by 15%. During that same period the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 million, a 92% increase. These startling statistics come from the most recent tracking study of religious behavior conducted by The Barna Group, a company that follows trends related to faith, culture and leadership in America. The study shows that the church has difficulty to connect with four social groups: men, young people, singles and urban people. One of the more surprising outcomes is that while about half of the churched population has accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, one out of every six unchurched adults (17%) has done so as well. If this last group was connected to a church, the resulting increase would be nearly 13 million new people - more than have joined the nation's churches in the past decade combined. Barna noted that to unchurched people embracing church life is "both counter-cultural and counter-intuitive." Reaching out to unchurched people is difficult for born again Christians because the two groups have such different viewpoints and lifestyles. Addressing the reticence of the unchurched takes more than prayer and hard work: it requires a lot of deep reflection to see the world and the local church from a completely different angle. Barna noted that the millions of young unchurched have no understanding of or interest in a church, even if it is "contemporary" in style. "Millions of young adults are more interested in truth, authenticity, experiences, relationships and spirituality than they are in laws, traditions, events, disciplines, institutions and religion. It will take radically new settings and experiences to effectively introduce unchurched individuals to biblical principles and practices." LINK: http://makeashorterlink.com/?A2DE52D38 --- JN475-5. RESOURCE: What is Peter Wagner doing in Spain? Global Harvest Ministries' C. Peter Wagner will convene a concert of praise in Santiago de Compostella, Spain, on 14 August 2004. On that day, "thousands of intercessors, prophets, pastors, and apostles from nations throughout the world will gather together in the huge plaza facing the magnificent thousand-year-old Cathedral of Santiago to exalt Jesus in worship and prayer for two hours. From there, prayer journey teams will move into strategic prayer sites in Spain, other nations of Southern Europe, and elsewhere in the 40/70 Window." The effort is part of Wagner's prayer campaign against the influence of the Queen of Heaven in Europe. In this article he explains why in his view Santiago is a strategic place. LINK: http://www.globalharvestministries.org/index.asp?action=concert --- JN475-6. WEBLOG: No labels, please! Joel News publisher Marc van der Woude keeps a weblog in which he reflects on God, the Church and daily life. This week he fervently pleads against church and ministry labels, the imperialism and market control that often come with it, and denominationalism. "I believe it's time to model something new (or actually ancient): there's only one Church in Jesus Christ, and we simply don't have the right to invent 'church membership' as a way to decide who is in and who is out... It's a form of spiritual racism. Paul speaks of being 'in Christ' as the only criterium that matters." LINK: http://marcsmessages.typepad.com/mm/2004/04/no_labels_pleas.html --- COLOPHON Joel News International is a leading special interest bulletin on prayer, church growth and revival. We offer a keen selection of the most encouraging news reports, the most challenging developments and the best resources from over 100 reliable sources in six continents. Joel News International is a great help and time-saver for thousands of Christian leaders and intercessors in over 120 nations. Editor: Marc van der Woude. 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