| JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-484 * 3 SEPTEMBER 2004 * WWW.JOELNEWS.ORG IN THIS EDITION: JN484-1. TYPICALLY GOD: 9/11 survivor becomes international evangelist JN484-2. PRAYER FOCUS: Children as intercessors JN484-3. NEWS: DAWN and Jesus Film envision 12 million new churches JN484-4. WEBLOG: Reformation and new churches in Europe JN484-5. RESOURCE: The fragrance of justice JN484-6. RESOURCE: The power of stories --- DONATION - Help us serve the Christian community with high-quality news reports about what God is doing worldwide. Check out the options at http://www.joelnews.org/donation.htm. --- JN484-1. TYPICALLY GOD: 9/11 survivor becomes international evangelist "A survivor's testimony from the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center disaster has catapulted him into an evangelistic ministry that he claims has resulted in more than 30,000 decisions for Christ," writes Charisma News Service. Calcutta-born 29-year-old Sujo John thought he would die when a plane crashed into the North tower two floors above him. He shouted "Jesus!" and called out to those around him, telling them to call on Jesus as their saviour. "All around me, I heard people calling out 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!', then the building collapsed with a deafening noise," he recalls. Others died under the falling debris, but he managed to escape. The following day, he wrote an e-mail to around 20 of his friends and family, telling them that he and his wife Mary, who worked in the South tower, had survived, commenting on how fragile life is. They forwarded his e-mail to others, and they did the same. His e-mail finally reached thousands of people all around the nation. Many of them called John, and some gave their lives to Christ on the telephone. The media caught on to the story, and bombarded him with interview requests. Following his TV appearances, hundreds of people called him, wanting to be saved. "Sujo speaks about the ultimate truths in life in a very profound yet simple way," says Cheryl Wilcox of the Christian programme 'The 700 Club'. He was receiving speaking requests from all over the nation, so he worked Mondays to Fridays, and travelled to preaching engagements on the weekends. In April 2004, he could no longer cope with the double load, so resigned from his job and became a full-time evangelist. He says that a missionary prophesied over him while a teenager in Calcutta, telling him "God has a plan for your life. He will one day use you to reach millions of people all over the world." Sujo has seen that prophecy fulfilled; he has visited over 270 cities in the USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Norway and India. LINK: http://www.sujojohn.com --- JN484-2. PRAYER FOCUS: Children as intercessors September 6-9th an international Prayer and Children Consultation will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, to track the impact of children praying for their communities to see what the church can learn about the potential of children as intercessors. The organisers’ conviction is that they may become the mightiest prayer warriors on earth based on what the Bible says in Psalm 8:2 and Luke 10:18-21. Pray for unity and anointing on this key event. Source: International Prayer Council --- JN484-3. NEWS: DAWN and Jesus Film envision 12 million new churches The Jesus Film project of Campus Crusade for Christ has recently signed an agreement with Dawn Ministries to join forces in a project for the discipling of nations. By entering this cooperative effort, Paul Eschleman, director of the Jesus Film project, envisions another 12 million new churches will be planted around the world. "This is an exciting and significant development between our ministries," says Steve Steele in the latest DAWN Report. "We will be making an effort to link Jesus Film national directors with teams of church planters in many nations and events such as congresses and seminars where church planting goals are pursued." Well before signing the agreement, a pilot project in India determined that the Jesus Film showings could be linked with church planting networks. "Through this we were able to document significant results in terms of viewers not only making decisions for Christ, but actually being incorporated into new congregations," says Steele. "About 10,000 churches were planted in a 16-month period. Retention of the harvest was much greater when those who just heard the gospel also had a place to go where they could be discipled." Source: DAWN Report --- JN484-4. WEBLOG: Reformation and new churches in Europe Joel News publisher Marc van der Woude keeps a weblog in which he reflects on God, the Church and daily life. This week he reports in-depth on the Connect Europe gathering in Geneva, that brought together 50 young leaders from 7 nations to pray and talk about the emerging generation in Europe and the need for a new church reformation. He also visited the Greenbelt Arts Festival in the UK where leaders from emerging churches gathered for a global roundtable, and 17,000 Christians celebrated Christ in a myriad of new expressions. LINK: http://marcsmessages.typepad.com/mm/2004/08/index.html --- JN484-5. RESOURCE: The fragrance of justice Cutting Edge, Vineyard's magazine for church planters, published a special edition on poverty and social justice in the church. Inspiring interviews with Jim Wallis, John Wimber, David Ruis, Tim Cole, Kim Montroll, and Doug Roe. Jim Wallis asks: "Will we be Christians willing to stand up against the things in our culture that are contrary to the Kingdom, or will we be simply obedient consumers and obedient citizens? The litmus test the Old Testament prophets used for a country’s righteousness was not its Gross National Product or its military fire-power, but how that country treated the poor and most vulnerable. The word justice and oppression is throughout the Bible. Karl Marx didn’t make up that word. Read Amos, Isaiah or Jeremiah. There is oppression in this world, unfairness. There is hard-ness of heart, structures and policies and attitudes that are unjust. The Biblical cry challenges them all the time. It is Biblical, part of that prophetic tradition, to speak the language of justice." LINK: http://makeashorterlink.com/?N65F211A6 --- JN484-6. RESOURCE: The power of stories Telling stories has been an effective missionary tool in oral cultures, but is also key in reaching post-moderns with the gospel. The Southern Baptists' International Mission Board sees immense potential in Chronological Bible Storying. Dawn Ministries found that stories create bridges for multiplying churches. They published a special DAWN Report on story telling and it's role in world evangelization. LINK: http://www.dawnministries.org/resources/dawn_report/issue52/index.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. You can contact the editorial office at joel-news@xs4all.nl. Joel News International is distributed weekly by e-mail on the basis of an annual donation. 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