Guinea Bissau: outreach
The Guinea Bissau Free Methodist work is led by Pastor Rito Mande. He first connected with Free Methodists after a mission trip by Cindi Angelo, a Brazilian missionary who speaks Portuguese (Guinea Bissau has historical and linguistic connections with Portugal). Cindi discovered Rito was a devoted follower of Christ and encouraged him in his faith. In 2015 Rito started leading an outreach to children, but it soon became a church for the whole family. Three other fellowships all started following the same pattern, and are now a part of the work. Nine leaders, young adults, help with these fellowships. Of the country’s 1,704,000 people, only 1.6% are evangelical Christians. The Joshua Project reports that 68.3% of the population are unreached. Their primary religions are either ethnic religions or Islam.
USA: youth suicides and Netflix series
‘13 Reasons Why’ is one of the most talked-about shows on Netflix. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, is urging Christian parents of teens and church youth ministry leaders to engage in online conversations which explore the questions raised by the series, which follows the story of Hannah who takes her own life after a series of traumatic experiences. Moore said that while he wouldn't want his own children watching it, he believes the controversy surrounding the show might bring some grace-filled moments. ‘If the series shows anything, it is that there are multiple reasons behind the darkness leading to suicide. Maybe this controversy will prompt friends, parents and youth ministers to talk about suicide and give signals to those in trouble that they are not alone and won't be judged if they come forward and seek help.’ For the scale of youth suicides in the USA go to:
Algeria: the cry from a first-generation church
Algeria’s population is 40.3 million - 99% Muslim, 1% Christian. Literacy: 87% men, 73% women. The country was home to St Augustine, one of the Church’s foremost theologians (354-430). Christianity flourished between the fifth and seventh centuries but disappeared after Arab invasions. Since independence in 1962, an entirely local church has been born among the Berber people. Its astonishing growth in the last few decades is thought to be the fastest in the Arab world, with several thousand new believers baptised every year. Church growth is exciting and challenging. In this ‘first-generation Church’ there is a great need for discipleship, strong biblical teaching and encouragement for believers to live out their new-found faith every day. Such a radical change in their worldview means that new Christians are often left with questions and face many challenges. SAT-7 broadcasts across the airwaves, and is responding to this need with a range of programmes to encourage and disciple Algerian believers.
USA: pornography in the Church
In the USA, 68% of men in church regularly view porn. New research has now revealed that ‘of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively actively seek out pornography’. These latest statistics show that the Church has a dirty secret. Chances are that on any given Sunday morning, either the person sitting to your left or to your right will be struggling with pornography. Never before has such a large portion of the Church lived in contradiction of what we believe. Jesus didn’t mince words when he said, ‘But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’ At that point in time, adultery was punishable by death! If we don’t confront the issue of pornography, the church is going to continue dying from the inside.
