January 2012 - Sharing our Faith
Christmas is a time of the year when it is very natural for our Muslim friends to be curious about the reason Christians celebrate this season. In our Field locations our workers took every opportunity to share the Christmas story of Christ's birth in Bethlehem. This ranged from simply sharing these things over a meal with neighbours, answering questions from students in an English language class, right through to putting on a nativity play in a church that we had previously planted. Many Muslims who had never before attended a Christian church gathering came along and heard the gospel for the first time. Please do pray for these men and women - that the seeds planted would bear much fruit.
December 2011 - Famine in Mali, West Africa
Mission workers in northwest Mali are alerting us of a famine in the region – the crops failed really badly this year. Already personnel are being approached for help on a personal basis. Meanwhile the different mission agencies in the area are organising a coordinated approach, ensuring food relief is distributed fairly and where needed using their unique local knowledge and Malian contacts. Could you pray for this situation? If you would like to donate towards famine relief please send UK cheques to ReachAcross, PO Box 304, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 9EL or contact us through our website: Contact us. Alternatively donate online at http://us.reachacross.net/ selecting 'Apply my gift to: Special' and quoting 'Mali Famine' in the additional Comments box.
November 2011 - Hajj
Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam is the religious obligation of every Muslim to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. This year, the timing for Hajj (set according to the lunar-based Islamic calendar) is 4-9 November. Approximately two million Muslims from all over the world will converge on Mecca as they travel to the birthplace of their religion. From the UK roughly 25,000 are expected to make the journey. Muslims believe that by making this pilgrimage their sins will be forgiven. More information about Hajj and how Christians can pray for this season is available as a pdf here.
October 2011 - Soninke Day of Prayer
Each year the mission workers among the Soninke set aside the first Sunday in October as a day of Prayer and Fasting, this year this falls on the 2nd. Although there are approximately 1.5 million Soninke people, there is thought to be only 100 believers among them. ReachAcross is engaged in literacy, audio Scripture portion distribution, Bible translation and discipleship. The Soninke do not have the entire Bible yet, though work is continuing to this end. Firmly under Islam’s powerful grip for nearly a thousand years, the Soninke are slow in responding to the gospel, fruit can take many years to form. However, the interest in Christian Soninke tracts and audio resources has risen recently and these are becoming much sought after.
September 2011 - Conference Update
The ReachAcross Annual Conference is being held on 14-16 October in Hertfordshire and has the theme "Understanding Islam and Loving Muslims". This is an excellent opportunity for fellowship and encouragement and a unique way to catch up with what is happening across the Fields. Please consider joining us if you have a heart for mission among Muslims or would simply like to know more about Islam and reaching Muslims. Please contact the office for further details and a booking form.
August 2011 - Up Close and Personal - Medical Mission in Rural South Asia
"I thought I would just let you know how we are doing, and how our last few days in South Asia went. We had a fantastic time at the hospital: it couldn't have been better for me on the medical front and it was great to see medical mission in practice. It was a real privilege to be able to pray with patients and read the Bible with others - despite the language barrier. Everyone was very friendly and made us feel part of the team...we would love to go back some time..." So wrote a medical student on his return from a short term assignment. When are you planning to start your life-changing experience?
July 2011 - Out and About
ReachAcross are exhibiting at several events over the summer, please come and say hello as we are always encouraged by a friendly visitor to our stand! 16-22 July we will be at the Earthworks mission zone of the Keswick Convention (week 1 only). Then on 8-13 August we will be at the Aberystwyth Conference, and during 5-9 September We will be at the UCCF Forum event at the Quinta, Oswestry.
June 2011 - Providing Water in the Hottest Country on Earth
In one East African country, only 170mm of rain falls annually making it a real challenge to grow or obtain crops or vegetables. One ReachAcross project is providing a solution in the form of irrigation pumps. The pedal pumps and hand pumps are enabling Africans to grow vegetables for themselves and for selling at local markets. The ripple of benefit is widened still further as the more crops are made available at the market, the lower the prices will become, meaning that the poorest of the poor can afford more. Pray for the practical sustainability of this project that relies on mechanical parts to keep working, for the training in use and repair to be sufficient, and for reliable supplies of spare parts.
May 2011 - Reaching Urdu Muslims
The website openbookministries.org has gone live, after many weeks of intensive work by a ReachAcross worker in South Asia. This same worker has spent the preceding months producing a series of engaging evangelistic booklets, written in both English and Urdu, that address common concerns that Muslims have, such as how one can be assured of going to heaven, or the truth surrounding Jesus' death, etc. The website now makes these available for downloading or ordering. Pray that God will use these booklets to set many Muslims onto the path to true freedom.
April 2011 - Message for Muslims
Understanding the basics of Islam is important for building relationships and engaging in intelligent conversations. A ReachAcross worker in the Midlands has been involved with the informative website message4muslims.org.uk and is encouraged by the number of hits the site receives. This online resource is great for Christians who want to get to grips with what Muslims believe and how they view some aspects of the Christian faith. Pray that this website will be increasingly used as a tool to understand, communicate and reach Muslims with the true message of Christ's redemptive love.
March 2011 - Picture Power
Pictures are ideal for getting the gospel message across in an interesting and engaging way, especially in places where literacy levels are very low. In East Africa an exciting project has just reached completion, and has seen 26 different Bible picture booklets printed and delivered, ready for distribution. Pray for wisdom as these are given out. Pray that those who receive these will find much they want to explore further.
February 2011 - The Privilege of Passing On the Baton
One of our ReachAcross projects in East Africa has been successfully handed over to Christian nationals to run: Until now the project had been run by ReachAcross workers. What a joy to witness how the Lord has been working in the hearts of the locals! Pray for these men as they take on the dual responsibilites of running a business and being Christ's witnesses to their community.
January 2011 - Destination: West Africa via France...
New Year's Day was truly the start of a new life for one young couple from Surrey as they woke up in France for the first time at the beginning of their preparation for long term service in West Africa. They will spend a year in France learning French, and starting outreach among local Muslims. Next year, they will be a part of the team in West Africa. Please pray for these two as they study, start making contacts and seek His will for their future ministry.