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News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
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Visit Brigada on WorldWide Web: http://www.xc.org/brigada
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In this issue….
* HUSSEIN: “I CLEAR MYSELF FROM ANY RELIGION THAT CONTRADICTS ISLAM”
* HOW ‘BOUT THIS NEW ROUND OF “FCC IS ABOUT TO TAX YOU” ANNOUNCEMENTS
* HUBCAPS
* SO I’M NO ENCYCLOPEDIA EXPERT!
* “DID YOU KNOW?” – FROM OUR UKRAINIAN CORRESPONDENT
* HEADED TO HONG KONG??? HERE’S A MISSIONARY WHO NEEDS YOU!
* EUROPEAN TRAVEL AGENT NEEDED
* GLOBAL GLIMPSE – “CHURCHES ARE BURNING AGAIN!”
* WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MISSIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS?
* HOW DO YOU CATCH SHINGLES?
* NOW – A CALLBACK SERVICE FROM GERMANY!
* WEBWATCH
* 30 DAYS OF PRAYER
* TO SUBSCRIBE TO BRIGADA TODAY
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HUSSEIN: “I CLEAR MYSELF FROM ANY RELIGION THAT CONTRADICTS ISLAM”
Sad but true. Remember Robert Hussein, the guy we were all praying for last summer? Well the follow-up story was released this past week, Jan. 31, by Reuter news agency. The article went this way: “A Kuwaiti convert to Christianity who had been declared an apostate by a Moslem Shi’ite court has reverted to Islam, a newspaper reported on Friday. ‘I clear myself from any religion that contradicts with Islam,’ al-Rai al-Aam [newspaper] quoted Robert Hussein as telling a Moslem cleric in Kuwait after declaring himself a Moslem again. A Kuwait Shi’ite court, ruling on a private civil suit brought against Hussein by three Islamist lawyers, declared Hussein an apostate last May 29 in the first such finding by a court in the conservative Gulf Arab state.
Hussein, who announced his conversion to a newspaper in 1995, went to the United States in August saying he feared for his life after a court ruling that he said could be interpreted by Moslems as permission to kill him. Public abandonment of Islam is rare in the Arab world. Hussein was not immediately available for comment. He married an American Christian missionary before returning to Kuwait earlier this month. The newspaper said Hussein’s wife wants to convert to Islam.”
Yikes gang. Something about this case doesn’t sit well, does it. Brian O’Connell BrianOConnell@xc.org agrees. He brought the above story to our attention and commented, “It is a sad and tragic situation and obviously Robert needs our prayers. My assumption is that we will hear more and perhaps have more to say (indeed, I know many of you will have some things to say). Because of that, I offer the conference religious-liberty@xc.org as a sounding board or forum to share lessons learned and other appropriate comments about this case. If need be, they will be edited and put into one message (or a few compilations) containing several different thoughts.” If you’re interested in joining Brian’s new conference, just send email to hub@xc.org with only this line of text in the message:
subscribe religious-liberty
Thanks Brian! Hope you can figure this one out! :-)
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HOW ‘BOUT THIS NEW ROUND OF “FCC IS ABOUT TO TAX YOU” ANNOUNCEMENTS
Has it hit your computer yet? It will. In fact, I’m predicting it’ll turn into one of those recirculating “viral infections” of the Internet. You get a note telling you that the FCC is about to tax your phone company for your Internet access . . . so, being the well-meaning Internet user you are, you relay it to two dozen of your friends, who each in turn send it to 30 of their friends – and the whole thing mushrooms like some terrible geometric Internet virus, [eventually] taking up megabytes and megabytes of bandwidth and storage space. How do we avoid these things? First, if you send out such a warning, make sure you give a corresponding web site where users can learn more and actually verify its validity. To get a list of some links to research this latest in FCC scares, check out: http://www.xc.org/brigada/internettax.htm
Those without access to the web can get a summary by sending email to hub@xc.org with only the following words in the text of the message:
get brigada internettax
Second, whenever you send out one of these warnings – if you do – please, please make sure you put an “end date” on it. For example, in this case, it looks like all “letters” to the FCC must be sent by Feb. 17th. But folks, my take on this is that no action is necessary – so I’d say just delete these chain letters and chalk it up hysteria. The momentum is against the alleged tax… no other input is needed. Am I wrong? Additional links? Please tell me.
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HUBCAPS
Next week we cross the “400 mark!” That’s 400 pages of Brigada Today editions, weekly since the 18th of Feb., 1995, with the official “opening” being March 21st, 1995. (We operated a test month prior to official opening.) That makes next week’s issue somewhat of an informal two-year birthday, with the real one coming up March 21st. Can we cross 5000 subscribers by March 21st??? It would take a massive marketing effort. Unfortunately, we have no marketing budget (Brigada is a free service that doesn’t take advertisements) so we would only be able to grow through word of mouth. If you have a friend who might like to subscribe, please send him or her a copy of this mailing and point out the subscribe instructions at the end. Thanks!
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SO I’M NO ENCYCLOPEDIA EXPERT!
[][] Thanks for the [many] clarifications about World Book vs. Britannica! (Is there a difference? Duh…. ) The offer was indeed for Britannica and not World Book… and I called the Britannica marketing office this past week just to verify and, sure enough, the special “$79” offer is officially “off.” Also, one Brigada participant contacted us to encourage us not to put massive pressure on the Britannica people to grant the price even when it had been discontinued. The marketing people I talked with made it clear that they wouldn’t feel any pressure… They pointed out that if they didn’t want to sell it for $79, they wouldn’t have. Either way – it’s all in the past – it’s water under the [una]bridge[d]! ^^^^
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“DID YOU KNOW?” – FROM OUR UKRAINIAN CORRESPONDENT
This week’s imponderable??? What’s the most common name in the world??? Mohammed. Hands down. What does that tell you about Muslim growth? :-)
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HEADED TO HONG KONG??? HERE’S A MISSIONARY WHO NEEDS YOU!
Ben Rees is a missionary sorely in need of help getting some Bible study books to Hong Kong. If you’re headed there anytime soon and could help, please write him directly at rees@hkstandard.com.
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EUROPEAN TRAVEL AGENT NEEDED
Once again, Brigada-travel-agents needs a bunch more European agents. If you know one, please tell them to send an email message to hub@xc.org with only this line in the message:
subscribe brigada-travel-bids
Travelers need not apply. Just mail your request for a quote to brigada-travel-bids@xc.org. They’ve been pretty busy lately, so don’t be surprised if it takes them a day or so to get back.
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GLOBAL GLIMPSE – “CHURCHES ARE BURNING AGAIN!”
“The riots are getting much closer to home. One school has been burned in Bandung so the military is guarding churches and Christian schools there. It is almost like martial law. The schools that have been burned have all been next to or connected to a church. The night is the most dangerous time so I have canceled our youth group for tonight. God is our strength and protector.”
(Source: Missionary in Indonesia, via “Speed the Need” 1/31/97 [an Internet prayer service.] SUBSCRIBING to STN is easy and free! Email to: mailserv@crf.cuis.edu message:
SUBSCRIBE STN
http://netnet.net/~dhatch/speed/index.html
Note: For more information persecution of Christians in Indonesia or elsewhere, check the Caleb Project web site.
(Global Glimpse is compiled each week by John Hanna, Caleb Project, Littleton, CO.)
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WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MISSIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS?
Here’s a Danish user (Why don’t we say “Denmarkian?” :-) ) who has to teach a workshop in Europe next month on mission and missionary work to unreached in 10/40 window, with reference to Acts. Can anyone clip an article or class or whatever and email it to him at kronborg@centrum.dk He’s promised to knit it together for all of us to “get” just as soon as he’s done. What can we send him??? Thanks in advance from Alfred!
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HOW DO YOU CATCH SHINGLES?
Here’s the recipe!!! Laurie was faithful to her task!!! If you’d like a great recipe for concrete roofing, send email to hub@xc.org with only the words,
get brigada roofing
in the text of the message. Thanks Laurie!
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NOW – A CALLBACK SERVICE FROM GERMANY!
If you’re based in Germany, don’t miss out on oliver.storz@d.om.org and TelePassport USA. Call the USA from Germany for just 39 cents/min.
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WEBWATCH
Remember a while back when someone asked for a resource to pray for world leaders??? Well – a Brigada participant rallied to the cause! Check out http://www.churches.com/world/Missions/worldpray/ ! It’s the WORLD LEADERS PRAYER PROGRAM, a prayer calendar with up-dated/current world leaders, names taken from: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/chiefs-toc-view.html . First class stuff! Roger E. Doriot of UFM Int’l/SIL is going to keep it up, too! Thanks Roger!
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30 DAYS OF PRAYER
Hope you didn’t miss this item from the 30 days of prayer list – check it out:
A young women was roughly dragged to the basement of her house by her two elder brothers. Pushed to the wall, the older brother held a loaded gun to her mouth and whispered, “Deny Jesus and you will live, return to Islam and you shall not die.” Frightened, the woman looked from one brother to the next. She knew that as a new believer she had brought great shame to her family. According to the religious custom, her brothers had been given the task and the authority to kill her.
Months earlier her family had disowned her and forced her to leave her home. Then suddenly, her family invited her back. They showered her with gifts and hospitality. The whole family, including her father, seemed to have forgiven her for her betrayal of Islam.
Then late one evening, her father came to speak with her. “If you love me and your family, you must leave your craziness and return to Islam. You must stop reading your Bible, and you must deny Jesus. If not, you leave me no choice. You must decide now.”
Now she stood before her brothers. “You cannot kill me,” she said softly, “Jesus has taken my sin and has promised that I will live forever. He has prepared a place for me in heaven. You will not kill me, for I now have eternal life.” Her brothers shook with anger. The oldest brother squeezed the trigger of the gun. Nothing happened. Again he fired. Six times he tried to fire the gun but nothing happened. Enraged they grabbed her and took her to the front gate of the house. “Leave now, and never return here again. You are dead to us!”
Several years later, both her brothers and several members of her family found faith in the Lord Jesus.
PRAY:
* There are many brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world who have faced similar circumstances of rejection, exile, torture, persecution and death because of their unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus. Let us stand with them today in prayer and support. James 1:12
* Pray for the grace to endure under trials and the love to forgive those at whose hands they have suffered. 1 Thess. 1:2-5
* Pray that there will be greater breakthroughs in the Muslim world as a result of the witness and testimony of Muslim converts. 2 Corinthians 5:14-20
www.ywam.org/prayer/30days.html This is an excerpt from the original 30-Days Muslim Prayer Focus booklet.
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BRIGADA TODAY IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE FOLLOWING TEAM OF REGULAR VOLUNTEERS:
*Global Glimpses: John Hanna, Caleb Project, jhanna@cproject.com
*ADVANCE: Mark A. Kelley, Kainos Press, 70420.1057@compuserve.com
*Brigada Website: Bob Mayhew, Brigada Volunteer, mayhew@xc.org
*Technical Development: Jonathan Marsden, MAFxc jonathan@xc.org
*Brigada Customer Service Manager: Revis Ann Massey, RevisAnnMassey@xc.org
*Brigada Coordinator: Doug Lucas, Team Expansion & Brigada, DLucas@TeamExpansion.org
*and many other occasional contributors too numerous to mention!
But thanks for working together! That’s the dream of Brigada!
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