Haiti Outreach Update - Monday January 28th

Dear praying friends,

I just received an update from Suzi Warren:

Dear John and EE Friends,

Don called on the sat. phone last night, then the line went dead after a too short conversation, but still it was good to hear his voice . We hadn't spoken for several day. He said he has been visiting many churches and camps which he says are everywhere. Some people are living in tents, many are under tarps, others are just staying out in the open. He said some areas look like they had been hit with a nuclear bomb. He is distributing the high quality water filters that can do 500 gallons a day. He is trying to get as many as he can into the hands of churches and church members-who now may be residing in the IDP camps. This effort is being coordinated through the large network of EE churches. So these people are getting not only the critical water they need, but the Living Water of the Gospel.

Don says the stench of rotting bodies is overwhelming in these devasted areas-which must be very bad since he can't smell very well with his allergies.

Praise God for His sovereingty that so many Haitians have been trained and equipped to share the Good News with their family, friends, and neighbor-FOR JUST SUCH A TIME AS THIS.
In Him,

Suzy

for

Donald J. Warren

Thank you for continuing to pray and give. I know it is making a difference. I really don't know of a better example of Christ's Church being the Church!

Yours in His service,

John

Friday, January 22

Dear praying friends,

Here is an update from Suzy Warren:

Hi John,

Just wanted you to know I spoke to Don EARLY this morning. He was getting ready to board the small plane into Haiti. He had made contact with Pastor Banes and Jenny. They all are planning on being in Jacmel. Will keep you posted as I hear more.

In His service,

Suzy for the Warrens

Let's keep praying!

Yours in His service,

John

Interview with Don Warren

Dear praying friends,

I've just had the opportunity to record an interview with Don Warren as he is heading to the airport to fly to Haiti. In this interview he talks about what he hope to accomplish and how you can help to pray for the work there.

You can find the interview HERE.

During the interview, Don refers to the water filter that we are aiming to provide to each EE church in Haiti in the coming weeks. You can check out their website at: http://www.sawyerpointonefilters.com/pointone-filter.php

May the Lord bless you!

John

Link to Vision Haiti slides

Dear praying friends,

Here is the link to Pierre's vision for reaching 1,000,000 children with the Gospel in Haiti. Obviously, the recent earthquake has altered these plans slightly, but the heart of the plan remains intact. I know you'll be blessed.

Link to slides

God bless,

jbs

Haiti Update - Tuesday, January 19

Dear praying friends,

Here is today's update from Devon Linton, our Director for the Caribbean:

"At least two of the 500 adults trained in Kids' EE this past summer have lost family members (confirmed by Jenny Tryhane).

Pierre reports (through Don Warren) that the first batch of materials have been completed and that Pierre plans to deliver these to Jenny soon.

Pierre has immediate plans to ascertain the status of his EE family that are spread all over even as he is receiving reports of widespread damage outside of PAP.

The plan to feed the children is still coming together but the food items have still not arrived at the orphanages that Jenny and Pierre are involved with. For the most part the orphanages remain in very good condition. Food is being stored at the airport and heavily guarded as the authorities coordinate the distribution of same.

That’s it for today team. I will have pictures soon. I am doing my best to have conversation with Pierre through our EE assistant chair for Jamaica who is in Haiti as we speak with a medical team from the government of Jamacia.

Devon"

Please continue to pray that the Lord will provide the resources for food and transportation. The need is certainly great but our God is Greater still!

I will put a link up today to reach the pictures detailing Pierre's plan for reaching the children of Haiti with the Gospel.

Yours in His service,

John

Haiti Outreach Update - Monday January 18th

Dear praying friends,

Just a quick update from Haiti.

Here is a note from Jenny:

"I spoke to Pastor Banes a few days ago and he is well, no damage to the mission house and school. He will be joining me in Port au Prince soon to help with food distibution and spreading the Good News through Kids EE. We urgently need help from EE as we are planning to distribute food and use EE as an evangelism tool to bring the message to the children as they eat physically."

And a follow-up from yesterday:

"Spoke to Pastor Banes last night ... he was on the mountain praying all day... he has started the printing of the materials for the outreach. Praise God! Thanks for all your help."

Don Warren is preparing to travel to Haiti on Thursday to assist with the distribution. It will not be an easy trip. Please pray for his arrangements and the Lord's blessing over his travel.

And please continue to join the staff in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic as they fight discouragement and fear and continue to do the work of the Lord in Haiti at this urgent hour.

May the Lord bless you as you do.

John

Haiti Update - Saturday, January 16

Dear praying friends,

Thank you for your prayers for the people of Haiti. Please pray for God's direction regarding EE's response. Some critical decisions need to be made in the next 24-hours.

Thank you for your gifts. So far, you've given nearly $2,000 toward the $25,000 goal. God bless you!

I just received this update from Devon Linton, EE's Director for our Caribbean ministries (he received it from Bishop Seale):

As we continue to pray for Haïti here are some developments that we should keep before the Lord as we intercede:

• People are leaving Port-au-Prince and moving into the cities and villages all across the country. This is putting significant pressure on communities. Terry Snow, Director of the YWAM base in St. Marc reports that churches there are now being used as shelters for persons from Port-au-Prince and food is becoming scarce. Terry reports: “One of the largest wholesalers in St. Marc has empty depots tonight with no word on when he might be able to get more bulk food! … Fuel is gone, vehicles are being parked! We have to have fuel if we are going to survive, much less help the victims!”
• Terry is working with authorities in St. Marc to open the harbour there. Three small vessels are being assembled to move containers from Florida to St. Marc.
• Word has come of another possible entry point at Gonaives which has a large harbor. This is quite a drive from Port-au-Prince but is an entry point.
• First responders are experiencing exhaustion and depression. You can even see it in the faces of the news reporters as some shed tears as they try to report on the situation. We urgently need to keep the responders in prayer asking God to strengthen them physically, psychologically, emotionally and above all spiritually.
• This tragedy can give Haïti a new opportunity to build and transform this nation. Please intercede for those who will be planning reconstruction as a nation now needs to be built – governmental structures, schools, hospitals, churches, homes, roads, telephone and electrical delivery systems, sewage disposal, water distribution, etc. Pray that God would over rule and bless this nation significantly in the building phase. In disasters we need to move as quickly as possible from relief to reconstruction and engage the people in building their nation. The faster this transition from relief to reconstruction can be made the quicker the spirit of the people will rise in victory.

Please feel free to pass this on to your friends and email contacts as we seek to increase the intercession and awareness of the situation. Please don’t forward it after January 17, 2010.

Bishop Gerald A. Seale, DD,

General Secretary and CEO,

Evangelical Association of the Caribbean

Thank you for your continued prayers at this critical time. I'm going to post Pierre's vision on this site later today.

Yours in His service,

John

Haiti Outreach

Dear partner in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,

We've all seen the photographs or watched the news videos of the devastation (now turning to desperation) following the recent earthquake in Haiti. The Red Cross is estimating that 45,000 to 50,000 people were killed in Tuesday's cataclysmic earthquake. Beyond the physical suffering there is a spiritual suffering that we see in the eyes of Haitians including many children.

Evangelism Explosion has a significant ministry in Haiti, under the direction of Pastor Pierre Banes Lauroure, EE's Director for Haiti, that has developed many key EE churches, and partnerships with other key ministries, aimed at a holistic approach to offering both physical and spiritual assistance.

Rev. Pierre Banes Lauroure, EE Director for Haiti

Even before this earthquake, Pierre had an multi-point vision to reach the children of Haiti with the Gospel:

• Develop a Haitian Creole Kids’ EE website
• Create Creole Kids’ EE teaching material to assist the local ministry
• Develop a Haitian Creole DVD training video as part of the teacher training pack
• Establish 11 Kids’ EE Teacher Training Summer Camps
• Create and reproduce black and white versions of the Haitian Creole Farley Cards for the children to color
• Partner with HaitiOne to feed 300,000 children physically and spiritually
• Train and supply the teachers with the new materials required to implement the program within their churches or schools

Obviously, the earthquake changes the priorities of some of these events and the addition of a few. In the next few weeks we will focus on:

• Partnering with HaitiOne to feed 300,000 children physically and spiritually (http://www.unitedcaribbean.com/haitione.html)
• Create and reproduce black and white versions of the Haitian Creole Farley Cards for the children to color
• Providing materials for outreach teams
• Offering training to workers with other organizations who want to share the Good News

Dr. Ken Silva, EE's Vice President for North America (which includes Haiti) recently wrote,"Thank you for your concern and prayers as we seek God's wisdom in response to the earthquake disaster in Haiti. Please pray with us that EE Haiti's Director, Pierre Banes Lauroure, and all our EE family there are safe and find the immediate help they need. Pray also for their strength as we know they will be offering physical and spiritual care to all those in need around them. Our desire as a ministry is to partner with the relief effort by coming along side Haitians to share the love of Christ through the Gospel. Our Caribbean leadership has set up a project to provide help for any of Pierre's needs and for the needs of those working with him, assistance for churches involved in EE ministry, materials needed for witness, and help for staff and teams to travel to areas where assistance can be provided. Please continue to pray with us that God will use this devastating situation to bring many of the hurting to Christ and glory to Himself."

Evangelism Explosion is now raising gifts from concerned Christians like you to:

-Print outreach Materials- like Kids' EE Farley Cards and Gospel Tracts ($5,000)
-Offer assistance with the travel costs for Caribbean Staff who will help with the outreach events ($7,000)
-Provide help with Children’s Feeding Station Outreaches ($8,000)

-Offer training and materials to any ministry workers (with any ministry) who wants to witness for Jesus ($5,000)

GOAL: $25,000. Any funds raised beyond this initial need will continue to provide assistance to our Caribbean ministry with future outreach events in Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean.

If you would like to be part of this outreach event, please go to http://www.eeinternational.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=96399 and donate whatever you can. If you can encourage your church or Sunday School class to be part of this, even if just through prayer, that would be a big help. We will have daily updates from our Director for the Caribbean, Rev. Devon Linton, at http://blog.eeworks.org/.

Thank you for your prayers and gifts at this critical time. May the Lord continue to be with you in these difficult days.

Yours in His service,

John

Rev. John B. Sorensen

President

Evangelism Explosion International

www.eeworks.org

EE is a Charter Member of the ECFA (http://www.ecfa.org)

“Allah” word cases before the KL High Courts - A call to prayer

Hi all,

This is a reprint from the blog of EE Malaysia. Please add these court dates to your prayer list! This is a critical issue for us regarding ministry within Malaysia and beyond.

God bless,

JBS

CHRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA

(PERSEKUTUAN KRISTIAN MALAYSIA)

Address: 10, Jalan 11/9, Section 11, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Telephone: (03) 7957 1278, (03) 7957 146, Fax: (03) 7957 1457

Email: cfmsia@yahoo.co.uk

30^th November 2009

Dear Bishops and Heads of Churches in Malaysia,

Re: “Allah” word cases before the KL High Courts - A call to prayer

Warmest Christian greetings to you in this Advent season as we herald the coming of our Lord and Saviour and celebrate Christmas.

May we request that a season of prayer and fasting be called for in your churches as two “Allah” word cases come before the High Courts in Kuala Lumpur this month. Please disseminate to your churches our request for prayer and fasting as we mobilise all Christians for a time of prayer.

The first hearing on 2 Dec (Wed) 2009 at 2.30pm is before Judge Datuk Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin at the Appellate and Special Powers Court 3, KL High Courts Complex, Level 3, Jalan Duta. Malaysian Jill Ireland binti Lawrence Bill is challenging the Home Affairs Minister’s order to confiscate her books which has the “Allah” word.

The second hearing on 14 Dec (Mon) 2009 hearing is before Judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan at the Appellate and Special Powers Court, KL High Courts Complex, Level 3, Jalan Duta. The hearing is likely to be held at 2.30pm. This is a challenge to the power of the Home Affairs Minister to stop the weekly Christian publication “Herald” from using the “Allah” word.

Please pray for the following that :

• The Lord God be sovereign over these hearings;

• The presiding judges be granted wisdom to uphold the provisions of the Federal Constitution;

• The lawyers before the judges may have wisdom, strength and courage to speak the truth in grace and love;

• May evil and its human agents not prevail by disrupting these proceedings;

• May the Lord God grant us His favour by allowing the word "Allah" to be used in the Alkitab, in all Christian publications, and audio-visual recordings in all media in both Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia.

Let us together pray for a good outcome so that all of us, especially our Orang Asli, Sabah and Sarawak brothers and sisters in Christ, may continue to use our Alkitab and all our Christian materials in Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia without fear or hindrance.

For your information, in the 14 December hearing, the Archbishop of KL is seeking several declarations of the High Court namely :

1. the applicant has the constitutional right to use the word "Allah" in the Herald in the exercise of his right that other religions other than Islam may be practised in peace

2. Article 3 (1) of the Federal Constitution does not empower the respondents to prohibit the applicant from using the word "Allah" in the Herald

3. the applicant has the constitutional right to use the word "Allah" in the weekly in the exercise of his right to freedom of speech and expression

4. the applicant has the constitutional right to use the word "Allah" in the Herald in the exercise of his freedom of religion which includes the right to manage its own religious affairs

5. the applicant has the constitutional right to use the word "Allah" in the Herald in the exercise of his right in respect of education of the Catholic congregation in the Christian religion

6. the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 does not authorise the respondents to prohibit the applicant from using the word "Allah" in the Herald

7. that the word "Allah" is not exclusive to the religion of Islam
(as reported on 28 May 2009 in http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/105343 )

May the joy of Christmas who is Jesus Christ truly abound in all our hearts this Advent season!

Together in His service,

(signed)

Rt. Revd. Ng Moon Hing

Chairman and the CFM Executive Committee

Cool Pictures

Check out the cool Kids' EE Pictures at:

http://gallery.me.com/jbsoren#100034

Message from Dr. Duane Litfin

Dear friends,

Dr. Duane Litfin is the President of Wheaton College. On April 18, 2007, Dr. Litfin delivered a message during the Chapel service at Wheaton that you need to hear.

As you are keenly aware, we, in Evangelism Explosion, face many challenges with regard to evangelism here in the United States. One of those challenges is the idea that we, as Christians, should spend our time showing the Gospel and not necessarily speaking it. I could quote here many Christian leaders who profess that "proclaimational" evangelism is out of style and, some would say, inappropriate for our culture.

Dr. Sterling Huston, our Chairman of our Board of Directors, sent me this message this week. I found it very encouraging. We have a friend in Dr. Lutfin.

You can reach the message off of Wheaton's website at:

http://www.wheaton.edu/wetn/chapelspring07.htm

You'll need to click on the message for April 18th in either the Windows Media format or the MP3 format.

Once you listen, why not post an comment here for discussion?

Have a great day in Jesus!

John

Prayer and Spiritual Life Development

Dear staff and friends,

I just returned from Fiji where another new staff training is being conducted. One of the teachers is the ArchBishop Harry Goodhew. ArchBishop Goodhew teaches on prayer and spiritual life development. I believe that this teaching is key for every staff member! I encourage you to take some time and go through these important lessons for your own spiritual development.

Click here for link to session one.

May the Lord richly bless you today!

John

A Great Email

Sometimes I have a few moments to catch up on past email.  Some are good, but a few are outstanding!  This morning I read through an email I received last month.  I thought you might enjoy it.

God bless,

John

From the e-mailbag:

Hello, My name is Linda, I attend an evangelical church in Utah. I've been doing EE for going on 4 years, Xee for 2 yrs. This quarter our leader asked me to teach Xee. I'm looking very forward to this big step. 

God has changed my life in many ways through EE. It's amazing! 10 years ago I would have never thought I'd be doing this . I used to be  very shy about sharing Jesus with others. I didn't want to step on any toes. I thought I'd show people Jesus by my life. but I'd always in some way mess things up. 

When I learned the tools the Lord has given us through EE it made all the difference. Now I'm always looking for opportunities to share with family members, co-workers, friends & neighbors. 

With EE I led my 81 year old Grandmother to the Lord! I look forward to leading many more to the Lord.  The Lord has given us more than a tool through EE. It's a ministry that has changed my life.

Thanks for everything, you're the best!

EV2

Dear friends,

We are so excited about the new 7-week Adult EE Ministry called "Everyday Evangelism" or "EV2"!  We are conducting an EV2 Launch in Birmingham, Alabama this week and those attending have expressed lots of excitement for the training.

Here is an update from a key EE Church in Smithtown, New York:

The Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle clinic has long been an "EE Tradition" on Long Island. Ed Lewis, launch administrator, was asked earlier this spring if he would consider replacing the Classic "clinic" which was scheduled for August 10, 11 and 12 with an EV2 Launch. After checking with Pastor Rich Collingridge, they both were very excited to be the first EV2 launch on the east coast. It was no surprise that they had 28 students in attendance. The most memorable event happened during Wednesday's "lunch" on-the-job activity. During this OJT, the students are to grab a quick bite to eat and then, using the EV2 questionnaire, venture out on their own and give it a go! The discussion time that followed, once everyone returned, was electric. It was reported that six people prayed to receive Christ. Praise the Lord! Authentic learning - the process of integrating exploration and action into a classroom setting - has come of age and has had a resounding impact on our EE leadership training.

Would your church be interested in hosting an EV2 Leadership Launch or Cell?

• Do you have excellent EV2 or Classic trainers?
• Do you have a person who is gifted with administration?
• CALL SANDY IN THE TRAINING DEPARTMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION AT (954) 456-2233

If you would like more information about EV2, you can check out the website at:

http://www.eeworks.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=78946

God bless you today,

John

A Great Opportunity!

Dear team,

I've had a few questions about a website that lists me as the "Minister of Evangelism."  (http://www.thenewpresbyterianchurch.com) I'm sure that has raised a few eyebrows.  Please allow me to explain...

It's been years since I've had the opportunity to run the EE ministry in a local church.  I was the Teacher/Trainer at Christ Community Church in Omaha, Nebraska for 1995 and 1996.  Don't get me wrong, I've participated throughout my time on staff with EE in various churches with many of the ministries that we offer.  And I've had the joy of teaching clinics as the Senior Clinic Teacher.  But I've wanted to find a church where I can run the ministry, try some things, and train a group of people for the greatest fun this side of Heaven.

That chance has come.

With the planting of a new church out of the core group of Coral Ridge has come a great opportunity for me.  This is, for the most part, the founding group of Coral Ridge—great EE supporters!  Included in the group is one of the founders of Evangelism Explosion International, Mrs. Anne Kennedy.  I had the opportunity to preach there last month and as I surveyed the sea of smiling faces I felt like I was home.

When Jim Carlson (another key player in the founding of EE) asked if I would serve as the Minister of Evangelism I couldn't help but say yes.  He assured me that this new church would be an EE friendly place, open to trying some new things, and growing together as we share Christ with those in need.

The position is a volunteer position with no required hours except for the running of EE.  I'm sure that you are aware that all EE staff participate in a local EE ministry, so this is not anything out of the ordinary.  When I'm traveling, we'll find another church member, or another EE staffer, to fill in.

The idea of a position like this is not without precedence.  Many of the former heads of EEI have served as the evangelism pastor at Coral Ridge.  The past President had a role at CRPC (as you know!) and I guess that worked out OK.

It is also not a statement against Coral Ridge.  Not at all.  CRPC has a great Evangelism Ministry in Duane Mellor.  I've offered my help to Duane any time he needs it.

No, this is just an exciting opportunity for me.  I've prayed for this.  Many of your know my heart in this area.  

We'll start with getting the trainers together this fall and planning the spring semester.  I'm excited about it and certainly appreciate your prayers.

Yours in His service,

John

XEE

Dear friends,

We've been working hard on continuing to add to the XEE tool set. The web team is adding elements to the XEE website and the team is writing materials that will help local groups use XEE to witness to their friends and neighbors.

Recently, Langdon Stewart, one of the original team members that helped develop XEE, was in the US helping Adam Bond, our North American director for XEE, film some new segments that we'll use in the training. He put together a website that shows some pictures of the filming. I thought you might enjoy them.

From Langdon:

Thanks also for praying for my time away in the US over the last few weeks. We are entering a new, exciting season of ministry in Oceania and throughout the world re-calibrating for the future. My role is changing accordingly which I will formally let you know more about soon. One of the implications is that we are looking at the next 3-5 years of ministry in Oceania and what that will look like, and how can we make the most of developing the national ministries. In the US I was able to meet with our VP for Finances and work through the accounting implications, as well as meet with the Senior VP for Operations in Atlanta and North American staff in North Carolina, strategising and planning and seeking God for the next season. I apologise if this sounds a little vague but you will hear more about this in the following months (or just give me a call). The time away was very significant and fruitful where a lot of questions were answered and even more were asked.

Whilst in the US, the trip enabled a time to meet with potential new supporters of the ministry in Oceania, including in Arizona where we had a great evening of sharing and gelato. I also worked with the North American staff in the production of an XEE DVD tool for churches to use within the with non-believers as a gospel conversation starters. You can see a video of the production process at:

http://www.thismoment.com/moment/view/47215/connecting-starts-here-dvd-shoot

May the Lord bless you this weekend as you worship Him!

John