CMF’S CHURCH PLANTING FORUM in Athens, Greece, attracted team members from all over the world to share ideas on best practices for growing churches.

Meeting in Athens

Church-planting and disciple-making were forum topics

More than 40 CMF team members and staff, plus their families and children’s workers, gathered in Athens, Greece, in late May for a church planting forum organized by CMF’s Church Catalysts division.

“The goal of the forum, held about every three years, is to connect the missionaries so they can brainstorm, network and learn from one another,” said David Giles, Director of Church Catalysts Ministries. “This year was a little different because we brought in an outside expert, Victor John, as a guest speaker.”

Victor John is a successful church planter in India, and shared his experiences with the Disciple-Making Movement (DMM) with the CMF teams. They met in teams to develop lists of best practices for disciple making, moving from a small group toward becoming a church, and holistic ministry.

Practical ideas

Jonathan Powell, a team member in Berdyansk, Ukraine, who attended the conference, was stuck by Victor’s emphasis on the shared ownership of every member in a small group, and is making plans for a redirection of his ministry plan.

“As Victor said, ‘There is no room for apathy’ in a small group,” said Jonathan. “The small group is owned by every member and all are responsible to use their spiritual gifts for the benefit of the group. So with my current groups and new groups, I must let go of my complete ownership and allow the members to share and direct the group.”

Climb Kilimanjaro and support MOHI!

You can take the adventure vacation of a lifetime while assisting Missions of Hope International’s work with poor children and families in Kenya when you sign up for CMF’s climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro in East Africa. The trip is scheduled for Dec. 26, 2016 — Jan. 8, 2017.

Only five slots remain for this life-changing opportunity led by experienced backpackers Jim Price, senior pastor of Diamond Canyon Christian Church, Diamond Bar, Calif., and Ray Dodson, an emergency room RN and Search and Rescue team member.

The cost of the trip is $2,800 plus airfare. Each trip participant will also commit to raise $5,000 from sponsors to support the MOHI Napuu School in Turkana, Kenya.

Go here for more information and registration.

Return to Central Asia

Adult classes empower poor with work skills

A recent return trip to the area in Central Asia where they lived and served for several years was full of encouragement for former Marketplace Ministers Mr. and Mrs. A. of Louisville, Ky.

“The School for Street-Working Children has grown to more than 700 students and there is now a full-time doctor on staff to meet the needs of children,” said Mrs. A. “And adult training classes, which had been in the planning stages for a long time, have now been started for the parents of the school’s children.”

STUDENTS love to study at the School for Street-Working Children in Central Asia.

Classes include literacy training, sewing and embroidery for the moms and plumbing and electrical work for the fathers. Another new class is held for adults who finished high school but cannot get into university. This class focuses on business and computer skills.

“We visited the classes and heard first-hand from the parents how important these classes are to them,” said Mr. A. “Although it’s essential to care for these families with food packages, it is even more important to empower them to provide for their families themselves. These skills give the parents hope for the future and a better life for their families.”

PARENTS of students in the School for Street-Working Children in Central Asia learn business and computer skills in a new class sponsored by the school.

FATHERS learn electrical skills so they can support their families.

Learn more and make an online donation to support this ministry to Muslims in Central Asia here.

Look up!

“We recently took an hour’s drive to eat lunch in a restaurant that gives an expansive ocean view. Since this was the first time our young son had been to the ocean, we tried to get him to look at it. Instead, he chose to look down at some flowers painted on a tile about a foot in front of him.

“Isn’t this the case with us so often? We have the grandeur of God’s creation and majesty before us, and His hand of friendship extended to us, yet we tend to look down, focusing on what’s in front of us; the lesser things. Our prayer for all of us is that we would lift up our eyes and discover something new about our Lord.”

Mr. and Mrs. R.
CMF team members in India