Brigada Today 2017/06/18
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Compiled/Edited by Doug Lucas and Tina McCormick, Team Expansion
Brigada online has more graphics and links at http://www.brigada.org

In this issue…
Jump to…1) Want to Help Cross-Cultural Workers Better Care for Each Other?
Jump to…2) The Culture Test: It might help you Sort out Life
Jump to…3) Heart of Man Chart
Jump to…4) Could Your Ministry Use Free Resources In Swahili Or Spanish?
Jump to…5) Missionary Furlough Vehicles
Jump to…6) Learn how to Share the Gospel Through Agriculture
Jump to…7) Now, Get Help from Above in Building your Scripture app
Jump to…8) Gravity Scan Will Analyze Your Web Page for Vulnerabilities
Jump to…9) Suppose you Wanted to Learn to Speak Somali
Jump to…10) Poll: How Much Life Insurance Does Your Church/Org Recommend?
Jump to…11) “Finishing the Task” Forms Networks to Finish the Task
Jump to…12) Zume Project Has Already Launched 600 Training Groups
Jump to…13) We’re Grateful for…
Jump to…14) The Last Bit: Finally Getting Omega Zones
Jump to…15) Closing Stuff

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1) Want to Help Cross-Cultural Workers Better Care for Each Other?

The book “THEM- The Richer Life Found in Caring for Others” shows how. Winner of Writer’s Digest Best Inspirational Self-published Books of 2016. Author John Certalic from

http://www.caringforothers.org

gives practical examples of how to strengthen and encourage others.
Through June 30th get the book for 25% off its list price by clicking on

https://caringforothers.samcart.com/products/them

entering “Brigada” in the coupon code to get your discount. Kindle version is also on sale.

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2) The Culture Test: It might help you Sort out Life

Many people have taken individual “person”ality tests like Myer-Briggs or DISC. But have you taken a “group”ality test to measure your cultural orientation? TheCultureTest.com is a free and simple online quiz for learning your primary culture type (e.g. guilt, shame, or fear). Without a basic awareness of culture types, we assume that everyone thinks like us and then fail to anticipate cultural collisions. TheCultureTest.com is ideal for preparing short-term teams, pre-field training, and even on-field research. The 5-minute quiz is 25 easy questions, and results are emailed immediately to your inbox.

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3) Heart of Man Chart

This is an evangelistic tool that was developed by All Nations Gospel Publishers in South Africa. It is one of the most requested evangelistic tools in Africa and Asia. The booklet explaining the Heart of Man chart may be printed off the website here.

http://www.angp.org/material/heart-book/

Cornerstone World Challenge also sells something called the Heart of Raju chart in India in some of the languages of India.

http://www.heartofmanchart.org

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5) Missionary Furlough Vehicles

Here’s a great resource page for missionaries, featuring various ministries and organizations that help to provide vehicles for missionaries on furlough/deputation. It’s organized by USA State with brief descriptions of cost and policies to make it easy to find exactly what you are looking for.

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6) Learn how to Share the Gospel Through Agriculture

Here’s a gathering for agricultural workers that will feature Grant Dryden of Farming God’s Way, August 24 – 26, again in Indiana. The cost is only $30 per participant which includes lunch each day. Housing is on your own. For more info. contact Brian
brian.smith@tds.net

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7) Now, Get Help from Above in Building your Scripture app

Feeling the need for a new scripture app that will highlight the readings and/or Bible portions you wish to list.

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8) Gravity Scan Will Analyze Your Web Page for Vulnerabilities

Does your org or group maintain a web page with resources or news? Now you can analyze your site for vulnerabilities for free – then take concrete steps to prevent disaster now and in the future. Maybe we all owe this to our respective constituencies. Run, don’t walk, to…

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9) Suppose you Wanted to Learn to Speak Somali

How would you tackle it – since Pimsleur doesn’t have a course and Somali isn’t exactly at the top of the list of languages taught at your local Berlitz center. What would YOU do to learn it?

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10) Poll: How Much Life Insurance Does Your Church/Org Recommend?

Some organizations are still requiring just $25,000 in term life. Is this amount sufficient in your opinion (to repatriate and/or bury a worker)? How much does your church or org recommend/require? Is there one go-to agency, well equipped to handle international policies and claims, which stands out beyond all others? At least one agent with international experience has already risen to the top. John Harrill comes highly recommended.
John Harrill
28632 Roadside Drive, Suite 240A
Agoura Hills,CA 91301
Mobile: (805) 256-4821
Office: (818) 964-0400
Fax: (818) 964-0400
john.harrill@tfaconnect.com

Do you have experience with others?

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11) “Finishing the Task” Forms Networks to Finish the Task

If you’re looking to form a network to enact a national or regional strategy to complete the Great Commission among a particular people group or region, we can’t think of a conference with more momentum than Finishing the Task.

http://www.finishingthetask.com/

Their end-of-year conference, scheduled for December 5-7 at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, will draw (just as it does every year) the best collection of data specialists, implementers, coaches, and on-field practitioners. It’s probably the most economical and efficient way to get a full education in embracing a full strategy toward reaching an unengaged unreached people group. Don’t miss it.

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12) Zume Project Has Already Launched 600 Training Groups

 

We’re pumped about Zume. In the short time since it first launched on Feb. 14(2017), the online training curriculum has enabled trainees to launch over 600 training groups. Primarily focused on the USA in its first iteration, Zume will soon roll out translated training packages in 34 languages. Although primarily aimed (again) at the USA, the truth is, at this point, Zume will allow focused training among hundreds of millions in cross-cultural settings everywhere. But the real payout will come in Phase 3, when Zume focuses on district-level outreaches (to populations of 50,000 or so) in strategic and intentional initiatives all over the world. When we get to Phase 3, we will finally see a proactive Great Commission focus for every last village on the planet. Will you speak Zume by then?

https://zumeproject.com/

Might as well learn it now.

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13) We’re Grateful for…

… The donor who sent $120 this past week, along with a note explaining that he does this to serve a world full of missionaries.
… The great friend of Brigada who sent $50 this past week – to push Brigada on its way to a world of cross-cultural workers and mobilizers.
… The partner who shared another $50 gift to empower Brigada for the globe. Thank you!

Would you consider joining with them in empowering Brigada to the nations? It’s easy to give. Just click “Donate” at www.brigada.org, or mail a check payable to Team Expansion (Brigada), 13711 Willow Reed Drive, Louisville, KY 40299. Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so, for USA citizens, your gift to Christ through Team Expansion is tax-deductible. Thank you, in advance, for your partnership!

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14) The Last Bit: Finally Getting Omega Zones

Boy. We can’t remember when it was any harder to capture a new mobilization tool. But the truth is, understanding and valuing Omega Zones was probably the hardest battle for us since getting the unreached people group concept in the late 1970’s. Omega Zones were created to make the task of completing the Great Commission more manageable. When looking at countries, there’s not enough detail to target people’s specific needs. When looking at cities, the task is too large and overwhelming. Unreached people groups will work, but there’s nothing geographical that is inherent in people group thinking. The Omega Zone framework helps aggregate the small details without losing them. The strategy is intentional about creating 4000 Omega Zones (thus the name, “4K mapping”). Researchers have designed Omega Zones so that, among Christians, the population averages around 9 million per zone. In areas that are *largely* (but not all) Christian, they intentionally bring that population down to 6 million or so. Among unreached people groups and in unengaged areas, they hold each Omega Zone to 3 million or so. So researchers have determined the shape and borders of each Omega Zone according to 3 dimensions – population, existing geopolitical divisions, and reachedness. The strategy is designed to serve anyone called to participate in reaching the world with the gospel. It is designed to provide strategically relevant information to everyone from the individual responding to a call to missions organizations and denominations planning large-scale strategic initiatives. Omega Zones provide a framework and a support in taking the gospel to all people, to all places and into all spheres of all societies. How? Through…

*** Research: collecting, using, uploading, downloading research for Omega Zones according to your ministry focus
*** Tracking: using mapping software to plot locations of both long-term and short- term ministry activities throughout the world
*** Prayer: through maps and descriptions, you can pray in greater detail than ever before for these locations around the world!
*** Strategize and Mobilize: by simply using the Omega Zone concept as a primary framework for organizational strategy, you will have a better idea of how to manage people and resources on your team and in your ministry
*** Training: Using 4K framework data, your training can be customized to a greater level of geographic granularity than every before. In fact, the Zume Project planning team is using the Omega Zone concept as a framework to develop sub-zones at a district level, which will result in population groupings of 50,000 among the unreached, 100,000 among reached (but nominally Christian) areas, and 150,000 among reached areas. This will result in 60,000 or so blocks for focused and strategic planning.

We’re starting to “get” Omega Zones.

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