May Christ's Birth Change Your Life

Jesus Christ left heaven for earth so that we might leave earth for heaven one day, and worship Him for eternity!

Christmas Note to Our Friends

 

Africa Rising

There is a growing ground swell that is rejecting the "old" story that Africa is filled with nothing but dictators, starving children and people falling dead with HIV/Aids.  There is a new story being written.  It is one of Africa rising!

The first short video discusses one African's experience.  Listen to her and then make a decision about what Africans are like.

The second is more like a short documentary describing many of the new developments on the great continent called Africa.

Islam and Christianity

It is easy to gather that Western Christianity is under attack.  Everywhere we turn it looks like protests are breaking out against the West and Christianity.  It really bothers me.  I think about how much our country has tried to help, during and right after, the Arab spring and get frustrated with the whole mess.  It is easy to get upset and be frustrated when the pain and the angst is thousands of miles away.  But what if they were your neighbors?  What if they were spreading leaflets saying that they were going to kill you and destroy your property?  What if you could not just leave?

Everyday as you watch the riots and demonstrations keep in mind that near where those people are destroying the US flag is a family of Christians with no options but to hunker down and pray that the rioters will not kill them and destroy their house.  Christians throughout the region are now being targeted by those same groups who are protesting the freedom we have in our country.  Pray for those Christians who have for centuries lived their faith and lives under the crescent moon, knowing that their status as second class citizens means they could be targeted and killed with immunity.

While you can just turn the TV off, they have no where to go, but to Jesus.

Read the Report

Communications

We live in a world filled with communications.  Much of those communications are fairly useless interaction that sucks up valuable time from other activities.  But in Africa modern communications have helped improve life dramatically.  In Africa smart phones are real tools that enables leaders to send SMS notifications to hundreds of people about upcoming events, stay connected with leaders in the church and community and even pay and transfer funds.

This note just came in from James Kariuki Kamau, ICM TZ director

"Some people in States replace their phones periodically. I phone 5 is out. Just wondering the possibility of getting a good I Phone 3 or 4 for reasonable cost. They will work here and have hotspot capability.

If you have an I Phone that you would like to donate just send it to the office and we will make sure James and other leaders get it:  4201 Ardmore Ave. Suite 8, Bakersfield CA 93309"

Please consider what you will do with your very good "old" I phone after you get your new and improved I Phone 5!

Phil

LBC Summer Team to Kenya

ICM is so blessed to have many wonderful partnerships in Bakersfield.  Through these partnerships Africa is blessed by teams going over and helping in so many wonderful ways.  But even more importantly, everyone who goes over is blessed and changed for the rest of their lives.  Hearing about Africa and even giving to needs does not come close to the reality brought home by being there.

If you or your church is interested in going to Africa please let us know.... You do not have to live in Bakersfield to be part of the ICM Short Term Team Program!

Now set back and watch another short video of the LBC team in Kenya!

Just click the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lubq7E5tW-4&feature=youtu.be

Burundi Team Video 2012 August

Thank you Living Grace, Bakersfield, for being part of the ICM dream come true!

Amoi News from Kenya

ICM has an incredible team of men and women working together to reach the world for Christ.  If you have traveled to Kenya with ICM then you have probably met Philip Amoi.  He coordinates the logistics of visitors and ensures they well taken care of.  But, like Stephen in Acts, he is a man of God busy doing the ministry God has set before him.  Find out more by reading his newsletter.

Newsletter

Also very special Anniversary Wishes to our friends and partners in ministry, Darryl and Kathy.  They are celebrating 41 years!

They still look as young as ever!  Picture

Tanzania News

James and Mary have had a very full summer.  Lots of visitors, graduation, building plans for the new center...Hear it from them:

Kamau News

Thank You

We had a wonderful time at the Africa Rising Banquet in Bakersfield.  Over 500 supporters gathered to hear more about ICM and hear about the challenges in Egypt and the Middle East.

We in ICM are humbled that God has given us such wonderful, committed partners in Bakersfield and Southern California!

Phil

Banquet Schedule

It is not too late to get your tickets for the Bakersfield "Africa Rising" Banquet, Tuesday August 21st.  We are expecting a full house, so do not wait.  The program is actually starting Friday morning with a no host breakfast at 7am at Hodel's Buffett (this is for leaders who want to ask questions about what is going on in North Africa and the Middle East). If you are available please join us.  Otherwise we will see you Tuesday evening at Olive Knolls Church of the Nazarene, 6201 Fruitvale, Ave. Bakersfield!

Congratulations James Kamau

Just a short note to wish James Kamau all the best for his hard work in completing his MA.  An the founder and national director for ICM Tanzania it is no small feat to complete an MA and keep up with all the work.  Now its Mary's turn.

From all of us in ICM USA a very hearty CONGRATULATIONS!

LBC Team

LBC, a key partner church in Bakersfield has worked and supported the ICM ministry for many years.  They have been part of a People Group Movement on Mt. Elgon, Kenya and have watched it blossom.  They are now part of the task to train and equip the Sabaot people to reach out to take the Good News to others.  As Maxwell has said, "Team work makes the dream work!"

Thanks LBC for partnering through the years!

This is the latest team from LBC!

Burundi Team

The Living Grace (Bakersfield) Church team is on their last week.  They have been a big blessing to ICM Burundi.  They conducted two two day conferences.  On in the south of Burundi in the city of Rumonge and the second in the capital of Bujumbura.  They also traveled about four hours to visit with pastors from more rural areas.  In addition the team has helped start the process of building the wall that will eventually stretch around the 25 acre site where the campus is being built.

While the seminars and building teams have been a blessing the real blessing comes from the people as they appreciate the love that is present from the team.  Over and over people expressed their appreciation for people willing to travel so far to be with the Burundi people.

What a blessing!

Phil

ICMUSA Web Up and Running

ICM USA has a new web face!  After weeks of work we have launched our new web site.  Phase one, getting it up and running has been completed.  Phase Two is to correct all the things that do no work or is not accurate.  Phase Three is to build it out with the information need to make it a great place to find out about ICM and about what God is doing in Africa!  Check it out and let me know what you think:

www.icmusa.org

Orality Conference

Missions is becoming more effective among the non-literate populations of the world. This is largely due to a breakthrough in how we disciple new believers and train leaders for churches that are mainly located in populations that cannot read.  The movement is known as Orality, but it goes far beyond a discussion of literacy and non literacy.  At a recent meeting at Wheaton College  theological educators joined with leaders of the Orality movement to discuss how then move can be better represented in Theological Education.  Part of the answer that was reached is an understanding that Orality has surfaced a more effective way to disciple leaders through understanding how primary learning takes place.  Currently I am working on a paper to describe a new theory, Primary Learning, as a means to be more effective in discipling believers regardless of their literacy.

Darryl Bowe, one of the ICM/ATS participants wrote up a report.  It is only two pages but it gives a more thorough idea of the conference and our participate:  Read the Report

Phil

Summer Newsletter

Be the first to read the ICM Summer Newsletter.  Synergy is more than the sum of the parts.  Read how synergy is key to ICM's work in Africa.  Africa is changing.  It is becoming something more than anyone thought possible.  Africa is Rising!

Read the Newsletter!  Read Now

Teach in Kenya

International Christian Ministries has a seminary called Africa Theological Seminary (ATS).  It is foundational to our goal of discipling and training leaders in Africa.  The following is an overview of what teaching at the seminary is like.  At the end of the article is a list of courses.  We are always looking for good teachers who can teach their subject but more importantly connect with the pastors and leaders in the program.  These men and women have churches and ministries that represent thousands of people.  Your impact on those learning will be multiplied a hundred fold.

Please read more:  Click Here

Breakthroughs in Missions

I am not sure whether you know this, but Missions as we know it is going through some remarkable changes.  Donald McGavran introduced the world of missions of the idea of homogeneous peoples.  The premise was the people like to be around their own kind.  Understanding this allowed missions to target the message of the Good News to specific groups.  Ralph Winter took this a step further in his Unreached People Groups.  He said that we should recognize that nations in Matthew 28:19 (NLT) ⁽¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit) uses the Greek word, ethne.  This is where we get ethnic.  He pointed out that strategically we could identify the enthnic peoples of world and determine their degree of movement towards Christ.  We could then prioritize our mission challenge to reach the unreached people groups (ethinic groups) and be more efficient and effective.  This was a huge step forward in fulfilling the Great Commission.


But knowing who to reach is not the same as reaching them.  We now have a strategy for identifying those who need to hear.  The next question is "what methods are we going to use to engage them?"  The answer according to many (myself included) is something that has been dubbed Orality.  The basic premise is that most people are oral learners, they prefer methods of learning that engage their senses, enhance their relationships and fit into the cultural modes of communication.  These include story telling, parables, songs, dancing, art and other primary learning methods.  Mission agencies are now scrambling to target people groups using this strategy.  The results have been remarkable.  This method is helping speed up the advance of the Gospel around the world.  


International Christian Ministries and its seminary, Africa Theological Seminary have been participating in a two conference that has been looking at Theological Education and Orality.  We we are discovering is that Orality has less to do with literacy and more to do with how people choose to learn.  This has brought us to the point of not only buying into the Orality movement, but examining our own ways of teaching.  We are in the process of realigning our curriculum and teaching methods so that our learners learn better and also develop skills that will help them teach better in their communities.

Africa Rising

The President has declared August "Africa Rising Month" .  You can read the full story.  Just click the picture below to read the full article:

Want to receive the eNews to your inbox?  Go to: http://www.icmusa.org/subscribe.php to sign up.  Or send me an e-mail: info@icmusa.org asking to be put on our mailing list.

May God open your eyes to see what He is doing around you and around the world.

Phil

Orality Conference

Next week four ICM staff will be attending the Consultation on Contextualizing Theological Education in Oral Contexts in Wheaton, Illinois.  This will be one of the first meetings for theological educators to consider the needs of leaders who are ministering to congregations and communities that are primarily oral in their learning.  Dr. Walker will be presenting one of the papers that the consultation will consider.  Other ICM staff members who will be participating are Darryl Bowe, Vice President of International Operations, Rev. Stephen Mairori, Kenya Country Director, and Dr. Emmanuel Chemengich, Principal Africa Theological Seminary, Kenya.

Send ICM to Prison

Prison life anywhere is not good.  But prison life in some places are worse than others.  God wants us to reach all people everywhere.  If that means we have to go to prison to reach them, then we will.  Read the story about how ICM Kenya is going to prison for the lost!


Did you read the Spring Newsletter...motorcycles, gangs and more.  Just Do It and the Hundred Fold Return
Read Now

No Charity Please

Maybe you have heard about the rioting in the streets, bad government, poor leadership, economic chaos, high unemployment, and ethnic fighting….of course that is Europe!

Africa has its problems, but unlike Europe that seems to be slipping and sliding into chaos, Africa is on the Rise.  While still the world’s poorest continent there are serious signs that point to a new era.  Recent discoveries of oil and gas in East Africa add to the continent’s already vast resources. Africa is home to the fastest growing economies in the world.  Some countries have been experiencing double digit growth.  Africa is moving from being the world’s beggar continent to becoming the world’s new miracle continent. 

While the West has poured in billions of dollars to alleviate suffering, China and India have invested billions of dollar to build infrastructure.  The result of investment is long term sustainability. The result of charity is long term dependency.  Even those from the West are moving away from traditional models of aid and charity to models of investment and capacity building.  

Welcome

Here you will find the latest news from the ICM USA executive staff.  Phil Walker will provide comments and thoughts from the President.  Sheryl Giesbrecht, Executive Director will drop in her ideas and view of ICM from her unique postion.  Darryl Bowe, VP International Operations will keep you up to date on the International happenings.