For the last seven years, Gim SuYong has partnered with the church in leading a Bible study among North Korean defectors. Approximately 25,000 North Koreans now live in South Korea, he says, and every year 3,000 more come through China.

For two years Gim SuYong was designated by the Korean Church Council as leading pastor of a Korean defector camp. He has met several thousand men and women who have chosen to escape the North.

“The defectors I meet have left because they hate what their government is doing,” he states. “When I asked a 60-year-old woman what the big difference is between North and South, she said, ‘In North Korea everybody lives for one man. But through the South Korean Church I now understand that one Man died for all!’ The government in North Korea is taking God’s glory for themselves,” continues Gim SuYong. “They have copied the church system of hymns and worship to their ‘god’, Kim Jong-un.

“North Korea’s first priority is to preserve their system. Thousands of people can die without food, but if it interferes with the system, they won’t allow aid from outside. However,” he adds, “the doors are not absolutely closed. People are being allowed in to do humanitarian work, and South Korea is funding much of it. A new science and technology university also recently opened in Pyongyang, and the government is aware that it is staffed and supported by Christians.”

The Mongolia Connection
Gim SuYong’s OM responsibility extends to Mongolia where, he says, 50 percent of the population have some relationship with Korea. “Many work in South Korea, and it’s not difficult for South Koreans to go to Mongolia, only three hours away. Even the languages are related. Newcomers in either place can be fluent enough to preach within six months. Many Korean Christians go and live there during the summer to do outreach. Mongolia International University was established by a Korean, and he wants to send students to OM.

“But Mongolians can also visit North Korea without visa problems. Many believers have an increasing vision to reach the people in the North. In this way God humbles us!” Gim SuYong smiles. “He can use the tiny Mongolian Church to do what the big South Korean Church cannot do!

“Northeast Asia is the heart of the 21st century—politically, socially and economically. Seoul, Pyongyang, Beijing, Ulan Bator and Tokyo are all key cities. That’s why I have a heart burning for this area.

“I want to say I have hope in the North Korean Church,” finishes the field leader. “When believers in the North pray with South Koreans, it’s different. Their experience has shown them how to cry out to God, and with their passion there is hope for revival. I believe in God’s time they will revitalise the Church in the South! When visitors to North Korea tell believers that they are praying for them, North Korean Christians respond, ‘No, we’re praying for you!’

“One hundred North Korean defectors have studied in Bible school. I hope one day some of them can join OM!”

Board members made the unanimous decision after a global search that began late last year. Since 1993, Mellado has served as president of the Willow Creek Association, a not-for-profit ministry dedicated to helping local churches thrive. Mellado will formally take his new position in September.

“My heart is full these days as I anticipate joining Compassion’s team and giving myself fully to the cause of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.” Mellado said, “As I look back on my life experiences, I can see how God has been leading, stirring, and preparing me for this role.”

During Mellado’s tenure leading the WCA, worldwide ministry income grew from $2 million to more than $20 million, membership grew from 860 churches to over 7,000, and annual conference attendance jumped from approximately 10,000 to more than 180,000.

In 1991, Mellado graduated from Harvard Business School. In 1985, he graduated cum laude with a Mechanical Engineering degree from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, TX. Mellado is also a former Olympic decathlete, having competed in the 1988 games in Seoul, South Korea for the country of his birth, El Salvador.

“Jim Mellado is the right person to lead this organization into the future,” says Board Chair Karen Wesolowski. “His leadership at the Willow Creek Association coupled with his heart for the Church and children in poverty make him the ideal choice for this critical role.”

“I’ve known this remarkable man for 20 years,” says Dr. Wess Stafford, who has been with Compassion for 35 years, serving the last 20 as president and CEO. “I’m certain that Jim will both wisely steward the ministry of Compassion and boldly lead us into new areas of Kingdom impact.”

Jim Mellado becomes only the fifth president in Compassion’s 61-year history. He inherits a robust ministry that has seen tremendous growth over the past six decades.

Under Stafford’s leadership, the ministry has grown from just over 180,000 children in 22 countries in 1993, to now over 1.4 million children in 26 countries. Annual revenue for the organization has grown from over $55 million when Stafford took office in 1993 to now over $600 million. Stafford is an internationally recognized child advocate and author of two books on child advocacy, promoting his message of God’s heart for children around the world. He will have a continuing advocacy role with Compassion’s ministry following his retirement from the presidency in September.

Mellado’s appointment to Compassion has drawn praise from Christian leaders nationwide.

“Jim Mellado is simply one of the highest-potential leaders I’ve ever known. Compassion is getting a fantastic servant leader to help guide them into the future. He will turn over heaven and earth to faithfully lead that awesome ministry.” – Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church

“[Mellado's] new assignment with Compassion International is good news for children everywhere.” – John Ortberg, Christian author, speaker, and senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

“In working with Jim for over 20 years, I had an up-close experience of his absolute integrity, his genuine kindness and concern for others, and his superb skills leading a complex, international ministry. I can’t imagine God providing any individual better equipped to lead the significant kingdom work of Compassion into the future than Jim Mellado.” – Nancy Beach, leadership coach for The Slingshot Group and a former colleague from WCA

“In his personal and professional life, Jim is a man of integrity, honor and prayer. I know he will build on the organization’s solid history and take it to new heights of effectiveness and servanthood.” – Lee Strobel, best-selling author of “The Case for Christ” and “The Case for Faith.” MNN

By Jack Wellman

I write letters to inmates and at one time to a man on Death Row. Today this man is with the Lord because what the Holy Spirit has done in this prison in Louisiana, they now call it “Life Row.” God can change even the most despicable human heart and humble it and convert it (Prov 21:1). Those in the prisons today have few visitors and most often even their family has cut off all ties so these men and women are ripe for the gospel for they have nothing else left to hope for in this life. As long as we are drawing breath, there is hope.

I believe that the first step to beginning a prison ministry is to do these three things:

Pray,
then pray, and finally
pray some more.

Bathe the idea in prayer before you do anything. Prayer is quintessential to any ministry that a person or church does.

Network With Local Authorities

Talking with former prisoners is also a great resource. Speak with the local sheriff to see if such a ministry is already in place. Make an appointment to meet them by phone. Use the same procedure with the city; speak to the local Chief of Police in person to see what steps are needed. A personal visit is always more successful than a phone call or a letter. You will find local and county officials more open to the idea if you have a plan in place, which will be discussed later.

Face to Face Meeting

You may not be able to schedule a face to face meeting. Sometimes county and city authorities like the Chief of Police (for cities) or Sheriff (for counties) are reluctant at first. State and Federal prison systems are more stringent. Sometime these facilities have prisoners that are quarantined and are only allowed visits by family and the visitation sometimes may only be possible behind a glass partition. And they may have limited visitation times as well. State and Federal systems are usually more often located at a greater distance and are less accessible than those of a city or county nature so gaining access to them is strategically more difficult.

Is There a Local Ministerial Alliance?

Some cities have a Ministerial Alliance which is an organization where the churches cooperate to work together for a common purpose for a city. Some counties also have such an alliance. Getting in touch with any Ministerial Alliance is a good beginning to see if they have any plan in place for a prison ministry. These organizations are also valuable volunteer resources with a broad base of experience that you may want to tap. Try to schedule an in-person visit with the local head of a Ministerial Alliance. This brings up an important point. Two men or women, depending upon which type of prisoners are wanting to be served, more often makes it easier to develop a plan and to minister to the prisoners together. You don’t have to be an ordained minister, elder, deacon or have attended seminary to have a prison ministry. In a sense, we are all ministers of God.

Get a Clear Plan of What You Want to Do

Before you make contact with any authorities, have a specific plan in place. You want to make sure that you have the city and counties best interests at heart. Prisoners will often shy away from pure Bible teaching or preaching. They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Your first visits will always be a getting acquainted type of meeting. What are their interests? Do they plan on developing a trade or have an interest in a particular occupation if they are to be released? Even if you are unable to gain access to prisoners, you can at least minister to them through biblical literature, provide them with trade journals or magazines. Make sure you are clear with your intentions.

Consider Your Own Record

Some local and county jails may require a background check which includes a criminal background check. The two that I have been to do not require this. They do want to know about you. They might run a check on you to see if you have any outstanding bench warrants or unpaid fines or tickets.

By the way, some institutions do not have a regular Sunday service. Even fewer have a Wednesday night Bible Study. A Church service in the prisons or jails is run somewhat like any local church. However, check with the chaplain or religious activities coordinator (if there is one) before your first service to make sure that you understand the customs of the group. The members of the Christian community in most prisons get along with each other much better than those on the outside, and many consider the service to be “their” church. You are just a visiting preacher. If you can not be there Sunday mornings since you may be attending your own church, then perhaps you can offer them a Sunday evening service.

Keep it Non-Denominational

Because of the interdenominational nature of the group you will be dealing with, and the mixed group of preachers who conduct the services, it is important that you not go in emphasizing the doctrinal distinctive features of your denomination. There is a wealth of material in the Bible that you can use without having to go into the small number of areas that we do not agree on. Keep in mind, most prisoners will be either babies in Christ, or they will be unsaved and so keep it simple. The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing; and that is Christ and Him crucified for them. You do not want to divide the inmates on doctrinal differences. It is best to go with the milk of the Word and stay away from the meatier things of the Bible. This is not seminary. No preaching, but just teaching. Let them have input. Don’t dominate or cut off other prisoners if they have something to offer.

Use Your Resources

Use the leverage of the greatest resource you have…your Bible. Later, I will reveal how you can create your own Bible study materials and make your own Bible study lessons. These can be dispensed at the local or county facility to give away free to initiate the inmates interests. Even if there is a ministry in place a supplemental ministry can enhance any present ministry in the local county jail, the city jail, or in a federal or state prison.

Always Show Respect

Always follow the directives and orders of the prison or jail staff. Never deviate or talk down these officials in front of prisoners. And be consistent. Be there at 6 p.m. Wednesdays or Sunday evenings if you say you will be. You have to count the cost before you are willing to do any ministry. You can be a huge source for disappointment to them if you do not show up when you say you will or do not do what you said you would do and bring what you said you would bring.

Kill Your Pride

Never get into an argument with them about the Bible. They may try to persuade you about something that is not essential to salvation, like speaking in tongues, so don’t go there. Leave the controversial topics with the TV talk shows. But if you make a mistake and they catch you on it, admit you were wrong and move on. They would appreciate honesty and humility more than being dogmatic about some doctrinal issue. Be upfront with them about your own background. Relate any mistakes that you have made in the past. Transparency breaks down barriers and crumbles walls of partition between you and the prisoners. I often make admissions of my own sins, mistakes, and faults to my congregation and this increases the likelihood of their opening up and revealing their own faults.

This is the Gospel

Jesus said in Matthew 25:36 that when “I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” We must “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners” (Heb 13:3) and then some great day “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matt 25:40).

Jack Wellman is Senior Writer at What Christians Want to Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believers daily walk with God and the Bible.

One 89-year-old gentleman who attended Hickory Corners Wesleyan Church in Hickory Corners, Mich., passed away at 11:00 on a Thursday morning. Three hours later, a woman from the church passed away. She was 96.

On Monday of that next week he preached at the elderly man’s funeral. Near the funeral’s conclusion, he clearly presented the gospel. Four attendees, including a grandson of the deceased gentleman, placed their faith in Christ after hearing the message.

Rev. Davis spent some time with friends, family, and acquaintances of the woman who passed later that same Thursday. He reports that three people connected to the woman, including a caregiver, placed their faith in Christ—this after weeks of spiritually-related conversations.

Just days later, a middle-aged man (age 49) suffered a major heart attack, and according to Rev. Davis, “he had been away from God for some time.”

He was in “very bad shape” and in an induced coma. One day, Rev. Davis had the urge to visit the gentleman in his hospital room. Although sedated, a nurse said the patient would be able to hear should Rev. Davis want to talk to him.

“I took him by the hand and told him that if he could hear me, squeeze my hand,” said Rev. Davis. He did so. Rev. Davis then said he was concerned as to whether the gentleman would go to heaven once his life was complete. He told the patient that he would pray with him if he wanted to place his faith in Christ.

Rev. Davis asked if he had prayed that prayer silently along with him and indicated for the patient to squeeze his hand if he had done so. The gentleman squeezed the pastor’s hand indicating that he had placed his faith in Christ. The patient died the next day.

The Michigan pastor was honored to be part of so many placing their faith in Jesus, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Wesleyan Life

For three pastors in Illinois, Florida and Texas, this concept of family-focused ministry has been implemented in their churches within the last few years. This ministry model brings an incredible opportunity for pastors to extend beyond church walls to invest in families and leave a lasting impact on their church.

At Riverside Church (AG) in Sebastian, Florida, curriculum by well-known children’s pastor and Influence Resources author Brian Dollar was recently used in children’s services. Lead Pastor Grant Foster developed sermons geared for adults based on the children’s series, so essentially everyone in the church was learning the same material simultaneously.

Foster has been serving at Riverside for 25 years – 22 as the children’s pastor and three as the current lead pastor – so that provides him with a unique perspective when developing sermon content that is age appropriate for kids. “What was really cool about the whole thing was when parents would head home with their kids in the car, and they’re talking about the same topics and scriptures that the kids were talking about,” Foster says. “Parents found that unbelievable that the things they were learning were also being taught to preschool, elementary and middle school children.”

The Parks Church (AG) is a relatively new church plant in the North Dallas area that has been integrating main service topics into children’s service since its beginnings in 2011. Family Pastor Eric Clanton works with Lead Pastor Kyle Redel to match lessons weekly, following an expository teaching of the Bible that’s relevant to adults and children alike. Currently, the church is focusing on the book of Matthew.

“We go through the Bible, break it up by natural topics, and just go through it week by week,” Clanton says. “We match kids’ lessons to the adults’ because our hearts are to see everyone’s lives changed. If it’s in the book we’re covering, we’re going to go through the material and discuss it as a church. We want to teach our congregation Biblical truths,” Clanton says, “not hide them from things that God wants them to hear.”

For Jared Massey, associate pastor at Warsaw (Illinois) Assembly of God, focusing on ministry to the family unit is as simple as holding a combined family service once a month. These services reflect on the heart of Warsaw AG – providing ministry to the whole family. “When we’ve done joint services, we’ve seen more people join us for service because they enjoy learning in combined atmosphere,” Massey says. “The whole family worships, learns and works together, which is strategic.”

For a recent family service, Massey used Faith Case curriculum to teach a lesson where all ages are involved and learning together. Massey, who has a degree in children’s ministry, says these “Family eXperience” services have been a huge success with parents and children. By bringing in an extra participation element with competitive games and a trophy, the services are also attractive to family members who may not regularly participate in services.

While the idea of family-focused ministry that these three churches strive to follow is similar to “orange concept” churches, where churches hold one service for the whole family, Foster explains there are noticeable differences. “While this concept is pure and right,” he says, “the way it’s transpired doesn’t work. There are two things that happen – either the sermon is geared too far towards kids and you lose the adults’ interest, or the opposite, where the sermon is geared too far towards the adults and the kids don’t understand the content.” The model where everyone is learning the same things but in separate services is something to lean towards, Foster says, since services are geared towards certain age groups and everyone feels like they’re receiving something.

“I think the Church is missing it when they don’t try to get everyone on the same page,” Foster says. “Our church’s focus when moving forward will eventually be more of that, where we’re doing the same thing in all services.” It’s imperative that services have a family focus, so that the whole family is learning and discussing the same biblical topics and issues together at home.

By following up with children this way, it creates a family dynamic. If parents aren’t comfortable teaching their kids lessons from the Bible, they have a hard time engaging with them regarding what they learned at church, Clanton says. In this approach where parents are taught the same as their children, they can connect with the kids on what was discussed and ask key questions from the service.

While many parents don’t think they know enough of the Bible to talk with their kids about it, they’re able to take what they learned Sunday and teach on that lesson all week. “We have children’s services for an hour or so each Sunday, while the parents have their children at home all week,” Clanton says. “If we can get families talking about the gospel and provide biblical truths, we can equip parents to feel comfortable discussing what they’re learning with their kids. We look at each topic and take it from the kids’ perspective, thinking through how it would relate to their life and teach them in a way that they can understand.”

While adults can enjoy what kids are learning in this setting, Massey explains, it’s challenging to hold services the opposite way, where children are learning with the adults. Still, pastors can integrate children’s materials into their main services to make them more age appropriate and understandable for children in attendance.

“It’s important for pastors to be animated and creative when they’re teaching kids so they can stay engaged with the message. The senior pastor should have a vision and a passion to minister to all generations,” Massey says. “I also think it’s important that pastors understand they need to come out of their shell. It’s okay to ask for help from children’s pastors and leaders when teaching the main service.”

Jerry Dykstra, an Open Doors spokesman,said: “We got a report from one pastor that the country in a lot of areas is deprived of even shelter, water, power, food, medical care, and a lot of families have lost loved ones. People have lost their jobs because they’re terrified of the shelling in some of these major cities like Aleppo and Homs.”

Many thousands have fled to neighboring countries, but Open Doors is assisting many of those devastated, — an effort that has spread beyond people of the Christian faith.

“We not only have been able to get in some Bibles, but also some relief goods,” Dykstra reports. “Some of those are being distributed in certain areas, and we hear reports that some of the Christians are sharing those relief items with their Muslim neighbors. Many of them face homelessness and are needy and lack food, so there is ministry going on even in the midst of all the horrific conditions there.”

Open Doors is calling Christians worldwide to join in harmony in prayer for an end to the conflict, which has already claimed nearly 30,000 lives, and also for the safety of Christians who remain in the country. OneNewsNow

The senior pastor of Jesus House, in London, said some churches were too focused on trying to make Jesus and the cross palatable and acceptable to 21st century society.

“Thank God for advances in theology, thank God for thinkers in the church, thank God for churches that have to be seeker-friendly and all these other nice terms.

“But it seems that the more seeker-friendly we get, the less of Jesus we get so when people come to church they are not sure whether they are in church or at a gathering where someone is giving a motivational speech and the power is not in motivational speaking. The power is in Jesus,” he said.

Irukwu made the comments in an address to the General Assembly of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) last night.

Thousands of Baptists from across the UK gathered in London for the General Assembly, which also celebrated 400 years since the founding of the first British Baptist church.

The weekend was spent trying to discern God’s vision for the church going forward.

Irukwu, whose church belongs to the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), said the template for the future could be found in the past, in the early church.

The early Christians, he said, understood complete submission to the Holy Spirit and were not ashamed of the Gospel.

“We are not called to convince. We are called to declare and proclaim. Let the Holy Spirit do the work of convincing. We are just called to declare and proclaim,” he said to applause.

Reflecting on the source of the early church’s phenomenal growth, Irukwu said they were a community of grace and power.

He pointed to their lifestyle of prayer and the way in which they were completely united in the task of sharing the Gospel.

According to Russ Hersman, senior vice president of Wycliffe Bible Translators USA, many of the works that critics like the organization Bible Missiology have pointed to as changing familial terms for God and Jesus have either done no such thing or have already been pulled from circulation.

“(Lives of the Prophets) was an audio drama that originally substituted inadequate familial terms in the mid-1990s. Since that time, the translation has been removed from circulation and will not be re-released until it has been corrected and revised,” said Hersman.

Biblical Missiology created an online petition demanding that Wycliffe Bible Translators and its partners stop the production of certain Arabic and Bengali translations of the Bible, believing them to have eliminated familial terms to describe God and Jesus.

“Apart from the recent statements, most of them do not clearly state that … the divine familial terms are NOT removed but rather that they are committed to ‘accurately conveying’ the ‘meanings’ of this terminology,” said the Rev. Adam Simnowitz, a minister with the Assemblies of God of Dearborn, Mich., who is part of Biblical Missiology.

According to Simnowitz and others, Wycliffe and its partners are removing familial terms to describe God and Jesus from their translation of the Bible in order to appease Muslim communities. Examples pointed out by them include replacing ‘Son of God’ with ‘Messiah of God’ and ‘God the Father’ with words like ‘guardian.’

“Western missions agencies Wycliffe, Frontiers and SIL are producing Bibles that remove Father, Son and Son of God because these terms are offensive to Muslims,” reads Bible Missiology’s online petition.

“By replacing or removing ‘Father’ or ‘Son’ from the text of Scripture, these translations fail to portray God as who he is: the familial, eternal, loving God the Father, Son and Spirit.”

Among the projects mentioned that Wycliffe Bible Translators and its partner Summer Institute of Linguistics have released included the Bengali Injil Sharif and Wycliffe’s ‘Lives of the Prophets.’

According to Dustin Moody, a spokesman for Wycliffe, “Wycliffe had little direct involvement with those two particular projects.”

In the past couple weeks, both Wycliffe and SIL released statements officially denying that their translations headed for Islamic countries removes familial terms to describe God and Jesus. Christian Post