Come Follow Me

“Come follow me, “Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:19-20)

Those powerful three words are life changing. In the business of their work Simon and Andrew were presented with an immediate decision. It impacted every aspect of their lives for ever.

To follow has so much meaning:
• To go in the direction of the one you are following
• To be guided by, to acceptance the guidance, command or leadership of the one you are following
• To imitate, to take as a model or precedent the one you are following
• To act in agreement with, to obey the one you are following
• To go after, to pursue the one you are following
• To keep under surveillance, to be attentive to the one you are following
• To practice what the one you are following does
• To grasp the meaning of the one you are following
• To keep yourself informed by the one you are following

The call of Jesus on our lives is to follow him. The consequence of following him is that his business becomes our business. His love for the world becomes our love. His desire to see all things in heaven and on earth to be reconciled to God through himself (Colossians 1:20). This becomes our desire.

Jesus opened Simon and Andrew’s eyes to beyond their daily work and called them to follow him, giving them authority to drive out evil and cure diseases, to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2)

Come follow me is the call Jesus gives to each of us. It must have been so exciting (and scary) as the disciples gathered together after responding to this call. Perhaps they shared how they’d seen and heard Jesus (testimonies). They will have gathered many times to report back and share all they had learnt and done. They will have brought the problems they had faced to be discussed together, seeking Jesus’ advice. They had much to work through as following Jesus was breaking through traditions, reaching out to Gentiles, challenging injustice, responding to needs. They needed one another to refine the right way ahead.

That is what makes me so excited about the up and coming Global Consultation – we need this time together to share, learn, challenge and refine the way ahead, taking into account the current context and issues of our time. May I encourage you to spend time each week praying for this time together, preparing and seeking God’s guidance so we can maximise the impact of this week.

See you there!

Sheryl Haw
International Director

Integral Mission and the Community

Registration is now open for our up and coming 5th Global Triennial Consultation.

Dates: 10th to 14th September 2012

Location: Thun, Switzerland

We are asking the question about how we can be more practical and have a more effectice grass roots impact.

Day One: René Padilla, the president of Micah Network will open with an overview of what has been achieved and a challenge of what still lies ahead for us.

Day Two: The theme for the day will be around justice and advocacy. The aim is to understand what our prophetic responsibility should be as we seek to influence and hold all levels and aspects of decision makers / people in power to account.

Day Three: The theme for the day will be around compassion and social action. The aim is to consult one another on the application of integral mission approaches in current cross-cutting themes and topics.

Day Four: The theme for the day will be around humility and considering the Kingdom values and fruit that should be evident as we chose a radical discipleship and incarnational lifestyle.

Day Five: To draw together what has been discussed and to propose and commit to a way ahead. The theme for the day is mobilisation.

Download the flyer and registration form and send to events@micahnetwork.org 

Partnering for Change: CCD Conference

Date: 23rd to 27th April 2012

Location: Germany

For more information download the flyer.

Micah Network and CCD Network are co facilitating this conference. The following speakers will be guiding us through the week: Joel Edwards, Elisa Padilla, CB Samuel, Rita Esser, Johannes Reimer, Thomas Schmidt, Roland Lubett, Christian Gossweiller, Albert Baliesima, Martin Lee, Andrea Vogt, Dave Lovett, David McConeky, Paul Frank and Sheryl Haw.

Register online.

4/14 Window

The name 4/14 refers to all children aged between 4 to 14 years of age. It is generally agreed it is between these ages that children develop foundational moral and spiritual understanding – hence the name “4/14 Window”. It is currently estimated that there are 2.3 billion children on earth that fall into this age range, thus representing a potentially mazing group of people to engage with in integral mission (holistic transformation).

The 4/14 Movement is non-denominational, calling on Christians to engage in ministries and prayer for children. There are currently 10 tracks which facilitate on-going research and have work teams that focus on specific ministry needs within the 4/14 Window. Track members meet for consultation at global, national, and regional gatherings.

The tracks are:
• Education Track
• Pastors Track
• Media and Literature Track
• Gen Y Track
• Children in Transformational Ministry Track
• Academic and Theological Transformation Track
• Holistic Children’s Ministry through the Local Church Track
• Government and Political Track
• Missiology Track
• Mission Structure Track

Up and coming 4/14 Window Events
6th to 8th March 2012: Regional Conference, Burkina Faso (will be in French)
10th to 13th April 2012: Regional Conference, Atlanta, USA (will be in Spanish and Korean)
14th April 2012: Global Prayer and Fasting Day Event
26th to 27th June 2012: Regional Conference, Seoul, Korea
30th July to 1st August 2012: Regional Conference, Colorado, USA
28th to 31st August 2012: Regional Conference, Kathmandu, Nepal
24th to 27th October 2012: Regional Conference, Cairo, Egypt

For more information

WEA Online Courses

1. Association Leadership Essential – part One
This course will introduce you to the core leadership essentials and foundational building blocks of the association and alliance ministry model. You’ll discover why the leadership competencies and organizational structures of alliances and associations are dramatically different from other models. Topics include foundational principles, understanding your Membership and how to attain strong membership renewal, promotion and marketing, Board Governance, and how to cast a vision in a member driven organization.

Start: 6th February 2012 (runs for 12 weeks)
For the flyer and more information: download

2. Building Strong Partnerships
The purpose of this course is to provide a theological construct of unity and how that powerfully shapes our ability to influence the world for Kingdom transformation. Students will gain a greater appreciation for the importance of partnership to the success of evangelical alliances. The steps for initiating partnerships and leading them to productive outcomes will be reviewed and applied to context specific situations. This course will also provide a particular focus on positioning alliances to serve as platforms for partnerships.

Start: 6th February 2012 (runs for 12 weeks)
For the flyer and more information: download

Note: WEA-LI courses (subjects) are now hosted by Olivet University with students being able to receive credit for WEA-LI courses through Olivet University. For information on WEA Leadership Institute

WANGO: Call for Proposals

Small Grants for Occupational Empowerment of Women in Developing Countries
Deadline: 15th April 2012

WANGO is issuing a call for proposals, under the Stan and David L. Citron Fund, for partial support of effective programs helping women achieve economic empowerment. These will be small grants of up to US$ 3,200 and are available only to small-to-medium-sized NGOs (nonprofits, charities, civil society organizations), with low overhead, working in developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, or the English-speaking Caribbean. The grants will be specifically for occupational/vocational training programs and not for general operating expenses.
For more information 

ACCORD: Developing Excellence Forum

Date: 13th to 15th November 2012

Location: Colorado Springs, USA

For further information: ACCORD

Beyond the Sacred-Secular Divide

By Scott Allen, President of Disciple Nations Alliance (DNA)

The Bible reveals God as the creator and lord of everything: "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it" (Psalm 24:1). Yet for many people, including many Christians, this comprehensive view of reality has been obscured. An invisible line divides personal faith from areas of life such as work, recreation, and daily activities. We are left feeling fragmented, disconnected, and without purpose.

But God is at work today, leading a generation back to an undivided understanding of life. What lies beyond the sacred-secular divide that has plagued us for so long? A fulfilling, integrated life that unites faith and action, the spiritual and the physical, Sundays and the rest of the week. God cares about every part of life, and we have the incredible opportunity to join him in his all-encompassing redemptive plan for our world.

This study Guide is a part of a study series entitled: Kingdom Lifestyle Bible Series. Find our more here.

One Voice Prayer Week 26th Feb to 4th Mar 2012

Uniting together to transform the world

A global moment of prayer is stirring amongst people from around the world; global networks like YWAM, Amaharo Africa, Call 2 All, Alianza Solidaria, and Micah Network are all joining to pray with one voice for issues of justice and mercy that are on their heart. We do so in the knowledge that, together, our prayers can transform lives because we have a great God.

The focus of the week is on the challenge of Micah 6:8 – And what does the Lord require of you? - as we reflect on injustice, pray with faith wide open, and act with God’s blessing.

We are joining together in a week of prayer, as part of a global poverty prayer movement, to celebrate, listen to and respond to God’s direction.  We invite you to join us – whether as an individual, an organisation, or a whole church.

You may like to look at our prayer resources on www.tearfund.org/onevoice.  Please also see our international resources here.

Reflect. Pray. Act.
One Voice Global Poverty Prayer Movement.

Survey: on dialogue between religious leaders and people living with HIV

From Ruth Foley, HIV and AIDs campaign Manager,. EAA

Please participate in this survey that was launched a few weeks ago to gather information to inform the development of a framework for dialogue between religious leaders and people living with HIV.

Action Steps:
1. Answer the survey yourself, especially if you define yourself as a religious leader: SURVEY

2. Send the survey to religious leaders of all faiths that you know, asking them to respond.
Please find below the action alert with the link and all information about the survey.

The deadline for survey responses is 17 February 2012.

Workshop: Community Action Planning in Disaster prone Communities

From: Dr. Willy Nkamuhebwa, AIDTS

Aim of workshop: The overall aim of the workshop is to stimulate Community Driven Development especially in the disaster prone areas and to contribute to the sustainable development of communities

Dates: 11th to 17th March 2012
 

Location: AIDTS Development Studies Centre, Mbarara, Uganda
For more information write to: aidts2005@yahoo.co.uk