Our "Best Ever" Missions

Emphasis Weekend, 2005

Every year we come away thinking "this was our best, ever, missions weekend," and so it was this year.  Our Missions Emphasis Weekend was just wonderful! Here are some highlights.  See some photos.

 

Saturday, September 24

Our weekend started on Saturday at 6:00PM with an “Missions Banquet.”  We enjoyed the rare opportunity to meet our two missionary families, Craig Hartman of Shalom Ministries and Dr. Tom and his wife Anna Johnson, church planters in Cambodia.  Mr. Hartman led us in a Jewish Sedar dinner, where in addition to enjoying some traditional Jewish Sedar foods, we were treated to a very enlightening explanation of the symbolisms not only to Jewish people but more importantly, the identification of Jesus Christ as the Messiah in each and every element of the Sedar.   The highlight, was Mr. Hartman's description of the historical Jewish wedding where the prospective groom meets  the bride's father (without the bride knowing it) to propose marriage to his daughter.  The groom then sets out to build a place for the couple to live.  The bride is then informed of the marriage proposal and selects bride's maids who must be ready at any moment when the groom (having completed the dwelling place) comes for his bride.  This of course is the picture of the "bride of Christ," the church!  Through out the Sedar, we learned how Jewish the Bible really is!

 

Sunday, September 25

Sunday was devoted to our missionary families starting with our Sunday School hour at 9:15 AM where Dr. Tom Johnson presented an update on their work in Cambodia.  What a thrill is was to hear how their team of missionaries has over 10 church plants underway in and around Phnom Penh and the number of new believers coming to Christ as well as the number of nationals training to take over these new churches.  We listened intently as Dr. Johnson told of his near-death experience at the hands of a mob of Isalmic radicals as he and a small team of missionaries handed out Gospel tracts while he was conducting medical .  A tape of this message is available through the church office.

 

The Morning Worship Service at 10:45 AM, was thrilling as Craig Hartman, in a way that only a Bible believeing attorney could, proved "What is a Christian."   Please listen.

 

Immediately following the morning service we will have an informal dinner followed by a very special Question & Answer Time with our missionary families. Your heart will be stirred as you read about (and listen to) Craig Hartman and Dr. Tom Johnson.

 

 

Craig Hartman

Mr. Craig Hartman grew up in Brooklyn as a Jewish unbeliever and pursued a law career before being saved and called into the ministry. Now he seeks to reach those who were just like him, the Jewish community of New York City. Craig is Founder and Director of Shalom Ministries Inc., is a New York attorney and gifted communicator with a God given vision to reach his people with the Gospel.

 

Shalom Ministries Inc. was founded in 1996 and born out of a need to reach the 2 million Jewish people of the New York metropolitan area.  His New York based ministry has been stirred to challenge churches to have a burden for, and develop an outreach to, the Jewish people in their communities.

Though based in New York, his ministry is not limited to this area.  He endeavors to reach out to the Jewish people through local churches worldwide.  He works very closely with these churches in training their members in Jewish evangelism and in understanding the customs and culture of their Jewish friends.

 

Understanding the Jewishness of Christianity will better equip the believer to have an in-depth comprehension of his Bible and to be a more effective witness among his Jewish friends.  Further, understanding the proper place of Israel from a Biblical perspective will enable Christians to better understand current events and things yet to occur.  He provides such insights through preaching and teaching in local churches, Bible colleges, church conferences, Bible studies and Jewish feast demonstrations.  

 

See a video of Craig Hartman preaching in New York City. http://www.hbcnyc.org/audio_sermons/hartman.ram

 

Tom & Anna Johnson

In May of 2000, Dr. Tom and Anna Johnson left their home church, Falls Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to join a team of missionaries in planting churches throughout Cambodia.  Though Tom is a practicing physician, his major focus is planting churches. Currently the team has 8 church plants underway and has opened and staffed a Bible Institute for training pastors to lead the planted churches.  Tom not only regularly preaches and teaches, but he and Anna are busy with all the activities of planning and organizing new churches.  They have two children, Jonathan and Nancilynn.

 

While there is much to say about the Johnson's and their wonderful work in Cambodia, and while they shared some of this with us when they were with us, we are featuring below some details from Tom and Anna's prayer letters regarding an unusual door of opportunity the Lord recently opened for Dr. Johnson with the Tsunamic Medical Relief team he was instrumental in organizing.

 

Tsunami Medical Relief

In January, 2005, Tom, along with others, organized a medical/relief counseling team and traveled to Sri Lanka 17 days after the Tsunami waves struck the island.  There were still medical cases, such as pneumonitis due to partial drowning, abrasions, depression/shock from loss of loved ones and there was a real possibility of infections due to poor sanitation, such as typhoid and cholera that could come potentially later.  It was also a great opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, whose spirit can comfort and bind up the broken hearted and give them new hope and new life.

 

Upon arriving the on January 12^th, Tom, with the help of George (his interpreter), led a young man to the Lord "that by his own testimony should have been killed on December 26^th, the day that the Tsunami hit."  Attempts to distribute tracts on January 15^th & 16^th in a refugee camp were met with resistance from militant Buddhists so the team was forced to leave.  On January 18^th the team arrived in the town of Komari, which was virtually wiped out by the Tsunami, and they set up a clinic in a nearby village where they had the freedom to distribute tracts.  The next morning they saw “at least 9 professions and 15 more in the afternoon as Tom was able to preach with the aid of an interpreter.  On the morning of the 20^th, they saw 22 professions, and 20 more in the afternoon.  Tom led 2 more men to the Lord (all former professing Hindus).  On the 21^st, they moved to a Muslin town and began preaching and saw 15 professions. 

 

Quoting from Tom’s Winter 2005 prayer letter: “These Muslim folks were in tears when they listened to the Gospel preached.  For a Muslim to listen and respond to the Gospel is very, very unusual.  It was no doubt a great work of the Spirit of God.  Like in Isaiah 61:1 ‘…he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound,’ these Muslims were set free from their religious chains and given new life.

 

“It is no wonder why the religious Muslim leaders were very upset with us and tried to kill Ray, Dick and I on the next day, after we distributed some tracts in a restaurant.  They were also looking for Dr. Craig.  We did 2 clinics in this Muslim refugee camp area, which provided some protection since our patients helped protect us from a potential clash.

 

“January 22^nd, Saturday in Tirrukkovil: 28 professions of faith (former professing Hindus) I led 6 folks to the Lord and Ray led 22 people to Christ through Victor who was interpreting for us.  This is the day we had the clash with the militant, extremist Muslims and the angel of the Lord delivered us.  See the Baptist World Missions website…” for more details about the incident.

 

Totals

· About 90 professions of faith

· 200 New Testaments given

· Approximately 2500 tracts distributed

· Approximately 3000 people witnessed to, if you include Saturday’s Muslim crowd of 2000 on January 21^st

· Approximately 500 patients seen in the refugee camp clinics

· Over $5000 worth of medicine was purchased for the Tsunami victims

 

“Our Tsunami Medical Relief team opened a great door, particularly in the Hindu refugee camps.  Please pray that the work will be continued through nationals working in that area and that indigenous churches will be planted.”