Author: Steinar Opheim

The woman who devoted her life to promoting tentmaking and then became one.

/ Steinar Opheim

http://globalopps.org/tmbriefs/Berit.jpg

Steinar Opheim

In most of the world people think of tentmaking when they hear her name. Now at retirement age, she has finally become a tentmaker herself. She is definitely unique, but also a part of a new tentmaking and mission trend.

– Your life is not over when you become a retiree. You’ve just entered a new stage, says Berit Helgoy Kloster from Stavanger in Norway. For several years she has been a Spanish teacher at a high school in her hometown. Now she is teaching about Jesus in Spanish to students in the Dominican Republic. In addition she is speaking at seminars and courses on tentmaking all over the Hispanic World.

– I am the same age as the grandparents of the students I work among. In several ways I see that as an advantage. The students use me as a consultant and mentor. They have many questions they want to find the answers to. I am leading some Bible study groups and in addition I am available for those who want to talk, says the Norwegian lady who is called «Mama Norway» among the students.

– We are often talking about faith, and several times the conversations spontaneously lead to prayer and worship. I am amazed that I am allowed to be a part of this ministry, she continues.

Tentmaking addiction

Berit Helgoy Kloster’s love for tentmaking (some would even describe it as an addiction) has roots 40 years back. As a missionary in Ecuador she was supposed to start work among students in the city of Guayaquil. But as an outsider she felt it was difficult to get good contact with the students. As a part of her work she attended a conference where the founder of Global Opportunities, Ruth Siemens, was one of the speakers.  The American lady gave a wonderful introduction to tentmaking.

– I realized how much easier it would have been to reach the students if I had been a student myself, comments Berit.

Since then she has been a tentmaking promoter herself. She also became the international director of Tentmakers International (previously called Tentmakers International Exchange). Currently she is the senior associate on tentmaking in the Lausanne Movement. The affection for tentmaking has brought her all over the world and her family, friends and former colleagues often see her as the incarnation of John 3:8 where Jesus is stating that “the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Growing trend http://globalopps.org/tmbriefs/mal.jpg

The grand old Norwegian lady is not the only retiree who moves abroad to serve God. Nelson Malwitz, the founder of the Finishers Project, says that many people are going into mission service for the first time as they are getting to the end of their work career or when they have just become retirees.

– When we started Finishers Project at the end of the 1990’s it looked like only people in their 20s and 30s were accepted by the agencies. But the Great Commission is not saying that we should make disciples of all nations only if we are under the age of 35. Fortunately the situation has changed, he says.

Malwitz encourages more gray haired people to sign up for an overseas ministry where they can use their skills and work experience and at the same time build the kingdom of God.

– Several of the people we are in touch with tell us how taking such a step added new dimensions to their lives, says the Finishers founder.

Berit Helgoy Kloster absolutely agrees with that.  Right now she is on her way back to the Dominican Republic where she is planning to stay  for most of the spring semester. Unless, of course, someone invites her to speak somewhere else, like they have already done in Puerto Rico.

They brought the Gospel to most of the world.

/ Steinar Opheim

http://globalopps.org/tmbriefs/pioneers.jpg

Steinar Opheim

If you haven’t done so already, you should absolutely plan to celebrate this month’s great mission anniversary.

Innovative, generous and fearless. These are three keywords that international mission leaders use when they are asked to describe the American mission movement.

A cold winter morning in February 1812 the brig named “Caravan” set sail from Salem just outside Boston. Onboard were Ann Hasseltine and Adoniram Judson. They had married just a few days before. Now they were on their way to India to share the gospel.  Little did they know that they were to become pioneers in a fast growing, American mission movement that would bring the good news about Jesus Christ to millions of people around the world.

One hundred years after the Judsons embarked on the Caravan, the US had become the greatest sending nation in the world, a position it has kept ever since. According to Operation World the US today has approximately 95,000 missionaries. India follows a few steps behind whereas South Korea is number three.

Pioneering spirit

– The immigrants who founded the US were pioneers. They were willing to take chances and to move into the unknown. This pioneering spirit is still alive in the US today, says one mission leader TMB. Asked him to explain why the US has become the number one nation in evangelical mission.

Missiology professor Tormod Engelsviken underlines that the US is a superpower in many arenas. Thus it is common for people to have global visions.

– In addition, a big share of the people living in the US have a Christian faith. This has meant a lot for the Christians all over the world. We can only imagine what the situation could have been if the world’s strongest superpower had had other ideological or religious roots, he comments.

The US´ leading role in the world mission has also brought some tensions and challenges. Leaders TMB have spoken to say that American missionaries some places have shown little cultural sensitivity. Money coming from the US has also caused unhealthy dependency in the mission work in some places.

High price

A great number of American missionaries have paid a high price for their calling to bring the gospel to new places. That was also the case for Ann Hasseltine and Adoniram Judson. They were not allowed to settle in India as they had planned. Instead they moved on to Burma. One of their three children died before birth. The other two passed away before they were one year old. After 13 years in Burma Ann Hasseltine Judson died of smallpox. Her husband was imprisoned for 17 months under harsh conditions during the Anglo-Burmese war from 1824-1826 because he was accused of being a spy. In spite of challenges and suffering he stayed on in his ministry until he died in 1850.

Because of their faith and willingness to sacrifice, the lives of Ann Hasseltine and Adoniram Judson have become models for other American missionaries.

– The future is as bright as the promises of God, stated Adoniram Judson when the couple arrived in Burma the first time and got a glimpse of all the Buddhist temples in the nation. Today Burma has 4,5 million Christians, and several Burmese churches have sent out tentmakers and missionaries to bring the gospel to new places.

WEA Discusses Future of Missions

/ Steinar Opheim

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Tentmaking and Business as Mission are among the subjects being discussed when World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) this week arranges a global consultation to discuss what future will look like in the worldwide mission work.

As you read this issue of TMBriefs approximately 230 invited leaders from more than 50 nations are gathered at Schönblick Christian Centre an hour drive outside Stuttgart in Germany to focus on future strategies for reaching out with the gospel. “God’s disturbing mission” is the headline for the conference. According to Bertil Ekström who is heading WEA’s Mission Commission there are several reasons to be disturbed and to rethink how we best can proceed to bring the Gospel further on.

– The environment in which we are doing mission has been dramatically changed. God is doing new things that we need to focus and reflect on. Compared to the number of Christians in the country, Mongolia is now sending out more missionaries than any other nation. Who would have expected that just a few years ago? The church planting movements in India and Africa have also given us new thoughts on how we can send out workers in God’s kingdom and start new, Christian fellowships, says Ekström, who has been leading WEA’s Mission Commission the past five years.

The Swedish-born former missionary to Latin America says many young people are reacting negatively to the shallow plans that often are made on how the world can be reached with the Gospel.

– Without sacrificing their commitment to Jesus and His mission, many have rejected simplified statements of truth, reductionist descriptions of the world and three-step, short-cut strategies “to finish the job”.  We are motivated by the need to think together with leading practitioners around the globe about how and why God is disturbing our traditional ways of doing mission, states a document made by WEA’s Mission Commission before the conference in Germany started.

Tentmaking and Business as Mission are among the subjects being discussed at the conference. The GO Equipped TENTmaking course developed by Global Opportunities and Tent, has for several years been run annually in many African nations. The tentmaking model is a good fit for the African churches and enables them to take part in the global mission work although they may not be rich on material resources. Also in Latin America and in Asia the tentmaking model is widely used.

The Paradise that is Closed to Jesus

/ Steinar Opheim

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The Maldives is regarded as a paradise for divers, surfers and other sun-loving tourists. But it is strongly prohibited to proclaim Jesus in this minor, Asian, island nation. Tentmakers who don’t mind working under tough, spiritual conditions are encouraged to hand in applications for the many job openings in the country.

Medical personnel in several categories, accountants, business executives, sales people and a great variety of workers in the tourism industry are some of the job openings currently available in the Maldives. The salary is decent. A medical doctor can easily make more than $3,500 per month. That is not bad in a country where the living costs are relatively low.

Below you’ll find links to websites where you can search for jobs in the Maldives. In most jobs you are expected to work 40 hours per week. In your spare time you can enjoy the many astonishing spots on the islands, do some diving or just relax on one of the many beaches that are enjoyable 12 months a year. You can of course also book a night or two in one of the many hotels that have “Paradise” as a part of their name and promise little less than “heavenly experiences” to their visitors.

The spiritual environment will however be challenging.  Except Saudi Arabia, the Maldives is the only nation in the world claiming that 100 per cent of its citizens are Muslims. All of them belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. In fact it is prohibited for the 300.000 people carrying a Maldivian passport to have any other faith.

Recently new laws were enacted which limit the religious freedom even more both for the citizens and for expats working in the Maldives. According to a report made by the Religious Liberty Committee in World Evangelical Alliance the new law bans preaching of any other religion than Sunni Islam.

“It is illegal in the Maldives to propagate any faith other than Islam or to engage in any effort to convert anyone to any religion other than Islam. It is also illegal to display in public any symbols or slogans belonging to any religion other than Islam, or creating interest in such articles,” states the law that is named “The Protection of Religious Unity Act”.

The law also prohibits translation of non-Muslim religious books to the local language. Another clause says, “It is illegal to possess, distribute or publicize programs, writings, artworks and advertisements on religions other than Islam.” Maldivians who violate the new law may be imprisoned for up to five years. Foreigners “shall be handed over to the Department of Immigration and Emigration for deportation.”

– The new law will harm the Maldives’ international reputation and tourism industry, and hurt the country’s youth in particular. There have been instances of suicides by, and persecution of, Maldivians who have gone public about their disbelief in Islam. Crime and violence are also rising. The stifling of essential human freedoms is incompatible with both true Islam and liberal democracy, concludes WEA’s Religious Liberty Commission.