Romanian refugee now helping others meet Christ in their ‘heart language’
ATLANTA (BP)--Having risked their lives to escape from communist Romania in 1980, Mark Hobafcovich and his friends had just arrived as refugees in Australia when a stranger showed up at their door.
"Good morning boys!" the man said in their native tongue.
It was Sunday morning, and a member of a local Romanian-speaking church invited them to the morning service. Because of the timing of the visit and familiarity of the language, Hobafcovich accepted.
Missionaries in Alaska see spark of what God ‘is about to do’
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| Getting around John and Kim Piepmeier talk with a group of young men in Kiana, Alaska, from their Honda, which serves as their primary vehicle during the summer months. During the winter, snowmobiles like those in the foreground are the preferred form of transportation in the remote Eskimo village. Photo by Gibbs Frazeur |
Their ministry in the remote Native Alaskan village of Kiana, above the Arctic Circle where the only Hondas around are small "four-wheeler" all-terrain vehicles. In the wintertime -- when temperatures can reach 50 degrees below zero -- a snowmobile is the family car.
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| Compassion & prayer John and Kim Piepmeier, missionaries in the remote Eskimo village of Kiana, Alaska, pray with Johnson Black during a visit to his home. Black’s wife had died several months earlier. Photo by Gibbs Frazeur |
For the Eskimos who comprise 16 percent of Alaska's population, this is life as usual. For these Missouri natives -- as with any missionaries called to a radically different environment -- it is the certainty of God's call that has helped them adjust.
"The Bible tells us that the Lord has many offices and places where He wants each of us, and I feel that's what He's done with us," John said. "He's equipped us with the ability to handle it and enjoy it here. I don't think it takes any kind of special person. It was just being available, and really seeking after the Lord."
Reaching Boston internationals gateway to reaching the world
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| A Word for the world Michael Dean, who coordinates ministry to internationals for the Greater Boston Baptist Association, teaches a Bible study for international students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Photo by Gibbs Frazeur |
“Even though I still don’t believe God exists, I think many things in the Bible are useful,” said one Chinese woman, who like all of those attending already had a graduate degree. “It has been 20 or 30 years [of being taught God is a myth], so it’s a little hard for us to believe in God’s existence. It takes a longer time for us to become Christian. But during this process I think we are very glad to learn something about God.”
Former teen star Kirk Cameron becomes evangelism advocate
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP)--Many will see him forever as the teen heartthrob of television’s “Growing Pains,” but today Kirk Cameron would like you to remember him as an evangelist who taught you to help people recognize their desperate need for Jesus Christ.
Ga. governor shares how obedience to God led to politics
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| Elevating politics Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue shares his testimony with participants in the Elevate 2004 conference in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by James Dotson |
He and his wife, Mary, felt God calling them to step out and pursue something greater with their lives, and they asked their church to pray with them as they sought God’s will.
Change legal system by introducing lawyers to Christ, attorneys say
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| Witness via the law Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, spoke to participants in the Elevate 2004 conference about his work in constitutional religious liberty cases -– as well as how Christians can make a difference in the legal community. Photo by James Dotson |
Randy Singer, chief counsel and special assistant for the North American Mission Board, and Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), both spoke during the Feb. 19-21 Elevate 2004 conference at the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center. The conference was designed to help young adults “blur the lines” between faith and career, seeing their professions as part of the calling of God on their lives.
FamilyNet to confront culture with ‘worldview’ programming
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP)--The FamilyNet television network will confront the secular culture head-on this fall with a nightly "worldview" programming lineup featuring some of the nation's top Christian commentators -- including Janet Parshall, Jay Sekulow and Hugh Hewitt.
New Hope New York outreach makes N.Y. Times front page
NEW YORK (BP)--The North American Mission Board's "New Hope New York" outreach effort was the focus of a front-page story in The New York Times Feb. 15. The Times, with a Sunday circulation of more than 1.6 million, is widely regarded as one of the nation's most influential newspapers.
North American missions update available as video download
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--A video update on the North American Mission Board's efforts to reach the United States and Canada is available as a free Internet download. The segment is intended for use during Southern Baptists' March 7-14 North American Missions Emphasis, which includes the Week of Prayer for North American Missions, the North American Mission Study and Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions.
Missionaries commissioned; teens urged to answer God’s call
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| Missions Marketplace Two Challengers visit with Kevin Marsico, a church planting specialist with the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, during the "Missions Marketplace" at the National Challengers Rally in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Photo by John Swain |
For the first time ever, the celebration was held in conjunction with the annual National Challengers Rally, a weekend event designed to encourage and mobilize high school boys who participate in the church mission education organization. Challengers is sponsored by the North American Mission Board.
