OM shares Gospel through ‘the beautiful game’
While South Africa may not be favourites to win the World Cup, workers with Operation Mobilisation (OM) are hoping to see games and souls won at this summer’s competition.
‘The Ultimate Goal Campaign’, which began on June 4 and runs until July 12, involves hundreds of Christians sharing their faith through ‘the beautiful game’.
With distribution of Gospel tracts, evangelistic soccer camps and ministry to prisoners all planned, the size of the outreach almost matches the scale of the tournament.
Amongst the throngs of fans arriving in South Africa are thousands who come from countries where access to the Gospel message is limited. OM teams involved in the Ultimate Goal Campaign are therefore using South Africa’s religious freedom to share their faith with those who may have never heard the Gospel properly explained before.
At the same time, the outreach programme is extending to some of South Africa’s neediest communities. During specially organised football camps, orphans in the country’s townships are learning both soccer skills and about a father in Heaven who loves them. Other teams will meanwhile bring a message of hope to South Africa’s prostitutes, HIV/AIDS patients and prison inmates.
All those joining the Ultimate Goal Campaign are receiving Biblical teaching about the Great Commission and practical training in how to share their faith.
Furthermore, many of the outreach activities are being coordinated with the assistance of local churches. This connection helps the participants from outside Africa, including several from the UK, quickly adapt to sharing Christ in a way that is both culturally appropriate and relevant.
The involvement of South African Christians also facilitates the follow-up of those who express an interest in knowing Jesus more.
Each year, hundreds of Christians from the UK join a short-term mission trip organised by OM. Ranging in length from one week to six months, these programmes are open to those aged 18 and over, and many outreaches include options for families or church groups.
Source: www.uk.om.org/shorts
Every believer must be a soul winner, say African church planters
Every Christian must be a soul winner, declared an African church planter who oversees a fellowship of more than 18,000 local churches.
Alex Mitala, the general overseer of the National Churches of Uganda, pointed to the Bible and said the Scripture says all believers are called to participate in a soul-winning campaign.
“He wants people to believe Him after repenting of our sins, to grow and then after to become disciples,” Mitala told The Christian Post. “Every believer must be a soul winner. Every believer is empowered according to the Bible.”
The church planter, who is commonly referred to as Mutame (Apostle) Mitala, has worked with his team to plant more than 145 churches in Uganda and Kenya, and build orphanages, schools and pastor-training facilities. He and his wife Catherine have adopted 11 orphans and have six biological children.
God calls people to serve in different ways, Mitala said. But whether they are a businessman, a farmer or a musician, a believer has to be a soul winner. It is the church pastor’s responsibility to disciple the members of their church so that everyone can go out and share the Gospel.
Fellow African church leader Ademola Ishola, the general secretary of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, which has over 10,000 member churches, called soul winning a “spiritual responsibility” of every believer.
“The need to empower all members of the church is essential,” said Ishola.
He noted that on average less than 20 per cent of members of a church are active.
“That means 80 per cent of the manpower is lost,” said the Nigerian church leader. “Pastors need to train everyone in that (soul winning) aspect.”
Mitala and Ishola were among the dozens of church leaders and pastors that gave presentations at the second biennial Synergize conference last week in Orlando. As the name suggests, the conference was meant to network key leaders around the world in order for them to share and combine resources, or synergise their efforts, to fulfil the Great Commission.
The common goal is to double the size of the church through five million new church plants throughout the world to bring the next billion people to Christ. The Second Billion Network hopes to achieve the goal of a billion new Christians in the next 15 years.
James O Davis, founder and president of the Second Billion Network, which organised the Synergize 2! Pastors Conference, said the plan for the upcoming two years before Synergize 3!, is to finish all the regional summits and to make all the resources collected through the regional and the international conference available online.
Source: Christian Today
