Sheba's legacy: Outreach to Yemeni Immigrants

The Queen of Sheba had heard many things about this King, about the wisdom that Yahweh had granted him. She had heard, but she did not believe until she went to see him, spoke with him, asked him all of her questions. Then she knew that Yahweh was a great God, who blesses greatly, and it took her breath away.

Yemen, the probable home of the Queen of Sheba, now the poorest country in the Middle East, no longer remembers Yahweh. With eleven civil wars in the past sixty years and the Arab Springs uprisings throughout the region, the country has had little opportunity to stabilize, creating an ideal climate for al-Qaeda bases to grow. Desert and mountains, camel herds and terraced farmland, slaves and businessmen, qat and mangoes, all rub shoulders in the still tribal, southwestern-most point of the Arabian peninsula, an entirely Muslim land. The Queen of Sheba once traveled great distances to witness the blessing of Yahweh and now her homeland is one of the least-evangelized countries in the world.

Some recent headlines about Yemen suggest the depth of difficulties their citizens face: Terrifying Yemen Hostage-Taking, Yemen Government Signs Peace Deal with Shia Houthi Rebels, Dozens of al-Qaeda Militants Killed in US Drone Attacks on Yemen, Yemen President Warns of Civil War. The tragic list goes on, the opportunities for Christian involvement there close, and Yemen’s emigrants pour into American cities.

In New York City alone, the Yemeni population is at least 20,000 members.

In each of the five New York City boroughs, as well as other American cities like Oakland, CA and Dearborn, MI, Yemeni immigrants own small grocery and convenience stores. They are hard workers, sometimes working fifteen hour days seven days a week, and sending much of their income home to their extensive familial and tribal networks in Yemen. Most of them have no intention of staying, but dream of making enough money to one day return to their country and family. They are as close as a can of Coke, or bar of soap. The most dangerous thing that one need dodge to get to them is a speeding taxi or a wandering pedestrian. But, is there anyone doing it?

Currently, there is little evangelical ministry focused on Yemenis in Metro New York.

Like the Queen of Sheba, they have come from the ends of the earth, to our street corner. They have left poverty, violence, and war; homeland, familiarity, and family to start a new life or sustain their current one, as our neighbors. They have come with questions, their eyes open for something great. If we do not go to see them; shopping at their stores, sharing with them the Good News of Jesus, and answering all their questions, when they are right before us, then how will they know that Yahweh is a great God who blesses greatly? What will take their breath away?

Gossiping About Jesus

When Jesus walked the earth, He was the talk of the town!  Some people loved Him, some hated Him, but EVERYONE knew of Him and His message! He was the topic of conversation at dinner tables, religious centers, and town squares.

Jesus is NOT the talk of the town in most places on earth today. We keep Him and His message confined to buildings and programs. To experience Jesus, we require people to enter into a foreign structure, to take on foreign customs, and sing foreign songs. What feels so right to us, is completely foreign to those outside of our cultural Christianity.

Must a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jew become “Christian,” to know the love and forgiveness of Jesus?  Must they first convert to our culture before they can know the joy of having their sins forgiven through Jesus? 

This dilemma is nothing new! The book of Acts records how Paul, James, and the early church fathers wrestled with this! These questions are not easy ones, because they pull at us at the very core of our personal Christian experience.

Global Gates missionaries minister, to once again make Jesus the talk of the town! We envision Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jewish households gossiping about Jesus, and the change that is happening among their family members, neighbors, and communities- a change that is not hidden away from the majority of the people. Join us in praying that Jesus will become the talk of the town in our communities!

Brad Wall

Assistant Director,

Global Gates Network

Living for the Success of Others

The nature of our work as Global Gates missionaries provides a constant check on our own pride. That is because success for us is not how much of a following we can gather around us, but on how much we are discipling, enabling, and equipping others effectively enough for those people to repeat the process with others. In other words, if the mission work is depending too much on us, then we need to make sure our pride is not preventing us from enabling others and entrusting work to them.

Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (ESV).”

Our job is to equip, which ultimately means that “our success” is determined by how much we are obeying Christ in equipping others to “be successful.” To be honest, I find the greatest satisfaction when I get to be on the front lines and the main person involved in the mission work we do. My hope, prayer, and goal is that my greatest satisfaction comes when I have helped others be successful in being the main people in the work the Lord has given us. May the Lord help us all to live for the success for others. 

Chris Clayman, Director, Global Gates Network

Two Perspectives Classes in NYC this Fall

There are two significant Perspectives classes being held in NYC this fall. The class in Woodside, Queens will actually be Perspectivas. That's right! The curriculum will be in Spanish and most instructors will be teaching in Spanish. For the instruction that will be taking place in English, equipment will be used so that people can have simultaneous translation in Spanish. This will be one of the first times a class like this has been held in the U.S. and will be strategic for mobilizing the Hispanic population to reach out cross-culturally and see the vital role they have in God's plan for the nations. Details are still being worked out on instructors for the class, but you can view registration information by visiting the class page.

Another significant Perspectives class will be hosted by Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem. They hosted last year but have taken a much more active role in the coordination of the class this year which has brought much excitement and momentum for the class. This will be an English-speaking/reading class. They have a great, diverse lineup of instructors for the class and you can register at their class page here.

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement is a catalytic course designed to equip the people of God to partner with Him in His mission to reach all peoples, tongues, tribes, and nations.  It presents the biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic aspects of fulfilling the Great Commission.

 

We encourage anyone who is serious about gaining a deeper understanding of God’s ultimate purpose in the world to attend this course. It is a discipleship experience which will help you discover your divine destiny as a disciple-maker. There will be a course held in Queens as well as in Harlem. For information about the course in Queens and to register visit the Perspectives site here. For information about the course in Harlem visit the Perspectives site here.
 

NYC Missionary Training School - EQUIP

NYC Missionary Training School (EQUIP) is an August-May training program led by a multi-agency team of the believers who are committed to starting churches among the unreached people groups of the world. Our focus is on making disciples among the thousands of internationals that come to New York City each year and training them to start reproducible churches here and when they return to their home countries. Ultimately, we desire to see movements of national-led churches established throughout the least reached corners of the world. This program enables individuals to learn about the DNA of reproducible church planting, cross-cultural ministry, and the Gospel while working alongside experienced church planters. Participants have opportunity to start discovery Bible studies and house churches among internationals or unreached people groups within New York City. If you are interesting in participating in or would like more information on EQUIP follow this link.

Making Disciples

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives what sounds like a simple command to “go make disciples of all nations.” If the command were to simply “go do ministry among all nations” it would have been a lot simpler. The “make disciples” part gets messy. The command gets even more complicated when the Christian culture around us is often content to be active and busy with ministry, good deeds, and Christian “stuff,” all the while hardly ever stopping to ask if what we are doing is truly “making disciples.” Furthermore, the meaning of discipleship is often perceived to be how much someone knows about the Bible, and not how much someone obeys and follows Christ.

In an attempt to give focus to making disciples in our ministries, many of us at Global Gates have been using the following as the definition of a disciple:

“A disciple is someone who follows Christ, obeys Him, shares Him with others, allows Him to transform their worldview, and trains others to do the same.”

Jesus said that if we loved Him we would obey Him, so our definition focuses on following and obeying. As disciples, we also must share the gospel, enable and train others, and reproduce ourselves (2 Tim 2:2). Also, none of us have ever “arrived,” and we need Christ to transform how we view the world and help us overcome cultural and familial sins with the power of the gospel.

Looking at your own Christian walk and using this definition, how are you doing at being a disciple? How are you doing at making disciples? If you are like me, you need God’s grace to really help you!

Thanks for seeking Christ with us,

Chris Clayman,

Director, Global Gates Network

Cityreaching Movements Training in February

About the Training:

Everyone in Metro New York is well aware of the diversity of the city, but how would it be possible to reach an entire city full of different population segments and ethnic groups? The Cityreaching Movements Training will address how to multiply disciples by starting with our own personal devotion to Christ, and then through methods that have been used by God around the world to multiply disciples and churches in diverse settings. The training will be facilitated by Chris Clayman and is suitable for any follower of Christ longing to see God do more in and around them. It's free but please register by clicking here. 

Click here for a copy of the training outline.