Wandering Priest

CMF Board Meeting

Doug — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:35:59 +0000

The CMF Board of Directors meeting finished today. Here are a few highlights:

Rick and Nancy Jett of IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service) were the guest speakers. In the twenty years of partnership with CMF, IDES has contributed $567,996.74 to CMF projects. Both Rick and Nancy were surprised by the total, and so were we! God’s people are very generous in the time of need. May He continue to bless His church and IDES.
River of God: An Introduction to Mission, edited by Stephen Burris and I, was released last week, and each board member received a copy of the book. (if you are interested in a copy, email me and I’ll give you the details regarding purchase).
The Board received a report that CMF ministries (and our ministry partners) had planted 96 churches in 2011. This is the most churches we have planted in a year in our 63 years of existence!
Two families were commissioned to minister in Thailand. They are in fund raising and are praying to arrive before year’s end.
Naomi Kouns was installed as a CMF emeritus for her many years of service.
Contributions in 2011 were up 7% from 2010.
Globalscope (international campus ministry) has 22 recruits raising support.

Old Friends

Doug — Sat, 05 May 2012 03:51:32 +0000

The last two weeks have provided quite an opportunity for Robyn and I to connect with several old friends. We went to Trinity, Florida to be with Greg and Becky Johnson. Greg and I go back to 1966 as missionary kids in Ethiopia. We were later missionary colleagues in Kenya working among the Maasai, and then Greg joined me in Indianapolis for several years to focus on business as mission.

Robyn and Becky reminisced about how our daughters (2 for them and 2 for us) were born just weeks apart. It was so much fun to see Jocelyn and Kristin again.

After worship at Generations Christian Church where Greg preaches, we taught an evening session of Perspectives (Pioneer Church Planting), and then on Monday we made our way down to the Florida Keys for several days of vacation. We enjoyed seafood, birding, hiking, and the show at sunset on Key West. We boated out to the Dry Tortugas, before returning home, spending one night on Marco Island.

Tally of new birds for the week was ten, a high number, largely because I had never been in this part of the country before. So I could check off numerous seabirds from the part of the country (Magnificent frigatebird, gray kingbird, brown noddy, etc.).

Immediately after returning to Indianapolis (one day at home) I flew out to Oregon and Washington. Monday I stopped at the Toppenish Wildlife Refuge (getting the bank swallow) before continuing to Ellensburg to visit my cousin Don Green and to share with members of his mission’s committee.

Tuesday I returned to Portland to be able to collect Robyn who flew in on Wednesday. We made our way to Eugene to be with family for several days prior to the commencement season at Northwest Christian University (tomorrow). After commencement we will hurriedly get back to Portland to catch the flight home to Indianapolis, arriving at midnight (hopefully). The CMF Board meeting begins Sunday afternoon.

This has been a whirlwind, but a very enjoyable time with old friends and family.

Seven Friends

Doug — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:10:50 +0000

This week marked our annual Mission Agency Leaders retreat. We met near Henryville, IN and saw the scenes of destruction from the recent tornado that hit down there. Many of the volunteers stayed at the retreat center where we stayed, and it was good to see those wanting to make a difference. Most of them were church groups. Have you ever noticed how often it is the Christians who respond with rapidity and staying power to disasters, poverty, lack of clean water, and hunger? And how little those who continually harp against Christianity contribute to such needs?

The seven of us who gathered for the non-agenda event included Laura Clancy (New Mission Systems Intl), Rick Jett (International Disaster Emergency Services), Doug Lucas (Team Expansion), Greg Pruett (Pioneer Bible Translators), Mike Schrage (Good News Productions Intl), Tony Twist (TCM International), and me (CMF International). We began our get together hearing from Bob Russell, former minister of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, speaking to us about transitions and responding to our questions about the state of Christianity with his usual humble demeanor.

We really have no agenda other than encouraging one another, praying together, and sharing what is happening in our organizations. I noted that we laughed more at this retreat than any other one we have had. Not because the subjects were funny, but because the trust level between us has lowered our defenses and we just enjoy being together.

I was thrilled to hear of what each of these organizations is doing to advance the Kingdom of God. The next time we’ll be together is at the North American Christian Convention in Orlando, FL. Come and see us there!

Recent Events

Doug — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:06:22 +0000

The International Society for Urban Mission (ISUM) has been formed. At a meeting in Bangkok in January, thirty people pledged themselves to the formation of this society for the sake of the urban poor. The society will publish a journal, New Urban Mission, with the first number to be available at the end of the year. In January 2013 there will be a conference in Thailand co-sponsored by ISUM, Urban Neighbors of Hope, and the Micah Challenge network. I was thrilled to be a part of this gathering and am anxious to participate in the conference next year. Hopefully joining me in attendance will be Wallace and Mary Kamau who work with the urban poor in Nairobi, Kenya.

Stephen Burris, research missiologist for CMF International, and I have collaborated as co-editors on a book that has been completed and sent to the publisher. River of Life: An Introduction to Mission should be available by summer in time for the fall term of 2012. It is being published by Wipf and Stock. In addition, two of the Alan R. Tippett series I have been editing should also be published in the next few months. The Jesus Documents: An Anthropologist Looks at the Gospels is the first book, and Ways of the People: A Reader in Missionary Anthropology will be the second. Seeing these books, and several others written (but unpublished) by my mentor come into print has been a dream of mine (and several others) now for 25 years. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Tippett’s birth, and next year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of his passing to glory. So, curl up by a warm fire and do some reading!

Birding in the Arabuko Sokoke forest areas

Doug — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:52:54 +0000

I was fortunate to be able to travel to both Thailand and Kenya in the first two months of the year. In each area I managed a little time to do some birding, and used a local guide each time. If one really wants to see and identify the birds, using a local guide is very important for one who is not that familiar with the birds. At the Arabuko Sokoke forest, we were guided by the birding legend, David Ngala. There is no doubt that the 64 lifers I got would have been a fraction of that number had not David been there. (The same can be said about the 63 lifers I got in Thailand at the Doi Inthanon National Park).

I won’t bore you with a list of the birds I saw, but will mention some of the favorites: Amani sunbird, crab plover, Sokoke scops-owl, and Sokoke pipit. We took a side tour on the way to Malindi from Nairobi to the Taita Hills where we were able to see two of three endemics, the Taita thrush and the Taita white-eye. The one we missed was the Taita apalis.

My friends, Keith, Jesse and Jonathan, were great company. We stayed at a place on the beach, but to Robyn’s disgust (she was in cold, cold Indiana) I did not even put my toe in the ocean. No indeed, this was a birding trip, not a restful stay at the beach!

Painting the Mother and Child Wing

Doug — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:39:55 +0000

The Cy-Fair Christian Church from Houston, Texas raised $50,000 to construct a new wing for the clinic at Ewaso Ngiro in Kenya. The clinic is home to the Maasai Health Services, and is part of a clinic system established primarily by the work of CMF International. The Cy-Fair Church had been involved with Maasai medical ministries for some twenty years, years in which they supported missionaries Dave and Dr. Suzie Snyder. Last year minister Ron Lewis and missions minister Larry Metcalf visited the clinic, which gave rise to their desire to add the new wing. John Sankok is the director of Maasai Health Services and it was his dream (he shared this dream with me back in 2007) of having a wing where the mothers and children could be treated so that they would not need to come into contact with those who had tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and other transmittable diseases.

The group of sixteen from the Cy-Fair Church fulfilled two projects. First, they gave a new coat of paint to the waiting/reception area of the clinic, which had not been painted for seven years. John desired some paintings that would be entertaining to the older childlren, and fortunately Cy-Fair had the artist who could do that. The second project was to put the first coat on the outside of the new wing, as well as painting the metal doors and windows. The group worked long hours, enjoying their interaction with various members of the community and clinic staff. They especially appreciated the opportunity to visit a nearby Maasai village and see the inside of the home.

Congratulations to Cy-Fair for a job well done!

Ministries in Thailand

Doug — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:45:39 +0000

For the past two weeks I have been in Thailand visiting three different ministries. The Globalscope campus ministry house at Thammasat University in Bangkok was flooded for weeks. Indeed the whole university was under four to five feet of water. By the time I arrived the campus house was fully cleaned up and ready for students. Michael Ruth, Beth, and Grace put in lots of hours of scrubbing, painting, and washing. I was privileged to be able to be there for the first gathering of students since the flood. What a great job this team is doing!

My next visit was the the Klong Toey slum where we partner with Urban Neighbors of Hope, led by Ash and Anji Barker. We were there to help envision and establish an International Society for Urban Missions. Fellow travelers were Stephen Burris (CMF research missiologist), Kendi Howells Douglas (professor from Great Lakes Christian College), and Gary Weedman (President of Johnson University). All tolled, twenty-seven people participated in this gathering. We look forward to helping promote the need for ministry to the urban poor throughout the world, which includes the launching of a new journal.

In Chiang Mai I was able to spend time with Jeff and Pilar. Pilar teaches at the international school, and Jeff is involved in a CHE ministry that links orphans/poor children and their home communities. He is working to help these homes become self sustaining, and already two churches have been established in this ministry. Jeff and Pilar partner with others in such endeavors as rice planting, pig farming, and aquaculture. Jeff and Pilar are anxiously awaiting the arrival of two more families to this ministry.

Did I get some birding in on this trip? You’ll have to wait to find out the answer to that!

Social Business

Doug — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:24:37 +0000

Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize for his astounding work in microfinance, as told in his book, Banker to the Poor. His second book, Creating a World Without Poverty, was also a good read. His third book is entitled Building Social Business, and I believe the idea is very creative and is a perfect fit for so many who want to help in making positive changes in our world. A social business is one “that sustains itself but whose purpose is to create social benefits rather than to generate a profit” (pg. 34).

The book describes social business and how it is different from a profit generating business, or a non-profit that pretty much focuses on charitable endeavors. A social business is run to make money, but all of the money generated is used to cover costs and build the business. The products are those which benefit society. The investors are those who want their money to make a difference in the world. In time, the investors receive the exact amount that they invested (regardless of inflation), though there is no 100% guarantee. An example of a social business would be a tree-planting business. Trees would have to be sold as the business needs to be sustainable. Profits would pay for the laborers, for new product, and to pay the investor back over time. The investor feels good about her/his investment because of the trees that help to protect the environment, provide shade, provide employment, etc. Yet another example would be establishing a business that makes mosquito nets to aid in preventing malaria, or a water purification plant to produce clean water. Note, the nets or water is not provided to the customer freely; it needs to be purchased so that sustainability is achieved.

The book is available on amazon.com and can be purchased new, used, or in electronic format. I borrowed the book, but may purchase one because the idea is definitely worth chewing over.

A Birthday to Remember

Doug — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:29:58 +0000

Here are some ways that might indicate that: 1) I have been working too hard; 2) my life is a tad out of balance; 3) I have to be one of the most boring individuals in the world.

1. I visited the Indianapolis Children’s Museum today. Our group of four were all in our 50s and 60s. People stared at us because we had no kids in tow. I have lived in Indianapolis for 16.5 years, and this was the first time I have ever been to the ICM. That is a travesty to this wonderful museum!

2. Last night I did something that I have sort of half-heartedly scratched my head at for years. In downtown Indianapolis it is possible to go on a horse-carriage for a half an hour tour around the center of town. You put the gloves and stocking caps on because it is cold outside, and you cover yourself with a blanket, provided by the Blue Ribbon Carriage Company. We were celebrating Robyn’s birthday, and this was SOMETHING SHE HAD WANTED TO DO FOR YEARS!! Duh, Doug.

3. So, we are sitting in the children’s museum — we were only there two hours — and I was reading something on my phone. Linda Brock and Robyn and Garry were standing there, ready to go to the next site, and Linda pipes, “We’re ready to go Doug, when you are done working.” Actually, I was, AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN!

We have a wonderful city in Indianapolis; all sorts of workers were out getting the city ready for the Superbowl on February 5. It really was time to take it all in, because when the real Superbowl festivities for the public are ready to go, I’ll probably just be working away.

Thanks Garry and Linda, Aaron and Andrea, Nicole and Greg for making Robyn’s birthday so special.

Snowy Owl

Doug — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:32:21 +0000

Every few years, often when the lemming population is sparce, the Snowy Owl makes a foray southward from its home in the Arctic. It goes searching for food and has been spotted in places as far away as Alabama and Georgia. It’s journey is called irruptive, and birders often wait to see unusual visitors from the north.

The Snowy Owl is the heaviest of all the owls, weighing in at four pounds, compared with just over three pounds for the Great Horned owl. The wingspan of the Snowy Owl is five feet!

About ten days ago a Snowy Owl was spotted at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport, formerly known at the Mt. Comfort airport. I have birded at the airport before; in fact I got my first view of the Upland sandpiper at this airport. I learned of the bird at the airport on Sunday evening, so by Monday morning I was there, in the rain. Nobody else was, and I did not see the owl. But I went back in the afternoon and was able to see it. The next day I was there again, and the owl was sitting on a nearby building. Twice in the next several days I went again, and yesterday (Saturday) the owl was sitting in a field and I was able to get the other photograph.

Here is what John Stott wrote about the Snowy Owl when he finally got the opportunity to see one. “How can I capture in words the excitement of sitting in a hide, or blind, for hour after hour only a few yards from the bird of my dreams?! . . . It was a fantastic experience to eavesdrop on the domestic life of this majestic but elusive bird. She stared at me (although of course she could not see me), and I stared back. I could even watch mosquitos crawling on her feathered face until she blinked and shook her head vigorously to dislodge them. One of her eight white eggs had hatched, and another followed two days later.” (taken from The Birds Our Teachers: Biblical Lessons from a Lifelong Bird-watcher, page 32).

The Snowy owl—a great Christmas present to be sure.