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(MENA) – Children of all ages across the globe face challenges. Speak Up, a popular talk show on SAT-7 Arabic is helping address some of these challenges in the Middle East and North Africa. SAT-7 Arabic is a channel of SAT-7, a satellite TV ministry to the Middle East and North Africa.

Speak Up

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7, credit Russell Watkins with the Department for International Development)

“Speak Up program is a counseling program discussing current issues that affect society especially women. The program tries to explain the causes of these problems and their consequences.

“We help viewers gain perspective on these issues and learn how to find alternative solutions. We invite experts in the topics discussed on the program to share their knowledge and expertise with our viewers,” Amgad Shafik says, producer and director of Speak Up program on SAT-7.

Speak Up touches on a number of topics ranging from disabilities to bullying. The channel also invites people to share their personal experiences.

“By sharing their real-life stories, viewers can understand that they’re not alone and that others are going through similar issues and find ways to overcome their problems,” Shafik says.

Teaching Parents and Kids

The channel is also helping make many parents aware of what their children might be experiencing. Through Speak Up, SAT-7 is helping parents and their kids push back against things like bullying to model Christ-like relationships.

One of the challenges which come with this is identifying perpetrators of harmful actions and addressing the kids who are acting out in negative ways.

“On Speak Up, we define bullying, its types and who does it. We explain its reasons, where it happens and its consequences. We teach parents how to identify bullying and what do to if their child is bullied. We make parents aware of the importance of always talking to their children, listening to them and paying attention to the details of their lives to help them in the best way possible,” Shafik says.

Reflecting Christ

By defining challenges like bullying, Speak Up is raising awareness while also helping parents and kids address these issues, stand up for themselves, learn to reflect a Christ-like relationship, and treat people with care.

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7 via Facebook)

“Christ’s love shows in the way we help people understand and solve the problems at hand through Christian based values and principles. We speak about unconditional love as a basis for everything and through it many problems will be automatically solved,” Shafik says.

“We show Christ when we accept the others as they are regardless of their background. Jesus himself accepted sinners and went around doing good things for everyone without discrimination. Just as Jesus loved me as I am and accepted me, so must I accept the other regardless of their background.”

If you would, please pray for God’s love to be made visible through SAT-7’s program Speak Up. Pray for the teams’ wisdom when it chooses discussion topics and the experts who address these topics with the audience. Also, pray for God to supply the financial support Speak Up needs to continue producing content which reflects God’s love and helps the viewers.

To financially support Speak Up, click here!

Photo courtesy of SAT-7 via Facebook

USA (MNN) — Is your church looking for ways to be more involved in Gospel outreach? e3 Partners is helping congregations across the United States embrace a missional heart through partnership!

Jeff Johnston with e3 Partners says their church partnership programs are very holistic and hands-on.

“We have a goal of having a full-on ministry partnership with a church. That includes helping them train their congregation for local evangelism, taking people from their congregation on short-term trips with us, having them choose a location abroad that they’re passionate about,… and potentially even sending people long-term from their church.

“Ultimately, it’s about as much us partnering with the church as it is them partnering with us. We want to serve the Kingdom alongside them.”

(Photo courtesy of e3 Partners)

One church in Tulsa, Oklahoma knew there was more they could be doing to reach others with the hope of Jesus.

“They wanted to be a congregation that met people where they were, that went and sought out the lost rather than waiting for them to come into the church.”

This body of believers heard about e3 Partners and reached out. Johnston says e3 met with them and conducted Gospel conversations training, “which really teaches you simple tools to share your testimony, to share the Gospel, and then when people come to faith, to then start discipling them.”

From there, it ignited a passion in this church for the Great Commission.

“They started going out into their community, praying for people, sharing the Gospel with people, sharing their testimonies with people, and seeing a lot of people come to faith through that.

“They got hungrier and hungrier for more training, for more opportunities to just pour into the lives of these people. So then our team came back and did another training with them.”

(Photo courtesy of e3 Partners)

This time, e3 conducted their 4 Fields Training. This training is more in-depth and really delves into church planting, discipleship, and the biblical grounding for those ministry practices.

The Tulsa church also started a residency team that would meet weekly to talk about how they are growing spiritually, debrief on evangelism initiatives, provide accountability, and worship together.

“Then they go out for at least an hour or two every week and knock on doors, pray for people, share the Gospel with people, and then go back to people that have taken hold of the Gospel and disciple those people.”

But they weren’t content to stay local. Eventually, the congregants wanted to get involved with ministry in Asia as well. So e3 Partners got them plugged in with short-term missions trips.

“A lot of people on those trips felt like God was calling them to long-term missionary work. So we continued pouring into those people and having them continue to learn more locally and seeing them raise up disciples locally,” says Johnston.

“Eventually, over the course of the last year, a lot of those people have been trained up…and are now being sent out abroad long-term.

“Now, we really see that holistic approach to that church. They have people that are going abroad long-term. They have people that are going on these short-term trips. They have people that are not only taking part in trainings, but are also now doing trainings themselves locally and evangelism locally.”

The transformation of this church body in Tulsa had a profound impact on their community.

(Photo courtesy of e3 Partners via Facebook)

“We’ve just seen so many people come to faith from this congregation. We’ve seen their congregation really grow and their congregation really grow together. They all talked about how they just feel like they’re a tighter-knit community now, how they hold each other accountable, [and] how they really feel like a family. It’s been a really amazing thing to see.”

If you would like to learn more about church partnerships with e3 Partners, click here to visit their website!

Johnston says, “I would just encourage pastors [and] churches, if you feel like your church is stagnant or you have this desire to equip your congregation more or to just get more involved in missions work, I would just really encourage you to check out the church partnerships page.

“We truly just want to serve the Kingdom of God alongside you. We want to do whatever we can to equip the churches across the US because we know there [are] so many people in each neighborhood, in each community that still need to hear the name of Jesus. The Church can be a great vehicle to spread the Kingdom.”

Header photo courtesy of unsplash

Turkey (MNN) — Turkey appears to be closing its doors to Christian residents, and it’s not clear why. A recent entry ban, subsequent deportations, and unclear communication all raise concern for Turkey’s Christian community.

“After many years of residency, they (foreign Christian workers) are now being banned from entering the country,” Adam Smith* of Middle East Concern tells MNN.

“Lawyers are trying to get official papers giving the reasons why people are facing entry bans, and yet they’re not able to do so.”

Smith describes the following situations as examples of Turkey’s entry ban.

Entry ban examples

In April, family emergencies required that one pastor travel immediately to the United States, Smith begins. This pastor led a church in Istanbul for 20 years and is well-known in the community. When he tried returning to Turkey on Thursday, authorities detained him at the airport. Instead of letting him into the country, they deported the pastor to Germany.

Smith says MEC knows of several cases like this. The situation is putting non-Turkish Christians on-edge. “It’s certainly made them feel very insecure,” he states.

“There’s no warning that this might happen… when you leave the airport, you don’t know if you’re going to be allowed back or not. It’s very unsettling for the people.”

(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Another entry ban occurred in February, he reports. A Christian couple was returning home to Istanbul after traveling abroad. Authorities stopped the pair in the airport and told them they were going to be deported, but the couple managed to call their lawyer first.

“The lawyer was able to step in, stop the deportation for a few days,” describes Smith. Unfortunately, the couple couldn’t return to their home in Istanbul. Government authorities told them to return to the U.S. and seek answers from the Turkish consulate.

The couple “went to the Turkish consulate in Chicago, asked them ‘what’s the problem? We haven’t done anything wrong…why are we not being allowed back in the country?” Smith says. Consulate officials told the couple they couldn’t get into Turkey because there was an entry ban.

“That doesn’t explain anything, of course, [about] why are you banned?” Smith observes.

On its website, the U.S. State Department warns citizens visiting Turkey,

Security forces have detained tens of thousands of individuals, including U.S. citizens, for alleged affiliations with terrorist organizations based on scant or secret evidence and grounds that appear to be politically motivated. U.S. citizens have also been subject to travel bans that prevent them from departing Turkey.

However, at press time, there are no statements regarding the entry bans or deportations of foreign residents of Turkey.

What now?

About the current entry ban and deportations, Smith notes “similar things have happened in the past; quite a number of foreign Christians have been deported. But, it’s been done in quite a different way.”

At the individual level, there’s little action one can take legally or politically on behalf of these believers. However, you do know the God who directs the affairs of mankind.

(Stock photo obtained via Pexels)

We “definitely need to pray in a variety of different areas regarding this [situation],” Smith states. “First of all, there are those people and families who have been immediately affected by this. I know, for example, that the children in one family… have been really distressed.”

Ask the Lord to comfort and encourage believers affected by Turkey’s entry ban. Pray lawyers working on their behalf will have wisdom and discernment.  “If there is any policy that’s targeting Christians in this way because of their ministry, then may it come out into the open and stop,” Smith suggests.

Please also pray for Turkish churches affected by the entry ban. “If the church suddenly loses its head pastor, it’s very disturbing for the congregation and is a cause of anxiety,” notes Smith.

“May the Church know God’s peace during this time and have that overcoming spirit.”

Visit MEC’s website to learn more about the state of the Church in Turkey.

*– Name changed for security purposes.

Header image is a stock photo obtained via Pexels.

Pakistan (MNN) – Asia Bibi has faced a long road to freedom following her arrest based on blasphemy charges in 2009. In late 2018 Bibi was acquitted of those charges yet remained in custody for her protection. In January, Pakistan’s Supreme Court rejected a petition requesting the reconsideration of Bibi’s blasphemy charges.

Asia Bibi Relocated

(Photo courtesy of VOM via Facebook)

Now, confirmations have surfaced that Asia Bibi has relocated to Canada. BBC NEWS reports that Pakistan’s government officials have not released information detailing Bibi’s exact location or when she left. What seems to be clear, though, is that after nearly a decade of maintaining her innocence, Bibi has finally reunited with her family and can start the process of moving forward in her life.

However, Bibi’s acquittal and relocation are not equivalent to safety, even if she is safer now than when she was in Pakistan. As Bibi adjusts to a new normal, FMI’s Bruce Allen urges Christians across the globe to let their questions of “Where is Asia” fizzle.

“It’s not going to be helpful for Asia Bibi, and we really don’t benefit from it either. The only people who would benefit from that specific knowledge would be the people who are still hunting her down to kill her,” Allen says.

Need for Reform

Furthermore, Bibi’s acquittal and relocation do not signal the end of blasphemy laws in Pakistan. FMI’s Bruce Allen explains how Pakistan’s blasphemy laws still need reform and people are still imprisoned in the country on blasphemy charges.

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

“There are scores of Christians languishing in prisons inside Pakistan who have been charged with blasphemy. And that automatically carries a death sentence upon conviction. There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Allen says.

Pakistan is currently ranked #5 on Open Doors USA’s World Watch List (WWL). The WWL is a ranking of the top 50 countries where it is most severe to live as a Christian. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended Pakistan as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) each year since 2002. It was designated as a CPC for the first time in November 2018. Find the 2019 USCIRF report here.

How to Help

Bottom line—should we rejoice for Asia’s release? Absolutely. But there is still work to be done. Will you pray?

“We still need to pray that God would move in the hearts of the Pakistani lawmakers of the government to reform these laws to bring true justice to all of their citizens,” Allen says.

Not sure how else to help Christians in Pakistan? Allen suggests beginning by encouraging the Pakistani Church. If an encouraging message is left on the Mission Network News Facebook page, Allen will make sure to pass the note along to FMI’s Pakistani partners, which then trickles through the churches.

Another way to help is by empowering national Christians to continue their ministry. FMI helps supplement partners’ ministry costs, with the goal to make them self-sufficient in the future. Christians outside of Pakistan can help FMI support these ministries and supply resources for Sunday school classes or vacation Bible schools by giving a financial donation.

To give to FMI, click here.

Header photo courtesy of FMI

Palestine (MNN) – What does it mean for someone who lives in conflict to serve those fleeing conflict? The answer points to the way Jesus’ love is freely given to those who believe in Him, only to be extended and given again. The Shepherd Society, a part of Bethlehem Bible College’s Community Outreach Center, lives into this truth.

The Shepherd Society

The Shepherd Society began 21 years ago to provide food and medical treatments to less fortunate families during the Intifada. Based in Bethlehem, an area known for conflict and closed off by a wall, this group is one of the main institutions providing help in the area. Here Palestinian Christians, a minority within a minority, answer the call to care for the widow and the orphan, to feed the hungry, and to share Christ.

(Photo courtesy of the Shepherd Society)

The Shepherd Society has four main programs to accomplish this work. These include medical aid,  microfinance projects, and family to family sponsorships.

In Bethlehem, the Shepherd Society’s medical program is the main medical program. However, the medical program is meeting only a fraction of their need. With the right funding, it could double the number of people it currently serves.

“This is our vision, to help anybody who knocks on our door…I want them to know that we care about every single person in this whole world,” says Sari Zeidan, Head of the Shepherd Society.

Living in Conflict, but Serving Those Fleeing it

The fourth program is refugee aid. Earlier this year the Shepherd Society and a group of volunteers traveled to neighboring El Malfrak, Jordan. Here the team offered encouragement, support, and hope to Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

“We visit them at their houses, through a church there, and we hear their stories,” Zeidan says.

“We tell them our stories. We give them food packages, and blankets or anything they need…One of the things that we share [is] the Bible…or at least we share some stories of the Bible that reflects similar situations of the refugees…For example, when Jesus went out from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and we talk about a lot of stories that reflect the patience, the passion that they need to survive.”

(Photo courtesy of the Shepherd Society)

During outreach, the Shepherd Society invites refugees to church and offers to pray with them. However, Zeidan says most of the Syrian refugees the Shepherd Society encounters are Muslims. Muslims often mistake the Trinity as representing three Gods. The confusions offers believers a chance to explain how Christians worship one God and one God only.

Prayer is also different in Islam; Christians have the freedom to open their hearts to God at any time.

“They started to come…to pray with the people of Jordan and with us in the church. This is a success story and it’s a blessing to let them pray the way we pray,” Zeidan says.

An Unexpected Education

These outreaches also teach the volunteers, who are usually youth or students from the college, how to serve. The experience provides a stark contrast between self-focus and what it means to selflessly love and serve others.

(Photo courtesy of the Shepherd Society)

“They learn through the stories that…the most important is to help these people who suffer and in a way that they believe that God is sending them or Jesus is sending them there, to learn about the world and what is happening in the world. This is so important for us and for them,” Zeidan explains.

Zeidan says this mindset of loving those who are suffering is a call from God. It is a faith which surrenders to God and is obedient even during trials.

Please, if you would, pray for the Shepherd Society’s multifaceted work. Pray for peace between Israel and Palestine, for the refugees in the region, and for God to supply the funds for the Shepherd Society work.

To learn more about the Shepherd Society and how to get involved, click here.

Financially support the Shepherd Society here.

Header photo by Sander Crombach on Unsplash.

International (MNN) – Over the years, World Missionary Press (WMP) has created different children’s coloring books. The coloring books have made a deep impact in kids’ lives around the world, and now, WMP is revising their books so they can produce and send more to children.

The coloring books have pictures that kids can color and Bible verses in their native language which speak God’s words of truth, hope, and life. So far, WMP offers books in more than ten languages.

Stories of Global Impact

The coloring books have been used as teaching tools.

WMP’s Helen Williams says one partner in Liberia takes a coloring page and a passage to teach children the principles behind the verse and picture.

“He just goes from page to page, and as he read[s] it, the Lord brings other things to mind, and he just uses this tremendously.”

The books have also been major tools of encouragement for hurting and broken youths.

Williams says when the Chernobyl accident happened in Ukraine, there were many affected children in hospitals.

There was a request for coloring books and WMP sent many in Russian.

“We had stories of children that that was their only possession, and as they went from hospital to hospital, they clung to those coloring books as their only possession,” Williams says.

“And the pictures and the words in them were life at that time, and for the children to receive something that was for them for their minds and their hearts as well as their physical needs,” was very special and encouraging.

WMP has also sent books in native languages to Africa and South America.

WMP received stories from people in South America. After coloring pictures, families placed the pages on the walls as a reminder of who God is and how much He loves them.

Williams says the verses and pictures were on the walls for both children and parents to see them at all times and it created opportunities to reach families’ hearts.

“This is why we are revising them so we can do more because we believe that they are effective,” Williams says.

Revising for more impact

WMP’s previous coloring books were large and expensive to print.

“We had to produce them out of house because they didn’t sit on our press setup was not for that size in that particular book,” Williams says.

“So, the decision was made to revise them down to a smaller piece… and to redo them and make them more available so that we could print them here. So, instead of paying 22 cents a copy, we can print them for less than 10 cents a copy. We can print more. We can print them here, and get more out.”

(Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press)

By changing the size of their coloring books, they’re able to print more and send more to impact even more children worldwide.

Williams says she knows many people liked the larger books, but having these smaller coloring books will, in the long run, be more effective.

The books offer new pictures and Bible verses in native languages, and WMP hopes to have them released in May.

Pray the revised coloring books will continue sharing God’s truth, life, and hope with children worldwide. Pray the books will make a deep impact and transform the lives of both children and parents.

Help provide WMP’s revised coloring books to kids around the world by donating here.

Header photo courtesy of World Missionary Press via Facebook.

Six practical steps to help bolster partnerships in the kingdom of God.

A phrase that gets thrown around a lot in Christian circles is “let’s partner together.”

Sometimes, tasks and projects are too much for one person, church, or organization. Since no one wants or has the time to reinvent the wheel, why not maximize on each other’s strengths and knowledge?

But we all know that is easier said than done.

Once you sit down together to work through what needs to get done, the how can get tricky. In business, partners are motivated by a mutual desire to make money. In ministry, the motivation may appear to the same, but with differences in theology and leadership qualities, many times a partnership is not viable.

So the question becomes: How does one create partnerships within Christian ministries resulting in collective work for the gospel?

Here are some thoughts and lessons I have learned that have helped me.

1 – Assess if you trust the person

This is one of the most important questions, I think. I firmly believe that as believers we are called to “love” everyone, but honestly, we do not get along with or like everyone. If personalities clash from the get-go, or if you don’t trust the other party, there cannot be a successful partnership.

I know what personalities don’t jive with mine and what traits bother me. Therefore, when I meet potential partners, those are red flags that I look for and then avoid.

Trust is huge! You must be able to trust the persons with whom you are partnering. Once trust is lost, regardless of the reason, a long-term partnership seems dim. It has happened to me with even reputable Christian organizations.

Ultimately, lasting partnerships happen when you know the other party will come through with what they say and promise to …

Continue reading…

USA (MNN) — In the U.S., Mother’s Day is just around the corner. According to the National Retail Federation, 84-percent of U.S. adults will celebrate the occasion on Sunday. NRF also predicts consumer spending will hit a new record high: $25 billion.

India Partners’ Donna Glass suggests thinking “outside the box” this year as you plan a gift for mom. “Cards are nice. Flowers are nice. But is that needed? No,” she observes.

“Flowers will wilt and die. A card ends up in recycling, eventually.”

Why not change a life in mom’s honor instead? Through its in-country cohorts and financial support from people like you, India Partners offers a six-month training program to disadvantaged women. It’s part of their work towards “an India rich in hope, justice, and compassion.”

The tailoring program teaches women how to operate a foot-powered sewing machine and make clothing. These skills are simple yet life-changing for moms like “Pidi.”

Sewing hope…

Pidi’s life was difficult, but everything changed when she was accepted into India Partners’ tailoring program.
(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

Pidi and her husband struggle to provide for their two young children. Although Pidi’s husband works, his job only provides 2,000 to 2,500 rupees – or, $28 to $35 USD – per week. It’s not enough to support a family of four, so Pidi seeks work as a day laborer. It’s back-breaking labor, but this job is also the only option for people with limited education.

“She didn’t have any qualifications; she only studied through the sixth grade.”

Everything changed when Pidi got accepted into India Partners’ tailoring program, Glass says.

“She was just really excited about it because she knows that she can work from home, and she can take care of her house,” Glass says. “[Pidi] was really excited to go through the training, and to learn all the different models of clothes, the different dresses and skirts.”

There’s more to the tailoring program than job skills. It’s about empowering women like Pidi.

“Because [Pidi] can work on her own schedule…she can earn quite a bit more. She hopes… she’ll be able to earn [enough] money to supplement her husband’s income.”

…in mom’s honor

This year, consider making Mother’s Day a “team” event. Team up with your mom, or a mom you know, to help a mother in India.

“For $100, you can make a difference in a woman’s life and the life of her family.”

As explained here, your gift offers her a chance to attend a tailoring school for six months and learn valuable sewing skills. Once she graduates, she will receive a free sewing machine that will enable her to start a home tailoring business.

“There are 60 women who are going to graduate in June and each of them are going to receive a brand new sewing machine,” Glass says.

Click here to provide a sewing machine through India Partners.

Photo courtesy of India Partners

Nigeria (MNN) – On Tuesday, May 7, a faction of the Fulani herdsmen carried out another attack in a village in northeast Nigeria.

Fulani Herdsmen Target Northeast Nigeria

A partner of Christian Aid Mission agreed to share his first-hand account. Gabriel Barau, a missionary in Nigeria, says homes were burned to the ground. At least two converts were lost and many people were killed and injured.

He says the instability in northern Nigeria has been ongoing for the past five years because of Boko Haram attacks, but now, the Fulani herdsmen attacks appear to be increasing.

Representative photo, 2015.
(Photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

“They enter villages, and they burn homes, houses…They kill anyone they can lay their hands on. And so many people have been displaced and killed,” Barau says.

Despite the atrocities committed, Barau says no one has been arrested for the attack. Without help from authorities, taking care of the victims falls to the local Church.

“Last night, they killed a lot of the people we were reaching out to in those communities. Many of them escaped without carrying anything, and now they are with our staff that are in the city. Sometimes, we don’t even know how to keep them. There are hundreds and hundreds of them,” Barau says.

Currently, Barau’s missionaries are overwhelmed. It seems like there is no church that is not housing displaced people.

“Most of them have been in internally displaced camps and we go there, we feed them, we provide a service for them, we do what we can do in our ministry for them. And then we help empower some of them. But we have so little and are so limited to do,” Barau says.

Pray for Nigeria

It is also frustrating for the Christians in this area when attacks like this go unreported. Please, spread the news of what is happening in northern Nigeria. Also, join in prayer for the Church there.

Ask God to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the people who have been attacked. Pray for their healing and protection. Pray that as the global Church learns about what is happening in northern Nigeria, it would reach out and help its Nigerian brothers and sisters.

“We need the world community to know that people are suffering in silence in some part of this country,” Barau says.

*Name of partner and location of attack have been omitted for security.

Header photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission.

China (MNN) — With the changing of religious restrictions in China, organizations serving believers have had to change their work to comply with Chinese law.

A Shift for Bibles for China

Bibles for China’s (BFC) Kurt Rovenstine says the ministry has experienced some difficulties in recent years, but they continue to see God opening doors for them even as they modify their plans.

“Our paradigm has shifted a bit in terms of how we go about partnering with folks in China that God has put us in touch with,” Rovenstine says.

There is now, “less personal touch from folks in the West. That seems to be one of the roadblocks, is foreigners into China. And so, we try to respect that and the law of the land and the requests of our partners there.”

BFC has also changed some of their materials, including their study Bibles, which are helping to empower leaders in rural China.

“We started out with a Bible that was smaller print and requests came in for larger print Bibles for those who had difficulty seeing the smaller print, and then, we have requests for Bibles that could be used in worship with the hymns and some of the liturgy included. And so, because different needs were presented, we kind of shifted a little bit of what we did.”

However, as BFC addresses different needs and makes appropriate changes to their materials, they ensure that scripture is unchanged, still completely accurate, and still completely God’s Word.

Ensuring Accuracy

BFC is working with Amity Press in China, purchasing the Gospel from them inside the nation. They are collaborating with Amity Press and with partners to ensure the scriptures have remained the same, despite the nation’s changes.

“With the partners that we have in several of the provinces, trusting them to keep us in the know as to the veracity of the Scripture, that they had integrity, that there haven’t been changes,” Rovenstine says.

“I would suppose if something happened to where we didn’t feel like the scriptures that were being distributed were pure, we would have to find another way to do what we do.”

Rovenstine encourages you to pray for believers in China.

For underground believers, it is growing increasingly more difficult. Some Christians have even emigrated to Kenya so they can worship more freely.

(Photo courtesy of Bibles for China via Facebook)

BFC works with the registered Church. Pray the Chinese government would not place further restrictions and that believers would still be able to worship and fully grow in their faith in Christ. Pray that God’s work will be done and flourish in the nation, and pray for the work of Bibles for China and for their partners.

“Those partnerships are really important, especially now as things become more difficult to be able to go back and equip and work with specific areas that are really responding and give us opportunities, and still are meeting a vital need.”

You can supply believers in China with Bibles by giving to BFC here.

Header photo courtesy of Bibles for China via Facebook.

USA (MNN) — This new study shows a spike in U.S. teen suicide following the 2017 release of “13 Reasons Why,” a Netflix series now entering its third season. Suicides among 10- to 17-year olds increased by nearly 30-percent, mostly among boys.

Researchers did not establish a direct causal link between “13 Reasons Why” and the suicide spike, AFP reports. However, incidents like this seem to imply a connection between the show’s contents and suicidal ideation.

Based on a book, “13 Reasons Why” follows the story of a teenage girl who took her own life. Critics claim it puts vulnerable youth at risk by glamorizing suicide and self-harm.

Set Free Ministries’ Glenn Dunn says many teens can identify with the show’s themes. Young people encounter tough issues like bullying, sexual harassment, self-harm, and suicidal ideation on a regular basis.

“These teens, unfortunately, believe that [suicide] may be the way out for their pain. And, unfortunately, in many cases, [they] act upon that.”

However, the scope of America’s teen suicide crisis goes far beyond this specific show. “13 Reasons Why” and similar content are like the tip of an iceberg: they’re part of the bigger problem, but not the whole.

Teen suicide: a clear and present danger

(Photo courtesy istock via ICTMN.com)

As noted here, 38-percent of young people surveyed by the CDC in 2017 had either seriously thought about taking their own life, made a plan, or attempted to commit suicide. Suicide remains the second-leading cause of death for young people between 10- and 24-years old.

Risk factors vary, but Dunn says media consumption plays a significant role in the cases they encounter at Set Free. “There’s tremendous pressure to live through a lens of social media, which isn’t accurate,” he explains.

“[Social media] only presents, quite frankly, a lie in many cases of what the real world is all about… when they (teens) don’t measure up to that, they have tremendous anxiety that oftentimes then leads to depression.”

Like a deadly downward spiral, depression – when left untreated – often leads to suicidal thoughts. When teens act on those thoughts, entire families are forever changed.

Suicide is a complex and multi-faceted issue, but that doesn’t make it taboo. “It’s a viable issue that teenagers are wrestling with,” Dunn says.

“They question who they are, and what value they have in life… we need to meet them right there and give them those answers through Scripture and through Jesus Christ Himself.”

He encourages churches to join the conversation.

“It’s time for us to step up and really help these young [people]. This is the hope of the church in the future.”

From darkness to light

If you or a loved one struggles with suicidal thoughts, reach out to Set Free Ministries today. There is a road to hope.

“Part of it [involves] putting off some of the old lies and working through that, and then putting on the new truth of who they are in Jesus Christ,” Dunn explains. “That’s what we do here.

“It takes a little bit of time but, slowly and lovingly, we see amazing breakthrough in that process.”

Visit Set Free’s website to learn more about their work.

Header image courtesy of Netflix via Facebook.