Perspectives

I've been working on a project to create a new version of the Perspectives Online course. The course name is Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. It was initially developed over thirty years ago by Dr. Ralph Winter (US Center for World Mission) to provide additional mission training to students who attended the 1974 Urbana Conference.

The course has been through a number of revisions. I first took it in 1997 when I first joined the staff of International Christian Ministries. A little later my boss, Dr. Phil Walker, got permission to do an online version of it. Once he had it up and running he passed it to me to coordinate.

I think that it is fair to say that few other courses I've taken have had the impact on my life that this one has. As an instructor in a missionary training program (Agape International Training) I encountered the Perspectives Reader before I became aware of the course. We began using articles in our training program in the early 1980’s. I really enjoyed the breadth of the reader – there was more good information in it than we could use in our program. About the time we joined the staff of International Christian Ministries, Kathy and I took the course together. I took the course coordinators training at about the same time and began coordinating courses, as well as teaching classes in the Biblical and Cultural components in the Bakersfield area. I also got involved in helping to instruct online students through this course.

Through our mission agency we became aware of an unreached people group in western Kenya, the Sabaot, and helped to have the JESUS Film translated into the Sabaot language. For the past decade we have been working in a partnership with several Sabaot Christian leaders, as well as several American churches who have formally or informally adopted the Sabaot to devise and carry out strategies to help this people come to know Christ. Though I’m taking a break from being a Perspectives instructor and coordinator to move to Kenya to work more closely with our Africa Theological Seminary and the Sabaot tribe, I’ll keep my connection to Perspectives up to date as we use the reader as the foundation of our two mission courses there. I know that we would not have gotten involved in these activities if we had not first had our eyes opened through our involvement in the Perspectives Course.

Mission Conference 2009

Last night we concluded this year's mission conference with a dinner held in our church activity center (Laurelglen Bible Church). This year's conference was a different experience for us because we're one of three couples and one man who are going out in international service this year.


It's comforting to know that we have our church behind us as we prepare to move to Kenya. One of the special moments of the evening came with the people who were sitting with us at our tables gathered around us to pray over us.

I had an opportunity to join some other "experienced" missionaries in giving some advice to those at the dinner who are going out long-term for the first time. While the other missionary speakers focused on good advice for new missionaries, I focused on advice for myself - things that I want to do better this time around than during our first term of service in Germany and England. I want to make more room in my life this time for relationships and relationship-building activities. The cultures of Kenya are relationship-oriented ones. Nothing significant gets accomplished unless the relationship is in place. Practically speaking, this means being prepared to invest time in conversation with others - not necessarily about work - and drinking a lot of tea.

First Day

Let's call this "The Geezer enters the 21st Century!" As Kathy and I continue on our trajectory towards a two-year period of service with ICM in Kenya, we're trying to gear up to communicate effectively with our family, friends and supporters. Paper mail is so last century and communicating over the internet with Skype, though promising, would limit the list of those with whom we want to keep in contact.
So...we're learning the arts of iContact for newsletters and blogging for more informal communication. Now I have to figure out to get this thing posted!