UNCHANGING GOSPEL FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD
Submitted by Alex Pettett, World Witness Executive Director
“The unchanging Gospel for an ever-changing world” was a slogan World Witness generated about eight months ago when looking at its identity, strengths, and present-world realities. This is referring to the fact that, as the Reformed missions agency of the ARP denomination, it is believed that the Gospel and its message never changes; but given the small-to-medium size of World Witness, the Lord revealed that a strength is the ability to pivot quickly to proclaim this Gospel, according to new God-ordained opportunities.
During the beginning of the Mexico cartel wars in 2006, World Witness missionaries were working in some of the most violent regions. Within eight years, they had been forced out completely. As a result, the Lord led ARP missionaries in Mexico, and candidates bound for Mexico, to be redeployed to Spain to continue outreach in a country that is less than 1% evangelical.
In the wake of the violent Arab spring, beginning in 2010, a new wave of Muslim immigration to Europe began. Again, the Lord guided World Witness to quickly form a team (i.e., Bridge Europe) of experienced missionaries from Chad, France, Germany, and Turkey to begin
developing long-range strategies for church planting and evangelism among the millions of unreached immigrant Muslims in Europe. These immigrants also give World Witness “bridges” back to their own countries, most of which are inaccessible to missionaries.
In Pakistan, World Witness noticed a disturbing trend that foreign mission agencies were increasingly losing access to the country. Today, only a handful of organizations remain, including the ARPs. So, in a nation where 200 million Muslims have no access to the Gospel, the Lord allowed World Witness to take its experience with Tat Stewart in SAT-7 PARS (a Christian television network for Iran) and, over a period of five years, formed PAK7 to begin reaching these millions with the Gospel, using multi-media.
World Witness continues the education of ARP children in our Pakistan schools, enabling a new generation of ARPs to learn from a distinctly Christian worldview and be lifted out of poverty. The Christian Hospital Sahiwal (CHS) nursing program is growing with the pending approval of a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. World Witness recently received funding from a grant
allowing us to purchase the hospital’s first CT machine (Cat Scanner). CHS will possess the most advanced imaging equipment regionally and will be the only minority healthcare provider in the country with a CT machine. All of this is a testimony to His guidance and provision!
Finally, World Witness continues its church planting and evangelism efforts among Brits, Germans, Lithuanians, Pakistanis, Persians, Poles, Spaniards, and Welsh.
Now, the world has changed again with COVID-19, and God is leading World Witness to adapt. As such, ministry continues with livestream-worship services bringing in new visitors in Berlin (Germany), online French classes to Chechen Muslims in Strasbourg (France), online Bible studies and services in Barry (Wales), internet children’s clubs in Naunton Lane (UK), pastoral discipleship in Kaunas (Lithuania), zoom Bible studies in Nantes (France), and joint internet worship services with other reformed churches in Toledo (Spain).
More than ever, we have “the unchanging Gospel for an ever-changing world.” May the Lord continue to lead.
worldwitness.org
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