1. It is interesting to note that the largest Presbyterian church in the world is located in South Korea and that Koreans are actively sending missionaries to Europe to help re-christianize "old" Christendom.
2. The Communist Chinese are deeply concerned about the growth and influence of the church there. They are harshly repressing the house-church movement, but the flame just won't go out. These folks need your constant prayers.
3. My famiy took a group European bus tour of several countries in summer, 2001. One stop was Amsterdam. You may know that the Netherlands has generally fallen far away from the Word and resembles Sodom in many ways. I wasn't real keen on going there, but we couldn't break it out of the tour.
Anyway, while putt-putting through Amsterdam's canals on a tour boat, the guide pointed out a beautiful, medieval church near the water. She reeled off some basic facts about the structure and then said, "It's now used to house an indoor practice wall for rock climbers. I guess we have to use it for something", she shrugged. There were some good Pentacostals on the tour with us and we shared a prayer with them about this later that day.
4. Note that within the Anglican church that the effort to resist the ordination of priests and bishops who are practicing homosexuals is led by that church's African bishops. They even recently told their American cousins in the church that they couldn't accept their money as long as this apostacy continues.
5. Finally, I recently heard a fascinating speaker at my church's "Missions Week" discuss mission efforts in Germany. This guy runs hockey clinics for youth and helps to serve as a chaplain for a German pro hockey league. They're nuts for hockey in Germany and he's found that folks will listen to a faith message from athletes if given the chance.
I was stunned during his talk when he told us that despite every German town having a church at its geographic center (it's the home of Luther, after all), around 80% of the population has never set foot in a church other than to attend a concert (good acoustics). He added that about 75% of the people who do attend church are women over tha age of 65. For many there, Christianity is simply an irrelevant anachronism- a dim curiousity from the distant past. It is quite sad, but I know God is up to the job.
They have made themselves ripe for Islam.
The Communist Chinese are deeply concerned about the growth and influence of the church there. They are harshly repressing the house-church movement, but the flame just won't go out.
This just the kind of environment that causes the church to thrive.