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The Foursquare Missions Committee presented a grand challenge at Connection 2011—a call to raise $1 million by the end of June 2012 to impact lives for Christ. Significant offerings and commitments were made, and God is working worldwide through those willing to go, lead and send.

The total amount received as of March 31, 2012, is just over $423,000. With all pledged monies due by the end of June, less than half the money pledged has been received with just three months left in the $1 million challenge. Foursquare churches that have not fulfilled their pledges to date are encouraged to continue to give toward their commitments.

FMI has already put the more than $400,000 received to work around the world. Last December, phase one allocations were announced; now it’s time to celebrate with a short report on projects funded through giving thus far.

The following chart highlights 16 specific projects. Each project represents a unique effort to live out the Foursquare Four-Stage Development Model and Foursquare President Glenn C. Burris Jr.’s five-target vision.

 

Project Title Project Description Project Update

Hokumin Church Planting, Japan (North Asia)

This project is focused on strategic evangelism, discipleship and church planting among survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku.

In partnership with Foursquare Japan and Family Forum Japan, radio is being utilized to minister to the people. Counseling and training for workers and survivors is being offered. At least four church planting centers will hopefully be developed in areas affected by the March 2011 Tsunami.
Ethnic Leadership Development (North Asia) Focus: Strategic development of leadership within communities for the purpose of creating a self-contained church multiplication movement, with the hope of creating interdependence between indigenous workers, minority people groups and the global Foursquare church. Workers are looking to move from stage 1 to stage 2 out of two major metro areas through the leadership of five to six local leaders in the process of being identified. These leaders will form the core in-country team, recognized and respected by local believers.
Expand Tonga From a Small Open Door to a Stage 2-3 Work (South Pacific) Focus: Looking to open Tonga to reach out beyond its current location. Workers will hold one pastoral training seminar. Outreach has begun around Nuka’alofa, and the Pastors and Leaders Seminar is set for March 20-25, 2012.
Church Planting in Fiji (South Pacific) Focus: Four evangelistic events to be held in the Sigatoka, Suva, Tavua and the Nadi areas of Vita Levu, Fiji. With severe flooding in Fiji around Nadi and Tuvua, smaller outreach events have already begun there and in the towns around them. At least two of the outreach points are expected to become small churches after life returns to normal in these areas.
Pioneering and Opening the South Pacific Nation of Nauru (South Pacific) Nauru is an open door. Project leaders are looking to send a missionary and register Nauru as a new Foursquare nation. Due to late receipt of funds, focus has shifted to an alternate open door in the country of Tuvalu. Relationship has been established with one family, and an outreach visit has been scheduled for June 20-26, 2012.
Health Clinic / Evangelism Site (Francophone Africa) Focus: Completion of a health clinic in a high-need area of a regional capital where there are currently no health clinics. Currently, workers are advancing toward final completion of a 3,000-square-foot building, which will have vaccination spaces for children, a pharmacy, pre-natal care for women, a laboratory, and sick convalescence areas. Additionally, a well is being completed to solve water problems.
Train 10/40 Window Church Planters in Sri Lanka (South Asia) Project leaders are hoping for between two and four pastoral/leadership training seminars in each of the following countries: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Approximately 1,000 pastors and leaders will be trained. These leaders are starting churches among unreached villages and people groups in these 10/40 window nations. Training intensives have been held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, where well over 500 leaders were present. Video training curriculum has been invested in for Sri Lanka. Project leaders are currently planning additional training sessions and awaiting reports on training initiatives in Pakistan and Nepal.
Develop World-Class Center, Training & Missional Strategies for Sub-Sahel (West Africa) Focus: Purchasing land and developing a training center for missionaries who are focused on the unreached people groups and nations of west, central and north Africa. Land has been purchased in the developing southern area, and administrative action continues (deeds, titles, surveyors, etc.). An international project development team has been established with the area missionary.
Strategic Church Planting in Closed Country (South East Asia) Focus: Strategic church planting to open a closed country in the region. A nearby country has spent $23,000 to purchase property and develop a training center in a village that speaks the same language as the closed country on their side of the border. Ease of crossing the border both ways makes this an ideal training location for launching strategic church planting ministry. The project will fully launch by mid-year.
Church Planting in Closed Country (South East Asia) Focus: Church planting support in a closed country in the region. Strategic church planting projects have been targeted in the north, south, east, west and central parts of the closed nation. Now that target towns and villages have been selected and leaders identified, the funding is being released at $1,000 per month in 2012 for basic support of the church plants.
Opening Grand Cayman to Foursquare (Caribbean) In partnership with Foursquare Jamaica, this project is specifically designed to plant a stage 1 Foursquare church. The first meeting took place in December 2011 between a leader in the Cayman Islands and the president of Foursquare Jamaica. There are presently 10 people gathering in a home as the church begins.
International Training and Recruiting Seminars for Unreached Peoples and Nations (Worldwide) Focus: Equipping churches to reach out to unreached people in their own nations. Additionally, this project seeks to hold seminars to train and recruit workers from around the world to go to the most unreached nations of the world. Three seminars have been planned and coordinated for March, June and July. Over three hundred pastors are expected to attend.
Church Planting in Mexico (North America) Focus: Support assistance is to be offered to the Godwin and Bainbridge families in their evangelism and church planting initiatives in Baja California, Mexico. The Godwins have planted an English and a Spanish congregation, as well as a simple church. The Bainbridges are assisting church planting in the Northern Baja Pacific District. They have been able to aid in numerous church plants and in pastoral development.
Leadership Development Initiative for Mexico (North America) Focus: A retreat and strategic planning event will be held for Foursquare Missions International (FMI) missionaries and Foursquare Mexico leaders. This event is scheduled for late November 2012 and will involve 10 key Mexican leaders.
Strategic Nation Opening – Gabon (Francophone Central Africa) Focus: Opening of a new nation in Francophone Central Africa. Project to be strategically coordinated with Foursquare Holland. Foursquare Holland national leaders were met with in December 2011 to discuss a trip. Leaders will meet again in March 2012 to make final assessments on work, trip details and material/spiritual needs before going.
East European Leadership Development (Europe)

Focus: Stage-appropriate development of Foursquare Russia and development of Foursquare Ukraine to help them become a fully nationalized work through leadership training toward church multiplication. Project leaders are looking to pioneer at least two Foursquare works in the post-communist nations of central and eastern Europe over the next 12 months.

In Russia, one leadership training event was executed in 2011, and another is planned for April 2012. In Ukraine, leadership training events have been executed and continue to be planned. Project leaders anticipate another Foursquare church plant. In Macedonia, a Foursquare plant is in the works located in the capital city of Skopje.

 

is a freelance writer living in Long Beach, Calif.
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