NEWS FOR MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY 2009

Dear Friends,

We now have a 'discussion' list going. If you want to join in a discussion about vulnerable mission in which all can participate, go to this link and follow the instructions. Use this opportunity to ask your questions!

We have now completed all five USA conferences. The Andover conference is on Friday 13th February, Germany on the 18th, and then Cliff College on the 10th March. I will shortly be going to Germany, and will be there till early March.

Our average attendance was about 10. This is somewhat lower than I had at one time anticipated. But the people who came were good quality. Our message was mostly very well received. The impression definitely at this stage - is that the message of vulnerable mission is much needed, and has potential for up-take.

Here is part of a report produced by someone at the Seattle conference:

Local Language:

After working amongst indigenous people in Mexico for 24 years, I'm convinced of the need to respect people's mother tongue. They may be able to grasp concepts in another language, but they will gossip those concepts in their first language if they have really internalised them. I can't resist the plea to respect the mother tongues of students at Bible teaching institutions. Even though the wealth of resources may be available to them via major languages, they must be able to argue these ideas in their own language, find them in their local language Bibles and communicate them to their neighbours back home - hoping that they are being equipped to serve back home and not just to be "upwardly mobile.

Local funding:

We said that the principles of VM are not new, they are Biblical and we need to be reminded of them." (By Chris Hurst)

Yours,

Jim Harries