Middle East North Africa (MNN) — The Middle East and North Africa region is a critical ground for the hope of Jesus. According to the Pew Research Center, Christians comprise less than four percent of the region’s population, whereas 93-percent of the population follows Islam.
A3 President Joe Handley says missional plans in the MENA region are starting to shift, and the ministry needs your help to enter new territory.
A missional shift
God’s timing couldn’t be better. Just as A3 began preparing for a season of organizational growth, Handley received a call from Phill Butler. “Some of your listeners may know who Phill is. He’s one of the leading experts on collaboration and mission today,” Handley says.
Phill had a problem he hoped A3 could solve. “‘We have now entered a phase in the Middle East North Africa region that we are calling ‘The Last Mile,’” Handley recalls hearing from Phill.
“We have saturated the Gospel into this region; many have clicked on webpages or are watching satellite TV and expressed interest in Christ. But in terms of tangible expressions of fellowship starting or churches started, it’s very difficult to get your arms around that,” he continues.
“The discipleship challenge is huge.”
Enter: A3. Phill said, “‘That ‘last mile’ involves discipleship, leadership, development and church planting… I’ve heard that A3 is strong in [these areas]’,” Handley recalls.
Find your place in the story
A3 will begin work in the MENA region this year, but it cannot finish the task alone. “We’re looking for help,” Handley says, identifying three opportunities for involvement.
“This region is desperate for your prayers. Finishing the discipleship task [or] the ‘last mile’ for the Great Commission is crucial for the kingdom, so please pray. [Second], we are looking for people to volunteer,” he continues.
“If you are a seasoned leader, we could use your help. We are looking for people that would invest maybe a few hours of their time on Zoom to do training and equipping, or coaching and mentoring.”
Contact A3 here. Finally, “people can give. This initiative, we estimate, will cost in the millions of dollars. We’re approaching that step by step, little by little, raising thousands and tens of thousands of dollars at a time,” Handley says.
Be part of finishing The Last Mile in the Middle East and North Africa.
Listen to the broadcast (story starts at 1:29)
Direct Link: https://s3.amazonaws.com/a2-media/audio/4-5min-Jan15-2021.mp3
More Information
- This story by Katey Hearth was originally published on 15-Jan-2021 by Mission Network News:
https://www.mnnonline.org/news/2021-presents-gospel-opportunities-in-the-mena-region/ - Download the audio file: https://s3.amazonaws.com/a2-media/audio/4-5min-Jan15-2021.mp3
- Image credit: Inset map of commonly included MENA (Middle East & North Africa) countries. (Wikimedia Commons)
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