I was so inspired a few weeks ago visiting my colleague Pastor Hideo Ohashi. He has served faithfully with A3 over several decades and his church is a remarkable testament to God’s faithfulness to Japan.
You’ll see him pictured here with his son and grandson: three generations of pastors! What a powerful image of God’s work from one generation to the next.
As Silk and I are saying farewell to our home of the last 4.5 years, we have visited our friends and colleagues in several places. We wish we’d have time to see everyone but the coronavirus has limited our options. One of the places we were able to visit was the sites of the “Hidden Christians” in Japan. By now you have heard of the book and film “Silence” which reveals some of their story. They went through horrendous persecution for their faith and the stories we heard of their resilience, perseverance, and faithfulness despite the awful treatment and their ultimate sacrifice were sobering and inspiring...
A Silver Lining in 2020's Dark CloudsWhat a year this has been! As most of us look back on 2020, I’m sure it’s been challenging—whether it’s the impact of COVID-19, the economic collapse or the ongoing polarization in our society and world. It often feels crazy to me. One of the silver linings in the dark clouds of this year for us at A3 though is the blessing of going digital. I’m sure you’ve heard of our Digital Platform project and the corresponding matching gift by now. Through your participation, we’ve been able to start three new countries in what we are calling a soft launch. In one of those countries, we are starting both our pastor and business cohorts simultaneously...
Momentum/mō-ˈmen-təm/ noun
PHYSICS the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.
This month only, the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication is offering their recent plenary sessions available for free. A3 president Joe Handley was asked to share a plenary address on night two and you can watch these sessions here...
It has been six months since the lockdown began in Manila...
$200,000 matching gift will help A3 provide secure online tools for persecuted leaders"We are facing shutdowns and jail time almost daily here. We are reluctant to share with the news because of the repercussions it may entail. Please pray for us."
That quote is from an A3 national director in one of A2’s most dynamic country movements. Please do pray for them as...
China (MNN) — Concerning accounts are pouring from China that have nothing to do with a physical virus. Many local believers are reporting crackdowns on the underground Church’s digital presence in China in the form of arrests and criminal charges. Restrictions on digital Christian content are nothing new; some local believers already change their websites and programming on a near-daily basis. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the game for two reasons. First, the online Chinese Church has experienced explosive growth since...
Last week I learned some encouraging news: During COVID-19 emergency suggestions here in Japan, churches in Japan are seeing some intriguing growth. We have shared previously about a monthly webinar A3 has been hosting for pastors: 1) Japan: Online church, first A2/Japan webinar, and more, and 2) Isolation Makes Way for New Connections in Japan. It’s been a tremendous experience as everyone is learning from one another, seeing ways to experiment with new ways to reach their communities, and learning from the global church (especially other countries in Asia) about how they are navigating these unusual times....
A3 has been training pastors in Japan for over 40 years, largely through gatherings of cohorts who come together as a learning community, grounded in deep relationships. The current pandemic, which requires social distancing and a period of shutdown, has challenged this model. In the process, it has accelerated our development of online learning platforms and opened the door to new opportunities and even greater reach. As Japan was dealing with the outbreak in April, churches across the nation were increasingly limited in how they could meet. Much like the persecution of the early church, which resulted in the gospel spreading around the world, our A3 Japan National Director, Rev. Joshua Hari, saw this “shut down” experience as...
“I sense God is moving us toward home churches in the coming days.” (Adrian De Visser) Right before hearing these words from my colleague Adrian who leads a church movement in Sri Lanka, another colleague, Herman Moldez, shared a similar sentiment as he watched the church changing in the Philippines during COVID-19. While many have shared concerns about having to close their church doors for a while, these two leaders see a silver lining in the dark clouds. Like John Wesley led in England in the 1700s, church is being re-thought and re-considered at least in terms that we may know it as in the modern era. The church was always simply the body of Christ gathered—not a building on the corner where people gather.
Some months ago, just before the entrance of the coronavirus, I began reading a book on my shelf that had been in my possession, unread, for a few years. The author is John M. Barry, and its title is The Great Influenza. It is a New York Times Bestseller. Barry tells the epic story of what he says is the deadliest plague in recorded history. The US experienced 650 thousand deaths; worldwide some 50 million died. Somewhat ominously for us now, as we are hoping for an end to the present crisis, there was a second wave during that influenza that was far more deadly than the first. While a little long, it is a good read. The timing of the read for me is most...
breakthrough / ˈbreɪkˌθruː /
noun “a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development.” – Oxford English Dictionary
At the end of 2019, Silk and I felt led to choose a word that would be the focus for the new year. I had just completed a quasi-sabbatical to finish my dissertation and we were looking forward to what was in store for 2020. And, 2020 was sure to be spectacular: A3 was...
From CEO Joe Handley
Posts from Janelle Stoops, U.S. President of A3
A3 Community blog with posts from a variety of contributors
Stories about Asian Access published by Mission Network News, a mission news service dedicated to keeping Christians informed on evangelical mission activity around the world. In doing so we hope to educate and motivate Christians to prayer, participation, and support of missionary work to help further the Great Commission.
Page 8 of 17
For over half a century, A3 has catalyzed movements in Asia. Now, with doors open in the Middle East, North Africa, and the West, we have boldly stepped in...
TO CHANGE THE FEW WHO CHANGE THE MANY.
Our new name A3 reflects the broadening impact of our distinctive learning communities in 25+ countries on 4 continents.
A3 is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization verified by Goodstack & Google.
EIN #95-6120630
PO Box 3307 | Cerritos, CA 90703 USA
6 Centerpointe Drive, Suite 700 | La Palma, CA 90623 USA
