AFRICA
The majority of Oromo people are found in Ethiopia and some in Kenya.
Ethiopia today is a land of 60 million people of various cultural backgrounds.
The most numerous of these, totalling over 28 million, nearly 50% of the
population, are the Oromo people. They live in the central, eastern, western and
southern parts of the country, where they are predominantly farmers. The Oromo
language ranks second among the African indigenous languages in terms of the
number of speakers and the geographic area it covers. It is one of the most
widely spoken languages in Africa. The Oromo are one of the most unreached
people in the Horn of Africa.
ASIA
China has a population of 1.2 billion people. It is also a Communist country,
which prevents open sharing of the Gospel. China has a One Child policy, which
is a government policy to reduce population. Each family may have only one
child. Preference for a perfect male child means that girls and any babies born
with disabili8ties are simply abandoned or left in orphanages. Only one in every
10 babies survives their first two weeks in an orphanage. An estimated 2.5
million orphans live in orphanages in China. These children grow up in deprived
conditions, often abused and neglected.
INDIA
The church in India has a very long history, which some say dates back to the
apostle Thomas. In fact, India is where the era of modern missionary effort
began nearly two hundred years ago with the arrival of William Carey, hailed by
many as the father of modern missions. While the church in India is alive and
well, most of its growth has been in the South and North Eastern regions.
However, 40% of its population live in North India, some 400 million people,
which contain the political centre and is also the religious hub of India and
the heartland of Hinduism. It is the most socially deprived area and has the
smallest Christian presence. Many mission organisations recognise that NOW is
the time for Northern India.
FAR EAST RUSSIA
The capital of Far East Russia is Kharbarovsk, close to the border with
China. The River Amur flows through the city. Russia is in transition to
democracy and the former communists remain in charge in this region. Living
conditions are difficult and have deteriorated since the fall of the Soviet
Union. Average salary is around $A120 to $A200 per month. The churches are
divided and the walls between the denominations are just beginning to break
down.
MYANMAR
Myanmar has a population of 46 million. The country is ruled by the military
junta who strongly support Buddhism. It is one of the poorest nations despite
the wealth of its natural and human resources. The main export industries are
illegal – opium and teak.
MIDDLE EAST
The Christian community has experienced a numerical decline in recent years
due to lower birth rates, a high rate of emigration, influx of Muslim refugees
and the rise of politicised Islam. Still, Christians are found in all walks of
life and often in positions of great influence. Churches experience encouraging
growth as they mature and become aware of their identity, not only as physical
seed of Abraham, but also in a spiritual sense.
INDONESIA
Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world in population. The
majority of people are Muslims, although the there significant numbers of
Christians and Hindus. Communal strife between religious groups has been a major
problem in recent years. Timor is an island located in the South-West of
Indonesia. East Timor obtained independence from Indonesia in 1999, but West
Timor is still governed by Indonesia. The people of West Timor are Protestant
Christians from a tribal animistic background. However, nearby islands and the
remoter communities are some of the least reached people in the world.
CAMBODIA
During the Khmer Rouge era, all religions were annihilated. During the
Vietnam Era Buddhism was restricted and Christianity was prohibited. In 1991
Christian missionaries were formally allowed to enter the country to do relief
and development work accompanied by a measure of evangelisation. Since that time
there has been unprecedented opportunity to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus
and plant churches in Cambodia.
EASTERN & CENTRAL EUROPE
Eastern and Central Europe have more than 500 million people who were bound
for decades with communism. After the dramatic collapse of Communism in Europe
in late 1989, the church in Eastern & Central Europe experienced rapid growth.
However, this trend quickly levelled off as the prevailing traditional methods
of evangelism were no longer effective in an increasingly urban, materialistic
and media driven society. In January 1996, church planting commenced in
Budapest, Hungary and in Northern Poland in 1997. In 1999, a project began in
North West Czech Republic and in January 2000, two further objects commenced in
Poland. Many opportunities for church planting continue to present themselves in
other nations.
The NU Church Planting Department has set a goal to see 150 cell churches
raised up by the year 2003. They are convinced that the regions of Europe are
now ripe for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Much intercession and
strategic planning is being undertaken to target this once forgotten mission
field.
AUSTRALIA
Inter-Generational Ministry / Carpenter’s Cross Ministries
Carpenter’s Cross Ministries is a faith ministry to the body of Christ,
offering quality programs for children and ministry to the wider church body in
teaching, training and inspiration.
This ministry is responsible for:-
- training national workers to impact their own nations
- imparting a vision for children and youth to pastors and congregations
- reaching abused children through impacting relational camps
- participating in conferences and seminars
- to IMPACT children world-wide with the REALITY of Jesus Christ,
encouraging them to trust Him with their lives.
Australian Indigenous People Ministry
This ministry is responsible for:-
- Men's Meetings, which are held out in the bush and they have a time of worship and listen to the Word of God. After the meeting they have a relaxed fellowship time.
- Women's Meetings, where the Word is taught to address practical life issues that relate to women, such as family and raising kids in the way of the Lord
- Clothing Outreaches (suppling clothes to those in need)
- Wood cart (A lot of the camps don’t have access to electricity and their only means of cooking is an open fire)
- Feeding the Young (Large pots of food are cooked weekly and taken out to the streets to feed the children. Many have not eaten for days as their parents are alcoholics).
