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A DNA Movement Gains Momentum in the Caribbean

- 6/9/2009 Reverend Clifton Charles lives on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad where he pastors a local church and teaches courses at a local university. He is also on the Executive Committee of the Evangelical Associationof the Caribbean. He along with his wife Pearl attended the 2009 DNA Forum in Hong Kong where he shared about the impact the DNA has had on his church, and churches throughout the Caribbean.

The story begins in early 2007. Prison Fellowship International had invited DNA co-founder Bob Moffitt to address their international leadership meeting in Toronto that year. At a team meeting in Phoenix, our DNA office discussed this potentially strategic opportunity to influence a significant global network. In addition to Bob, they requested one other non-North American speaker. We agreed to invite Luis Sena. A close friend and gifted teacher, Luis is the country director for Food for the Hungry in the Dominican Republic.

Unknown to us at the time, the Reverend Charles Clifton was in the audience in ToRev. Charles Clifton and Pearl at DNA Forumronto, and when he heard Luis speak, he had a flash of inspiration.  At that time, he was chair of the committee responsible for selecting speakers for the upcoming Congress of Evangelicals inthe Caribbean or CONECAR. He was so inspired by Luis's presentation in Toronto that he invited him to speak at CONECAR.

Luis accepted, and his presentation to the CONECAR delegates focused on the DNA themes of the power of a biblical worldview for transformation, the role of the church in advancing God's Kingdom and wholistic ministry. According to Rev. Charles, Luis's talk was "the most successful and well-attended at the conference."

Following the success of Luis's presentations at CONECAR, Rev. Charles contacted our office to inquire about hosting a Vision Conference in Trinidad and Tobago in January, 2009. Bob Moffitt and Darrow Miller travelled to the island nation to facilitate the conference early this year,which was attended by more than 110 church leaders from several Caribbean nations, including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent, Guyana and others. According to Darrow, it was "one of the best Vision Conferences I have ever been to." Bob described it as a conference where "the participants were particularly well-prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive the messages we brought." 

Following the conference came two significant developments.  First, the Executive Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Council of Evangelical Churches, which is comprised of some 40 evangelical denominations, held a two-day retreat to develop a new strategic plan. The messages shared at the Vision Conference formed the core of their new vision--the first functional mission statement the council has had for more than sixty years!

Second, twenty of the key leaders who attended the Vision Conference attended a follow-up meeting where they shared how they had applied the teachings. They prayed for each other, and agreed to establish a newsletter and website to inform participants on progress they were making to implement the Vision Conference teaching. They further agreed to share their pulpits with their fellow leaders who attended the conference to help establish the credibility of the Vision Conference messages within their congregations. They are currently planning a follow-up conference where they intend to invite all of the top evangelical leaders in Trinidad and Tobago along with a trainer-of-trainer event where local leaders can be equipped to spread the messages and support the movement.

Several exciting Seed Projects also resulted from the Vision Conference. One of these was an event where senior citizens from the surrounding community were invited to a special church service held in their honor.  During the service, a children's group performed dances, a festive meal was served, and portraits were taken of the seniors. The whole church worked together to host the event, which was attended by over forty seniors--many whom had never attended church. The church women's group did a similar event for community women, and it was equally successful.These and other such projects reflect a fresh vision for the unique role that the church can play in bringing Kingdom transformation to local communities with their own resources.

Back in 2007 when the invitation came in to our office from Prison Fellowship, we were thrilled. We saw it as potentially very strategic.  But while nothing seemed to come out of the Toronto meeting as far as a relationship between Prison Fellowship and the DNA, God had another plan--a plan to launch a DNA movement in the Caribbean through a very special champion named Reverend Charles Clifton.

God's ways are always best.    


Link to this individual blog entry:
http://www.disciplenations.org/dna-news/stay-connect-with-the-dna/a-dna-movement-gains-momentum-in-the-caribbean#6UiYqHPGNrl-w1FEpcx3JQ or click here

DNA Prepares to Launch New Monday Church Initiative

- 6/9/2009 For many, the word "church" brings to mind images of a building, or an activity that happens on Sunday morning. But the Church isn't a building. It is the Body of Christ, not only when it gathers for worship on Sunday, but twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week! The church remains the church on Monday morning as God's people scatter into every domain of society.

God has given the church a task to disciple nations--to be ambassadors of His rule and reign, bringing healing, blessing and restoration to all nations. This mission involves sharing the message of salvation through Christ, but evangelism is just the starting point. God's mission is nothing short of the restoration of all creation. For the church to faithfully fulfill this mission, it must do more than send and support cross-cultural missionaries, as important and essential as this task is. It must envision, equip and empower each member of the body to function as agents of redemption and restoration in those places where they are called and deployed. 

But there is a problem. In the words of Os Guinness, "God has his people where he wants them. The problem is that they are not being his people where they are."  While Christians can be found in every domain of society, they all-too-often fail to function as missionaries of restoration. Rather than operating from a Biblical framework, they unintentionally function according to the worldly beliefs and values that frame the agenda for their particular area of work. Rather than discipling the nation as Christ commanded, the nations all-too-often disciple the church.

The Monday Church Initiative exists to address this problem.  Our vision is to see substantial social and cultural renewal as Christians intentionally function from a Biblical worldview in every domain of society--as educators, business people, lawyers, medical workers, homemakers, artists, or government workers. 

To help realize this vision, the Disciple Nations Alliance has been working for more than five years to develop a comprehensive set of resources, including a significant new book by Darrow Miller titled LifeWork: A Biblical Theology For What You Do Every Day.  This new book will be supplemented with: 
 
  • An in-depth study guide 
  • A Lifework Bible study booklet  
  • A series of domain-specific Bible studies  
  • A resource called "Discover Your Calling" designed to help Christians discern their unique calling
  • A set of resources designed specifically for pastors to help them equip their congregants for vocational mission. 
These will be featured on a new website, MondayChurch.org, which will serve to link you and your resources with other users, their helpful resources, and ministries that have a complementary focus. The site will also connect you with vocation-specific online communities of likeminded Christians for learning, encouragement, and opportunities to strategize ways of biblically reforming your vocational area. 

Watch for the release of Darrow's new book and the MondayChurch.org website and resources this summer.     


Link to this individual blog entry:
http://www.disciplenations.org/dna-news/stay-connect-with-the-dna/dna-prepares-to-launch-new-monday-church-initiative#MS5TAMbUtqPQgH4AMKx-mQ or click here

Churches Together & Partners in Christ Int'l Join as Cooperating Orgs

- 6/2/2009 The DNA began as a collaboration between Food for the Hungry and Harvest in 1997, and since that time, several other "Cooperating Organizations" have joined the alliance. Cooperating organizations have adopted, utilize or promote Disciple Nations Alliance materials and resources as a integral part of their ministry. Recently, two new organizatons have joined the ranks: Churches Together and Partners in Christ International.





Churches Together is helping to lead a movement of North American churches enabling them to establish effective, relational and mutually transforming partners with African churches that assist them in their fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Executive Director Robert Brown uses DNA materials as part of his church training program, and cooperates closely with our DNA Africa Affiliate, Samaritan Strategy Africa.










Partners In Christ International is a Phoenix-based organization which empowers and equips indigeneous churches to develop and expand their own vision and strategy for mission and for the transformational development of their churches and communities. They have become a primary champion of DNA materials and training through their excellent work in Mexico and elsewhere. The Executive Director of Partners In Christ is Nick Beezhold.

Link to this individual blog entry:
http://www.disciplenations.org/dna-news/stay-connect-with-the-dna/churches-together--partners-in-christ-intl-join-as-cooperating-orgs#AnYb2eKOnXXk2K4QsgAG1A or click here

May Newsletter Released!

- 5/15/2009 See our May Newsletter for events in your area, new blogs, papers, and featured resources!

Link to this individual blog entry:
http://www.disciplenations.org/dna-news/stay-connect-with-the-dna/may-newsletter-released#I1NEsIZxcUg0KtZNbdvXsg or click here

New DNA Map Shows Where Our Teaching is Active

- 5/1/2009 We're thankful to Cindy Benn for developing this map, which shows where we have taught workshops in the past and where our materials continue to be actively used.  How awesome!

Link to this individual blog entry:
http://www.disciplenations.org/dna-news/stay-connect-with-the-dna/new-dna-map-shows-where-our-teaching-is-active#vi4cO_iLdTSRHNrPyWYT7g or click here