B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #61
B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #61
November 4, 2005
I Cor. 16:9 “a wide door for effective work has opened…and there are many adversaries.”
REACHING MUSLIM WOMEN
Some practical ways on how to share Christ’s love with them.
- PRAY for Muslim ladies in your neighbourhood, among your relatives, at work.
- start a prayer group with another person who has a concern to reach out to Muslims and meet on a regular basis.
- LEARN as much as you can about Islam – through books and seminars.
- MAKE CONTACTS with Mulim women, be outgoing, commit yourself to regular outreach.
- at the market place, supermarkets, shopping centres, bank
- in the bus, matatu, ferry…
- at the doctor’s waiting room, hospital…
- VISIT them in their homes and show interest in their lives:
- SHOW them that you care about their sorrows, sicknesses and problems.
- BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, where people learn to trust you to openly speak about their difficulties in marriage, with their children or with the extended family.
- KEEP SECRETS which have been shared with you. Never gossip to others about it.
- BE CLOSE to them in times of sickness and death. Share your hope in Christ.
- TAKE PART in joyous occasions: Weddings, births, Festivals, Islamic Holidays.
- INVITE them to your house for Christmas or Easter. Prepare good meaningful cards and small gifts with a book or suitable tract.
- SHOW INTEREST in their handicrafts (making mats, bags, sewing,etc.). Be willing to learn new recipes for cooking and baking–this gives you good reasons to stay longer and re-visit again.
- OFFER cooking or baking classes in your home, teach how to make new kinds of handicrafts or offer sewing lessons.
- INCLUDE children in your outreach. Try to build friendships via children,
- visit with your children – you will be much more welcome with them
- invite the kids of your Muslim neighbors to play with your own kids; let the kids not just play together; talk to them, sing with them, read little stories to them, tell them stories from the Bible starting with the Old Testament.
- BE HOSPITABLE, invite the whole family, visiting as a family will provide opportunities to build relationships between husband, wives and kids. Hospitality is a great virtue in Islam. The Bible, however, commands us to be hospitable too. Look up some scriptures in your Bible.
- BE A GOOD EXAMPLE in your family life, in your relationship with your husband, with your children.
- Muslim ladies like to learn from you how to live a good family life
- Lend books to them on marriage. “I married You” (Walter Trobisch), books on raising children, “How to really love your child” (Rob Campbell).
- Lend them good Christian videos, sensitive for Muslim thinking e.g. C.S. Lewis videos “The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe”, “Treasures in the Snow”, Patricia St. John.
- WORKING ON COMMUNITY LEVEL
- Literacy classes, English classes
- Health education, clinics
- Farming projects, water projects
- Sewing classes or other handicraft classes
- Polytechnic establishments
- Holiday clubs for children
- Chronological Bible storytelling programs, which could be included in most of these community projects as a special item.
- CONCLUSION:
- PRAY for courage to be outgoing towards Muslim women – we have an outgoing God, we can’t be less outgoing
- LEARN willingly about Islam and you will loose the fear of approaching Muslims and the unknown “things” behind them.
- LOVE, the right attitude – will always find new ways to address them.
Taken from (Women’s Workshop WORM – March 2000, Amani Centre:Nairobi)
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NEWS
In the EELCT our sister church in Togo, Pastor Kossi reports that with the CLC’s help they have now been able to buy a generator to use to show the Jesus Film. The two congregations held a worship service of thanksgiving for this opportunity to share the Gospel. Pastor D. Koenig