Issue 47 - 28 August 2008

 

• Producing in Iraq - Our TV crew records 12 episodes in-country
• Viewers reached - Encouraging figures from last month
• St Francis Magazine - New online issue, many new articles

Dear friends,

Two of our production crew were recently in Iraq for a special conference featuring the presenter of one of our most popular TV program.  Around 250 viewers were in attendance and 12 episodes of the program were recorded during their time together.   

“Most of the Iraqis have many tragic stories,” reported one of the crew members. “However, they were very happy during the conference days, and the time of worshipping and teaching were more than wonderful.”

The themes discussed during the conference and in the programs, include faith, marital relations, intercession and safety in God.  Similar conferences were held in other Arab countries this past year, but this was the first time we were able to be in Iraq.  The program receives over 1000 responses from viewers every month.

Speaking of responses, it is often not easy to get comprehensive and up-to-date reports on all the viewers’ responses generated by our programs, since in most cases, they are dealt with by the broadcast stations themselves.  But there are exceptions, like one of our testimony programs on Miracle Channel for which we receive regular monthly reports.  Here are some of the response figures from the month of July - just for this one program on one station.

New Testaments and CD/DVDs sent	241
Viewers asking for counseling	126
Negative responses	19
Those who were prayed for	63
Those who received Christ	58
Directed to churches	60
Total Responses in July	637 (over half from Arab women)

We try to resist the temptation to be obsessed with numbers, but once in a while it is encouraging to be reminded by a small sample, that large numbers of Arabs are being reached by the Gospel through our TV programs.  We hope you are encouraged also, and that you will commit to continue praying for our work and for these viewers who are responding.

Finally, the new issue of St Francis Magazine (www.stfrancismagazine.info) has just gone online.  It is fully focused on Ms Vivienne Stacey, a lifelong missionary in the Muslim World.  Here are a few samples of the writing you can find on the website now.

• Power Encounter with the Spirit World: the Supernatural in Islam and Christianity (2005), Vivienne Stacey summarizes a lifetime of experience in the realm of the supernatural.

• Practical Lessons for Ministry among Muslims (2005) gleaned from years of reading and speaking about the Gospel with Muslims throughout the Islamic world.

• Muslim Women, the Supernatural, the Occult and Power Encounter (1998) gives us her view on these issues with a special focus on the role of women.

• Bible Studies for Enquirers and new Believers (1994), very useful Bible study materials, giving us an insight into how she approached the Bible in relation to Muslims in general.

St Francis Magazine, a publication of Arab Vision and Interserve, aims to strengthen the Christian witness in the Arab World by publishing articles online and offering studies and applied training on matters related to the Christian apostolate in the Arab World.  We encourage you to visit this website regularly and share it with your friends.

We thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter, and we appreciate your ongoing support for Arab Vision.

Abu Banaat
International Director