New Fields: $20,000 Matching Grant for Gospel Expansion
Through October 31, our New Fields campaign allows you to double the impact of your contribution and extend your reach through FMI into new territories of the Arab world.
By God’s grace, this year FMI expanded the number of indigenous church planters it supports by more than 20%. Now we invite you to come alongside what the Lord is doing by increasing the number of countries where we develop disciple-making partnerships!
Stories from the Field:
Khalid has swapped one house for another. A few years ago, he performed the hajj — the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, which includes walking around the black-and-gold cloaked Kaaba, considered to be the house of God by Muslims and the direction toward which they bow for their daily prayers. But recently, Khalid discovered true salvation not based on rituals nor the merits of the worshipper, but based solely on the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. Now Khalid slips into a non-descript house in his city to gather discreetly with a few other Christ-followers. Attendees enter the house at various intervals over the course of a couple hours, and will also depart at varying times, so as not to attract the unwanted curiosity of passersby in the street regarding a small crowd at the private residence. Their prayers and any singing are quiet. Sometimes a spiritually mature church leader visits them to preach and encourage them; other times, they may link online with Christians at another location where a leader is preaching.
While this fellowship is hardly traditional by Western standards, traditional Christian churches are outlawed in Khalid’s country on the Arabian peninsula. Officially, all citizens are considered Muslim. Conversion from Islam to any other religion is considered apostasy and punishable by death. Yet the growth rate of Christianity there is almost twice the average global rate for Christian growth! The increasing number of Christ-followers like Khalid desperately demands more shepherds for their fellowships.
By God’s grace, supporters like you have propelled FMI to increase the roster of mobilized church leaders by more than 20% this year in our existing fields of partnership. Now we are getting poised to increase the number of countries where we develop partnerships. Can you imagine fortifying indigenous church planters in the very birthplace of Islam or elsewhere in the Arab world? If you can imagine it, please join us to achieve it.
Your support could be the answer to Khalid’s prayers!