In This Issue...

Leadership Transition at Global Level

A Snapshot of YWAM Frontier Missions

This Gospel of the Kingdom

Leadership Transition at Global Level
Worldwide

After serving for eight years with great passion, energy, and strategic vision as International Director of YWAM's 'Frontier Missions' global ministry, Gina Fadely has turned the leadership chair over to Kevin Sutter. The selection of a new international FM director was conducted by the International Frontier Missions Leadership Team (IFMLT) at its annual meeting in March, and Gina was honored at the same time for her many achievements. The transition was finalized this month in England, where YWAM's most senior leadership body prayed to commission Kevin (photo below).

Kevin brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He is one of the pioneers of YWAM's Frontier Missions movement, helping birth the vision for church planting in unreached people groups in the mid-1980s. He created the network of Church Planting Coaches in YWAM and has led that group to the present. He has served as a member of the IFMLT since its inception in the early '90s and joined YWAM's Global Leadership Team (GLT) in 2005 as the Frontier Missions At-Large Representative.

Upon being chosen by his peers on the IFMLT for this top position, Kevin expressed his feelings: "As I am transitioning into the role of International FM Director, I feel as though we are all in a relay race. Gina has run her segment of the race with such strength that we have pulled out into 'the lead'. As she stretches forward to place the baton in my hand, I am reaching back and already running with incredible hope and confidence that victory is up ahead. With the baton, I'm ready to press on into this next segment of our race. As Paul urged us, we will all '...run to win!' (I Cor. 9:24)"

When Kevin is not traveling to fulfill his responsibilities, he makes his home in northern California, USA, with his wife, Laura, close to their four adult children and their families.
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A Snapshot of YWAM Frontier Missions
Worldwide

In a decentralized organization like Youth With A Mission, it's hard to keep track of what all of our full-time workers are doing. This is one reason our International Frontier Missions Leadership Team (IFMLT) meets each year. During the recent IFMLT meetings, we learned that FM currently has 368 teams starting new churches among 248 different unreached people groups around the world. This makes us one of the largest organizations in the world doing this kind of work. (Maybe that's not such great news; the world needs a whole lot of others doing a whole lot more.)

But there's good news from West Africa across to East Asia: As a result of sharing the gospel, discipling new believers, forming fellowships, training, mobilizing and mentoring local leaders, YWAM-FM has started well over 2,500 fellowships. Many are now reproducing into second and third generations, without our help. All of our 2,000+ workers, as well as people who pray for and stand with us, should celebrate! Thank You, Jesus, for fruit; please bless it and multiply it!

To advance His Kingdom, God intends to use every one of us. We only need to keep on wholeheartedly following Him. As an example of diverse obedience, think about the IFMLT members who gathered in Thailand in March. The group, pictured below, was made up of twenty nationalities and included people who

• Helped stone-age Amazonian tribes know Jesus;
• Earned PhDs in fields vital to missions;
• Disciple fellow Hindu-background believers, equipping them to reach others;
• Received special honor for serving the UN in a top role immediately following the tsunami in Sumatra;
• Help people get their language into a written form and learn to read it;
• Were kidnapped by rebel forces in Africa;
• Planted churches in remote mountain tribes in the Philippines;
• Wept at the funeral of a coworker martyred by religious extremists;
• Multiply simple churches and health clinics in the jungles of Madagascar;
• Bring Buddhist people to Jesus;
• Will soon be handed an award for bravery from the Queen of England herself;
• Established a village lab to identify and treat malaria;
• Are well-known authors;
• Mobilize Muslim-background believers to reach their people;
• Create and distribute dramatic films, evangelistic artwork and music impacting millions of people who have been hidden from the gospel.

The list could go on, but you get the point – and what about all the other workers in YWAM-FM? God has given us all a vision to multiply churches that bring the blessings of God's Kingdom within their families, among their neighbors and throughout their nations. Looking back, we see the fruit of following Jesus wholeheartedly. Like a wonderful parade, we press on down the road. As we follow Him in unity, we'll say:

"...thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume." (II Corinthians 2:14)
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This Gospel of the Kingdom
Kevin Sutter

I arrived home from Thailand having been commissioned for this new leadership role. That night, as I was sound asleep in my own bed again, I had a dream. A voice (either mine or that of someone else speaking in my dream) said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." I think I heard it several times. Suddenly I awoke and immediately looked over at the digital alarm clock. In the dark bedroom, in bright lights, it read: 3:16

I whispered something like "wow" and immediately fell back to sleep (not very spiritual of me, but I was 'jet lagged'!).

A few hours later, during my quiet time, I had to ask, "Was that just a coincidence?" No, it was not – obviously not! There is a message here for me and for all of us.

I've been meditating on John 3:16. It might be easy to overlook the significance of this verse because it is so familiar. It is a perfect outline of the Gospel, the message we're to proclaim among the unreached. Jesus does an amazing job of covering all the bases:

• God
• so loved
• the world
• He gave His one and only Son
• whoever
• believes in Him
• shall not perish
• but have eternal life.

This is the Good News.
This is the Gospel.
This is the Gospel of the Kingdom.

"And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matt. 24:14)
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