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The Brazilian Baptist Convention, which grew exponentially in the previous 20 years, started reaching out to a socially marginalized group – drug addicts. Drug addiction has become a major concern in Brazil. The country’s large cities such as Sao Paolo have areas so affected by drug addiction they are dubbed “Crack Land.” Brazilian Baptists initiated ministries and programs that reach out to addicts in these drug infested areas and have baptized more than 1,000 such persons and have a 200-plus choir comprising these new Christians. Central to evangelizing marginalized groups, it appears, is meeting their social needs. Because they are often neglected by governments or do not benefit from government programs, marginalized groups tend to be open to the gospel when social needs such as education, healthcare and rehabilitation services are provided by Christians and churches.

Youth Engagement A program that recruits youth and young adults for mission work contributed to growth among Baptists in Brazil. The program has since been adopted in other parts of Latin America, with the blessings of the Union of Baptists in Latin America (UBLA), one of six regional fellowships of the BWA. The UBLA program, dubbed Radical Latino and Youth

Without Borders, recruits volunteers between 17 and 33 years old to serve a period of several months up to two years. These recruits help to plant churches and work with existing congregations that are deemed “weak” and which need additional support. They also engage in literacy classes, sports evangelism, community service,

cycle, they may experience more than one placement. They meet at scheduled times to share experiences.

Miracles, Dreams and Visions Strong anecdotal evidence out of South India, East Africa and elsewhere suggests that miracles, especially those of divine healing, are a powerful witness to evangelizing persons. Deep impressions are made in instances when there is no previously known cure, or where all attempts at a cure fail. Strong anecdotal evidence also sug-

gests that dreams and visions are especial- ly powerful, particularly among persons of other faith traditions such as Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. There are ample testimonies of persons from South Asia, such as India and Nepal, who have come to faith because of a vision or dream that they had.

Christian Lifestyle Christian lifestyles are a major con-tributor to church growth, particularly when such lifestyles differ sharply from what normally or previously prevail and are expressed through hospitality, compassion, reconciliation and peace making. In cultures where welcoming someone outside of one’s circle is frowned on, discouraged or not practiced, Christian hospitality is known to make a difference, especially among those who are at the margins of their own society or community, or who are rejected by their family or social group due to some taboo such as a physical disability, illness or disfavored association. Christian hospitality among immigrants in

Training seminar for Baptists in Nepal

In religions and cultures where vengeance is an acceptable response to offence, which often leads to cycles of fighting and conflicts, forgiveness, reconciliation and peacemaking have endeared the Christian faith among both perpetrators and victims, and have been known to change entire communities.

urban areas, especially in cities with a large migrant population such as Lagos in Nigeria and Shanghai in China, whether from rural communities within the same nation or from another country, has been known to lead to exponential church growth. Most migrants, being strangers in a strange land, have no roots or social connections in the city and will respond readily to a group that extends welcome and support. In religions and cultures where vengeance is an acceptable response to offence, which often

offer support to nursing homes and provide care to children. They work in schools and universities, big cities, smaller communities and in the streets. During each cycle, which runs from January to October each year, the young people pass through seven stages, starting with registration and ending with evaluation and a formal closure. In between, the youth receive training in cross-cultural mission, cultural adaptation and supervised practical training. During that leads to cycles of fighting and conflicts, forgiveness, reconciliation and peacemaking have endeared the Christian faith among both perpetrators and victims, and have been known to change entire communities. There are other approaches to evangelism and church life, such as vibrancy of worship, which attract others to the Christian faith. Those mentioned in this article have proven effective in the contexts described and may prove helpful and effective in other contexts as well.

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