A Word from Steve Jones: The HALO Effect: The Economic Benefit Churches have on their Community11/29/2016  Dear pastors, missionaries, chaplains and friends, Steve Jones here… Does your local church make an economic impact in your immediate community? What do you suppose that impact might be? We live in a time where towns and cities are trying to find tax dollars to pay for the services we all enjoy. Historically our church properties have been exempt from the tax burden. However, this arrangement may not continue.  In an attempt to better educate Town Hall about the amazing social and economic benefits that churches provide to communities across our nation, a study was recently conducted. The intention was to quantify these benefits. The study is called “The HALO Project: Valuing Toronto’s Faith Congregations”, and you can read the summary page from the first phase by clicking > HERE. < Several of these “HALO Projects” have been conducted in the States, but none in Canada until now. Fellowship National supplied a generous donation to support this initiative. The Toronto HALO Project (Canada’s first) is a study of the economic effects of ten Toronto area religious congregations. It revealed that the services contributed to the surrounding communities of these congregations valued at more than $45 million every year.  The study clearly showed the substantial and measurable value that faith-based groups provide to local neighbourhoods. In fact, the study discovered that the value to the community was four or five times more than the congregation’s annual budget. That means these congregations provide services to people for a fraction of what towns and neighbourhoods would otherwise have to pay with tax dollars.
This project has completed its first phase of the study. In the second phase, the study team, Cardus, an Ontario-based public policy think tank, will be surveying 50 faith-based groups and congregations across the Greater Toronto Area. When I hear the results, I will let you know. Have a blessed week, Steve Jones
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Dear pastors, missionaries, chaplains and friends, Steve Jones here… Someone once said experience is something you don’t get until you need it. How often have you wished you had remembered to say the perfect response — after the meeting, or performed a more appropriate action — after the event? Preparation helps leaders to say and act effectively. Most of us would agree we benefit from continuing education and training. I hope you are committed to being a lifelong learner. One of our values of our mission document, “We are the Fellowship” is: Value #4: Strategic leadership multiplication resulting in equipped and empowered leaders.  LeadersFor Ministry Our Fellowship International department desires indigenouschurch leaders to gain theological and pastoral training. Our LeadersFor ministry establishes partnerships between fellowship churches and their leaders with cohorts of indigenous church leadership in many of the fields our missionaries serve in. Our Fellowship LeadersFor Coordinator Dr. Hanni Muhtar is looking for Fellowship churches and leaders who desire to get involved in the training and leadership development of leaders in countries in Central America, Asia, and Africa. I encourage you to contact Hanni if you’re interested. Fellowship pastors and leaders typically spend one week doing modular teaching with a group of pastors and visit each year over a few years. Look online at www.fellowship.ca/LeadersFor for more information. LeadersFor in India Fellowship International missionaries Jack and Lorraine Chen (Morningstar Scarborough, ON) have been involved with several fellowship churches in the training of pastors in north east India over several years. I recently asked Jack to comment: “The burning question of the day is: how do we reach 91 million Bengali-speaking people in a state where only 0.6% profess to be Christian? Equip and train the local church leaders to complete the task. “When LeadersFor Kolkata Phase One concluded in January 2014, we moved some of the graduates from our first pastors’ training cohort out into their home towns and villages — and the Phase Two results have been astounding. “Ten of those graduates now lead five cohorts, totalling 150 pastors, evangelists, church planters and lay leaders. One of those leaders is Probir Mahali. Probir now pastors four congregations and is personally training seven apprentice leaders we call “Timothies”. In October 2014, nine months after finishing his training, Probir baptized 40 new believers; he baptized another 53 in November 2015 and on October 23 this year, I preached in his village church where 60 new believers were baptized. Probir is the co-leader of this fine group of Bengal, consisting of tribals who have less than a grade 10 education and who will probably never get an opportunity to study in a Bible School.” This is wonderful news… 153 baptized believers in the past two years! Instrumental in this happening was the training of Pastor Probir by Fellowship Baptist leaders.   As our good friend Dr. Roy Lawson use to say: “If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood is wet.”
If you have any further interest in knowing more about our Fellowship LeadersFor ministry and how you and your church can get involved, please email > Dr. Hanni Muhtar <. Have a blessed week, Steve Jones Dear pastors, missionaries, chaplains and friends, Steve Jones here… In my office I have a poster hanging that lists all of the names of the Christian foreign missionaries martyred during the Boxer Rebellion in Northern China. From November 2, 1899 to September 7, 1901 approximately 32,000 Chinese Christians and 200 foreign missionaries were killed by the Boxers (another 100,000 civilians were also killed by Boxers). The Boxer rebellion was a national movement that was violent toward foreign and Christian entities in China. The list included missionaries and their families (children as young as 10 months) from Sweden, Britain, USA, and one Australian. That slaughter happened more than a century ago. What’s happening today? It’s common knowledge that more Christians have been martyred in the past 100 years than all martyrs combined in the previous 19 centuries. In Matthew 5:10-12 Jesus tells us to expect persecution. It’s not “if” but “when” it will happen. Persecution certainly takes on different forms whether you live in Canada or the Sudan — but it will happen. In a 2004 report on “Martyrdom Situations” (2000-2010) by Todd Johnson of the World Christian Database, the average number of Christians martyred between 2000 and 2010 was 109,300 each year. I have heard other figures as high as 180,000 per year. Reports of Christian Martyrs between 2000 and 2010 Here are some of the verified reports:
FIVE LESSONS learned amidst PERSECUTION In Daniel 3:8-30 and Acts 16:20-35 we see two stories of persecution. In Daniel we learn of three young Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who will not worship the Babylonian gods; as a result they are accused, bound, renounced and thrown into a furnace. In Acts 16 we learn of two Christians, Paul and Silas, who are unlawfully whipped and imprisoned after casting out a demon from a young fortune teller. What common themes occur in both stories? Opposition is inevitable… Expect it. Daniel 3:8 – The astrologers. Acts 16:19-21 – The business owners and magistrates. It costs to stand up for the Truth. Acts 16:22-23 – Whipped and imprisoned due to trumped up charges from corrupt business owners. God’s sovereign Will is perfect, whether it means protecting you or not. Daniel 3:16-18 – The boys trusted God whether they lived or died in the flames. Acts 16:23b-24 – Sent to prison to meet a jailer. God blesses those who remain faithful. Daniel 3:23-27 – The boys are saved from the flames. Acts 16:25-26 – An earthquake frees the prisoners. God may make your enemy your friend. Daniel 3:28-30 – King’s decree reveres God and the three boys. Acts 16:29-30 – The jailer and his family receive Christ. IDOP Sunday: International Day for the Persecuted Church Many of our churches just observed IDOP Sunday. My encouragement is to help our churches be mindful of our persecuted brethren more frequently. In my last church (Temple Baptist, Sarnia, ON) I put a prayer report on persecuted Christians worldwide in our weekly bulletin… you might think of other ways to keep our church families INFORMED. Let’s find ways to IDENTIFY with brethren who are imprisoned for their faith, separated from family and experience hostility or rejection from family and former friends. We can all “dare to be a Daniel” and PRAY like Daniel did for the persecuted saints. Join a prayer group interceding for believers in countries known to be religiously oppressive, or add this prayer item each week in your small groups. And when you are mocked or marginalized or reviled for your Christian beliefs… remember the apostles’ response to societal hostility: “The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.” Acts 5:41 (NLT). Have a blessed week, Steve Jones  A Word from Steve Jones: News Flash: President Steve Jones in Barrel Goes over the Niagara Falls11/7/2016 Dear pastors, missionaries, chaplains and friends, Steve Jones here… I’m enjoying the next three days with delegates from our Fellowship Baptist Churches from across our vast country. We are enjoying Niagara Falls, ON for our annual Fellowship National Conference (FNC 2016) from November 7-9 2016. Our theme is “Dangerous Calling” with speaker Dr. Paul Tripp who will be addressing the ministry stressors and pressures inherent in the lives of pastoral, missionary, chaplain and church leadership couples. Would you please pray for our leaders as they gather to be enriched and challenged? We will gather to hear reports of God’s work across our country as well as the nations via our Fellowship International missionaries. We’ll also take care of business items. However, an important feature will be our delegate discussion concerning our current membership issue. Our FNC has scheduled two and a half hours for discussion on the floor moderated by our National Council Chair Rev. Doug Blair. Pray for Doug. Pray for a generous spirit among delegates as they discuss. Please click > HERE < to view the current information available on this recent discussion on the membership and baptism issue. Thank you for praying. The word is out at FNC2016 that some witnessed President Steve Jones in a barrel going over the Niagara Falls… I’m sure he was immersed when he reached the pool below? Have a blessed week, Steve Jones   UPDATE: Haiti Hurricane Relief  Three weeks ago Hurricane Matthew slammed into the island country of Haiti. Since that time reports have been heartbreaking: over a thousand dead, an increase in cholera deaths, and complete crop loss in many areas. Close to 1.5 million people are living without access to food supplies and the risk of famine is high. The hurricane destroyed whole plantations of banana, coconut and mango trees and many farmers lost the tools needed to plant and maintain new trees. Of these essential tree crops, the fastest growing takes at least a year to start producing fruit, so Haitian food supplies may take years to re-establish. The deputy mayor of one community in an interview with Reuters said: "We have nothing left to survive on. All the crops have gone, all fruit trees are down. I don't have a clue how this is going to be fixed." It’s clear that the need for food and medical assistance in Haiti is great. Fellowship Aid and International Relief (FAIR) is working to alleviate the suffering of these people through the generous support of our churches and donors. To date, we’ve received $11,500 for this emergency appeal which will be used for cholera prevention and education centres. We are praying for additional support that will be committed to food and rebuilding efforts to support this growing need. Would you prayerfully consider making this a focus of a special offering?  For additional resources including a bulletin insert, powerpoint slide and appeal letter pdf click HERE  Dan Shurr
FAIR Director  Dear pastors, missionaries, chaplains and friends, Steve Jones here… Bread in my belly brings peace of mind. “Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11). Bread is served at most meals. In the Western world we often call it the “staple of life”. An essential ingredient providing for life itself. I suppose when missionary-translators seek to capture that sentiment in Matthew 6:11, they may translate to the main staple of the country. For example:
What comes to mind when you think of warm, freshly baked bread?  So intoxicating is its aroma that candle makers make candles that smell like freshly baked bread. Real estate agents love it when your home smells like fresh baked bread when they show your home to prospective buyers. Can you smell freshly baked bread now from memory? Has your mouth begun to salivate? Spread some butter on it, slap some raspberry jam on top, garnish it with cheese, dip it in some salsa or hummus, or slop up the gravy on your plate and bread becomes our primary comfort-food. It’s always there, always available, always satisfies, always. Our daily needs are promised. Our Heavenly Father makes this promise. The fact our daily needs are met inherently points to relationship. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, PRAY about everything… If you do this, you will experience God’s PEACE…” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)  God’s Word tells us to prayer for our needs and the result of prayer should be peace. Our peace is due in part because of the confidence we have in the One to whom we are praying to meet our needs. My praying inescapably points to a relationship. My relationship to God. The Lord’s Prayer or Disciple’s Prayer points to the reality of our relationship to God (Matthew 6:9-13):
 We pray because we need God. We need to walk with God. We need to acknowledge our need every day.
JOIN Me in Praying for our Fellowship (November 6) On Sunday, November 6 we’re calling on all Fellowship Churches to spend some time in their worship service to pray for the Fellowship. Click HERE for information and tools on how to promote and conduct your “Fellowship National Day of Prayer.” Have a blessed week, Steve Jones Hi folks, this is our latest prayer letter a little late. Some have asked for a Word file edition so I am including that along with the PDF, for whatever works best for you. Thanks for remembering us in prayer. - Chris and Diane Stewart  
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