Posts
I thought I would take a minute to give some information on CrossWorld, the mission agency I will be traveling with since many of you have asked. The following comes from them:
History:
CrossWorld was founded as Unevangelized Fields Mission in 1931 with 36 missionaries serving in the Congo and Brazil. Today nearly 400 missionaries serve on 80 teams in 30 ministry areas of the world. We serve the church around the world by mobilizing temas to make disciples and train leaders.
Purpose Statement:
CrossWorld serves the church by mobilizing teams to make disciples and train leaders which will result in movements of reproducing churches among the unreached.
Core Values: We Worship, We Love, We Go
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A note on giving
I want to thank those of you who have given or plan to give. (Personal notes of thanks are soon in coming). One thing I have forgotten to mention is that if you give online at through Crossworld's website with credit or debit, there is a 3% fee.
I apologize for this being tardy in coming, but I wanted to give you a heads up on this information.
If you would rather give by mailing a check, send it to:
CrossWorld
306 Bala Avenue
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Just be sure to include my name on the memo line to ensure the gift goes toward my account.
Again, thank you so much for your prayers and support.
I apologize for this being tardy in coming, but I wanted to give you a heads up on this information.
If you would rather give by mailing a check, send it to:
CrossWorld
306 Bala Avenue
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Just be sure to include my name on the memo line to ensure the gift goes toward my account.
Again, thank you so much for your prayers and support.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Destination: Killarney
I am posting some pictures of Killarney and the area surrounding it so people can see where it is I am going. This first picture shows the location of Killarney on the Island, in the extreme southwest.
The next few pictures are of the colorful town.
Now some pictures of the surrounding area.
More pics can be seen at the Flicker group Killarney Ireland. Eventually I would like to get some pics of my own to post, these pictures have been pulled from that group and my many thanks to those photographers who have taken such great pictures.
The next few pictures are of the colorful town.
Now some pictures of the surrounding area.
More pics can be seen at the Flicker group Killarney Ireland. Eventually I would like to get some pics of my own to post, these pictures have been pulled from that group and my many thanks to those photographers who have taken such great pictures.
On the state of the church in Ireland
As noted in my most recent letter, there has been news breaking regarding scandals within the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland. I thought I would take a moment to better explain here what those scandals are, since space did not allow for it in the letter.
Thanks to Ireland being a very Catholic nation, abortion is banned in the country. This created a problem. A good problem but still a problem, what is the country to do with so many unwanted babies? Often the Church would take them in, and even the unwed mothers. But such a great social stigma was held against these mothers and their illegitimate children, that the Church was able to do as they pleased, even treating them as second class servants - borderline slavery. Other harms were done as well, including sexual acts committed against these women and children. The "homes" where these women and children were housed were closed down over the years; the last known house to be closed in the mid-1990's.
The secrecy of what was happening in these houses was upheld until earlier this year, when news leaked and major news companies in the United Kingdom began broadcasting stories about these atrocities. This caused the Irish government to begin a probe into the issue, and a document was published as a result, which has been made public.
Obviously, this has created a significant distrust between the Church and the general populace of Ireland. Sadly, just as in the United States, anything associated with Christianity is viewed with equal suspicion. So we as evangelicals reaching into the Irish communities must deal with this distrust the people have for the church in general. It is a huge challenge, but with God's help, a challenge that can be overcome.
For more information, I have found the following news reports to be very helpful:
Ireland to summon Catholic orders on abuse scandal
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse - lengthy website but shows how deep this problem was. Warning: some sections are graphic in their descriptions of abuse.
The Ryan Report - This is the official report created for the Irish Government to handle those abused by the residential institutions.
An unholy secret that still haunts Ireland. Note the date - May 29, 2009. Very recent.
Thanks to Ireland being a very Catholic nation, abortion is banned in the country. This created a problem. A good problem but still a problem, what is the country to do with so many unwanted babies? Often the Church would take them in, and even the unwed mothers. But such a great social stigma was held against these mothers and their illegitimate children, that the Church was able to do as they pleased, even treating them as second class servants - borderline slavery. Other harms were done as well, including sexual acts committed against these women and children. The "homes" where these women and children were housed were closed down over the years; the last known house to be closed in the mid-1990's.
The secrecy of what was happening in these houses was upheld until earlier this year, when news leaked and major news companies in the United Kingdom began broadcasting stories about these atrocities. This caused the Irish government to begin a probe into the issue, and a document was published as a result, which has been made public.
Obviously, this has created a significant distrust between the Church and the general populace of Ireland. Sadly, just as in the United States, anything associated with Christianity is viewed with equal suspicion. So we as evangelicals reaching into the Irish communities must deal with this distrust the people have for the church in general. It is a huge challenge, but with God's help, a challenge that can be overcome.
For more information, I have found the following news reports to be very helpful:
Ireland to summon Catholic orders on abuse scandal
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse - lengthy website but shows how deep this problem was. Warning: some sections are graphic in their descriptions of abuse.
The Ryan Report - This is the official report created for the Irish Government to handle those abused by the residential institutions.
An unholy secret that still haunts Ireland. Note the date - May 29, 2009. Very recent.
Hello once again!
I am officially finished with actual class time for my seminary career. It is a strange feeling knowing I will no longer be sitting in a class (unless I ever decide to pursue a doctorate) as a student. However, I am not done yet because I have a nice load of homework to complete for the summer classes I took earlier this month.
The plans for my internship / missions trip are moving along. I have been reading up on the various issues I will be encountering as I try to minister to the people of Ireland and the challenges are immense! Some of you may have heard in the news about a scandal that has come out into the open regarding the Catholic Church. This scandal is not unlike what we experienced here in the States, but in Ireland it is much broader and runs deeper with the people. In many ways it has created a strong distrust for anything “Christian.” These people need to learn the love of Christ; that the failures of the Catholic Church do not represent what the Christian faith is about. We have the message of hope, the reconciliation of God and man. But the only way to communicate that is through the building up of trust between the people and we as Christian witnesses. It will not be easy, but with God all things are possible. He can break through even the most difficult of barriers.
So much prayer is needed for the people there, as well as myself as I seek to go and reach out to them. Just the process of getting there right now seems daunting. This is why I need your prayers. I simply cannot do this alone. Also, I am still working to raise support and am looking at all of my options for funding this trip. The funds will be coming from different places, and I would like to invite you to become a partner in this ministry through your giving. As noted before, any support should be sent to CrossWorld, the address below. I am also posting updates to my web blog as well as pictures of Killarney, the town in Ireland where I will be going.
Again, thank you for your prayers and support, I am very grateful.
Ken Hurne
The plans for my internship / missions trip are moving along. I have been reading up on the various issues I will be encountering as I try to minister to the people of Ireland and the challenges are immense! Some of you may have heard in the news about a scandal that has come out into the open regarding the Catholic Church. This scandal is not unlike what we experienced here in the States, but in Ireland it is much broader and runs deeper with the people. In many ways it has created a strong distrust for anything “Christian.” These people need to learn the love of Christ; that the failures of the Catholic Church do not represent what the Christian faith is about. We have the message of hope, the reconciliation of God and man. But the only way to communicate that is through the building up of trust between the people and we as Christian witnesses. It will not be easy, but with God all things are possible. He can break through even the most difficult of barriers.
So much prayer is needed for the people there, as well as myself as I seek to go and reach out to them. Just the process of getting there right now seems daunting. This is why I need your prayers. I simply cannot do this alone. Also, I am still working to raise support and am looking at all of my options for funding this trip. The funds will be coming from different places, and I would like to invite you to become a partner in this ministry through your giving. As noted before, any support should be sent to CrossWorld, the address below. I am also posting updates to my web blog as well as pictures of Killarney, the town in Ireland where I will be going.
Again, thank you for your prayers and support, I am very grateful.
Ken Hurne
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Greetings from beautiful Winona Lake, Indiana!!!
I cannot believe three years have past and my days at Grace Theological Seminary are coming to a close! They have been extremely busy but have also flown by. It feels like it was just last week that I was sitting down in my first seminary class on the topic of prayer. I have learned a lot, but more importantly I have grown even more.
Right now I am in the midst of finishing up my final classes for this time of seminary training, but there is one more requirement I’ll have after finishing the classes, and that is an internship. My degree is focused on ministering in a different culture, and so the internship requirement is that I travel somewhere where I can minister cross-culturally. Because of this, I have the opportunity to do an internship with some missionaries in the Republic of Ireland.
The details are not fully established yet, but the plan is to leave in the early fall for approximately 14 weeks. I’ll have a number of requirements to complete for school which are focused on learning the culture and developing appropriate sensitivities when ministering cross-culturally, but in the midst of completing these requirements, I’ll be learning the ropes of the day to day life of a missionary. This means I will be developing relationships with the Irish people, showing them the love of Christ and as God provides the opportunity, sharing the Gospel. I also will possibly be doing some teaching, preaching, administrative type duties, and anything else you can imagine happens on a mission field.
To do this though I need your help; I need your prayer support. I am a firm believer that for ministry to be successful, it must be bathed in prayer. This trip will not be possible without it, so I ask that you consider becoming a partner with me in praying for the Irish people and for this ministry internship I will be going on.
I also will need to be raising support. Again the precise details are not yet figured, but we do know it will cost around $7500. This includes housing, food, insurance, airfare, and other expenses that typically come up during trips like these.
If you would like to know more, feel free to drop me an email. I will also be updating a website with news and information about the trip as I learn it as well as sending out the occasional letter. The mission board I will be traveling through is called CrossWorld Mission. If you feel led to pray for this ministry, please feel free to let me know. If you desire to participate in this ministry through finances, you can send a check to CrossWorld (the address is below), just be sure to write my name in the memo line. CrossWorld also has a way to give online if you prefer to use that method.
Again, thank you for your prayers and support.
Ken Hurne
For information on the mission agency and if you would like to give:
CrossWorld
306 Bala Ave.
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
CrossWorld's website
If you would like to contact me for any reason:
Ken Hurne
phone: (574) 253-2696
email
Right now I am in the midst of finishing up my final classes for this time of seminary training, but there is one more requirement I’ll have after finishing the classes, and that is an internship. My degree is focused on ministering in a different culture, and so the internship requirement is that I travel somewhere where I can minister cross-culturally. Because of this, I have the opportunity to do an internship with some missionaries in the Republic of Ireland.
The details are not fully established yet, but the plan is to leave in the early fall for approximately 14 weeks. I’ll have a number of requirements to complete for school which are focused on learning the culture and developing appropriate sensitivities when ministering cross-culturally, but in the midst of completing these requirements, I’ll be learning the ropes of the day to day life of a missionary. This means I will be developing relationships with the Irish people, showing them the love of Christ and as God provides the opportunity, sharing the Gospel. I also will possibly be doing some teaching, preaching, administrative type duties, and anything else you can imagine happens on a mission field.
To do this though I need your help; I need your prayer support. I am a firm believer that for ministry to be successful, it must be bathed in prayer. This trip will not be possible without it, so I ask that you consider becoming a partner with me in praying for the Irish people and for this ministry internship I will be going on.
I also will need to be raising support. Again the precise details are not yet figured, but we do know it will cost around $7500. This includes housing, food, insurance, airfare, and other expenses that typically come up during trips like these.
If you would like to know more, feel free to drop me an email. I will also be updating a website with news and information about the trip as I learn it as well as sending out the occasional letter. The mission board I will be traveling through is called CrossWorld Mission. If you feel led to pray for this ministry, please feel free to let me know. If you desire to participate in this ministry through finances, you can send a check to CrossWorld (the address is below), just be sure to write my name in the memo line. CrossWorld also has a way to give online if you prefer to use that method.
Again, thank you for your prayers and support.
Ken Hurne
For information on the mission agency and if you would like to give:
CrossWorld
306 Bala Ave.
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
CrossWorld's website
If you would like to contact me for any reason:
Ken Hurne
phone: (574) 253-2696
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Brief Intro
Hello to family and friends.
Why another blog? In the quest to find ways to keep family and friends updated on my world endeavors of ministry, I thought it best to create a blog that I could use to post regular updates on my status. I will be going on an extended short-term missions trip soon and as we know, the occasional prayer letter just is not good enough for many people seeking to pray and follow what is happening. Then email entered the world and updates became more regular, but that takes huge amounts of time out of the mission worker's schedule; creating email lists, writing emails and letters, etc. Instead, it may be better to have a blog site where even short blibs of what is happening can be easily posted and read by all. So that is this blog's purpose.
Shortly I will begin raising support to go on a short term mission's trip / internship to complete my Master's degree I am working on. After that I may continue my international ministry endeavors and it seems this site is a good way to update people on those endeavors. Here is where all will find the most up-to-date updates on these trips, as well as copies of the more general letters. It is my hope this site will help my supporters feel more involved in what is happening, as the more traditional methods of updating supporters tend to be more infrequent.
So within a couple days this blog will be updated with my first support letter. Thanks to all who plan to check this site regularly. I look forward to your comments on how I can improve the usage and feel of this site as well as your support in my ministry endeavors.
Why another blog? In the quest to find ways to keep family and friends updated on my world endeavors of ministry, I thought it best to create a blog that I could use to post regular updates on my status. I will be going on an extended short-term missions trip soon and as we know, the occasional prayer letter just is not good enough for many people seeking to pray and follow what is happening. Then email entered the world and updates became more regular, but that takes huge amounts of time out of the mission worker's schedule; creating email lists, writing emails and letters, etc. Instead, it may be better to have a blog site where even short blibs of what is happening can be easily posted and read by all. So that is this blog's purpose.
Shortly I will begin raising support to go on a short term mission's trip / internship to complete my Master's degree I am working on. After that I may continue my international ministry endeavors and it seems this site is a good way to update people on those endeavors. Here is where all will find the most up-to-date updates on these trips, as well as copies of the more general letters. It is my hope this site will help my supporters feel more involved in what is happening, as the more traditional methods of updating supporters tend to be more infrequent.
So within a couple days this blog will be updated with my first support letter. Thanks to all who plan to check this site regularly. I look forward to your comments on how I can improve the usage and feel of this site as well as your support in my ministry endeavors.
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