HEARING THE GOSPEL: For some in Central Asia, radio broadcasts are the only way for them to hear the Gospel message. PICTURE: Day for the Unreached
Churches across North America will join in marking the ‘International Day for the Unreached’ on Pentecost Sunday as they look to mobilise Christians to reach out to the more than two billion people around the world who have yet to hear the Gospel.
The alliance of mission organisations behind the event – including Reach Beyond, Operation Mobilization, The Seed Company, Missio Nexus and Bible for the World – have called on Christians in North America to teach and preach on the subject of the ‘Great Commission’ on the day, a reference to the commandment Jesus gave His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations”.
Thousands of churches are expected to take part in the day. Announcing the event earlier this year, Wayne Pederson, president of Reach Beyond said it was easy to get “comfortable and complacent” about sharing the Gospel in a country like the US. “But we want to remind people that there are literally billions of people across the globe in desperate need of the good news of Jesus, but have never heard His name or story,” he said. “We’re called to bring it to them.”
In a statement, the ‘Alliance for the Unreached’ said the primary objective of the one-day event is to “educate, inspire and motivate churches and individual believers to become more active, making Christ known among the nations and people where He is not known.”
Statistics show that more than 6,000 of the 16,000 people groups in the world today still haven’t been reached with the Gospel and that only a small percentage of missionaries are working among unreached people groups.
The alliance, which has also been encouraging Christians to take part in a 30 day “prayer movement for the unreached” in the lead-up to this Sunday’s event, have said that it is hoped the event will become an annual fixture.
