Christian World News: Missionaries in ISIS Shadow, 'The Chosen' Actor, and Methodist Church Split

Missionaries in Dangerous Regions

• 🌍 Carol Ward is training fearless believers in the Sahel region of Africa, an area with high terror-related deaths, to spread the gospel.
• 💡 Her family has a legacy of missionary work, with her parents serving in the Philippines and grandparents in China, facing significant threats.
• ✝️ Ward's mission in Chad involves advancing the gospel into Islamic darkness, launching a nationwide prayer movement with over 150 Chadian missionaries.
• 🏍️ Digba Katsala, a street evangelist, uses his motorcycle to preach the gospel in Chad's capital, Angelina, leading many to Christ.
• 🙏 Abdullahi Mahayanga, a former Muslim, now shares hope in the Sahel, noting many Muslims are open to the gospel and experiencing transformation.

Faith Journey of 'The Chosen' Actor Nick Shakur

• 🌟 Actor Nick Shakur, known for his role as Zebedee in 'The Chosen', shares his powerful faith journey from war-torn Beirut.
• 📖 His memoir, "Transformer: Awakening from a Spiritual Coma," details divine protection and calling, beginning with witnessing war and community support in Lebanon.
• ✨ Shakur recounts a profound encounter at a church conference where he felt an overwhelming presence of God, leading to a spiritual awakening.
• 🎬 He explains that Dallas Jenkins, the creator of 'The Chosen', cast him because he saw something authentic in his seemingly careless audition, which stemmed from past rejections.

United Methodist Church Split and European Evangelism

• ⚖️ The Supreme Court ruled that a Catholic charity is exempt from paying unemployment taxes, upholding religious freedom.
• ⛪ Three years after its split, the United Methodist Church has seen over 7,600 churches leave due to disagreements over sexual orientation and ordination.
• 📈 The Global Methodist Church, a conservative alternative, now oversees over 4,600 churches worldwide, experiencing growth in attendance and professions of faith.
• 🌍 Christian leaders from 57 countries gathered at the European Congress on Evangelism in Berlin, aiming to reignite evangelism across Europe amidst declining church attendance.
• 🤝 Despite ongoing conflicts, leaders from Ukraine and Russia stood united in their mission to spread the gospel, emphasizing its power over division.