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Covenant Pastor Joins Outreach Effort to North African Muslims
By Craig Pinley
OLYMPIA, WA (July 25, 2002) - As pastorates go, Paul Hicks serves in what many
would consider to be the perfect place, Grace Community Church, a growing
congregation that is reaching its community for Christ.
Why, then, would he want to head for Spain to work with a media ministry?
And why would his church family at Grace decide to support a nine-month
sabbatical to make that involvement possible?
Hicks is working in Malaga, Spain, with the Malaga Media Center (MMC), a
unique evangelistic organization that is using radio and computer/satellite
technology to spread the gospel to Muslims in North Africa. He temporarily
left his work as associate pastor at Grace to pursue what he calls "an
opportunity of a lifetime."
Hicks won't be on the radio or doing video work. His responsibilities will
be similar to what he does at his church - he will serve as "the chaplain
for the operation." His wife, Colleen, is a licensed counselor and she will
use her expertise in working with the children of MMC staff members.
"This is an amazing opportunity to experience mission work firsthand," said
Hicks, who has been at Grace Community Covenant the past seven years. "And
this ministry is an incredibly creative way to reach Muslims. It is going
to make all the difference (for evangelism). They've got all the equipment
and staff - I'm just adding to what's
already going on full steam."
MMC is sponsored by Gospel Missionary Union, an interdenominational group
based in Kansas City, Missouri. Media programming is produced by a team of
Arabic-speaking Christians supported by studio and computer technicians.
MMC has partnered with a Christian Arab satellite television channel and
hopes to expand its potential both in that area and in video animation.
Bible correspondence courses and Christian music production are also part
of the ministry.
It is difficult for Christian missionaries to enter Muslim countries and do
ministry on site. MMC hopes to send the gospel message by a different
means, and so far the message is being transmitted effectively.
According to staff reports, MMC has reached people for Christ far beyond
what they could have imagined, receiving responses - 30 letters and more
than 1,200 hits on its web site - from North Africa to Iran. The positive
response is one reason MMC plans to quadruple its staff in coming months.
Hicks' brother-in-law, Bob Ehmann, is director of the MMC staff. A visit
last December helped Hicks assess the ministry potential in the MMC
program. He believes the possibilities are nearly endless using MMC media
technology. The pastoral aspect of ministry also intrigues him as 10
nations are represented on the MMC staff.
"The staff is multicultural," said Hicks. "At the core you've got
Arabic-speaking people doing the production. They're the communicators,
they're the ones making spiritual contacts. The cultural differences can be
very extreme, even though you're dealing with a
common language - English."
Although Hicks was excited about the trip, it wasn't a snap decision by any
means. Son, Nathanael (a state-ranked high school wrestler), and daughter,
Rachael (a recent college graduate), remain in the U.S. Hicks says he also
will miss his church, a congregation he calls "the most open-minded church
I know." However, both Paul and Colleen believe the MMC ministry will be a
godsend to many.
"It's kind of like a pastor moving from the West coast to the East coast,
except more so," Hicks said. "With the staff, you've got a family of
Palestinian Arabs feeling that they're the odd man out because the
Christian culture tends to be pro-Israeli. But, in relating to the
September 11 tragedy, it opened the window wider for the gospel because
there's a certain segment of Muslims that have become more distrustful of
national leaders and
more curious about the West. Many are becoming more exposed to the West and
our staff is getting more letters asking about the western culture and
about Jesus.
"It's pretty incredible, this opportunity to get this message to Muslims in
the safety of their own homes in an area where getting this information is
illegal," Hicks continued. "I see this as an open door waiting to be blown
right off the hinges."
For more information about Hicks and the ministry in Spain, email him at
Hickswithamission@hotmail.com. Malaga Media Center Team information can be
accessed at www.gmumedia.com. Bob Ehmann, the director, can be reached by
email at behmann@gmu.org. Hicks also will be sending updates to Grace
Community Covenant - information will be available on the church website at
www.accessgrace.org.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
