Every year, the National Geographic Society sponsors a geography contest called The National Geographic Bee, where students in the fourth through eighth grades compete to see whose geographic knowledge will reign supreme. Here are a few of the questions the students have been asked. (If you get all three right with no outside help, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee! – Answers below)
- Peshawar, a city in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, has had strategic importance for centuries because of its location near what historic pass?
- The highest mountain in Papua New Guinea has the same name as the last emperor of Germany. Name this peak.
- Which country, made up of more than 13,000 islands, has the second largest area of tropical rain forest after Brazil? The country is also the 4th most populous nation in the world.
For Christians, the study of geography is more than just finding interesting facts about places on a map. It’s about understanding the heart of God for all nations. It’s about appreciating the complexity, diversity, and beauty of cultures and people across the continents. And in the end, it’s about each one of us using all that knowledge to build the Kingdom of God and to rescue people from darkness, hopelessness and despair in the power of Jesus Christ.
This weekend Valley Church is hosting our annual Global Outreach Conference “Unrestricted Gospel” on January 16-17, 2021. I want to encourage you to attend and learn from 18 global partners who will be joining us from around the world, as well as our key note speaker, Dr. John Condie.
On Saturday, January 16 from 9:00am-11:00am, there will be breakout sessions hosted by various global partners. Topics will include:
• Reaching Unreached People Groups in the 21st Century
• Bible Translation and Linguistics in Mainland SE Asia
• A Simple Theology of Risk / Decision Making in Times of COVID
• Culturally Relevant Bible Translation for Cousin Cultures in the Horn of Africa
• How to pray for revival on the college campus in the age of Covid 19
• The Unrestricted Gospel and Historical Lockdowns in East Asia: Lessons for Today
• Exploring Job 26 from the perspective of what we see happening in Western Asia.
• How important to the unrestricted Gospel is worker member care?
On Sunday morning January 17, global partners from “restricted” countries will speak in the morning services, live and online. We have ONE live outdoor service this Sunday at 10:45 AM. Bring your own lawn chair and/or blanket. Please Register ASAP for the 10:45am Church on the Grass Worship Service with this LINK. Please read through the instructions on safety before you attend. If you are unable to join the outdoor service, please attend one of our two online options. Visit valleychurch.org and click on the colorful banner.
Sunday evening from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, Dr. John Condie will again be joining us online, followed by online breakout sessions hosted by additional global partners. Due to security issues with our global partners, we need you to sign up ahead of time. To receive the details to attend online, please sign up by Wednesday January 13th HERE. Breakout sessions for Sunday evening are
- Christ’s love for International Students
- Using social media to bring the gospel to over 1/2 the world’s population
- Building bridges between the Silicon Valley and the unreached through technology and language learning
- Learn how God is working through the Unrestricted Gospel in Indonesia, North Africa, Malaysia, Bahrain, Jordan, and Iraq
Reminder: Due to security issues with our global partners, we need you to sign up ahead of time. https://valleychurch.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/240/responses/new
Blessings,
Kurt Jones
GeoBee Answers. All three answers are found in “restricted” countries.
- The Khyber Pass. Two of our Global Partners serve in Pakistan using medical missions as a way to show the love of Christ to Muslims.
- Mount Wilhelm is the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea where Brandon and Heather Young serve with New Tribes Mission working to overcome difficult mountainous terrain to take the Gospel to unreached people groups.
- Indonesia, which is also the largest Muslim nation where we have two families creatively reaching lost people for Christ.
To learn more about our Global Outreach Partners, visit our GO Partner page.
P.S. In this season of “stay at home” we can still find ways to “meet together” online and “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:23-25). Toward that end, please email info@valleychurch.org for details on how to join the Coffee Connection groups hosted by Pastor Kurt Jones and Robert Schaetzle this week.