Apologetics On Mission NEWS October 2024 

Hello Benjamin,

Doug and I (Ben) just returned from an amazing visit to Brazil.  This is our third mission to Brazil, and it has opened many exciting doors!  

We had two main events on this trip:  First was hosting a "Leader's Summit" with prominent apologetics leaders in Brazil along with several partner ministries who we invited to join us.  Second was attending and speaking at a global conference of Christian military officers gathering together outside of Sao Paulo for their every-ten-year Association of Military Christian Fellowships (AMCF) WorldCon gathering.  I'll speak about the Leader's Summit, and let Doug cover the WorldCon event.

Brazil Leader's Summit

Apologetics on Mission's "Leader's Summits" represent a crucial step in our AoM ministry model.  The Brazil Leader's Summit is the third one we've hosted just in the last two trips, the others being in South Africa and Kenya.  These events are opportunities for relationship building, identifying challenges, and brainstorming collaborative opportunities.  AoM acts as a catalyst, bringing leaders in a region together to meet, create vision, and take action.

In the Brazil Leader's Summit 2024, we partnered with Reasonable Faith (RF) Brazil, Ratio Christi International (RCI), Center for Apologetics Research (CFAR), as well as leaders from Mackenzie University (one of the largest Christian universities in Brazil), Reasons to Believe's (RTB) scholar community, pastors from several Brazilian churches, and doctors, lawyers, professors, youth educators, and students.  We were so grateful to have key ministry leaders with us, including Tyson James, Bill Scott, Tassos Lycurgo, and Paul Carden.

We anticipate a lot of follow up over 2025 as a result of this summit, including forming an "association of Brazil Apologetics", helping to organize an apologetics conference at Mackenzie University, enrolling students in our certificate course--and we're already seeing the early stages of the first Ratio Christi chapter in Brazil as a result of this summit!

AMCF WorldCon 2024

Due to my (Doug's) military background, AoM is working with several Christian military ministries. These ministries include the US-based Officers Christian Fellowship (OCF) and Association for Christian Conferences, Teaching and Service (ACCTS), and the global ministry, the Association of Military Christian Fellowships (AMCF). The latter is comprised of Christians in uniform (military and first responders) from 154 countries. The AMCF World Conference ("WorldCon 2024") was their latest decennial conference. Previous world conferences (2004 and 2014) were held in Seoul, Korea and Cape Town, South Africa. This year's conference was held outside São Paulo, Brazil. Over 1000 Christians from 75 countries attended.

AoM was invited to attend, worship with our brothers and sisters, and to give several apologetics presentations. Also in attendance were apologists Paul Carden and Del Tackett. The objective was to raise awareness of apologetics and to provide examples of its necessity for the church. AoM presentations included: Christian Apologetics--What is It? Why Does it Matter?, Witnessing from a Worldview Perspective, and Science & Christianity.

We established new relationships with fellow Christians from Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is a joy to know that the knowledge and love of Jesus--and the Great Commission--are alive and growing! AoM received invitations to share more about apologetics in Latin America and Africa during 2025. New opportunities in Asia are on the horizon, too. Praise the Lord for this gathering and the opportunities it's providing AoM for further discipleship and evangelism!

AoM is growing...welcome Ashley!

Join us in welcoming Ashley Hemphill to the AoM team!  Ashley and her husband Taylor have been serving in Kenya for many years, and soon will be moving their ministry work to Germany.  Ashley has been one of AoM's lecturers for several terms of our foundational course, Introduction to International Apologetics (ITIA), and has recently expanded her role with AoM as our Assistant Course Director.  She will work with Doug to run our ITIA certificate course and assist in the planning and execution of new advanced topics courses to be launched in 2025.  Along with Ashley, Taylor--her husband and a CPA--has been super helpful in guiding AoM's financial operations.  We are so grateful for their help!

AoM's RAMP UP '25 Campaign

Believe it or not, Apologetics On Mission has only been an official 501 (c) 3 ministry for less than one year!  With the help of Eternal Impact, we were able to launch the ministry under her wings for our first two years of "ministry prototyping", and as we look back we are humbled by what the Lord has done with your help in just a few years.  

In Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia--literally all over the globe--the opportunity and need to bring apologetics to the church is enormous.  AoM's leadership is committed to grow wisely to meet these needs.  We will go and serve where the Lord calls and how He funds, through financial partners like you.  

From the many doors God continues to open, it seems clear that He is calling all of us to "ramp up" AoM's impact over 2025.  Please prayerfully if you would be part of AoM's end-of-year "RAMP UP '25" campaign with a monthly or special EOY gift...together we can raise up a new generation of Christian defenders around the world!

Join AoM's RAMP UP '25 Campaign

Thank you, with our blessings,

Ben and Doug

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