Not long ago, I discovered a place on the internet where people were actually invited to pray. Not only for themselves and ministry but for missionaries and their families throughout the world, wherever the prayer was needed. I thought this sounded great, so I subscribed to the managed email list not realizing how it would change the way I had related to missions in the 14 years of my ministry. Before Speed The Need (STN), I would often get a flyer or letter in the mail asking me and my congregation to pray for this missionary or a specific ministry at a world mission site. Sometimes a short paragraph would accompany the request, often it was just a name and place and I would toss it into the wastebasket thinking the prayer need had most likely passed by since it surely must of passed through a dozen people and letters on the way to me. But when I started getting the email prayer requests from STN I noticed a decided difference. These prayer requests were only days, sometimes hours old. They were being sent in from missionaries in the field and/or their emergency contact people right through the internet to STN's homebase and sent out again almost immediately, something Rev. David Hatch, the founder and originator of this missionary support network calls a dispatcher, one who monitors all incoming email and redistributes it out to a free subscriber list over the internet. All this takes only a few minutes to accomplish and the pastor, congregation or concerned Christian can start to pray for the prayer need the minute they go to receive their mail. This works out remarkably well, and STN has seen a phenomenal growth spurt these past few months. I asked Rev. David Hatch if he would be willing to share some things about Speed the Need and it's ministry purpose, here's what he said:
Q1) Where did the idea for Speed The Need come from?
A1) My brother in Ohio had forwarded me mail from a missionary friend of his in Colombia back in April of 1994. There was trouble there, as Ray Rising had just been kidnapped by guerrillas. Moved by this mail, I wrote to this family and engaged in a ping pong of spiritually moving mail. Through that email chatting, and seeing a need for missionaries to have a prayer net, STN was born.
Q2) What was the motivation behind the project?
A2) When I was a pastor in New York, and hopeful of getting my ham license, a few friends and I wanted to start a net for our Lutheran missionaries. Two things happened... I did not get my license, and I moved to Green Bay. Since then, I have gotten my ham license, and have discovered email. More importantly, I discovered missionaries use email...the net has happened, but by a different medium.
Q3) Why did you start this project?
A3) I fell into it. As the email began to travel back and forth to the remote areas of Colombia, the plan just happened. I asked a few people to pray for Ray Rising after he was kidnapped. LutherNet posted a prayer request for Ray on the opening screen. The word of Ray's kidnapping was taken to the chapel at Concordia College River Forest. I added a few people to the handful of prayer names without asking them. They never asked to be removed. Soon the subscribers went from 5 to 20, then higher. Then LutherNet jumped in and offered an automated mailserv. Prior to that, I was hand subscribing folks. From the fall of '94 to present, the subscribers have gone from 20 to 195 at this writing.
Q4) What ministry need do you hope to fulfill with its online presence?
A4) STN creates an incredible link with live missions, the Great Commission, and our purpose on the planet. It lets folks "be there", minutes away from something that "just happened". Speeders have a window into far away places that are now as close as email speed. They can feel like they are watching one of those Walter Cronkite school films, "You Are There." They know they are helping that missionary in need with their prayers. They are participants, not spectators.
Q5) Give us a little background about yourself as it relates to the project.
A5) I have always loved missions, communications, and the sense of urgency. STN is a combination of all three. Let me explain the roots of each interest.
Missions: When I was a boy, I ordered a Billy Graham book called Mission Control. I never read the book, but was always inspired by the title. One little sentence can get me going. That one still does. The cover of the book shows NASA control headquarters... radios, computers. When I look at it now, months after STN has started, it is strange.
Communications: As a kid, I made a crystal set in Cub Scouts; had hours of fun with walkie talkies in the park next to my home with my brother. As a kid I used to scan the AM stations on the radio at night, searching for the most distant station. I had a yearning to get my ham ticket, but the morse code kept me back. Now, I discover email. Incredible! The fascination of worldwide communications, mail traveling across the planet in just minutes really grabs me. I still want to do round-the-world ham contacts in the future, and hope to upgrade my ham ticket so I can do that.
Urgency: In high school my hope to was go into law enforcement. I had a police scanner in my pickup. A few times I would beat the police to the scene of the accident or trouble, then watch from a distance. When applying for police training during my senior year, I learned Iowa did not allow color blind folks to be policemen. What was I going to do? My sister, who lived in Milwaukee, told me about this little Lutheran college up there. I got on my motorcycle, left home, and got swept into the current of the pre-pastoral students. My roommate was studying to be a pastor and now is an prosecuting attorney for the U.S. Justice system. I was a "I don't know what I want to do now" student who became a pastor. God works in strange ways... wonderful ways.
Q6) Do you have a mission or purpose statement you would like to share with our readers?
A6) Only this little one... SPEED THE NEED (STN) is a free pan-Christian bulletin to multiply urgent/important requests FOR and FROM MISSIONARIES to PRAYING CHRISTIANS across the planet via the Internet.
STN embraces the "THREE FREE GIFTS" by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, God's answer for a world in need:
1.) Forgiveness at Calvary's cross
2.) A Living Shepherd to walk with us
3.) Heaven as our eternal home
Dave describes Speed The Need..... LIKE A LITTLE CHAPEL
STN is like a gathering in a small chapel, where folks enter and have a seat in the pew. While the lights are on low, and the candles are lit, this family gathers to worship. They have entered the room to be of service to those who might be in need in far away places. Every once in awhile the worship leader is handed a note from the usher... it is a prayer request. The worship leader steps to the lecturn and announces that, "It is time we pray. I have just been told of a situation ..." Folks in the pews are anonymous, but united. They do not chat, or even whisper to each other. However, occasionally, someone in the pew steps forward and asks the worship leader to make an announcement, but for the most part, the folks sit silent. They also sit with a specific purpose. This little chapel has an open door, and anyone is welcome in.... even the possibility of "wolves among sheep." The worship leader has to be careful not to give too much information from the note the usher hands him, but just enough that strong and solid prayers can be said. The worship leader reminds the congregation of the goodness of the Gospel... hoping even to turn wolves into lambs. All in all, it is a chapel that harbors a wonderful little congregation. There is still room in the pews for more. :) For many, when they are not praying, they are over at the dinner table, gathering for fellowship around a cross...
Q7) What would you like Speed The Need to look like in a year?
A7) Just the same visibly, with a larger group of subscribers, more missionaries making contact, and more trained dispatchers. We are willing to expand into an ham radio link/gateway to the Internet if someone tells us they need that. Donated ham gear for that would be very helpful.
Q8) How are you planning to market its pages and let people know of its whereabouts?
A8) It has been, and probably will continue to be pretty much word of mouth marketing... friends forwarding STN bulletins to friends. I have considered contacting denominational mission headquarters with info on STN via snail mail, but STN has no budget. At the moment, the WWW is our best source. It is possible that Christianity Today will mention STN in the April issue. They are doing an article on Christians on the Internet. If so, that will really boost STN's exposure.
Q9) How can our online readers get in contact with you if they would like to get involved?
A9) With LutherNet's automated mailserv, folks can subscribe themselves by...
Address email to MAILSERV@CRF.CUIS.EDU In the BODY of the mail type SUBSCRIBE STN .
STN Base can be contacted at SPEED@NETNET.NET for more information, or for folks to submit a prayer request.
Q10) Any closing thoughts for our readers?
A10) There have been times when I wanted to shut STN down, or pass it over to someone else. That never happened, but I was close. There is stress with this. It is easy to take it too seriously, to consider it as more important than it is. Checking for mail as if a life depended on STN can burn you out. That is when the stress mounts, and it is time to shut the machine off and realize that "even stores turn the lights out at night." That is when it is time to get other dispatchers. More importantly, to realize for us all, there is mission work right here, and we are called to get out there and be with people, not a monitor and keyboard.
+++ S P E E D T H E N E E D +++
PRAYER BULLETIN FOR MISSIONARIES
London time/date: 17:13 (UTC) Friday Feb-10-95
Chicago time/date: 11:13 AM (CST) Friday Feb-10-95
Summary: Update from New Tribes Missions
199 worldwide STN prayer sites as of Feb-10-95
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This just in via email, as the last bulletin went out...
BACKGROUND TO THIS UPDATE:
On 2-5-95 we prayed for a 12-year-old girl named Christie. She is the daughter of missionaries who are presently on leave. Christie had been sick to her stomach for over two weeks not getting out of bed even to go to the bathroom, and had eaten nothing for a week or so.
SUMMARY OF THIS MESSAGE:
"Christie is beginning to perk up! We still have a long ways to go. But at least now it looks like we are progressing instead of regressing! Thanks to everyone for their prayers, and please keep praying."
Chicago time/date: 2:57 PM (CST) Fri Feb-3-95
London time/date: 20:58 (UTC) Fri Feb-3-95
S u m m a r y: Update on Nathan
191 worldwide STN prayer sites as of Feb-4-95
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Update on Nathan, in this morning:
Background to this update: On Jan 23-95 in Khazachstan, Russia, 3 year old Nathan, son of Christian missionaries, was burned when he fell in a bucket of boiling water. Miraculously, two doctors cared for Nathan, the 2nd bringing a homemade batch of Ringer Solution. The 2nd doctor was found via round the world contacts on the Internet in a special "All Points Bulletin" sent out by ICLNet in Tigard, Oregon. The day after the burn, Nathan was flown via air amulance to a burn center in Holland. The doctors had no explanation for Nathan's "miraculous" recovery. Nathan did not even have to have the expected surgery. On Feb-21, Nathan was released from the hospital. We pickup the story here...
"Ruth (Nathan's mom) took Nathan back to the Burn Center this week for a check-up. The doctors say that everything continues to heal well. He has only one spot on his side that is still open, all the other dressings and heavy bandages have been removed. The doctors are now concerned with the RATE of healing. If Nathan's skin heals too quickly, it can become taut and no able to stretch with his movements; if it heals too slow, then it may sag. They would like to see Nathan once a week for the next month to monitor his healing. Ruth and Nathan will stay here in Holland for another 3 weeks. While this is no problem for us in Holland, Ruth sorely would like to go home.
Let us lay all this squarely into the hands of the Lord and await His answer, His timing. Anything else would be presumption. God may have some purpose in Ruth staying in Holland for another 3 weeks. If not, then it will be evident by the rate, depth and quality of healing in Nathan.
Let us also pray for Kent (Nathan's dad) and the children.
Thank you for the shower of notes and blessings that came this week to the Beahlers. They enjoyed "Mail Call"! If you would like to send more, feel free!
Letters and faxes for The Beahler's be sent via E-mail to myself or to the Bridge at the following address:
The Bridge International
P.O. Box 524
4200 AM Gorinchem
Holland
Fax: 011-31-1830-28820
E-MAIL: "BRIDGE" MCI Mail 699-0118 or Internet 0006990118@mcimail.com
E-MAIL: "Paul Van Hoesen" MCI Mail 444-9775 or 0004449775@mcimail.com
Summary: Update from New Tribes Missions
199 worldwide STN prayer sites as of Feb-10-95
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This just in via fax from New Tribes Missions. Recall, this organization has 5 men held hostage in Colombia. Prayers are asked for the men and their families:
SUMMARY FOR PRAYER PURPOSES:
"I know that you are remembering to pray for our missionary hostages and for their wives and children. For this we are grateful and ask you to please continue. But we want to ask you to pray for the "other" family members as well. There are moms and dads and sisters and brothers and grandparents that are hurting and having a rough time coping. Let's pray for God's grace to minister in their lives through this heart-rending situation."
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