Message from the Executive Director

by Richard Haney

For Frontier Fellowship, 2021 is a banner year. We are forging ahead with plans to celebrate our 40th anniversary October 13-14 in Nashville. We also join with our friends at Light of Hope Ministry Ethiopia to mark their 20th anniversary. Forty years ago, I was in my third year of pastoral ministry and one year away from leading my first mission trip to Brazil. Twenty years ago, I recall flying from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing and wondering about Y2K. Little did I or anyone foresee the events of September 11, 2001 looming up ahead.

The world has changed so much in 40 years. One way is the sensibilities Westerners have adopted in understanding Islam and Muslims. Many of us are moving beyond fear to friendship, getting to know our Muslim neighbors. I have been blessed by numerous friendships with Muslims at Virginia Commonwealth University, where my wife worked among international students. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Pakistan—so many wonderful students from these nations. I have come to admire these Muslim friends for their religious devotion, commitment to family life and, yes, reverence for Isa (Jesus). I also have learned from my overseas friends how better to understand other cultures and religions. Light of Hope hosted me on a visit to Ethiopia in my second year of serving with Frontier Fellowship. While there, I witnessed my colleague Urgessa at work as a bridgebuilder between cultures.

As a young man, Urgessa saw himself called to carry the Gospel in a contextualized way to his own people: Arsi Oromo Muslims in Ethiopia. Harold Kurtz, Frontier Fellowship’s first leader, was overjoyed to discover Urgessa’s passion for outreach to Muslims. He had been praying for that mission vision to be embraced by Ethiopian Christians. Ethiopia is roughly 60% Christian and 40% Muslim, so almost everyone has a neighbor from the other tradition. Despite the political turmoil today, many Ethiopians have built friendships across religious boundaries. Light of Hope leads the way as it builds primary schools in Oromo towns and villages for all children to attend school. Muslim and Christian. Girls and boys. Both church planting and peacemaking are fruits of this school initiative, creating greater access to the Good News of Jesus.

Join us in thanking God for the friendships we’ve had the privilege of helping facilitate over 40 years between Western churches and indigenous leaders on the frontier. You’ll read one such story in our feature article. Least-reached peoples gain access to the Gospel through vibrant partnerships like these. We are humbled and grateful to God as we continue to pursue our vision: for every people, an indigenous church; for every church, a mission vision.