A Reflection from Lorna Johnston
Reconnecting in Community
I recently travelled to Ontario to help convene the first Loving Muslims Together conference in several years. It was inspiring to reconnect with friends still faithfully serving the Lord by reaching out to Muslims.
From Islam to Community in Christ
The conference was held at an Egyptian Coptic Church. It was fascinating to experience such a different church culture – but at the same time to experience the warm familiarity and welcome from members of the Family of God.
Of greatest joy though, was to hear the testimony of an Egyptian woman who had left Islam to follow Jesus, and to learn that she now worships in this church with about 100 others who have made a similar choice!
Egyptian Coptic Christians, once persecuted by Egyptian Muslims, are now worshipping together at the foot of the cross.
230 New Believers
I also recently attended a gala hosted by the House of Omeed.
Among the many life-changing stories, one stands out: We are still rejoicing over the report of 230 Iranian and Afghan Muslims who chose to follow Jesus and were baptized, right here in Vancouver!
A Growing Harvest
Looking back, Loving Muslims Together began about 15 years ago as the Canadian Network of Ministries to Muslims, when only a handful of ministries were focused on reaching out to the growing Muslim population in Canada.
At that time, there were only a small handful of Muslim-background believers (MBBs) – people who had left Islam to follow Jesus Christ.
Today, the harvest force has grown considerably (as has the harvest-field), including many who were formerly Muslims themselves. The number of Muslim-background believers in Canada is hard to know with any accuracy, but certainly numbers in the multiple thousands. Praise God!
Looking Ahead
We don’t take credit for what God alone has done, but we have been part of the process and we are privileged to bear witness to the change.
As we look to the future, we are listening carefully for ministry advice and counsel from MBBs who are now fruitful harvesters in their own communities across Canada, learning from their experience and insight.
One Life at a Time
The Gospel is alive!
As we Love Muslims Together, we see God’s transformative work in action, one life at a time.
Find upcoming conferences and prayer resources from Loving Muslims Together here: Loving Muslims Together
Lorna Johnston in the Diaspora Ministries Leader at Outreach Canada. She leads two national teams--Loving Muslims Together (LMT) and Simply Mobilizing Canada (SMC). She works with teams of diverse and experienced leaders and ministries across Canada to alert and activate the church in Canada to the changing opportunities to engage God's mission right here in Canada.