Page 3 - Mars Hill Productions 2017 Year-update
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anything, and apart from Him we can do nothing! As previously  enough and the commitment to those on your team and in
        stated, God created us for His glory. What brings God glory is  your community is deep enough, then you will persevere!                           The Power of Partnering in a Digital World
        not what we do for Him, but what He does through us. We are
        His instruments; conduits of His life. As such, that life must   Providence - This is defined as the protective care of God.
        be fed. I believe my role as “president” of Mars Hill includes a   Without that, all else is meaningless. “Unless the Lord builds
        pastoral responsibility to foster a culture that feeds the life of   the house, those who build it labor in vain.” - Psalm 127:1.    Some of the stories below are about ministry in regions of the world where security is a significant issue.    If hostile people
        Christ in every person involved in this ministry.      It is said that hindsight is 20/20. Looking back, I see clearly that   were to track these stories back to our ministry partners, the ministry activity, and sometimes even the lives of those involved,
        That is why we publish updates like this one; so that donors   Mars Hill has not been my story. Nor has it been the story of   could be at risk. For this reason, we hope you will understand why we use symbols (****) to guard the identity of certain
        and intercessors may be encouraged by the way God has used   the staff, the board or those who surround us with prayer and   people and places.
        them to help make the ministry possible. That is why, from   giving. This has been God’s story, in which our stories play a
        the beginning, both our staff and board have prioritized time   part. Our stories derive their meaning and value from His story.   Millions of M***** Seekers View Clips from The HOPE
        together in the Word, and in prayer. That is what keeps us in   If we were to study a 50% completed Persian rug on the     Thousands Engage in Conversation
        sync with our common purpose, and the God of all purpose.   loom, we would see in the first half, a complex pattern. From

        I also believe it is important to remember that what we are   that pattern, we could not only anticipate the next few inches   Our ministry partners in ******** use a Facebook page designed to reach
                                                                                                                                   M***** seekers who would like to know more about the God of the Bible.
        doing now, in this world, is really training for what we will   to be weaved, we could know that, by the hands of a master   The HOPE is made up of 36 Biblical events, which are organized into 12
        be doing for eternity. The implications of that truth should   weaver, the second half will identically mirror the first half.   Chapters. These partners have uploaded video clips of the 36 events in a
        profoundly affect how we view and treat the people we   God is the ultimate master weaver. The tapestry of His story       special section of their Facebook page to highlight the unified story.
        interact with at every level in this ministry.         will incorporate our story exactly as it is intended. This truth
                                                               can give us confidence and comfort, and change the way              Some of these clips have had millions of views, and as a result, thousands of
        Perseverance  – Oh the value of “a long obedience in the  we respond to any circumstance. It can keep us reliant on        online conversations have begun between our partners and M***** seekers.
        same direction!” Eugene Peterson borrowed this phrase from  God, rather than our own fleshly tactics, to move the ministry   This is a very fruitful and dangerous strategy. Some of the conversations
        Friedrich Nietzsche for the title of one of his books. The point  forward.                                                 were with very hostile viewers seeking to eliminate Christians.       This clip from Facebook on a mobile phone
        of it is that some things not only take time, but often, a great   Through the years, there’ve been times we’ve misstepped,                                                                     shows 10.4 million views of the burning bush
        amount of effort over a long period of time.                                                                                                                                                             scene from The HOPE.
                                                               thinking we were doing the right thing when we were really                              Helping End Theological Famine
        This year marks the 40th anniversary of Mars Hill! Certainly,   veering off track. But God has always been faithful to correct
        creativity and commitment to a standard of excellence have   our course. Forty years of ministry has shown me that His                         Globally, 85% of evangelical churches are led by pastors who have no access to formal education
        played a role in the story of what God has done through this   grip on us is always more important than our grip on Him. It                    or training. To aid in relieving this theological famine, The Gospel Coalition has been translating
        ministry. But without hesitation, I can say that the greatest   is a wonderful thing to realize that our inability to follow God               theological and biblical resources (ie; John Piper books, study bibles, etc.) for the pastors and elders
        factor in whatever impact we’ve had is perseverance . . . that   perfectly does not affect His ability to lead us perfectly. I love            of churches in these least reached areas. Mars Hill has been invited to collaborate with The Gospel
        “long obedience in the same direction.”                Psalm 57:2 from the ESV Bible, “I cry out to God Most High,                             Coalition by making The HOPE available in a variety of new ways so international church planters can
                                                               to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” All glory to God!!!                            be equipped to teach the meta-narrative of scripture to their congregations.
        There is a reason I’ve listed perseverance after purpose and                 - Until All Have Heard,
        people. If the understanding of your God-given purpose is clear                Fred Carpenter - President, Mars Hill         TGC & The HOPE    The Farsi HOPE and Study Guide are on this TGC website: http://www.mahfeleenjil.com/the-hope-
                                                                                                                                     Partnering to end   film/. TGC intends to share The HOPE in all available languages with their global network of reformed
                                                                                                                                     theological famine   missionaries and church planters. Currently, The HOPE is the only video/film that TGC is planning to
        Updating                                                                                                                        worldwide!     use in this strategy. They like The HOPE’s versatility to aid in teaching Biblical theology to oral peoples.


        The HOPE                                                                                                                   Telegram App Offers Secure Means for Sharing the Truth
                                                                                                                                   Every month, SAT-7 Media broadcasts The Farsi, Arabic, and Turkish HOPE across the
                                 Several scenes including Adam & Eve, Babel and Creation (above) will be updated.                  Arab-speaking world via satellite TV. In the Persian Gulf and parts of North Africa, SAT-7
         The original idea for The HOPE may have come from a moment of creative inspiration, but the actual design of The HOPE     uses the Telegram app as their primary audience relation tool to engage with millions of
         was less about creativity, and more about “market research” with missionaries in the Body of Christ worldwide.            Muslim viewers. Because Telegram users are not able to see or interact with other users,
                                                                                                                                   the app is a safe and secure way for seekers to reach out with questions about programing
         Before deciding to produce The HOPE, we asked many, many missionaries, “Do you even need another media tool?” and         they have seen. SAT-7 recently approached Mars Hill requesting clips of The HOPE to
         if so, “What should it look like?”  The answer to the first question was a resounding, “Yes!”  And from their answers to the   use for a daily Bible study within the Telegram app. This project, coming soon, will share
         next question, we came up with a list of criteria that The HOPE has to satisfy. For instance, a) It had to tell the whole story,   The HOPE with as many as 80,000 people who currently engage with SAT-7 via Telegram.  HOPE from the heavens via Satellite
         from creation to Christ, b) It had to accomplish the first expectation, “a” in less than 90 minutes,  c) It had to be adaptable                                                                           Television, and on the ground via a
         for any people group, and d) It had to be adaptable for any situation; i.e.- viewed entirely in a single evangelistic event or   Here Today, Gone Tomorrow . . . but the Gospel Remains                       secure Web-based App!
         viewed over time in segments for a discipleship study.
                                                                                                                                                                 In May, the Southern Baptist’s International Mission Board, together with another one of
         What resulted from taking this input seriously was a very different kind of media project than we had ever produced. In                                 our ministry partners, built a website to covertly share the Gospel with M***** seekers
         fact, our president and director of The HOPE says it violated most of the rules he learned in film school. If the chief goal                            in ****. This secure website was promoted in a variety of security sensitive ways, not the
         was creative expression, he never would have made The HOPE. That said, the proof is, as they say, “in the pudding!” With                                least of which was word of mouth in the underground Church. The site was only up for 30
         nearly 70 translations in use around the world and about 25 new translation projects in process, God is confirming how He                               days to keep its originators from being tracked.
         led us in making The HOPE.

         The HOPE was designed to be a living project. In this sense it is actually less like a typical motion picture that is released                          The site contained two video streams of The HOPE in **** and ********* as well as a
         once for all time, and more like a software program with updated versions. As such, we are now on a track to update many                                first-of-its-kind download option for visitors to receive a copy of The HOPE. The website
         of the images in The HOPE to give it a more contemporary feel, and to incorporate some of the things we’ve learned over       In security sensitive areas   was also equipped with a live chatroom, where 5 ***** speakers, based in the U.S., were
         the years about what does and doesn’t work with different people groups in different parts of the world. You will hear more   downloads of The HOPE are shared   available 24/7 to follow up and minister to visitors. During that month, there were 357
         about this in the coming year, so please pray for us in this process!                                                        in the underground Church.   downloads of The ***** HOPE from within ****.


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