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ACMI NETWORKER

Contents

Nominations for Leiton Chinn Award

When is current membership up? 2

“The Pain of Goodbyes” by Bonita Che 2

“Suicide and the Gospel in the Ruins of Japan” by Joe Carter, Gospel

Coalition Blog 3

Countries with highest suicide rates. 3

Coming Events 4

Urbana 2012 4

All Nations Student Conference 2012 4

ACMI 2012 Houston 4

Resources: Science, God and Life videos from Paul Champoux 4

The Leiton Chinn Award for Leader-

ship in International Student Ministry

honors an individual (or couple) who

has made a lasting and significant con-

tribution to the ISM community. Prefer-

ence is given to those whose contribu-

tion has benefited the broad ISM com-

munity rather than just one area of ISM

ministry or only one organization.

Qualifications

A candidate for the Leiton Chinn

Award must be a professional col-

league who

has, in addition to a distinguished

record in ISM, donated at least 10

years as a leader in ACMI.

has served as a professional or

volunteer mentor/model to col-

leagues in the broad ISM commu-

nity.

has inspired Christians in ISM by

such activities as present-

ing ACMI plenary sessions or

workshops, writing publications,

and promoting collaboration and

growth of the ISM movement.

is a continuing source of informa-

tion and wisdom to the ISM com-

munity.

is an ACMI member.

The selected winner will receive the

award at ACMI 2012 in Houston.

Nominations open for annual Leiton Chinn Award

for leadership in international student ministry

March 2012

“Here is my servant whom I

have chosen, the one I love,

in whom I delight; I will put

my Spirit on him, and he will

proclaim justice to the na-

tions. He will not quarrel or

cry out; no one will hear his

voice in the streets. A

bruised reed he will not

break, and a smoldering wick

he will not snuff out, till he

leads justice to victory. In

his name the nations will put

their hope.”

Matthew 12:18-21

Former ACMI president Leiton

Chinn with Ned Hale, recipient of

the 2010 Leiton Chinn Award

To nominate a colleague

Nominations should be made by ACMI members and should present clear evidence

of the nominee's achievements for this award. Nominations must be supported

by letters from three additional ACMI members representing different perspectives

on the individual's accomplishments. ACMI paid staff, current ACMI Board, the

Awards Committee, and self nominations are not eligible for consideration. The

award’s selection process is confidential.

Send nominations with 3 letters of support and the candidate’s resume to the Leiton

Chinn Awards Selection Committee Chair, c/o acmiexecdir@comcast.net or to the

ACMI office address. The deadline for receiving all letters is April 15.

Contents

Nominations for Leiton

Chinn Award

When is current member-

ship up? 2

“The Pain of Goodbyes” by

Bonita Che 3

“Suicide and the Gospel in

the Ruins of Japan” by Joe

Carter, Gospel Coalition

Blog 3

Countries with highest sui-

cide rates. 3

Coming Events 4

Urbana 2012 4

All Nations Student

Conference 2012 4

ACMI 2012 Houston 4

Resources: Science, God

and Life videos from Paul

Champoux 4

2

When is my current membership up?

The ACMI membership year is based on the fiscal year,

which runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

If you have paid your dues for the 2011-2012 fiscal year,

then you are paid up through June 30, 2012. You will

need to renew your membership for July 1, 2012 to June

30, 2013.

As a current member you will be eligible to receive the

discount for the 2012 conference in Houston.

Some changes

You will not be able to renew your

membership as a part of the conference

registration process this year. You will

be able to renew your membership for

2012-2013 at the ACMI display table

or by following the usual procedures online at www.acmi-

net.net. Dues paid now are valid only until June 30, 2012.

ACMI

Association of Christians

Ministering among Internationals

6012 SE Yamhill St., Rm. 206

Portland, OR 97215

Phone 503-750-7888 acmiemail@gmail.com

www.acmi-net.net

The ACMI office is

currently lodged in the

WorldView Center in

Portland, OR, home of

the Institute for

Intercultural Christian

Communication. The

Networker is published

bimonthly.

O ne recent morning before dawn, when most

of Chicago was fast asleep, Cindy* and I

were already on our way to O'Hare International

Airport. A month ago Cindy completed her studies

at NU. This was her last day in the States. She was

going to board a 6:00 a.m. flight to San Francisco

and then go on to Shanghai, the city she grew up

in. With the taxi driver leading the way and a sliver

of moon hanging in the sky, we sat close together

and talked with the candor of good friends.

Cindy and I met at a Christmas party a year ago.

Then she contacted me to find out more about

Christian activities. We became friends and had

countless meals together.

I'd told myself this trip was no big deal, as students

will always come and go. But as soon as we arrived

at the airport, my true feelings started to come to

the surface. For many years, saying goodbye to

friends I loved had been something to brave—I was

scared of the dreadful distance between countries

and the uncertainty of the future.

In front of the students, I often hide my worry and

anxiety about life and pretend that I’m fine. After

all, I am supposed to be their cheerleader, not the

other way around.

While I was trying to control my feelings, Cindy hugged

me and said, "Bonita, you are a wonderful friend. Thank

you for helping me and doing things with me. My life is

different because God brought you to me….”

To me, a Chinese woman trying to start a ministry in

America, the pain of uprooting, the financial strain, and

the loneliness often seemed too much to bear. Many

times I wanted to quit. Just throw everything away and

quit.

But when Cindy told me that she was grateful for me

and for what I did? That I made a difference in her life

while she was in America? It left me speechless. Even

though that was exactly what I had been trying to do

throughout our friendship, I still had no defense against

those words of gratitude and encouragement.

I cried as I left the airport, a mixture of tears of parting

and tears of thanksgiving. Then I looked up, just in time

to see the sunlight peek through Chicago's beautiful sky-

line.

*Not her real name

The Pain of Goodbyes by ACMI member Bonita Che, Feb. 2012

3

The Story: A year after the earthquake, tsunami and

nuclear disaster that devastated Northern Japan last

March, many [of] that country's citizens are still suffer-

ing from despair. According to Bloomberg, suicides

rose in April, May, June and August---the months fol-

lowing the natural disasters that devastated towns in

northeastern Japan and triggered a nuclear crisis. For a

14th straight year, suicides in Japan have exceeded

30,000.

The Background: As Joey Zorina, a pastor at Ekklesia

Christian Church in Kawasaki, Japan, writes, the im-

ages of the destruction will be etched forever in the

minds of the country's survivors:

The farmer who hanged himself, distressed about a

cabbage harvest ruined by radioactive fallout from

the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant;

the overworked government worker near the com-

plex who took his life;

the father who killed himself after a fruitless search

for his child after the tsunami—

all these are but reminders of the ongoing suicide (30,

000 per year) in post-modern Japan. Nearly 100 people

a day commit suicide; one every 15 minutes. The most

common hour of death is 5:00 am for men; and noon

for women, after their families have left for work or

school. The suicide rate in Japan is tragically alarming.

Suicide is now the leading cause of death among men

aged 20-44 and women aged 15-34.

Imagine the soldiers and police officers who had

spent weeks on the grim search for bodies, as well as

nuclear plant employees working overtime to deal with

the crippled reactor! They're ordinary men and women

News from around the world

Suicide and the Gospel in the Ruins of Japan

By Joe Carter, the Gospel Coalition Blog

like us with families, all vulnerable to the effects of the

disaster. As the nation rebuilds from the 3/11 major ca-

tastrophe, public health officials are concerned that a lin-

gering sense of hopelessness and desperation among

those affected might lead to a surge in suicides. In a na-

tion that's already coping with one of the developed

world's highest rates of suicide deaths, there is a high

probability that post-disaster stress could eventualy [sic]

lead to a higher rate. The nation experienced a rise in

suicides after the 1995 Kobe earthquake that killed more

than 6,400 people. Those who chose to die included the

city's deputy major, who doused himself with kerosene

on the first anniversary of the disaster. As Japan rebuilds,

there is a fundamental question that will arise in the

hearts of people who have lost homes, family and

friends: “What do I have to live for?”

Why It Matters: “Japan is being rebuilt by the power of

the Cross,” writes Zorina. “There is an ongoing relief

work and support by Christians from all over the world.

And it would be very unkind and unloving if we try to

liberate people from their present temporal sufferings and

not offer them the whole Gospel to alleviate their eternal

sufferings."

Because of God's grace, some Japanese are able to see the

light of Christ even in the shadow of destruction. For ex-

ample, Masato Kotani lost his business because of the

disasters, but is grateful that it helped him to find what

really matters.

Nearly 100 people a day

commit suicide; one

every 15 minutes”

“What do I have to live for?”

Countries with highest suicide rates

According to 2011 statistics from WHO

Lithuania 09 61.3 10.4

Russian Federation 06 53.9 9.5

Belarus 07 48.7 8.8

Sri Lanka 91 44.6 16.8

Kazakhstan 08 43.0 9.4

Hungary 09 40.0 10.6

Latvia 09 40.0 8.2

Republic Of Korea 09 39.9 22.1

Guyana 06 39.0 13.4

Japan 09 36.2 13.2

Slovenia 09 34.6 9.4

Estonia 08 30.6 7.3

http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rates/en/

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ACMI member and long-time

ISI staff Paul Champoux, to-

gether with his wife Ginny,

have been serving interna-

tional students, scholars, pro-

fessionals and their families

since 1967. They have inter-

acted with the questions that

people from countries around the world have about the

meaning and purpose of life, the relation between sci-

ence and spiritual truths, and the nature of God and his

love and plan for us. Paul offers a long lifetime of study,

experience and thinking about a specifically Christian

Science, God and Life

worldview. That is, what does God teach us about the

world and life?

Paul has developed four videos for ministry use.

The Two Sources of Knowledge about Our Uni-

verse, God, and Ourselves

Creation or Evolution: Which Best Describes Our

World?

Modern Science Is God’s Idea

What is the Meaning and Purpose of Our Lives?

To access these videos and other resource materials, go

to http://www.sciencegodandlife.com/.

visit the Tell a Friend page

https://urbana.org/urbana-12/get-involved-now/tell-friend

All Nations Student Conference 2012

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the All

Nations Student Conference (formerly CISC),

which is a conference for Christian international

students from all around the world.

So in honor of 20 years, we're taking things back

to the beginning, Excelsior Springs, MO, where it

all began!

May 24-29, 2012, Maurer Retreat Center, Excel-

sior Springs, MO

Conference Price: $149 by May 12th, and $179

after May 12th. (includes 5 nights, 9 meals, and

registration). For online registration and infor-

mation go to www.allnationsxa.com

Hosted by: Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, and

Chi Alpha International (Assemblies of God) USA

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ACMI 2012 Houston

Register online at http://www.acmiconference.com/

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