Another month of ministry has flown by us and RZIM is bringing a close to our fiscal year. Though we are closing the books fiscally, we praise the Lord for many beginnings as well. A new term for 13 future apologists has just kicked off at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA), as well as a new class of students at the RZIM Academy of Apologetics in Chennai, India. The new OCCA class welcomes students from the US, Hungary, and the Ukraine, as well as from Britain. And as you will read from the reports below, many members of our team have traveled to India to teach classes at the second term held at the new center, dedicated in January. In addition, we are thankful to the Lord for another new beginning as Tom Essenburg has joined our development team as director, coming to us from Indiana. You will have the opportunity to hear from Tom next month as he looks forward to sharing his heart with you.

Once again may I say how thankful we are for your prayers for us this year, and we continue to ask you to pray with us in the months ahead. We have some exciting and important meetings, including a particularly poignant one at Virginia Tech in early October. We would deeply value your prayers as Joe Boot and I bring messages to the students and faculty there. I hope you are encouraged by the reports you read below. None of this would be possible without your support and heartfelt prayers. Please accept our sincere thanks for all you do and don't hesitate to contact us if we can pray for you in any way.

Engaging Today's Culture with RZIM:

• Ravi Zacharias at UGA, Thursday, September 27 at 7:00pm
        Join Ravi Zacharias at an open forum at the University of Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, GA, on September 27. He will deliver a message followed by a Q & A session. This event is open to the public and tickets are not required. Doors will open at 6:00pm and the event will begin at 7:00pm. Visit MySpace webpage http://www.raviatuga.com for more information.
• Just Thinking Another issue of Just Thinking is just released. This issue, Margaret Manning, a new member of the RZIM writing team contributes. Click here to read her article, The Test of Trust.
• What does it mean to be essentially you? What is the distinctiveness with which God has fashioned you in his image and pulled together the threads of your life? Listen to this recent message, based on his book The Grand Weaver (click to listen to the mp3), as Ravi explores both what it means to be human and what it means to be a unique individual.

Where in the World is RZIM? Highlights from across the globe...

 United States

After a month overseas, Ravi Zacharias returned to Atlanta on September 2. He then traveled to the College of Staten Island to speak about The Search for Absolutes on September 6. This was followed by a three-day trip to Gateway Cathedral from September 7-9 where he spoke on the topics Apologetics in the 21st Century, Thinking about Thinking: How to Build a Worldview, and A Mirror for the Soul. Ravi then came back to Atlanta to team up with Michael Ramsden at the Atlanta Civic Center on the subject Is America Really Christian? on September 13. Ravi and Michael addressed an enthusiastic audience of over 3000 and tackled some fascinating questions from the audience. Their messages and Q&A will be temporarily available on our website coming soon. The second half of the month, Ravi spoke at Houghton College in Houghton, NY, and then traveled to Toronto, ON, to participate in an RZIM Canada Board Meeting and Builder's Dinner on September 22. Finally, on September 27, Ravi will be speaking on Heaven and Hell: Is there a Middle Ground? at an open forum at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA.

Stuart McAllister is in India delivering over eighteen messages in twelve days this month. First, on September 14, Stuart spoke to a group of Christians on The Relevance of the Trinity, in Chennai. The next day Stuart, Neil, and their team ministered at a one-day seminar at the New Life Assemblies of God Church (the largest church in Chennai) on Living out the Gospel. Stuart spoke at the Resource Persons' Meet at Hyderabad and then ministered to another group of Christians on Seeing & Exploring Cultural Connections from Acts 17. He also spoke to a group of Christian legal professionals in Hyderabad on The Rage against Deceit & Injustice. On September 21, he will be speaking on the topic Empires of the Mind: Facing the 21st Century. He will present the vision of RZIM to the leaders and look forward to partnerships. This meeting will serve as a launch for the National Conference in December 2007. The next day he will be ministering at the Resource Persons and the Alumni Meet to be held at the YMCA in New Delhi. Around fifteen resource persons and alumni from the North are expected to be present for the meeting. He will be speaking from the book of Ecclesiastes. Stuart will be returning to Atlanta at the end of the month.

Alison Thomas recently returned from a two-month trip at a summer camp training teens in apologetics. She is very thankful to have had the opportunity to minister to over 8,000 teens over the course of the summer. Since the meetings went so well, the camp would like her to come back the last week of September for a high school spiritual emphasis week retreat. She is looking forward to ministering to the students there once again. Please keep her in your prayers as her ministry to youth continues to grow.

 United Kingdom

Michael Ramsden and Amy Orr-Ewing are both back in the UK after a busy summer of traveling and speaking at numerous conferences.

Amy is working on ideas for her next book. Meanwhile, the finished manuscript of her book But Is It Real? is with her US agent, who is currently working on the contract. It has been extremely well-received by her publisher, and it will be available spring of 2008.

Michael spoke at Bracknell Family Church on September 8-9. The event included a large evangelistic banquet on Saturday evening and an evangelistic service at the church on Sunday morning. Many non-Christians attended both events. The event was a huge success. The organizer wrote saying:

"As far as I was concerned the weekend was, to use an overused word, brilliant. I try to use superlatives sparingly, and this word very rarely indeed. It is too early to say what is the spiritual outcome in individual lives, but I know that all my guests thoroughly enjoyed Saturday's talk, and I know of one lady who became a Christian on Sunday."

Here's an extract from an email from the oldest attendee, Edward, sent to the organizer shortly following the event:

"Thank you for your hospitality on Saturday evening, and for the chance to listen to a one man intellectual firework display, ranking amongst the most talented speakers of my lifetime. Certainly none could outperform him for speed of thought and delivery. We were surrounded by people of exceptional openness creating an atmosphere of welcome and trust which we appreciated."

Michael then traveled to the United States, first to San Diego, CA, for meetings with Ravi. Then Michael flew to Atlanta where he and Ravi spoke at the Atlanta Civic Center on the evening of September 13. Following this outreach, Michael went back to England to speak at an Alpha event in North Oxford on September 19. A large number of non-churchgoers, atheists, and agnostics were invited.

Michael and Amy would value prayer for the start of this new academic year and the beginning of the new OCCA term. Amy is working hard on the curriculum for the OCCA programs. Please pray for the final stage of this and for all the new students. Please also kindly pray that visas would be granted to all those who need them for their year at the OCCA and/or their involvement with RZIM Zacharias Trust.

 India

At the very end of August, Cyril Georgeson ministered at several key events including a fellowship in Saket, South Delhi, where he spoke on "Faith," a one-day seminar on "True Spirituality in the Modern World" in Chandigarh, and finally at Grace Academy in Dehradun where he spoke to the students' council on "Changing Faces of Leadership" and "Self-Esteem."

Neil Vimalkumar was also busy preaching the last week of August. He spoke at Besant Nagar, Chennai, on New Age to about 35 young professionals and a few students from leading institutions. "The Q&A session brought many pertinent issues into focus and the responses were well received," Neil wrote. He then spoke at Emmanuel Methodist Church at their leadership training program on Jesus & His Answers. In September, he spoke at the Youth Church in Kilpauk, Chennai, on "Yoga & Stress" from a Christian perspective and fielded the questions of the young people present. Neil and Dr. Joshua Kalapati ministered to a group of over 100 Christians in Cochin, a historic city in Kerala, at a one-day seminar. The team shared, "Praise God for the one-day seminar at Cochin. Fifty key people attended... A good number expressed an interest to join us for a two-day training program in Apologetics later this year." From September 8-9 he spoke at The Fingerprints at Allahabad. There were around 47 participants including heads of educational institutes, professors, teachers, students, and the YMCA North Regional Head. They found the seminar to be very meaningful and relevant.

Those in attendance will never forget the Sunday night dedication service for Rev. Arun Andrews at Bangalore on August 26. Many in the congregation later testified personally to having heard the voice of the Lord and also of having been moved to tears and obedience. Rev. Andrews writes, "Dr. Zacharias' message from the Book of Jonah, and his particular personal touch of grace and love, made the whole experience very special for us as a family. We are indeed humbled, and honored, and grateful beyond words, to be included in the RZIM family." Rev. Andrews has already completed a full schedule this month. He preached to fifty students at the Bethany High Hostel chapel and preached at Indiranagar Methodist Church's Holy Communion service with 700 individuals present. He spoke at a Christian rehabilitation center for those wanting to find freedom from drug and other addictions and dependences. Rev. Andrews taught at the Academy from September 10-12 before leading a remembrance service for someone the India team has been ministering to in various ways. He writes, "Please pray for the family and for those of us who are given the privilege of being with her on this path of pain."

All the churches in Shillong celebrated a week-long "Youth Festive Season" from August 30-31 and on this occasion India's newest itinerant, Dr. Balajied Nongrum, had the privilege of speaking in two different churches on two different topics: "Issues Facing the Youths Today" and "Witnessing in the Market Place." From September 7-9 Dr. Nongrum conducted an Open Forum at Nagaland University on "The Changing Faces of Morality." Then an invitation to lead a Bible study from the book of Daniel to a group of believing students allowed him the opportunity to minister at the North Eastern Hill University. The following day he spoke at the Jowai EU and EGF fellowship on "How to Study God's Word for All It's Worth" to a packed auditorium. "We praise God for such a response and the kind of thirst with which people come to listen," he wrote.

The team asks, "Please pray for God's anointing, wisdom, and grace as the team ministers to people. By God's grace the second batch of the three-week Certificate Course on Apologetics at the Academy started on September 10 and the classes are going on well. We have 19 delegates from different walks of life. It's nice to have Stuart McAllister and his wife with us. Kindly continue to pray for the rest of the sessions until September 29."

 Canada

This month the Canadian staff is in a time of transition as they prepare for several major events this fall. First, they are setting the curriculum and schedule for the upcoming Augustine Institute. They have also been busy planning the Builders Dinner on September 22. "We are blessed to have Ravi visiting us for this dinner. He will be addressing our guests on the theme of 'Always Ready.' This is an encouraging event where we have the chance to share with our guests what God has been accomplishing through us this year as well as our vision for the coming year," writes the staff. Please pray for the people that God will bring to these events as well as for our staff as they plan them.

 Singapore

On September 15, I'Ching Thomas trained the youth leaders at Bedok-Tampines Bethesda in Singapore on the authority of Scriptures. Then from September 16-28 I'Ching will be in India for two weeks to teach at the Academy in Chennai and for various other meetings in Pondicherry, Kolkata, and Shillong. Please pray for her preparation and for the Lord to sustain her as she will be speaking at sixteen sessions and meetings during her time there.

Specifically, from September 22-23 I'Ching, will be with Neil Vimalkumar and Rampert Ratnaiya ministering at the Fingerprints (weekend training on Apologetics) in Pondicherry. On the September 24 she will address the Christian Leaders' meeting in Kolkata on the topic, "The Problem of Pain and Suffering." From there she will travel to Shillong to speak at a women's meeting on "The Role of Women in Confirming and Affirming the Gospel." About 50 people are expected to attend and the main objective of the meeting is to encourage women to take up apologetics. She will then speak at an open forum at the North Eastern Hill University on "The Problem of Pleasure" on September 27 where the team expects the audience to be mostly friends of other faiths or new Christians.

L.T. Jeyachandran is in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and taught at various organizations on apologetics from September 13- 16. He traveled to Singapore to teach at Tung Ling Bible College from September 17-19. Finally, he traveled to Medan, Indonesia, to conduct training in apologetics; he will be speaking at church services from September 20-23.

 Middle East

Last week Christopher Darla, Associate Director - GCC (Gulf Counsel Countries), met with Pastor Srinivasan and RZIM friends in Dubai to discuss plans for the upcoming seminar with L.T. in October, which will be held at a hall at the Trinity Church Compound in Dubai. The month was full as he preached at Hindi and English Fellowships, at a series of meetings at the HCT, Knowledge Village, and also alongside other pastors and Christian leaders.

Daniel Khouri, the Middle East Director, traveled to Lebanon to confirm a meeting space where L.T. will be speaking at The Baptist Church in Raass, Beirut, and met with the pastor, Rev. Joseph Saad. The meeting with Rev. Saad was very successful and he placed all church assets including musical instruments, choir, video projectors, etc. at Daniel's disposal. The team is very excited as they plan the event.

"Lebanon is on the door of the election for presidency, and we are all praying that the Lord may lead this country into peace. People are worried that the election may cause the country to go into riots and more troubles. Please do pray that the Lord may help these people and save them from all harm," Daniel writes.

The entire Middle East team continues to help the Hindi Church in Abu Dhabi every Friday, and they carefully continue identifying friends who are in need of Bibles.

Please know that we are here to serve you in any way that we can. Feel free to contact us by phone at (770) 449-6766 or via our website, www.rzim.org.

God bless,

Ravi Zacharias
President
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
4725 Peachtree Corners Circle, Ste 250
Norcross, GA 30092
770.449.6766

P.S. If you're interested in learning more about making a gift to support the ministry of RZIM or learning more about various unique gift opportunities through gift annuities, Estate Planning, or stock gifts, please contact Jeanette Chuquiure at (800) 448-6766 or click here if you would like to donate online.