Weekly Newsletter: Are there Unreached People Groups in Your Own Backyard?

We live in Avon, Indiana, a conservative suburb on the far west side of Indianapolis. We are the definition of the heartland, the Midwest, where traditional suburban neighborhoods with basketball goals in every driveway backup to corn and soybean fields. Even though we’re just twenty five minutes from Indy’s urban center, it’s not unusual to get stuck behind a large farm combine driving to work during planting or harvesting season.

And yet my next-door neighbor and his wife are Hindus from Mumbai. Sam (not his real name) oversees the opening of new Speedway gas stations all over the United States and his wife Diya works for a health insurance company. They’re so proud of their son who recently graduated from pharmacy school.

The young couple behind us are also Hindus who moved here from India. Sai works for Salesforce in downtown Indianapolis, and his beautiful wife Kiara just had a gorgeous baby boy with the thickest head of black hair you have ever seen.

Across the street from us is an older Pakistani couple. I’ve had a harder time connecting with them as he does not speak English well and she rarely comes out in public where we can interact with her. He does wave at me with a huge smile whenever I catch him outside the house.

In the warmer months, a family walks by our house every night after dinner in full Indian attire, including a tall turban for the man. We regularly exchange greetings, although their lack of language skills makes them somewhat shy.

If you’re like me, the Kingdom multiplication opportunity that exists in your literal backyard might be surprising. Due to technology, most of these “diaspora communities” remain deeply connected to their families and home communities. By reaching these people with the gospel on our soil, we have an opportunity to see Jesus redeem and resurrect the nations through our own backyard.

Are there unreached people groups just outside your sliding glass door?

We’re excited (and a little sad) to release the final episode of Season 1 of the Missional Marketplace Podcast. Getting this podcast up and off the ground has been a blast, and we hope you will continue to listen and share it with others. We are exploring some new ideas for Season 2 and will back with fresh content and conversations in the near future.

The Missional Marketplace Podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Anchor, and most other podcast platforms!

THIS WEEK ON THE WEBSITE:

PODCAST: Episode 12: The Currency of the Kingdom​
​VIDEO: What is BAM?​
​VIDEO: Marketplace Skills are Missionary Skills​
​ARTICLE: A Servant’s Heart in the Shark Tank (by Kelly Delp)​

Accelerating the Great Commission through the Marketplace,

Erik Cooper | The Stone Table

AVAILABLE NOW! The Missional Marketplace Podcast! Available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and most other podcast platforms!

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Missional Marketplace: Finding Your Everyday Work in God’s Eternal Plan in your choice of print, e-book, or audiobook by clicking here!

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