IDOP
Coinciding with President Bush taking office in 2001, a self-described rancher’s daughter and school teacher named Deborah Fikes sensed the leading of God to approach the organizers of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) to hold its annual flagship event in Midland. In previous and now subsequent years, the IDOP has always held their primary observance at a nationally recognized mega-church, so entrusting the event to a cooperation of churches was new and a bit risky. Midland’s connection to George and Laura Bush, along with the MMA’s quick mobilization of a steering committee, helped Midland become the host location.
The steering committee was comprised of Midland leaders, including several pastors. Beginning its work in April 2001, the committee met almost weekly during the summer months to plan and prepare for the city-wide prayer event, which was held on November 2-4. The events of 9/11, and the possibility of many “untouchable” Dalits in India converting to Christ en mass, heightened the committee’s sense of urgency. The committee was co-chaired by the Reverends Billy Raies and Robert Walter. Baroness Caroline Cox and Dove award-winning contemporary Christian musician Ken Tamplin headlined the event, along with several persecuted Christians who shared their testimonies. First Lady Laura Bush also made a video appearance. A detailed “How To Host” manual was produced out of this cooperative effort. It was used for several years around the world to help others put on similar cooperative IDOP events.
Not only did this event bring the members of the MMA into closer cooperation and fellowship, it also provided a platform for Deborah Fikes to become an adviser to the MMA on issues related to religious persecution around the world. At one of its 2002 meetings, the MMA voted to officially position Deborah to serve as a spokeswoman of the Alliance, and to use the MMA’s letterhead—which proudly proclaimed Midland as the hometown of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush—to express concerns and lodge objections with the embassies of countries where civil rights were being denied. Indicative of Deborah’s growing influence as a citizen diplomat is an article written by Rich Lowry for the National Review on May 24, 2004:
"May 07, 2004, 8:35 a.m.
From Midland with Love
Compassionate Texans working miracles in Sudan.
"The Sudan has been wracked by another wave of government-directed violence, threatening what had been a fragile peace during the past six months. Whether peace negotiations can be salvaged and what posture to adopt toward the offending government in Khartoum are crucial questions. And it's hard to answer them without asking first: What does Midland think?
"Midland, Texas? The West Texas oil-patch town that is, if not quite in the middle of nowhere, pretty darn close? Midland, former home of President George W. Bush, has been intimately involved in developments in the Sudan. The city of less than 100,000 is a leader in a Christian human-rights activism that is influencing U.S. foreign policy and belying the stereotype of Christian conservatives. Often associated solely with opposition to gays and abortion, such Christians have lately turned their energy to promoting human dignity in places where it is honored only in the breach.
"The old hippie saw "Think globally, act locally" has been transformed by Christian communities like Midland to "Act globally, act locally." The town hosted the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church in 2001 and was moved by stories of the horrific war in Sudan by the Muslim north against the Christian and animist south. With cachet as "the village of George Bush" (as the Sudanese ambassador to the United States has put it), Midland helped push the Sudan Peace Act through Congress in 2002 and has been central to negotiations, according to a recent article on Midland in The American Spectator magazine.
"A tenuous peace has been forged between the north and south, in what would be hailed as a significant diplomatic achievement for Bush if the press weren't interested only in reporting his supposed diplomatic failures. But new Muslim-on-Muslim violence in the western region of Darfur could throw the entire country back into civil war. Deborah Fikes, spokeswoman for the Midland Ministerial Alliance, says she hopes negotiations can be salvaged and the decent forces in the Khartoum government encouraged, so all the recent progress isn't reversed.
"Midland has a lot at stake in Sudan, where it supports churches, schools and other projects in an effort it hopes will eventually create a model for all of Africa. The zeal to help in Sudan has spread throughout Midland, across all denominations, Baptist, Catholic, whatever. And Midland has begun to undertake similar work in North Korea and China. "It is the most awesome community I've ever experienced," enthuses the Hudson Institute's Michael Horowitz, a central player in human-rights policy in Washington.
"This is really an old story. In his book Special Providence, Walter Russell Mead writes that U.S. missionaries have influenced U.S. foreign policy since the early 19th century, especially its idealistic Wilsonian tradition. "In the missionary movement," writes Mead, "there has been a concerted, two-centuries-old attempt by an important segment of the American people to transform the world."
"Wilsonianism has traditionally been associated with mainline Protestantism, but the initiative is shifting to evangelicals, who are not — as elite opinion might have it — solely represented by televangelists railing against the latest liberal outrage. "If you read about the life of Christ and decide 'I want to live a life of servanthood,' you don't have much time for the negative stuff," says Fikes. This makes for a better, more loving and tolerant Christian image to project to the rest of the world. "It grieves me," Fikes says of some of the inflammatory comments about Islam made by Christian leaders in the aftermath of Sept. 11.
"The new Christian activism is reflected in the idealistic rhetoric that has become a staple of Bush's foreign policy. The danger is that some of the well-intentioned naiveté of liberalism's attitude toward the world has been transferred to the Right. But conservatism's traditional interest-based hardheadedness probably needs a little leavening with something higher and softer. "Love can do a lot," says Fikes. Midland has set out to prove it.
Serving in this capacity as the MMA's spokeswoman, Deborah was in regular consultation with the US State Department, meeting with the heads of state of Sudan, China, South Korea, and North Korea. She even brought the Sudanese Ambassador to America to visit Midland and meet with City and church leaders, all of which was a testimony to Deborah's effectiveness. She worked closely with the MMA for several years to further its work on behalf of persecuted Christians around the World.
One of the more interesting developments that came out of both the IDOP experience and Deborah's work as a citizen ambassador was the fact that several ministries that work with persecuted believers around the world decided to base their ministries out of Midland. These include the China Aid Association, led by Bob Fu, and Watch and Pray International Ministries, which is led by Getaneh Getaneh.
Coinciding with President Bush taking office in 2001, a self-described rancher’s daughter and school teacher named Deborah Fikes sensed the leading of God to approach the organizers of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) to hold its annual flagship event in Midland. In previous and now subsequent years, the IDOP has always held their primary observance at a nationally recognized mega-church, so entrusting the event to a cooperation of churches was new and a bit risky. Midland’s connection to George and Laura Bush, along with the MMA’s quick mobilization of a steering committee, helped Midland become the host location.
The steering committee was comprised of Midland leaders, including several pastors. Beginning its work in April 2001, the committee met almost weekly during the summer months to plan and prepare for the city-wide prayer event, which was held on November 2-4. The events of 9/11, and the possibility of many “untouchable” Dalits in India converting to Christ en mass, heightened the committee’s sense of urgency. The committee was co-chaired by the Reverends Billy Raies and Robert Walter. Baroness Caroline Cox and Dove award-winning contemporary Christian musician Ken Tamplin headlined the event, along with several persecuted Christians who shared their testimonies. First Lady Laura Bush also made a video appearance. A detailed “How To Host” manual was produced out of this cooperative effort. It was used for several years around the world to help others put on similar cooperative IDOP events.
Not only did this event bring the members of the MMA into closer cooperation and fellowship, it also provided a platform for Deborah Fikes to become an adviser to the MMA on issues related to religious persecution around the world. At one of its 2002 meetings, the MMA voted to officially position Deborah to serve as a spokeswoman of the Alliance, and to use the MMA’s letterhead—which proudly proclaimed Midland as the hometown of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush—to express concerns and lodge objections with the embassies of countries where civil rights were being denied. Indicative of Deborah’s growing influence as a citizen diplomat is an article written by Rich Lowry for the National Review on May 24, 2004:
"May 07, 2004, 8:35 a.m.
From Midland with Love
Compassionate Texans working miracles in Sudan.
"The Sudan has been wracked by another wave of government-directed violence, threatening what had been a fragile peace during the past six months. Whether peace negotiations can be salvaged and what posture to adopt toward the offending government in Khartoum are crucial questions. And it's hard to answer them without asking first: What does Midland think?
"Midland, Texas? The West Texas oil-patch town that is, if not quite in the middle of nowhere, pretty darn close? Midland, former home of President George W. Bush, has been intimately involved in developments in the Sudan. The city of less than 100,000 is a leader in a Christian human-rights activism that is influencing U.S. foreign policy and belying the stereotype of Christian conservatives. Often associated solely with opposition to gays and abortion, such Christians have lately turned their energy to promoting human dignity in places where it is honored only in the breach.
"The old hippie saw "Think globally, act locally" has been transformed by Christian communities like Midland to "Act globally, act locally." The town hosted the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church in 2001 and was moved by stories of the horrific war in Sudan by the Muslim north against the Christian and animist south. With cachet as "the village of George Bush" (as the Sudanese ambassador to the United States has put it), Midland helped push the Sudan Peace Act through Congress in 2002 and has been central to negotiations, according to a recent article on Midland in The American Spectator magazine.
"A tenuous peace has been forged between the north and south, in what would be hailed as a significant diplomatic achievement for Bush if the press weren't interested only in reporting his supposed diplomatic failures. But new Muslim-on-Muslim violence in the western region of Darfur could throw the entire country back into civil war. Deborah Fikes, spokeswoman for the Midland Ministerial Alliance, says she hopes negotiations can be salvaged and the decent forces in the Khartoum government encouraged, so all the recent progress isn't reversed.
"Midland has a lot at stake in Sudan, where it supports churches, schools and other projects in an effort it hopes will eventually create a model for all of Africa. The zeal to help in Sudan has spread throughout Midland, across all denominations, Baptist, Catholic, whatever. And Midland has begun to undertake similar work in North Korea and China. "It is the most awesome community I've ever experienced," enthuses the Hudson Institute's Michael Horowitz, a central player in human-rights policy in Washington.
"This is really an old story. In his book Special Providence, Walter Russell Mead writes that U.S. missionaries have influenced U.S. foreign policy since the early 19th century, especially its idealistic Wilsonian tradition. "In the missionary movement," writes Mead, "there has been a concerted, two-centuries-old attempt by an important segment of the American people to transform the world."
"Wilsonianism has traditionally been associated with mainline Protestantism, but the initiative is shifting to evangelicals, who are not — as elite opinion might have it — solely represented by televangelists railing against the latest liberal outrage. "If you read about the life of Christ and decide 'I want to live a life of servanthood,' you don't have much time for the negative stuff," says Fikes. This makes for a better, more loving and tolerant Christian image to project to the rest of the world. "It grieves me," Fikes says of some of the inflammatory comments about Islam made by Christian leaders in the aftermath of Sept. 11.
"The new Christian activism is reflected in the idealistic rhetoric that has become a staple of Bush's foreign policy. The danger is that some of the well-intentioned naiveté of liberalism's attitude toward the world has been transferred to the Right. But conservatism's traditional interest-based hardheadedness probably needs a little leavening with something higher and softer. "Love can do a lot," says Fikes. Midland has set out to prove it.
Serving in this capacity as the MMA's spokeswoman, Deborah was in regular consultation with the US State Department, meeting with the heads of state of Sudan, China, South Korea, and North Korea. She even brought the Sudanese Ambassador to America to visit Midland and meet with City and church leaders, all of which was a testimony to Deborah's effectiveness. She worked closely with the MMA for several years to further its work on behalf of persecuted Christians around the World.
One of the more interesting developments that came out of both the IDOP experience and Deborah's work as a citizen ambassador was the fact that several ministries that work with persecuted believers around the world decided to base their ministries out of Midland. These include the China Aid Association, led by Bob Fu, and Watch and Pray International Ministries, which is led by Getaneh Getaneh.