Diaspora in the North

According to the United Nations, over 50% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and it is proliferating, especially in developing countries. Thousands are leaving their homes, flocking to urban areas for jobs and opportunities to provide better lives for their families. The growth is added to by ongoing refugee placements.

So what does this mean for the ministry field? SEND International has recently begun a new division called Diaspora ministries, focusing on the urban areas of development. By reaching people in a concentrated area, team members have a better chance of influence and have the potential to create disciples that are connected to their home villages and countries. We are building Diaspora teams in Alaska and Northern Canada. In even one city, we can reach a variety of people in a cross-cultural setting, even though it may seem non-traditional for us because it is an urban environment instead of a rural one.


Right now, SEND North’s Diaspora program is focused primarily on reaching the small pockets of people in our urban areas for the sake of sharing the Good News to people close to us. Diaspora comes from an Old Testament word describing the dispersion of the Jews in early history. It is used again by Peter in 1 Peter to address the early church Christians who fled from Jerusalem. At SEND North, we are interested in those that are dispersed from their homes and have congregated in the Far North. Our focus on these urban gathering places includes Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kodiak, Whitehorse, and Yellowknife. Our opportunities are only growing. In Anchorage alone, 100-200 refugees were coming in annually until recently. Anchorage is one of the most diverse cities in the United States.


Our Diaspora program is currently concentrated in Anchorage, led by a team member in the area, and operates in a 3-prong fashion. The first prong focuses on assessment. We strive to gather accurate information about the different sections of Anchorage so we can better serve the demographics and sections within the city. Our research has confirmed that our primary urban area is growing in diversity rapidly. Secondly, we collaborate with pre-established churches and organizations to facilitate and support work already happening. In as many ways as possible, we want to “focus on the bigger picture of the Lord’s work” as we assist other groups, our team leader emphasized. Finally, we want to utilize giftings and interests of our members to fill the needs as we see them. For instance, our team member that leads the program participates in a growing jail ministry in town. He cares for and shows compassion for those “in chains” (Hebrews 13:3). The diversity in the jails is equal to that outside, and people are hungry for the Gospel. To read more about the jail ministries, read last week’s article.

The need is great, and the workers are few. As we continue to focus on the second and third steps to the program, we need more members willing to jump in headfirst to our urban areas and engage with the need of such a diverse collection of people. Do you enjoy living in a suburban setting and want to add influence to your location? Consider the Diaspora program and visit our Opportunities Page .

Additional Posts

By Erin Brown July 2, 2025
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By Diaspora North America June 29, 2025
March 7, 2025 Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution only to break it in less than a week? On March 1, 1.8 billion Muslims began their annual fasting month called Ramadan. They are supposed to fast completely—no water or food—during daylight hours from March 1–Mar 29. It begins with much fanfare, promises, and declarations, as fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims believe that faithfully keeping the fast ensures one’s place of favor with God. But many Muslims won’t be able to keep the fast through the whole 30 days. The reasons and excuses are myriad. Sometimes they will continue to claim to be fasting, but in reality, they are eating behind closed doors. To gain God’s favor, they must fast through the whole month, not just part of it. So, they live with the guilt and shame of not fulfilling the requirements of Islam. What was supposed to help gain their salvation now stands in condemnation. A Feast Within the Fast To complicate matters even more, Persian New Year’s Day is March 20, right in the middle of the fasting month. Persian New Year is one of the most important cultural holidays for most Iranian and Afghans, as well as many others with a Persian background scattered throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. In fact, many people with Persian heritage don’t just celebrate on one day. Their New Year’s celebrations extend over two weeks! How do they reconcile these two weeks of festivities within Ramadan? For Arab Muslims, it is a non-issue. But for the Persian world, it IS a struggle. The hard-core Taliban will try to push people to keep the fast. However, many will lean more towards keeping their more ancient pre-Islamic traditions of New Year’s. I would encourage you to take time to explore with your Muslim neighbors and colleagues why they fast. Then share why Christians fast. Perhaps read Isaiah 58 with them, summarize it, and ask for their thoughts on this passage. One more thing to note during Ramadan is the Night of Power. Each year, during Ramadan, on or about the 27th day of the month, there is a special time called the Night of Power. This year it will happen on or around March 26. Muslims believe the Night of Power is when Mohammad first received the revelations of the Quran from the Angel Gabriel. Prayers offered up by Muslims during Ramadan—especially prayers in a mosque—are believed to be weightier than prayers at any other time. However, prayers on this special Night of Power, prayed in a mosque, are considered infinitely more valuable than any other prayer. Many Muslims will stay up all night praying on the Night of Power to earn extra points with God. There is a small problem in all of this, though—Muslims can’t agree on which night is actually the Night of Power. It is sometime during the last ten days of Ramadan, with tradition stating that it is on the 26th or 27th night. There are several resources to help Christians and churches pray for the Muslim world through this month of Ramadan. I would encourage you to connect with some or all of them. Please make others in your church aware of these resources. Perhaps you could even host a special prayer time at your church, utilizing these resources. Ramadan 30-Day Prayer Guide Booklet – This can be purchased as a hard copy or PDF. Prayercast – A wonderful website with many videos on the Muslim world. If you sign up, you can receive daily prayer videos that also work great during a Sunday worship service to help raise awareness of the need for prayer for the Muslim world.
By Erin Brown June 25, 2025
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
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