International (MNN) — With more than
68 million active users of Facebook.com, organizations are seeking to tap into
the potential that social networking can offer.
A Pioneers
Facebook ad campaign in North Africa during Ramadan capitalized on that. More
than 4,500 people "liked" an Arabic Christian Web site, and about 180 wrote
messages through Facebook.
Some had crucial questions to ask,
such as, "How do I become a Christian?"
Questions like that are why Arab World
Ministries and Pioneers merged. Together, they have enormous potential to reach Muslims in the heartland
of Islam.
Maarifa, meaning "knowledge" in Arabic, is a Web site for Muslim
seekers and new believers from a Muslim background. Pioneers launched a Web site, www.maarifa.org, to present the Good News of
the Gospel to young Arab Muslims, answer seekers' questions about Jesus Christ
and faith in Him, disciple new believers in their own environment, and
encourage them to find fellowship with other believers.
Since
the launch, the site has seen significant growth in traffic. Young Arab Muslims are not only exposed to
relevant Christian content, but they can access a wide range of resources: legally-downloadable Christian books, the Old and New Testaments in Arabic, Christian
music from across the Arab world, and more.
The
team designed the Web site to stimulate direct interaction. As Muslims and new
believers make contact, all new and continuing conversations are tracked
through the Global
Response Management System — a contact management system serving
Pioneers and a growing number of media ministries.
The
Global
Response Management System also enables media contacts to be
referred, when ready, to on-field missionaries and national workers. Last
year, there were over 5000 new inquiries handled by the team. Please
pray wisdom for the response team following up with individuals who were
seeking Christ. Pray, too, that the events
of 2011 will cause more people to start seeking Truth.
