Green Valley Crossing growth; Tips to keep churches and Christian ministries safe from cyber attacks; Lifeway Bible study on 1 John 5

Green Valley Crossing “has seen around a 20 percent increase in attendance since the first of the year, the vast majority of them being spiritually disconnected with no relationship with Christ,” says Pastor Riley Prather. “If this doesn’t slow down, we’ll baptize 20-plus this year.”

Prather planted the church in 2013 in the northeast corner of Connecticut, near the state lines of Massachusetts to the north and Rhode Island to the east.

Ministry in New England is not easy, but then again, it’s not hard when the congregation lives Christ-centered lives, Prather said.

Green Valley Crossing was and is being built on real spiritual encounters with Jesus and equipping people to share Jesus intentionally in their daily lives, which involves making friends, building relationships and living life as a committed Christ-follower.

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Churches and Christian ministries are not exempt from cyber-attacks and online theft. Jeff Deasy offers six tips to keep your accounts safe.

1. Update your virus software. If you already have anti-virus software installed on your internal systems, check that it’s up to date and have a system in place to automatically install updates.

1. 2. Follow your normal procedures. If the person is asking you to deviate from how you have been paying an invoice, check it out before sending money. Maybe you are being asked to send the money by ACH (Automated Clearing House). Look for a different number than the last time you sent the vendor money.

1. 3. If you have doubts, call your usual contact. If the scammer has done their homework, they will know how to answer your questions and may even have inside knowledge such as copies of your previous invoices. Verify until you feel confident.

1. 4. Notice the grammar in the email. Pay attention to things like a lower case “I” instead of capital “I.” Scammers may be based outside the U.S. and English is not their first language.

1. 5. Confirm and reconfirm. When doing business online always be cautious. Double check to be certain the return address matches that of the previous email. The best option is to pick up the phone and call the person to confirm what you are being asked to send before doing an ACH transaction.

1. 6. Check your organization’s insurance policy. See if the policy covers online theft by coercion or consider obtaining a policy that protects against online phishing should an incident occur.

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Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.

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A Lifeway Bible study based on 1 John 5 references a book by D.L. Moody on living the overcoming life.

It says, “Moody specified several internal foes. He cited appetite. The appetite takes several forms, but Moody highlighted the appetite for “strong drink” that can sabotage both the body and the soul. Moody cited temper; not temper in general, but temper that has mastered the individual rather than the other way around. Covetousness. So dangerous is this foe that it appears in the Ten Commandments. Jealousy and envy are taken together as a foe that puts its owner, not its object, at risk. Pride. All should be wary of pride, not just those whom society would deem worthy of it.

To be sure, we have external foes that aim to harm us as well. These include worldly habits that seek to redirect us, and pleasure that allures us to drop our guard. There’s business, which never is satisfied and always wants more of us, and persecution that increases its attacks the more we experience overcoming victory. But all foes, internal and external, remain subject to the Victor from the cross.