2 Billion People Have Never Heard the Gospel: The International Day for the Unreached Event on May 20 to Spread Awareness

By Nancy Flory Published on May 20, 2018

Two billion people have not heard the good news of Jesus. The third annual International Day for the Unreached (IDU) will push Christians to bring that good news to more people. It will take place on Pentecost Sunday, May 20. American Idol finalist Phil Stacey will host the event and lead a time of worship. 

The International Day for the Unreached

The IDU began three years ago. It was born out of a desire to educate, inspire and motivate Christians to do what they could to reach the unreached for Christ. The group chose Pentecost Sunday in light of their mission, said IDU Executive Director Wayne Pederson in an email to The Stream. It’s the day “the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon the evangelists and people from around the world heard the Gospel for the first time in their very own language.”

The IDU started with six partners, other mission organizations who shared its vision. Now the coalition — called the Alliance for the Unreached — is made up of 12 organizations that participate in the vision in their unique way. For example, Reach Beyond uses radio and medical care to reach those who haven’t heard the Gospel. Other partners translate the Bible or provide blankets or food.

The IDU’s definition of an “unreached” people group is different from most pastors’, Stacey told The Stream in an interview. Many pastors and Christian leaders think it means people outside a church. “They’re reached,” he says. “There’s a church on every corner. They’ve heard the name of Jesus. … They know what Christianity is. The unreached are the people around the world who have not had any exposure to the Gospel whatsoever.”

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Stacey believes that a lot of churches and pastors would love to help reach those who’ve never heard the Gospel, they just don’t know they can. He wants to go into churches and tell there’s a really big mission field that the Church isn’t paying attention to. “If we could start resourcing missionaries, if we could even start resourcing missions organizations that are actually already there … doing a work in trying to reach these places, I think that would be very valuable.”

Ways to Get Involved

People can participate in several ways, Stacey explained. First, they can pray. “We believe in the power of prayer, so we want people to pray for the unreached.”

Second, they can advocate. They can “talk about it to their pastors, to their friends who are involved in church.”

Third, they can share. “What that means is sharing of time, talent, resources for the sake of the unreached. That doesn’t just mean sharing from finances — that’s actually, ‘Hey, what about doing a missions trip with one of these organizations?'”

Fourth, they can serve. “What we are in need of is missionaries who are willing to go into the [unreached] areas. … It’s one of those things where you’re talking to people like, ‘Are you ready for this? Are you ready to commit your life?'”

If they are, they should be ready for persecution. “Jesus said ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for my name’s sake.’ If they’re willing, then there’s an open door, they can get involved and they can actually go serve in these unreached people groups.”

The Event

This year’s event will feature video reports from around the world, updates from Alliance partners and a panel discussion about the unreached challenge, according to a press release. It will take place at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, Colorado from 6-7:30 p.m. MDT. In addition, the event will be live-streamed on IDU’s website. It will also be live-streamed from the group’s Facebook page. 

Stacey hopes that people will share the information about IDU on social media so more will be able to participate in the event. “We really want to engage the church and really get the church plugged in to the work that’s being accomplished around the world.”

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