Unexpected Requests
April 3, 2026In Christian life and ministry, expect the unexpected.
What’s the most unusual request you’ve ever received?
A colleague at Tyndale recently sent out a list of some of the things people asked her when she was serving as the manager of a Christian bookstore in South Africa in the late 1990s. A few of the most notable requests were “Do you sell pantyhose?” and “Do you have a book with a thermometer in it?” and “Can you give me a Christian cassette with a beat for a Turkish Muslim?” Apparently, local patrons expected the bookshop to offer all manner of very specific items to meet a wide array of physical as well as spiritual needs in the community.
At Tyndale House Foundation, we frequently field unusual requests as organizations seek funding for projects far outside our normal grantmaking parameters. We recently received a request from a secular organization for a project focused on the integration of body and spirit, a request for funds to increase audience diversity for a theater company in New York City, and a request for general funding of a media company in Greece that misspelled its own name in the application.
Usually we simply decline these kinds of applications, but occasionally, something totally unexpected can lead to an encounter with a new organization, a memorable meeting, or even a Foundation grant. A few years ago, for example, a chance encounter with a Kenyan pastor in an airport security line led to Tyndale publishing a book on international mission from an African perspective. Another time, a random conversation in Poland resulted in THF giving multiple grants to a ministry organization in the Czech Republic. In Christian ministry, and particularly in Christian philanthropy, you learn to expect the unexpected.
As it happens, this is Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, and the stories in the Gospels about the events that took place during Jesus’ final week on earth are full of unexpected requests and seemingly random encounters.
In Matthew 21, Jesus sent two of his disciples into a nearby town with instructions to bring back a donkey and its colt. “If anyone asks what you are doing,” he told them, “just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.” This request, though certainly unexpected, was far from random, as it fulfilled an ancient prophecy about the divine King entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey’s colt.
In Luke 22, Jesus sent Peter and John to Jerusalem to prepare the Passover meal with some very specific and unusual instructions. “As soon as you enter Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” That upstairs room was the setting for one of the most memorable scenes in the New Testament, as Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and instituted the sacrament of Communion during the Passover supper.
In John 13, when Jesus announced to his disciples that one of them would betray him, his followers were totally confused and had no idea what he was talking about. Even after Jesus specifically identified Judas as the betrayer, verse 28 says, “None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant.” The Master’s words were too unexpected for them to contend with.
Confusion on the part of the disciples was not exactly uncommon, particularly when Jesus predicted his suffering, death, and resurrection—the very events that took place during Holy Week. It’s not that they didn’t believe what he was teaching them; they just had a difficult time reconciling their expectations of a conquering Messiah with the words of the humble teacher who would soon hang from a Roman cross.
During the Crucifixion, Christ himself fielded an unexpected request, as one of the convicted criminals being executed beside him said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42). The Lord’s response was even more unexpected: “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Whether you’re running a missionary bookstore, responding to grant proposals, or listening at the feet of Jesus, life and ministry are full of unexpected requests. This Holy Week, as we remember Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and celebrate his ultimate victory over death itself, let’s thank God for the world-transforming grace of the cross and the empty tomb as we respond with joy to his unexpected request to follow him, even when the path leads somewhere we didn’t anticipate.
Here’s what’s happening.
Caring for Refugees in Lebanon
Earlier this week, an Israeli missile struck a largely Christian residential area in Beirut where Hezbollah operatives were reportedly present. This marked the first time since the beginning of current hostilities that a Christian neighborhood was targeted. In a Zoom conversation this week with leaders of THF partner SAT-7, I learned that the blast occurred so close to their studio that employees felt the building shake and initially feared their own facility had been hit. On March 2, 2026, the Lebanese government took the unprecedented step of banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities—a complicated move given that Hezbollah holds seats in Parliament. Despite this, the latest strike is a reminder that the situation remains highly volatile. In the past few weeks, more than a million people have been displaced from their homes in areas where the missile strikes have been most intense. THF partners including SAT-7 and Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, located next door to each other, have been providing aid and housing for refugees. Here is a video about the efforts ABTS has undertaken to care for those who have been displaced. Please continue to pray for peace in Lebanon and for divine protection for our partners and for civilians in Beirut.
Prayers Answered in Nigeria
In the early hours of Tuesday, March 24, 2026, armed men in Jos, Nigeria, broke into the home of a pastor named Sunday Agang and abducted him at gunpoint. Rev. Agang has been a friend and associate of Tyndale House Foundation for many years and was a key contributor to the book African Public Theology, which THF helped fund. Within hours, an international prayer effort had been activated with the help of THF partners like ScholarLeaders, Langham, and Africa Speaks, and believers all over the world began praying for Rev. Agang’s quick release. Three days later, we received word that he was back with his family. We don’t yet know all the details of his capture and release, but one thing is clear: God answered the prayers of his people! Remarkably, I first learned about Rev. Agang’s release from a partner in Ukraine who had been praying, a vivid example of how the Global Church works—Ukrainians praying for Nigerians and letting Americans know what’s happening on the other side of the world. Nigeria is listed by Open Doors as the most dangerous country in the world for Christians, and this incident is just one example of the dangers many believers face. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria who face persecution even as we thank God for his protection and care for Rev. Agang.
New President for FATEB
In January 1973, global delegates at the Second General Assembly of the Association of Evangelicals of Africa and Madagascar made the historic decision to start a university-level theological school to serve rising church leaders throughout Francophone Africa. The nation of Central African Republic was selected as an ideal location for the school, and Faculté de Théologie Évangélique a Bangui (FATEB), was opened in 1977. Tyndale House Foundation provided a significant grant to help with the school’s establishment, and the CAR government donated a large parcel of land in the capital city of Bangui for the school’s construction. Over the last five decades, though periods of conflict have occasionally disrupted life in Bangui and forced temporary relocations, the seminary has remained committed to equipping pastors and ministry leaders to serve faithfully in difficult contexts. Tyndale has been a financial partner for the school since its founding and has developed close relationships with its leaders. When Dr. Nupanga, FATEB’s president, announced his resignation in 2024, we joined with Christians across Africa in praying for the search process to find his replacement. In March 2026, Dr. Plaisance Rivoli M’bara was announced as FATEB’s new president. We thank God for his provision of excellent leadership for this important institution and invite you to pray with us for the transition as Dr. M’bara takes the helm at FATEB.
Mapping Prayer for the Unreached
Since 1995, THF partner Joshua Project has helped Christians around the world gain a better understanding of where Great Commission progress is most needed. An initial list of 1,700 of the world’s largest unreached people groups was compiled into a comprehensive database. Through the years, as more and more believers were inspired to pray for the work taking place among these groups, Joshua Project researchers expanded their database to include every known example of what are now called “Frontier People Groups” (FPGs)—groups where fewer than 1 in 1,000 individuals follow Christ. As of 2026, there are 3,214 FPGs, representing 1.9 billion people who have yet to hear the gospel. Now Joshua Project has created a new tool called “Light the Nations” that makes it easier than ever to identify, locate, and pray for FPGs. The online tool shows a map that displays a light for each FPG that someone in the world has specifically prayed for within the past 24 hours. If you would like to join this cause, visit prayermap.joshuaproject.net, click on a gray dot to display information about a particular FPG, and pray. Then you can indicate that you’ve prayed for that group, and a light will appear on the map, encouraging other prayer warriors to join in.
That’s it for this week’s briefing. Please send any questions, comments, and unusual requests to [email protected]. Do you enjoy reading the THF Weekly Briefing? Make sure you’re subscribed to the email distribution list to get access to this resource the same day it’s published each week, and feel free to share it with others who may be interested. Thanks for continuing to pray for and support our partners around the world.
Jeremy Taylor
President | Tyndale House Foundation
The THF Weekly Briefing provides information about significant events happening in the wide universe of Tyndale House Foundation partner organizations as well as an occasional peek behind the scenes of THF’s operations. It is available to anyone who’s interested in learning more about Tyndale’s philanthropic commitments, partners, and operations. Was this email forwarded to you? Contact [email protected] to be added to (or removed from) the distribution list.