Islam is a world away  - and it's right next door. It's in the news - and it's in your conversations at work.

As the second largest world religion, the almost 1.4 billion person Islamic community crosses geographic and political borders to comprise more than 1/5 of the world's population.

Now CCN invites you to join host Mark Mittelberg for the Exploring Religions series and journey into the fascinating world of Islam -- the faith system held by Muslims in the U.S. and around the world.

This program will feature Mark's special guests, Roy Oksnevad, Director of Ministries to Muslims for the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, IL, and Samuel Naaman, a professor at Moody in Chicago, who was born in Pakistan and raised by a father who moved from Islam to Christianity.

You'll hear powerful and inspiring stories of life-change, as they describe what happens when someone caught in a religious system encounters the real and living person of Jesus Christ.

Joining them will be Sister Phoebe, who uses her medical skills to offer physical, emotional and spiritual healing to those living in the Middle East.

Together, this panel of experts will help Christians give... "the reason for our faith... with gentleness and respect", as we are told to do in 1 Peter 3:15.

Your community will :

• Gain a deeper understanding of what Muslims really believe.
• Learn the difference between radical Islam and mainstream Islam.
• Discuss the differences between Muslim and Christian beliefs.
• Uncover the most effective ways to communicate your faith to Muslims.

Don't miss this important seminar... Your understanding and respect may be your Muslim friend's first encounter with Jesus!

Mark Mittelberg is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and a leading strategist and consultant in outreach and evangelism. He is the author of Building a Contagious Church: Revolutionizing the Way We View and Do Evangelism; co-author with Bill Hybels of the best-selling Becoming a Contagious Christian; contributing editor of The Journey, a Bible for spiritual seekers; and the primary author of the celebrated Becoming a Contagious Christian Training Course, which has been translated into twenty languages and taught to more than a million people around the globe.

Roy Oksnevad is a missionary with the Evangelical Free Church Mission (EFCM) working among Muslims since 1985. He currently serves as the Director of Muslim Ministry for the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, IL and co-edited the book, The Gospel for Islam: Reaching Muslims in North America. Roy's most recent book deals with world view and presenting Christ to the Muslim mind.

Samuel Naaman is professor at Moody Bible Institute, working in the World Missions Department. He co-founded the South Asian Friendship Center in the heart of the Indian Marketplace in Chicago: This is the first center of its kind to reach Hindus and Muslims in North America. In addition, Samuel and his wife Debbie planted a church where former Hindus and Muslims come to worship. Prior to this Samuel has served with Campus Crusade and Operation Mobilization.

Sister Phoebe was born into a prominent Muslim family originally from Jerusalem. At the age of 10 she immigrated to the U.S., where she struggled to fit in as a cultural Muslim. Although religion was not taught in her home, Sister Phoebe hungered for the real “Truth.” The Lord Jesus was her answer and filled her with hope, love and peace. She now uses her medical skills to minister to the “Living Stones” in the Holy Land. There is no greater joy to her than to share the God of all comfort who offers physical, emotional and spiritual healing especially for the people of the Middle East.