| Lausanne Connecting Point - July 2007 |
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NO TRANSLATION AVAILABLE In This Issue:
Report from Doug Birdsall, Executive Chair, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization
Four things impressed me about this meeting. First of all, I believe that we found delight simply in being together as people who share values and a vision for the advance of the work of the Gospel. Lausanne gatherings – large or small – create the environment in which deeply enriching friendships are established, strengthened and renewed. Secondly, I was impressed with the quality of creative ideas that emerged through our plenary sessions, in the small group meetings, and perhaps most significantly at the sidewalk cafes up and down the street as people met informally, spontaneously and providentially. The third factor that impressed me is the way in which the conversations begun in Budapest have continued – with greater intensity and passion. Fourthly, I have been greatly encouraged to hear from people from around the world who were not with us in Budapest, but who have heard very positive reports from those of you who were there. This sense of engagement is promising for the future of world evangelization. In the weeks and months ahead, it is imperative that we do much more listening and praying together. I would ask you to engage those in your region of the world and in your area of ministry to join in the conversations that have begun. Please also continue to feed your ideas and input to us so as to enrich all of our thinking and planning together. I want to also ask you to continue to lift up Lausanne III in prayer. Please pray for wisdom and strength for those providing leadership for the Lausanne Movement and for Lausanne III in Cape Town in 2010. More specifically, I would ask that you would pray that God will help us to identify people to serve in key roles of leadership. Please also pray for the meeting of the Lausanne III Executive Leadership Team that will take place in Cape Town in October. At that time, we will be joined by a group of leaders from across Africa, by the Cape Town host committee, and by leaders from the World Evangelical Alliance. The challenge that we have undertaken is going to be hard work. Yet I believe we are faced with a Kairos moment in redemptive history. At a time when the world is in great peril, God has entrusted us with a fresh opportunity to “preach good news to the poor…to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Isaiah 61:1).” Let us never loose sight of this vision as we respond to God’s calling to the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world. Let us not shrink from the task. Rather, let us redouble our commitment to strive for more authentic community, that we might demonstrate prophetic witness and strategic engagement with the world. Our prayer is that God will create in us a sense of home, hope and humility as we bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Source: Langham Partnership International John Stott Ministries/Langham Partnership International has a historic connection with the Lausanne Movement – John Stott himself. Not only is he the Founder and Honorary President of Langham Partnership, he was also the major figure alongside Billy Graham at the first Lausanne Congress in 1974 that gave birth to the epochal Lausanne Covenant, and the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.
By Pastor Dibankap Benvictor Ojongmanyinkongho
This was "the first of its kind" as the participants remarked, in Cameroon. Mentoring is one of the greatest needs of the
ZFDC, under the leadership of Pastor Dibankap Benvictor, is looking forward to having solid partnerships with ministries and organizations that are involved in Biblical/Apostolic Discipleship, Transformational Mentoring, Leadership Development and Missions in order to facilitate the development of Christ-like leaders and mentors for Cameroon within the next 15 years. The task is great but through partnership it would be done. Our next workshop by the end of the year is on At-Risk People. Our aim is to mobilize and educate heads of denominations, corporations, parastatals, government services and at-risk peoples’ group leaders through our partnership with the Ministries of Social Affairs and Women and Promotion of the family on the plight of at-risk people in Cameroon. We would welcome people who will partner with us. "Let the little children come unto me." “Then the little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the
We have just finished a children's day camp this past week. It is a great privilege to see 172 children out in the Australian bush, sitting around camp fires, toasting marshmallows and talking about Jesus. The Lord extended his kingdom in their hearts and 130 children gave their life to the Lord and came unto Jesus. It was such a joyful answer to prayer that as a team we saw what God was doing amongst us. In the same context we heard of the Australian Government going into the Aboriginal communities because of the terribly high incidences of sexual abuse amongst the little children. How we treat/value our children is a key measure of the health of our communities. How the church seeks to treat and value children is crucial in a world where many nations’ population is mostly comprised of children. Praise God for bringing little children to himself. Praise God for his love to us as His children. Pray for the children who suffer so much in the face of poverty and AIDS. Pray for the children at risk in war, famine, flood and abuse. Pray for governments to be alerted to the needs of children. Pray for the cessation of the trafficking of children. Pray for the church’s role in bringing little children unto Jesus. Pray for the Max7 website and Viva Network in their work of encouraging us to “think small.”
With the Church around the world growing exponentially, education and training for church leaders is essential. In the July issue of Lausanne World Pulse we look at what is going on in these fields, what is needed to be an effective trainer and the resources that are available to equip us as we seek to encourage and grow the global Body of Christ. In this issue:
You will also find articles on:
Questions or comments about Lausanne World Pulse may be sent to Tm shkpostiosoite on suojattu roskapostia vastaan, aseta javascripttuki plle nhdksesi osoitteen. . For more information on how to submit an article, please visit www.lausanneworldpulse.com/submit.php. In our efforts to evangelize the world, we must never forget that God is simultaneously calling us to reach families for Christ. In August, we will look at what ministry and evangelism looks like within the family setting and what strategies may help reach loved ones for the Lord. |
Thank you for your prayers for the Lausanne Bi-Annual International Leadership Meeting held last month in Budapest. By God’s grace, over 350 Christian leaders from around the world participated in what we believe was a very substantive and productive meeting. We gained a clearer sense of the challenges and opportunities that are before the church with respect to world evangelization. We also experienced a microcosm of the global church yearning for a more authentic sense of unity. 
Christians from more than 200 countries participated in the 2007 Global Day of Prayer (GDOP) in May. An effort called “90 Days of Blessing” follows the Global Day of Prayer and provides an opportunity for Christians to not only be persistent in prayer, but to also serve their communities.
The 17th Annual Meeting of the Forum of Bible Agencies International (FOBAI) was held in April in Ft. Worth, Texas, USA. One hundred and twenty participants from fifteen countries represented thirty-four agencies during the three day event. The meetings included a special consultation on Bible Engagement in the Latin American context, cosponsored by the Latin America Forum of Bible Agencies. Renowned theologian Dr. René Padilla was the keynote speaker.
A National Mentoring Workshop for senior and emerging leaders was held in June in Limbe, South West Province of Cameroon. The workshop was organized by Zarephath Foundation for Development and Cooperation (ZFDC), for heads of Denominations, Christian Organizations, Para-Church Organizations, Emerging Ministries and CEOs, and was facilitated by MentorLink International (USA) under the leadership of Dr. Stacy Rinehart. The men and women who participated were mostly heads of emerging ministries, a few denominational leaders and some laities and numbered about 27. The training was facilitated by Dr. Rinehart, Phil Arendt, Clyde Hodson and Gary Franklin who in word, deed and power demonstrated what the character of a Christ-like mentor should be.
