| Lausanne Connecting Point - September 2007 |
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Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism – 8th Annual ConferenceBy Tuvya Zaretsky, president of the International Coordinating Committee of the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism and director of staff training and development with Jews for Jesus.  The Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism (LCJE) met for its 8th International Conference by Lake Balaton, Hungary, from 19–24 August 2007. The worldwide network brought together over 160 participants from 18 countries, representing 16 agencies and congregations involved in Jewish evangelism. The LCJE dates from 1980 and is among the longest standing specialized people group networks in the Lausanne Movement.The theme of this quadrennial conference was “Jewish Evangelism--Telling the Story.” The week of meetings provided a platform for the unique network of organizations and individuals to gather information, coordinate strategies, consider trends, and stimulate theological thinking and missiological research in the cause of advancing Jewish evangelism.  Notable at the Lake Balaton meeting, was the participation of Doug Birdsall, Executive Chair of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization (LCWE), the sponsoring body of the 1980 Pattaya Consultation on World Evangelization, from which LCJE was launched. Birdsall encouraged participants as he affirmed a special place for Jewish Evangelism on the church’s agenda:“The story of Jesus Christ is a message to be shared with the whole world, but especially with the Jewish people, as it is the fullest expression of God's love relationship with His people.” His statement was particularly fitting in light of the location and timing of this quadrennial conference. Eighty years earlier, the International Missionary Council launched a similar network for Jewish evangelism that met in Budapest, Hungary with a similar mandate as that of the LCJE in 2007. The 1927 conferees described a unique opportunity to share the gospel in the Europe of their day.  Eighty years later LCJE participants met in Hungary and faced some of the same issues reported by their predecessors. The 1927 conference Budapest Report spoke about Jesus’ love for His own people and their desire to communicate that good news to Jewish people of their day. They described and discussed various outreach efforts. They also catalogued trends in Europe that were affecting European Jewry of their day. With appreciation for the previous work of the Budapest Conference, LCJE network participants told the current story of Jewish evangelism. They affirmed the gospel of Jesus Christ remains the only hope of salvation for the Jewish people. Today’s LCJE leaders shared the same commitment to communicate the whole gospel with Jewish people worldwide. In 1927, the Budapest Report described various trends observed in European Jewry at the time. They could not have known the horrific events that would break out in the subsequent decade resulting in the Holocaust. The Report noted a growing interest among Jewish people regarding their destiny and a possible homeland. Now, on the eve of the State of Israel’s 60th anniversary, LCJE conferees rejoiced in the stories of an unprecedented openness and new opportunities as the gospel is penetrating Israeli society. They also received reports of important Christian ministry to Arabs and meaningful efforts undertaken toward reconciliation between Arabs and Jews in Christ. Telling The Story – Many Places, Through Many Means The daily program in Keszthely, on the shore of Lake Balaton, began with prayer and devotions. Each day, a theme was set through dramatic presentations of Bible parables staged by Avi Snyder and Rob Styler. Jarmula Band from Krakow, Poland, blessed the gathering with East European klemzer music that was dedicated to the Lord Jesus. An Israeli based trio of David and Lisa Loden and Ann Hilsden led worship music daily.Each day was dedicated to exploring issues related to telling the gospel of Jesus in many places and by various modern means. Two days were set aside specifically to report what the Lord is doing among Jewish people in Eastern Europe and in Israel. Missiological progress reports were given from those regions. Another day was devoted to exploring issues, like Diaspora, intermarriage and post-modernism, which are impacting Jewish evangelism. Specifically noted was the trend of rising anti-Semitism in Europe. Ironically, and without any connection, on the day immediately after the LCJE conference, an anti-Semitic nationalist group in Budapest, known as Magyar Garda, held a political rally and an induction ceremony for 56 new members. Some LCJE conference participants were eyewitnesses to the event.  Each of the regional LCJE networks met independently within the conference. The participants all labor in the field of Jewish evangelism and have formed into geographic interest groups from Europe, Finland, Israel, Latin America, North America, Australasia and Japan. An International Coordinating Committee (ICC) plans the international conferences of the LCJE and acts on behalf of the larger network. Kai Kjær-Hansen, of Denmark, was elected to another four-year term as the International Coordinator. LCJE BackgroundLCJE is the only global organization in existence today that brings together professionals in the field of Jewish evangelism. The purposes of the LCJE include:
The LCJE is an affiliate network of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. A link to the LCWE appears on the LCJE home page at www.lcje.net. LCJE membership is open to agencies and congregations that are engaged in Jewish evangelism, scholars and writers in the field, individual agency workers, and congregational leaders. Membership in the network begins with a recommendation by two current members. Applicants for membership must embrace the Lausanne Covenant as a basis for fellowship and agree to pay annual dues. Lake Balaton Conference StatementLCJE published the Lake Balaton Conference Statement out of the 8th international meeting in Hungary. It is available below and on the LCJE website. The network membership that was present in Keszthely, Hungary adopted the call to the church that follows:Therefore, the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism calls on the whole Church to join in presenting the whole gospel of Messiah Jesus to the Jewish people worldwide. We affirm the good news of Jesus is the only hope for the salvation of the Jewish people. If Jesus is not the Messiah for the Jewish people, then neither is He Christ for the nations. Either Jesus is the Messiah for all, or He is not the Messiah at all. We rejoice over the reports that Jewish people are coming to faith in Jesus and that the number of Messianic congregations is growing. We assert that the worst possible Christian injustice to the Jewish people would be to deny them a hearing of the gospel, which is their only hope of salvation. We encourage evangelism to all the children of Abraham according to the flesh and pray for efforts toward reconciliation between Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews in Christ. We denounce contemporary expressions of anti-Semitism and prejudice against the State of Israel and urge the whole Church to join us in speaking against such sentiments, recognizing that they hinder Jewish people from hearing the gospel of Christ’s love. We commend the LCWE publication Jewish Evangelism--A Call to the Church (Lausanne Occasional Paper #60, 2004 http://www.lausanne.org/documents/2004forum/LOP60_IG31.pdf) to increase understanding regarding Jewish evangelism. We challenge ourselves to minister with openness to God’s call and a willingness to collaborate in new approaches for communicating Jesus’ message in a postmodern world. We call on the whole Church to support and actively partner in creative, thoughtful ways to share the whole gospel with the Jewish people. Women Who Can Change the WorldBy Elke Werner, Lausanne Senior Associate for Women and Director of WINGS “These women can change the world!” The east-German tour guide in the Wartburg, the castle where Dr. Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, was impressed with the international group of women who had come together 9-16 June this year. “I have never ever seen a group like this. I can feel the energy in this group. These women have so much power! What is different about you?” she asked. The words of a non-Christian woman from the former GDR (German Democratic Republic) express what all of us in the group also felt: God was present in our midst and we could feel him too. What kind of group was that? During the 16 years in which Robyn Claydon, Vice Chair of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, travelled around the world in order to build the women’s network of Lausanne, she had met most of us in our home countries. She soon became our mentor, encourager, promoter, friend and helped most of us see the potential that God had given to us, potential which we ourselves could not see yet. In the year 2000 she had invited most of us for our first Lausanne Women’s Network meeting in Berlin, Germany. Young women from almost all continents followed the invitation. We got to know each other and kept in touch. Some of us met again at the 2004 Forum for World Evangelization in Thailand and at the 2006 Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering in Malaysia. Robyn has kept in touch with all of us and seen us grow in our ministries and personally during all those years.  Part of the group at Marburg Castle: Sharlee (Australia), Charlotte (Sweden), Gerda (Germany), Annette (Germany), Susanna (USA), Kath (Australia), Robyn (Australia), Mimi (Lebanon), Evangeline (India), Jolly (India), Olga (Russia), Sandi (USA), Eva (Croatia), Hilda (Tanzania), Sarah (Australia), Robyn (Australia), Kathy (USA), Juliet (India), Christina (Sweden), Cecilia (Sudan), Leslie (India). Missing: Eva (Germany), Hilde (Norway), Noor (Netherlands), Christel (Germany), Aly (Netherlands), Elke (Germany) Now that I have taken over the position as Lausanne Senior Associate for Women, Robyn and I decided to invite the same group of women again. A few new contacts were added and also a small team of German supporters of WINGS (Women’s International Network in God’s Service). Once the group of women was invited, a lot of organizing was done: working on flights and visas, fundraising and planning and then they came from: The United States of America, Australia, China, Croatia, Germany, India, Lebanon, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Sudan and Tanzania. It was a wonderful reunion and the new members of the group were soon at home with the rest. The Program Each morning started with a short Bible-study held by Robyn Claydon (Australia), Noor van Haaften (Netherlands), Juliet Thomas (India), Kathy Oppenhuizen (USA), Gerda Schaller (Germany), Olga Zaprometova (Russia) and Elke Werner (Germany). Most of the day was spent listening to very personal reports of each of us, sharing about our families, ministries and our plans for the future. After each report we prayed for the prayer requests that were mentioned. It became clear that we all work in very different fields but share the same passion for reaching this world with the Gospel: as a Bible-school teacher; building schools in slums and planting churches among lepers in India; helping refugees by building a school in Sudan; pastoring a church in Sweden or Australia; building a network of women in Africa; leading the international prayer network of the Lausanne Movement and many other things. One day we toured Wartburg, Eisenach. A bus-stop at the former East-West border in Germany turned out to be a good place to pray together for Germany. At Wartburg we saw the room where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German. Another day we went to Wetzlar to visit ERF, the German center of Trans World Radio. There most of us were interviewed and these interviews will be on air later this year.  At ERF (Trans World Radio Germany) in Wetzlar On Thursday night we visited Christus-Treff church in Marburg, where all of us contributed to the service. We sang an African song together, all were introduced and some were interviewed about their ministry. Among them was Jolly, an Indian lawyer who rescues young women from Indian brothels. She goes in there with the Indian police and takes care of the young women after they are liberated. Another was Leslie, who works with her husband Chad in India. Another was Cecilia, who taught us a Sudanese Christian song. Another was Evangeline, who at the age of 23 used the first money she had earned to buy a plot of land in India and start a school for kids in the slums. Now she leads a large school with about 600 pupils, has founded four churches and is about to work with the lepers in the area by starting a school for them and a church. At the service, most of us wore our national costumes. It was such a testimony of God at work, all around the world. During our days together we looked at the Lausanne Covenant and all of us look forward to Lausanne III in Cape Town. We want to contribute to and be involved in the Lausanne Movement. And we want to encourage more women around the world, especially younger ones who need help like we did, when Robyn first met us. On the last evening we prayed for each other. And we thanked Robyn Claydon and celebrated her faithful service during all those years that she travelled around the world to encourage women like us. Robyn will continue her ministry even though she handed the work officially over to me and she will also mentor me in my new role. I am so thankful and so blessed to work together with her in the future and to learn as much as I can from her. And I am thankful that these women will continue to stay in contact and encourage one another and support each other and the Women’s Network of Lausanne. Hopefully we can meet again as a group in two years and share what God has done in our lives. I am sure there will be many miracles and stories to be shared. WEA Appointments New Theological Commission Executive Director  The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Reverend Dr. David Parker as the new Executive Director of its Theological Commission (TC), succeeding Dr. Rolf Hille, who has stepped down to become the Chairman of the Board. Dr. Parker, a resident of Australia, has been serving the Commission for over 20 years as a member, study group participant, administrator and editor. As the Executive Director, he will take on the day-to-day management and running of the Commission, and he will continue to serve as the editor of various publications including the theological journal
WEA expressed its deep gratitude to Dr. Hille for his commitment to the role since 1996 and his contributions to the WEA community in various capacities
“We are deeply grateful to Dr. Rolf Hille for his dual role of chairing the Theological Commission and serving as its Executive Director,” said the WEA International Director Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe. “We are also very thankful that Dr. David Parker has agreed to take on the Executive Director role. David is a wonderful servant and will provide excellent day-to-day oversight of the important work of our Theological Commission.
The leadership change was announced during the WEA Theological Commission’s 2007 (TC-07) August meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr. Brian Edgar (Asbury Theological Seminary) was appointed Vice-Chairman, replacing Dr. Ken Gnanakan (Bangalore, India) who had previously concluded more than twenty years of involvement with the TC. Dr. David Hilborn (UK) had also previously concluded his service and was replaced by his successor at the UK Evangelical Alliance, Dr. Justin Thacker. Dr. James Nkansah (Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology) was appointed as an African representative, filling a long standing vacancy. Dr. Chris Hall (Eastern University, PA USA) was elected as a North American representative, with another position from this area to be filled later, thus replacing the loss of Dr. George Vandervelde who passed away earlier this year. Other appointments are also being considered.
LORDSHIP OF CHRISTThe TC’s annual mini-consultation was held at Palmer (formerly Eastern) Seminary on 31 July on the theme of theological bases for political involvement. The consultation featured keynote addresses from Dr. Ronald Sider (Palmer Seminary) and Dr. Claus Schwambach (TC member from Brazil), several supporting papers and a lengthy discussion facilitated by Dr. Brian Edgar (outgoing Director of Public Theology, Evangelical Alliance of Australia).A Statement on Theological Engagement from the TC-07 is available here: http://www.worldevangelicalalliance.com/tcstatements/. The summary statement stresses the universal consequences of the lordship of Christ and the kingdom of God for all aspects of people’s lives and the need for proper stewardship of resources, while at the same time contributing humbly and faithfully to the broader society and patiently seeking God’s will in hope. The major papers will be published in TC’s journal, Evangelical Review of Theology. FUTURE STRATEGYVarious initiatives and planned future events were under consideration at the strategy meeting. These included study units and task forces on Contextual Exegesis, dialogues, the theology of Jewish Evangelism, publications, preparations for Lausanne III, and many new possible task forces. A particular feature was the presentation by Tunnicliffe of the role and functions of commissions within the WEA structure and ways in which the TC could integrate with the work of the WEA. The serious need for additional funding of the TC was a matter of consideration. It was decided that the next annual meeting of the TC would take place in conjunction with the 2008 WEA General Assembly to be held in Pattaya, Thailand.For more information about the work of the TC, its publications, involvement in its study units and the Global Membership scheme, contact the Executive Director, Dr. David Parker, Tm shkpostiosoite on suojattu roskapostia vastaan, aseta javascripttuki plle nhdksesi osoitteen. . www.worldevangelicalalliance.com/commissions/tc Lausanne/WEA TC Issue of Evangelical Review of Theology The October 2007 issue of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Theological Commission's (TC) journal, Evangelical Review of Theology (ERT), featuring papers from a joint Lausanne/TC consultation, will circulate very widely around the world. The Consultation, which was held in February 2007 in Kenya under the leadership of Dr. Chris Wright, chair of the Lausanne Theology Working Group, was the first in a series of gatherings intended to provide theological foundations for Lausanne III in South Africa in 2010. The special issue of the ERT contains the keynote papers and one of several of the case studies and many extra copies will be printed for distribution through various networks of evangelical seminaries, mission bodies and other interested groups. Writers represented include Chris Wright, John Azumah, Mark Chan, Dewi Hughes, Jonathan Bonk, Isaiah Dau and Athena Gorospe.
Check Your Lausanne Website Links
 Recent updates to the Lausanne website have changed several of the major links to resources online, such as the Lausanne Covenant and other documents. If your website, blog, RSS feed, etc. provides a link to a specific document or page on the Lausanne website – first of all thanks, we are very appreciative of the link. Secondly, please check to make sure the link is working.For example the new link to the Lausanne Covenant is: http://www.lausanne.org/lausanne-1974/lausanne-covenant.html Contact us with questions or comments about the website. Praise & PrayerBy John Abraham Godson, Lausanne Intercession Working Group Vice Chair
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” Matthew 6:34. As human beings we are inclined to worry. We think so much about tomorrow. We are filled with anxiety about what to wear, what to eat, where to live, who to live with, the future of our children and the future of our grandchildren. Yet our Master clearly says to us – “Take no thought for tomorrow.” Anxiety about tomorrow is sin. It is the sin of trusting in self and distrusting God. It is one of the greatest signs of self-life. It is a sign that Jesus is not on the throne of the heart. Self is. Self is the god and lord of the heart. Self is enthroned and is usurping the place that rightly belongs to Jesus. But Jesus asks us a very simple question: “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature” Matthew 6:27. What can we really achieve by worrying and taking thought about tomorrow? Nothing. Even worse - we lose God’s peace and presence. We will live lives full of anxiety and have hearts full of trouble. Our lives will be like the ocean being moved to and fro, full of debris and dirt. Peace and tranquility will be strangers to our lives. Praise God for:
Pray:
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7. Lausanne World Pulse
In the September issue of Lausanne World Pulse (LWP, www.lausanneworldpulse.com), the focus is on ministry “unto the least of these.” When Jesus ministered to the poor, the disadvantaged, the widow, the blind or the leper, he did so both in word and in deed. God’s kingdom broke into the “here and now" through the ministry of his Son. As you read the September issue, you’ll notice several changes that we hope will help you navigate the issue better and quickly access the information you want. In addition, starting this month, you will be able to download and print a 2-4 page Executive Summary of the entire issue. Also new this month is a new section focused on urban communities.
QUICK LINKS
Read September Issue September Executive Summary September News Briefs Articles this month include:
Other articles include:
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The Church’s gospel message of being reconciled to God and to each other (2 Corinthians 5:17-20) is the focus of the October LWP. Reconciliation and Evangelism looks at the conflict in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere as leaders seek to share the message of reconciliation and restoration through Christ. |
