| Lausanne Connecting Point - December 2004 |
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In This Issue:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we celebrate the joy of this glorious season, our hearts are flooded with gratitude to God for the gift of His Son. (What wondrous love is this!) As we approach the end of the year, it is only natural that we would look back to reflect upon the journey of the past twelve months. Also, we look ahead with hope and anticipation for all that God has in store for us in the New Year. This year, which is so quickly coming to a close, will be remembered by those of us in the Lausanne Movement as a time in which we experience God’s blessing in seeing the rejuvenation of a Movement that has meant so much to the body of Christ around the world. Of course, the 2004 Forum in Thailand was the highlight of much of our work. It still is a source of amazement to me what God did. Consider the fact that just three and a half years ago, when the plans for the Forum were first proposed, the Lausanne Committee had no full-time staff, no central office or phone number and very little by way of financial resources. Initial discussions envisioned a gathering that would bring together approximately 750 participants. Yet, in the final year leading up to the Forum, particularly, in the last six months, we were keenly aware that God was doing a new thing in and through the Lausanne Movement. Instead of 750, fifteen hundred people from more than 130 countries gathered together for the Forum. The majority of them had not previously been to a Lausanne Conference or a Lausanne Consultation; yet they were compelled by the enduring impact of the Lausanne Covenant and by the strategic importance of the thirty-one issues that were to be discussed. The major event at the Thailand 2004 Forum was actually the visible expression of many smaller ways in which God demonstrated His goodness. Obtaining visas for participants from so many countries was a source of concern and a focus of prayers of God's people around the world. God provided the visas—in many cases "just in time." God also provided the financial resources that enabled each participant to attend the Forum. Though a considerable amount of money was raised by Dr. Roger Parrott and those working with him, we know of many other gifts that were provided for participants that came outside of Lausanne channels and resources. These gifts were often provided by churches, mission organizations, anonymous donors, and even young children who helped to make it possible for participants to travel long distances to be in Thailand. God also provided a host of volunteers to serve in large and small ways; their great joy in serving provided a source of blessing to the participants. As we look to the future, we are grateful to God for a renewed sense of calling and a fresh vision for the years that lie ahead. Perhaps most significantly, God has brought a new generation of younger leaders into the movement. We see this evidenced by younger leaders who have joined the Administrative Committee in key leadership roles. We also see this in the International Deputy Directors who are serving in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, North America, Australia and in Oceania. We also see it in the vitality and creativity of younger leaders who served in strategic roles with many of the Issue Groups. It would be an oversight not to thank God for the fact that we came away from the 2004 Forum with a financial surplus. Again, we are grateful to God for the way God used Roger Parrott to help raise the funds. We are also grateful to God for the way in which Dr. David Claydon so effectively and efficiently stewarded those resources—particularly in the area of scholarship distribution. The combination of a fresh vision, along with an influx of younger leaders and participants into the Movement bodes well for the future of the Lausanne Movement and the cause of world evangelization. During this coming year, we will be sharing additional information as regional and national consultations are held, which flow out of the Forum Issue Group discussions. We will also be sharing information on the Lausanne Occasional Papers as they are published and available for distribution. Plans are moving ahead nicely for the Younger Leaders Conference to be held October 2006. We anticipate this Conference will bring together approximately 500 leaders from around the world. A global consultation on the church’s response to the HIV/AIDS crisis is also being planned. This consultation will be coordinated by Dr. Ted Yamamori, the new International Director for LCWE. We know that many national Lausanne fellowships and networks are being established or re-established around the world. In recent weeks I have been in Japan, as well as Hong Kong and China, where I met with leaders who are revitalizing such fellowships. I have also interacted with leaders in the Lausanne Movement from Europe, the UK, Argentina, India and Canada who are in the process of discussions. I have also heard reports of many other similar discussions around the world. Let me close by saying that, as the Chairman of the Lausanne Committee, speaking on behalf of all of those who share some responsibility for guiding the movement into the future, we are particularly eager to hear from you. Let me take this opportunity to ask you to be in touch with me regarding news of world evangelization in your region or through your ministry. Please let me know of ways in which the Lausanne Movement can be of assistance to you. Also, please pass on information to us that you think would be helpful to the Lausanne Committee as we seek to be stewards of the work and the vision that God has entrusted to our care. One last note, the International Executive Committee for Lausanne will be meeting in Hong Kong in June 2005. Thus, we would be particularly eager to have representatives from long-established or recently-created Lausanne Fellowships from around the world. Please do pass that information on to me. May God continue to wonderfully bless you. Your partner in the work of world evangelization, Doug Birdsall By Tetsunao Yamamori, International Director, LCWE Since the 2004 Forum this fall, the new Lausanne administration has been hard at work, attempting to finalize the plans for Lausanne publications. Much discussion has taken place as to the best way to ensure the smooth flow of information to Lausanne constituents and beyond to a larger audience. Our goal is to reach as broad an audience as possible with the results of the Forum but in a different way then we have published in the past. We thank God for enabling us to complete the Forum with resources to support an aggressive follow-on effort. However, even with these funds, the cost of communicating to the whole world is expensive, and difficult choices need to be made. With all of these things in mind, arrangements have been made as follows:
Information on the World Congress on Evangelism - Berlin, 1966, is now available through a link on the Lausanne web site. Please go to the Lausanne web site and click on the Berlin 1966 conference "bubble" on the Lausanne timeline. You'll also find information on the other major Lausanne gatherings. Thanks to the Billy Graham Center Archives for making this information available! http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/GUIDES/014.htm Christians Capturing the Potential of the Internet For Evangelism Under the leadership of Mr. Tony Whittaker (editor of the Web Evangelism Guide—www.web-evangelism.com) and others, a web site (www.InternetEvangelismDay.com) has been developed to promote IED. Whittaker says IED is designed to encourage wider and more effective use of the Internet for outreach and to motivate churches “to create new websites, or modify their existing pages to become user-friendly and enticing to non-Christians in their community.” In addition, he hopes the day will inspire more Christians into web outreach as they create new evangelistic sites and support already existing online ministry through email counseling and discipleship. On www.InternetEvangelismDay.com, organizers lift up the importance of Internet Evangelism and provide resources for developing and enhancing evangelism-focused web sites, Church web sites and chat room ministry. A variety of IED tools are available online to assist churches (and others) in creating their own short emphasis on or near IED. Tools include IED posters, a short video testimony, photos, publicity/promotion materials, a free “evangelistic screensaver” and a regular enewsletter. Go: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com www.missionsinterchange.com is a new missions website specifically for collegiate young women. Missions Interchange was launched in August 2004 by Woman’s Missionary Union (www.wmu.com) as a resource and place of connection for missions-minded collegiate women. The site is intended for any female college student who is interested in missions. Each week, new articles of interest to collegiate women are posted on www.missionsinterchange.com. Features include • Missionary profiles Missions Interchange also offers mission trip opportunities for collegiate women. More information on next summer’s trips to Croatia and inner city Houston are available at www.missionsinterchange.com/go.asp. Upcoming monthly topics for Missions Interchange articles include poverty, using the arts in missions, understanding Muslims, persecuted Christians, and Chronological Bible Storying. Missionaries or missions agencies who are interested in submitting an article to Missions Interchange or learning more about the site should contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . By Glenda Weldon, Chair, Intercession Working Group "The Saviour- yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David." This is the glorious event we are celebrating at this time of year. Our hearts are filled with deep gratitude and love for God as we reflect on all He has done for us in Jesus. We are overwhelmed with praise and joy not only for our salvation but also for the daily reality of His presence with us through His precious Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord! He is true to His name—"Immanuel—God with us"! Take time to remember those who have not yet even heard the name of Jesus. Remember too, those who have heard but do not yet know Him. In my country, they sing the carols and exchange gifts and have no understanding or awareness of the incredible event they are celebrating. May your Christmas be -a time of great blessing and may 2005 be filled with many opportunities to share Jesus! Praise God:
Please pray:
Issue Group Prayer Requests Unreached People Groups
Bioethics
Uniqueness of Jesus
Prayer in Evangelism
Non-Traditional Families
HIV/AIDS
" The harvest is great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send out more workers for His fields." |
