| Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering - West Africa |
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NO TRANSLATION AVAILABLE HISTORYIn 1974, Billy Graham convened a global congress of over 2,700 Church and Mission leaders from virtually every country in the world to focus on World Evangelization. This historic conference was held in Lausanne, Switzerland. Over the last 34 years, the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization (LCWE) has brought together various leaders to partner and network in ministry towards fulfilling the Great Commission. During the LCWE 2004 Forum for World Evanglization in Thailand, it was observed that there was need to mentor and develop emerging Christian leaders if the goal of fulfilling the Great Commission is to be given the priority it deserves by future generation of Christians. Pursuant to these objectives, a global gathering of 550 younger leaders drawn from 112 countries was held September 2006 in Malaysia to inspire, connect and develop them to run with the vision of “The whole Church in taking the whole gospel to the whole world.†Eighteen delegates from Anglophone West Africa attended YLG-06. It was resolved at that meeting that each region should plan such gatherings for younger leaders. Thus commenced the journey towards Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering - West Africa (YLGWA).A STATEMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL DEPUTY DIRECTOR (Anglophone Africa Region) Rev. GIDEON PARA-MALLAM“A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the role I played in shaping events.â€ The Church in Africa needs to firmly take her destiny and that of the Continent in her hands. The ultimate help Africa needs must come from within and not without. Knowing and pursuing the right priorities for the Church in Africa is what we should engage in and promote. I believe this fact undergirds the spirit behind YLGWA. Indeed Africa’s moment has come, a Kairos moment begging to be seized at every turn. The 21st Century is Africa’s moment as far as mission goes and we need not let this slip. We must take responsibility for the final thrust of the gospel in Africa with a well directed global reach in order to finish the unfinished task.Here is part of the journey into the future which the Church in Africa sees as a priority and seeks to embark upon: growing younger leaders! Addressing the issue of emerging younger leaders is critical for the Church in Africa. There is need to address the issue of leader development which reflects our contextual realities and uniqueness on the African continent. A determination to lay a solid foundation of sustaining the gains of the past three decades in missions’ mobilization through raising credible leaders of purpose in Christendom has become necessary.  One way to fulfill this goal is the vision and decision to organize a Younger Leaders Gathering for English Speaking West Africa in Nigeria. It is hoped that this move will result in helping the Church work in partnership with her counterpart in Africa and other parts of the world to move forward with this noble dream of seeking transformational renewal within the Church and her Mission. This move will also help us to promote the ideals of the Lausanne Movement.Globally today, there is a growing sense and need to identify and encourage the emergence of younger leaders within the Church. Selected and tested servants of God will serve as mentors to these emerging leaders. The focus will be to motivate these emerging leaders to faithfully serve with the highest sense of integrity both for the Church and Society. We will work together in collaborative ways as we seek to promote this vision. Our target attendance will be to mobilize 300 emerging potential leaders (Mentorees) and 60 Mentors (who mostly will be key Christian leaders) bringing the total to 360 participants. The plan is for each mentor to provide mentorship for five younger leaders beginning from this event and by God’s grace for life, until the Master’s return. Thank you for your partnership in praying along with us not only for a successful event but the transformation of the African continent through the power of the gospel. Gideon Para-Mallam, International Deputy Director (IDD) Anglophone Africa Region Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.
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YLGWA HIGHLIGHTS
GOALS
