Merry Christmas and heavenly blessings in Christ as we enter the month of December! We have a lot to celebrate and praise God for, with the amazing growth of the gospel and the church in Africa in this generation!!! It was a great privilege for Africa to host the historic Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town 2010 under the great leadership of Doug Birdsall, Lindsay Brown, Archbishop Henry Orombi, Gideon Para-Mallam, and the exemplary team of global Christian leaders who led the Congress—eternal blessings on everyone!
This significant growth in Africa also reflects an enormous shift in world Christianity and presents the church in Africa with many unique opportunities to contribute to the global church in this century!
I would like to make a specific request to church and mission leaders in Africa to share in a special Christmas gift to The Lausanne Movement.
I’m sure you have already heard about this: We have a wonderful opportunity from now until 31 December—gifts up to $500,000 USD given to The Lausanne Movement will be doubled by a generous friend to the movement. This is a wonderful opportunity that will help springboard the global and eternal impact of Lausanne into the next 40 years! As of 11 December 2013, already $344,029 has been given by generous people, churches, and ministries from around the world.
Michael Oh, the new Executive Director/CEO of Lausanne says:
There is so much to be thankful for. The Lord has used The Lausanne Movement to help confirm the foundation of the global church upon the Bible and the gospel and to help set a course for the global mission of the church. Most evangelical churches today have global missions strategies based on concepts and teaching flowing from Lausanne events and publications. In July it was an amazing privilege and joy to have a visit with Dr Billy Graham, Lausanne’s founder.
I’m even more excited for the NEXT 40 years! I truly believe that our best days lie ahead of us! In the years ahead you’ll see a Lausanne Movement that continues to grow wider with vast global representation and participation in the activities of the movement; younger with the movement embracing global younger leaders through mentoring and widespread social media presence and interaction; and deeper with The Lausanne Movement continuing to ‘influence influencers’ by mobilizing and connecting leaders of the global church to set a course for global mission.
Some key events in the next two years include our 40th anniversary celebration in Lausanne, Switzerland; the 2015 Younger Leaders Gathering; and Global Consultations on topics such as Islam and the Prosperity Gospel.
I kindly invite your church or mission to send in a special Christmas gift of $200USD or $500USD to The Lausanne Movement in support of the cause of world evangelization at this special season of the year.
It’s a call to the Matthew 2:11 example: They bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
If 200 churches and mission agencies (including yours) prayerfully respond to this request by 31 December, it will amount to a total of between $40,000 USD and $100,000 USD as precious Christmas gifts from the church in Africa to the global Lausanne Movement. I sincerely trust that you will ask your church or mission leadership to join other churches around the continent and the world for the sake of ‘the whole church bringing the whole gospel to the whole world’.
What to do: Please see the giving options at lausanne.org/give . The most important thing is to indicate your giving before 31 December!
This is a most significant time for Africa to share in God’s global mission mandate for the glory of Christ!
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests, Luke 2:14.
Nana Yaw Offei Awuku
Lausanne International Deputy Director, EPSA
Director-Field Ministries, Scripture Union (Ghana)