New Evangelism Effort Aims to ‘Love every person in America’
Palm Desert, Calif., November 7 — The Mission America Coalition / U.S. Lausanne Committee has launched a national campaign to draw ministries, churches, whole denominations, and individual Christians to show the love of Christ to every person in America by the end of the decade.
“We pray that by the year end of 2020, every person in America would be authentically loved by at least one Christian,” says Paul Cedar, chairman of the Mission America Coalition (MAC).
LOVE2020 was announced at the MAC annual leadership consultation in Denver last week. The response of partner churches, ministries, and whole denominations was overwhelming, Cedar reports.
“I’m amazed at how many leaders have caught the vision for prayer-care-share,” he said, “and have expressed their desire to be involved in LOVE2020.”
He describes Love2020 as a grass-roots movement of Christians adopting a “prayer-care-share lifestyle.”
This lifestyle involves praying for those who do not know Jesus, to show them love in tangible ways through acts of kindness and meeting needs, and to share the gospel with them. Sharing the gospel can be as simple as inviting someone into a context to hear the message of Jesus – to attend an event or watch a movie or read a book in which the gospel is shared.
“The Holy Spirit works in a heart that has been prayed for, cared for, and shared with,” said Susan Brill, MAC’s director of communications.
Cedar points out, “If only 10% of professing Christians in the U.S. would adopt and put in practice the simple, yet powerful, prayer-care-share lifestyle, this vision and mission could be fulfilled.”
“We are not asking you to become involved in another short-term program,” Cedar emphasized. “We believe it is time for us to change our long-term lifestyles by becoming praying, caring and sharing followers of Jesus.”
The initiative is unprecedented for the Coalition, whose 500 partners and members come from more than 85 denominations, every size of ministry and church, and many individuals.
Though the goal to reach every person in America in this decade seems daunting, Cedar says, “If only 10% of professing Christians in the U.S. would adopt and put in practice the simple, yet powerful, prayer-care-share lifestyle, this vision and mission could be fulfilled.”
MAC has created a new website to support the initiative, Love2020.org, which launches Nov. 15. The site is a place to read stories and see video clips about prayer-care-share efforts underway around the country and also for participants to submit stories of God’s work through their own prayer-care-share lifestyle. MAC will also help track commitments to Christ and follow up with new believers and their involvement in a local church.
“This movement will not belong to us or any other single ministry,” Cedar clarifies. “But we will serve it and will help facilitate the hundreds of specific outreaches that will be part of the movement.”
Cedar knows firsthand the results of a prayer-care-share lifestyle. He and his wife Jeannie have practiced it for the last sixteen years.
“We have seen a number of our neighbors come to personal faith in Jesus Christ,” he attests. “In a real sense, this is not something that we have done for God. It is something that we have allowed Him to do through us….It has been wonderful.”
Participation in Love2020 is easy. First, simply adopt a prayer-care-share lifestyle, Cedar says.
“Live the life of love…let the Holy Spirit empower you to love your neighbors as Jesus has loved us and has given His life for us,” Cedar encourages.
Second, invite other Christians to join in the LOVE2020 movement, he says.
The vision of the Mission America Coalition / U.S. Lausanne Committee, is to see “the whole Church taking the whole gospel to the whole nation and the world.” Membership is free and a monthly Evangelism Connection e-newsletter of evangelism news, research and trends is available online at www.missionamerica.org.
For interviews with MAC Chairman Paul Cedar or more information, contact Noel Foutz, 760-861-0909.
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