The first full day of Cape Town 2010 was one year ago today with “Truth” as the main topic
Monday also was the beginning of a week-long exposition of the book of Ephesians with seven different Bible expositors.
Ajith Fernando (Sri Lanka) challenged the participants using Ephesians 1 and told those gathered that,
“I fear that today many of us may have surrendered to the culture and focused on what is easiest for people to understand rather than laboring to describe what the work of Christ really did.”
He added,
“We must be using our greatest creative energies to get through the biblical concept of the work of Christ to the people that we minister to.”
Watch his presentation here:
Later that morning Os Guinness (UK) emphasized the importance of the truth of Christ and said,
“. . . as followers of Christ, we are unashamed to stand before the world as servants and guardians of a high view of truth – both for our Lord’s sake but also for the highest endeavors of humanity.”
He added,
“As evangelicals we are people of the Good News, but may we also, always, be people of Truth, worthy of the God of Truth.”
Watch his presentation here:
The final plenary session of the day included the inspiring and moving testimony of a North Korean young woman faithfully committed to sharing Christ. The video of her testimony has become the most watched and most shared video from the Congress. See why:
- Truth – North Korea Testimony
- Read more about her presentation
Download a written Session Summary of this session
A complete list of videos from the Monday (18 October 2010) sessions of Cape Town 2010, including the Multiplexes, is also available.
Future of Lausanne
The Lausanne Movement has undergone many changes since Cape Town 2010 – those changes impact governance structure, bring greater global representation, clarify leadership roles and focus our efforts around The Cape Town Commitment.
Ram Gidoomal, the newly appointed Lausanne Movement Chairman of the Board writes that,
“As ‘stakeholders’ in this Movement – as Board members, involved leaders, prayer supporters or donors – we have an awesome responsibility to, in the Spirit of Lausanne, serve as good stewards of the amazing energy that has been unleashed since Cape Town 2010 toward the task of world evangelization. Evangelical Christian leaders are praying, seeking and discerning God’s will for the global Body of Christ. It’s my prayer that this next chapter of the Movement’s history will allow us to serve and support these leaders for decades to come so that many more people will come to a living knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Read More From Ram.
Additionally, Lausanne is seeking greater participation by younger leaders and planning for the next Younger Leader’s Gathering in 2015. Larry Russell, Lausanne Director of Younger Leader Development emphasizes,
“The investment into younger leaders now is really an investment for the future. Lausanne recognizes the need to inform, equip and encourage those leaders who will carry the message of Christ to the next generation. Please pray with us that we will find ever increasing ways to help younger leaders grow in love for Christ and connect with each other in unified service.” Read More From Larry.
Cape Town 2010 is also impacting the spread of the gospel is the 12 regions of the world, as leaders who attended the Congress, or participated through the GlobaLink and Lausanne Global Conversation, use what they’ve learned at home. Anatole Glukhovskyy, Lausanne International Deputy Director for Eurasia, writes in his Lausanne World Pulse article that participants from his region gained four things from Cape Town 2010:
- Broader view of the global Church.
- Deeper passion for world evangelism.
- Greater vision for local mission.
- Deeper appreciation for spiritual leaders.
- Wider appreciation for younger leaders.
Table Groups
One of the most appreciated components of the Congress was the Table Groups. Seven-hundred Table Groups, made up of six leaders, allowed the participants an opportunity for personal connection with other leaders and more in-depth discussion of the presentations. Ewa Pieszka, who helped coordinate the Table Groups, explains the composition of the groups.
Lindsay Olesberg, Urbana 12 Scripture Manager at InterVarsity and coordinator of the Cape Town 2010 Bible Expositions, says, “Mutual learning deepened the impact of the platform presentations.” Read More from Lindsay about how Table Groups can be used effectively in many settings.
Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at The Cape Town Commitment and how it’s being shared around the world, as well as highlight the Tuesday theme of Reconciliation.
As always, we welcome your input and comments.
Until tomorrow . . .