Lausanne is another word for vision, energy and action.
During the two years I have served as International Director of Lausanne, I have been thrilled with the vision that Christians around the world have gained and pursued as a result of attending a Lausanne Conference.
I joined in with the first meeting of the Indian Lausanne Committee, which emerged out of the East Asian Regional Lausanne Conference called ALCOE V held in Korea in August 2002. This committee assisted in bringing some 80 participants from India to the 2004 Forum.
I attended a meeting of the Great Commission Committee in Bangladesh. This committee is the Lausanne Committee for Bangladesh and was formed as a result of the Lausanne II Conference, Manila 1989. The Committee arranged for 20 participants from their country to attend the Forum. Both the Indian and the Bangladeshi Committees are now working on a follow up program to make known the 2004 Forum Lausanne Occasional Papers.
Meetings with Lausanne Committees in a number of European countries revealed a number of programs that have been developed as a result of a vision gained at a Lausanne event. I see a growing pattern of partnership: people working together across a range of boundaries, made possible because of agreement to the Lausanne Covenant and the promotion of partnership at Lausanne events.
The Lausanne National Committees were very active in assisting in funding or inviting participants to the 2004 Forum. The Committee in Germany worked very hard both in raising extra funds and in contacting all those from Germany who were coming to the Forum. The Committee in Argentina worked with the pastors throughout the country to ascertain blockages to evangelism as a contribution to the work of choosing the topics for the 31 Issue Groups. They also encouraged 20 of their pastors to come to the Forum and organized their flight arrangements. Committees in other countries brought participants together before the Forum and had plans in place for post Forum promotion.
The work for the Forum was very demanding, but it was also very encouraging to see the creative spirit in the National Committees, the spirit of partnership at work and the desire to work hard to bring Forum outcomes to their churches. It has been a joy to see God at work in the hearts and minds of so many people and I know that my successor Dr Ted Yamamori will also be thrilled as he works with these committees across the world.
Please find ways of assisting Dr. Yamamori in distributing the Lausanne Occasional Papers that have emerged from the Forum Issue Groups. And, may you have a new vision, a new heart, a renewed call to take the gospel to those who have not heard it.