08 Oct Lausanne Congress: Last Minute Prayer Requests

The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization is approaching. It will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, October 16-25, 2010. Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries, has been invited to take part, and will do so, joining 4500 Christian leaders from around the world.

Doug Birdsall (right), who grew up in a United Brethren pastor’s home and is now executive chair of the Lausanne Movement, sent these three prayer requests.

1. China Participants. Around 200 participants and volunteers from Mainland China have already purchased their tickets and reserved hotel rooms in Cape Town. In addition to raising their own support, the Mainland Chinese participants also raised support so 100 participants from neighboring countries can attend.

However, there is a possibility that the Chinese participants will not be able to attend. Please intercede on behalf of the Church in China, that God would move the hearts of those who hold the power to change the situation. The prayer of the  Chinese participants is that they would be a blessing to their nation and to the global church, that together we might be an expression of unity in Christ.

2. Francophone Africa. A number of African countries were colonized by France and Belgium, and French remains widely spoken (though mostly as a second language). An estimated 115 million Africans speak French, more than in Europe. These countries, shown in purple on the map to the right, are known as Francophone Africa.

It is anticipated that at Cape Town 2010, there will be more Francophone Africa evangelical leaders gathered together than ever before in history. However, obtaining visas has been delayed to nearly the last minute in this region. Please pray that the visa process will be expedited for these brothers and sisters.

3. Final Phase of Funding. An additional $1.5 million is needed to fund the Congress. Please pray that this money will come in before the Congress. Doug Birdsall writes, “When I visited Billy Graham two weeks ago, he asked about the fund-raising progress. When I told him we had passed the 90% mark, he raised his hands and said, ‘Hallelujah, that’s wonderful! Please let me know when you get to 100% – and I hope it’s real soon!’  Let’s pray and work and give so that we can send Billy Graham that good news very soon.”