DAWN Fridayfax 1996 #21

DAWN News Worldwide and from Switzerland, Germany

March for Jesus: "Christians applaud the one true hero"

100,000 marched in 80 cities and towns in New Zealand
20,000 marched in Papua New Guinea - accompanied by 12 parliamentarians;
23,000 marched in London
3,000 marched in New Caledonia
40,000 people marched in Tonga, a Pacific island which, because of its position near the International Date Line was the first Nation to march. The march was led by the King and Queen who held a banquet for the marchers after the event.
3 hours after a rally by 300 grim-faced members of the pro-gun lobby demonstrated in the streets of Brisbane, Australia, the streets were filled by "5000 colourful Christians", according to Chris Gilbert, organiser of the march, "led by the Australian King's Kids, who will also be present at the Olympic Games in Atlanta." The 150,000 Christians who marched in various Australian cities "showed a serious alternative to weapon-oriented solutions to increasing violence such as the Port Arthur massacre", according to Gilbert, "and demonstrates solidarity with Christians in other countries in danger of having such weapons used against them simply because they march for Jesus."
In Melbourne, Australia, an Aboriginal church elder addressed the 8,000 marchers and presented the Reconciliation Walk, which is following the Crusaders' path in an attempt to bring forgiveness and reconciliation between Christians and Moslems.

Source: Chris Gilbert, "Awakening 2000", Queensland, Australia.

Switzerland: Football gods in the church hall

"Nothing works without relationships" - an evangelistic cliche taken seriously by the newly-founded 'Anchor' church in Oberdiessbach, Switzerland. Common interests are an excellent way to build relationships. "Between 8th and 30th June 1996, most men will be watching television because of the European Football Championships", said pastor Thomas Resch.

Instead of becoming angry that half the church is glued to the TV, Resch decided that the matches should be shown on a screen in the church hall. The entry fee covers the cost of hot dogs, beer and other entertainment, and the whole church can enjoy the football, build relationships and break down some illusions about Christians.

Source: Thomas Resch, via R. Scharnowski, fax +41 (0)33 377 364.
More from Switzerland

Posters and church advertising the Swiss way

"This bus won't take you to heaven. If you want to find out more about the way there, visit services in the sitos-church." For 50 Swiss Francs, the newly-founded sitos church had posters in buses in Schaffhausen, Switzerland for a month - another example of evangelistic creativity reaching thousands of passengers.

Source: R. Scharnowski, fax +41 (0)33 377 364

Germany: Prophecy and church planting in Constance

"It was impossible, how it all started," said pastor Burkhard Bahr from Singen, a small German border town. "A Yugoslavian couple wanted to start a new church in Constance, and asked me to help them. I was rather doubtful", said Bahr, "that it was God's will, so gave them some impossible conditions to fulfil, for example, to find a suitable room near the railway station for less than 1000 Marks each month. Constance is the second most expensive town in Germany, and there's nothing like that available under 5,000 Marks per month."

Only a short time later, the impossible happened and they had their room: for 700 Marks per month. At the time, Bahr did not know that in the 1950's two old Methodist ladies had prayed for revival in Constance. Another couple prayed more specifically for a new church in Huettlinstrasse, exactly where the new church had found its room. Inside two years, the new church had 150 members. Then, according to Bahr, "the church had to leave its rooms after the local paper started a campaign against it. However, the story had just begun. In prayer and various prophecies, many Christians saw new premises for the church in an unbuilt multi-purpose centre directly opposite the paper, with glass domes, many windows, a blue facade and a glass lift.

Three months later, God gave us exactly these rooms in an unfinished building. It was exactly as a number of Christians had seen it. Only one thing still bothered us: where was the spring which an American guest speaker had prophesied would be underneath us? We asked the architects, and they told us that a company called 'Quelle' (German for 'Spring') would move in to the ground floor. That settled it for us. The church moved in to the new building, and sensed that God had prepared them a table in the sight of their enemies (the previously very critical newspaper). After 5 months," said the young pastor, who plans to plant other churches in the German-Swiss border area, "the church had to start planning a second service, because the rooms were again to small."

Source: Burkhard Bahr, fax/tel. +49 (0)7731 45403

This Web version of the DAWN Fridayfax is maintained by the Jesus Fellowship Church (Jesus Army) as a service to the Christian church. Please visit our web pages which feature the e-zine Streetpaper and its special Revival section.