DAWN Fridayfax 2000 #33

Uganda

All things are possible for God - Uganda is the proof

"We sometimes hear reports of cities which have been transformed by God's actions. The current events in Uganda, though, are truly extraordinary. We are talking about the transformation of an entire country!" Those are the words of World Trumpet Ministries' John Mulinde. "The glory belongs to God alone, who answered his people's earnest prayers with mercy. Uganda, a nation in the heart of Africa, and the source of the Nile, has a remarkable history. In Idi Amin's time, we experienced an economic disaster, coupled with the destruction of many churches and murder of large numbers of Christians. The civil war in the 1970's and 80's brought renewed suffering; human rights were ignored, whole villages wiped out, and even children were tortured, which can only be described as demonically inspired. Next, the nation was struck by AIDS, which brought indescribable suffering. Thousands were left as orphans, and many families have no breadwinner. In the midst of this suffering, though, a deep cry for help was born in people's hearts, a new seriousness in prayer. God has answered. Today, Uganda is experiencing a national spiritual revival. Whole villages have experienced a simultaneous outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The economic situation is being transformed, with a steady 6% growth over the past six years, the third-fastest rate in Africa. New buildings and renovations can be seen everywhere. The most astonishing aspect may be the turn-around in the AIDS situation. Uganda is the only African nation in which the AIDS rate is rapidly dropping. All of these changes happened because the whole nation turned to God in their desperation, crying out in prayer. It was no average prayer, but the deep and lasting prayer characteristic of revival movements. Uganda's churches have matured, and address topics of national interest such as family, education, social justice and erasing poverty. There is a notable unity between the churches; God's Spirit is moving everywhere."
Source: John Mulinde

Canada

New partnership between churches and missions organisations

"Missions organisations have traditionally concentrated on planting churches abroad, leaving the home country to the denominations," writes Church Planting Canada's Murray Moerman. A recent initiative with Geoff Tunnicliffe, coordinator of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada's Global Mission Task Force, may change that, involving missions agencies in ministry to their home nation. "Would it not be possible for missions candidates to plant at least one church in Canada before going abroad? Could there not be a partnership between missions organisations and denominations, which would later adopt the newly-planted churches?" asks the initiative. "No single segment of the Christian church will be able to complete the task of making disciples of the whole nation alone. The whole of the Body of Christ is necessary to reach the nation through saturation church planting," says Moerman.

15,234 churches to go to reach Canada's largest cities

The initiative states that another 15,234 new churches are needed in order to reach the entire population in Canada's 25 largest cities, assuming that one Evangelical church is required per 1,000 inhabitants. Here's an extract from the latest research:

City	Population	Churches	People per Church	Additional churches required
Quebec	688,100	30	22,937	658
Montreal	3,438,500	346	9,938	3,093
Ottawa	1,065,000	142	7,500	923
Toronto	4,680,300	823	5,687	3,857
Vancouver	2,016,600	557	3,620	1,460
St. John	127,200	56	2,271	71


Source: Church Planting Canada, Fax (+1)-604-502-1667; email mmoerman@outreach.ca; web page: www.outreach.ca

Holland

"The most internationally representative conference in history"

"The most internationally representative conference in the history of mankind, either secular or religious, is now (from 31 July 2000 - Ed.) taking place in Amsterdam," said 81-year-old American evangelist Billy Graham in a greeting read by his son, Franklin Graham. Billy Graham was only able to follow the proceedings via satellite in his home in Rochester. According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), over 115,000 intercessors prayed for the conference, which was attended by 10,000 evangelists, church leaders and strategists from 190 nations and territories, some 7,000 of which came from developing countries. The aim of conference, organised with US$40 million in sponsorship from the BGEA, was "to encourage people all over the world to continue evangelism in the 21st Century."
Source: BGEA, web page www.Amsterdam2000.org

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