Tracking #capetown2010 - 1

I'm tracking the Lausanne Congress - you should be too. In case you aren't, here are some tidbits that I found interesting. [And actually, what would make for an even more interesting post would be some followup with the advance papers I posted about last week. I'm planning on another one of these 'tracking' posts later - hopefully that will include some follow up.]

There are many more stories to share...but not on a public website like this. But I have heard many remarkable things about the Gospel reaching dark lands and transforming people. Unfortunately we cannot openly discuss these things for security reasons and for the sake of brothers and sisters living in these countries. But what is happening around the world is truly amazing. I will simply say this--be encouraged, Christ is building his church and the gates of hell are not prevailing against it.

Link

+ People wearing blue nametags cannot be photographed - these are people working in closed countries. For something as big as this, and the effort to broadcast this over the Web, I'm glad to see there are measures like this. [PS - Orgs that support people working in closed countries should take some good notes about how this is done.]

+ The congress is taking more bandwidth than The World Cup Link

+ Table groups - all delegates are conversing in table groups of 5 or 6 people. Like most Christian conferences, the move is to more interaction.

+ The new edition of Operation World was released on Monday evening.

+ Is the conference is a colossal waste of money, brains and time? Link

+ 2040 scenario – no single ethnic majority in the United States. Need to track this down.
+ Lon Anderson: not just about sending workers, but equally about receiving missionary workers. Who will come to America and help us, esp. with the growing immigrant community? A trend of reciprocal mission.
+ Leif Anderson on immigrants: Rome received Paul, who was an immigrant, as a leader. Most immigrants coming to the United States are coming from places where christianity is on fire. Think about what it means to receive these people as the Roman church received Paul—as a leader. Might we not find an Apostle Paul today among them? Or perhaps 100 Pauls? Perhaps 1,000 Pauls?
+ The number of people who have no access to Christ, Christianity or the Gospel is presently increasing by an estimated 19 million per year. The reason is simple: not enough people are working among these groups to make a sustainable difference in the long run.
The above from Justin

+ Forty percent of the participants are in their 20s-40s, one-third are women, 1200 are missionaries/church leaders, 1200 are pastors/denominational workers, 1200 are scholars/academics, and 600 are in the marketplace. From JD Payne

+ Some of interesting tweets:
@LigonDuncan : What does the West need to say to the Global South about globalization? Humbly - "Don't do what we did." (Os Guinness)
@LigonDuncan : "Globalization is the greatest challenge to, and opportunity for, the Gospel since the age of the Apostles." (Os Guinness)
@krishk : more Iranians have come to christ in the last 30 years than in the last 1300 years before that.
@RedeemerCTC : Archbishop Robert Duncan: "The average Anglican is now a woman, an African, a mother, and under the age of 20"
@lifeofjenn : RT @lcwe: Rich Stearns "The American Dream is a nightmare for the rest of the world."
@RedeemerCTC : There are more Arabs on Facebook than read newspapers
@RedeemerCTC : "There are more mobile phones in India than toilets"
@robhoskins : Europe is the prodigal son having sold its soul to a materialistic secular world- Stefan Gustaavson