EUROPEAN EVANGELICALS BEGAN THE ANNUAL WEEK OF PRAYER WITH "FORWARD WITH THE GREAT COMMISSION.".

 By CDI Staff | Monday, January 15, 2024

The Evangelical Alliance Across Europe has started the annual week of prayer on Sunday, January 14th. It is an annual event where local churches of various denominations gather to pray for increased unity in the body of Christ. This year's prayer material addresses the Lausanne Covenant and its relevance today, marking the 50th anniversary since the historic International Congress of World Evangelism was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974.

European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) general secretaries Jan Wessels and Connie Main Duarte wrote in their introduction to this year's prayer guide, "Evangelicals are a people of good news, and we are ready to share the message of salvation only through faith in Jesus Christ and longing to make disciples of all nations." Therefore, they are also prayer warriors. 50 years of the Lausanne Movement in evangelical families have taught us that without the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot be witnesses of Jesus Christ.

The 1974 global congress was attended by about 2,700 people from 150 countries, led by a committee headed by the late evangelist Reverend Billy Graham. The Lausanne Covenant, a declaration of Christian faith and commitment to a new focus on the Great Commission, was made during the meeting.

We feel interested in what God is doing in our time, sorry for our mistakes, and challenged by the unfinished task of evangelism. The covenant states: "We believe the gospel is the Lord's good news to the whole world, and by His grace, we are determined to obey Christ's commission to proclaim it to all mankind and to make disciples of every nation."

"Therefore, in this light of our faith and determination, we enter into solemn covenants with God and with each other to pray, plan, and work together for worldwide evangelization," he said at the end.

The EEA chose the theme of this week's prayer material, "Forward with the Great Commission," as inspiration to renew the same commitment today.

This international week of prayer of the Evangelical Alliance of Europe gives us the opportunity to consider the Covenant fifty years later. We want to encourage a movement of faithfulness to the gospel and a passion for mission. Wessels and Duarte stated, "With "the same spirit of humility and contrition that characterizes Lausanne, we want to pray and commit ourselves together on a mission to respond to the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus, revisiting the articles that make up the Lausanne Covenant."

Since the founding of the World Evangelical Alliance in London in 1846, the week of prayer has continued to be celebrated in many countries across Europe. Each year, the EEA assigns different national evangelical affiliates to create prayer guides, which are then translated and, sometimes, adapted to the context of other countries.

The Italian Evangelical Alliance designed this year's content keeping the Lausanne Covenant in mind every day. Such topics include the Triune God, submission to the word of God, the one and only Jesus Christ, the holistic gospel, unity in mission, perseverance, and finally the determination to carry on the Great Commission. In addition, it deals with the upcoming global congress in Seoul, South Korea, which will mark the 4th global congress of the Lausanne Movement.

The alliance of German-speaking evangelicals in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland was one of the groups that translated and transformed the material.

Around 300,000 people in Germany believe that around 1,000 cities, towns, and villages will participate again this year. The country highly valued the week of prayer because it was the only activity of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany that continued to be carried out without interruption, even during the communist period in East Germany.

Reinhard Schink, chairman of the German Evangelical Alliance, described the week of prayer as "a sign of hope for our country. He said that Germany needs "a sign of God's love, reconciliation, and unity in this time of strife, upheaval, and all these enormous social challenges," and added that prayer can" be a powerful impetus for change and bring about positive change."

"This does not mean having the same opinion on all issues but staying united in all differences," says Schink. "Especially in these times of social challenge, the Christian prayer to God for peace is more important than ever and becomes a safe anchor for many."

On the EEA website, https://www.europeanea.org/week-of-prayer/week-of-prayer- 2024/, you can find prayer materials in multiple languages, including YouVersion study plans.

News Sources: https://www.christiandaily.com/europe/onward-with-the-great-commission-annual-week-of-prayer.html