Monday 28 February 2011

Member Care and Lausanne 3: Conclusion

The Cape Town Commitment

Antonello da Messina, 15th century
Tu nobis victor Rex, miserere

 The Lausanne 3 Conference brought together some 4000 people this past October (2010) in South Africa. Over the last three months we have looked at the seven MCA blogs at the Global Conversation portal at Lausanne 3.

We want to briefly focus now on the Cape Town Commitment, the document summarizing the values and way forward for the Lausanne Movement. It is in two parts:
1. For the Lord we love
2. For the world we serve

Have a go at reading the entire document.
We include the conclusion here:

“In the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and on the sole foundation of faith in God’s infinite mercy and saving grace, we earnestly long and pray for a reformation of biblical discipleship and a revolution of Christ-like love. We make this our prayer and we undertake this our commitment for the sake of the Lord we love and for the sake of the world we serve in his name.”

Here is our main response about the Commitment with regards to member care:
The core emphasis of this Commitment is love--loving others based on God’s love for people/us. The core emphasis of member care is the same: sacrificial and celebratory love. Our love as followers of Christ is the same as our love in member care. It is the final measure for what we do.

Well, let's go back now to the initial entry for this series about Member Care and Lausanne 3. We are still wondering how member care was present at this historic gathering. Certainly the foundation of member care was there and clearly affirmed—love. And I am glad we in MCA could contribute seven diverse blogs virtually as part of the Lausnne 3 Global Conversation Portal. Yet I am not sure that the international field of member care itself was there in RSA, or if it were, what platform it had to meaningfully connect and contribute. C'est dommage?
*****
Reflection and Discussion
1. Who can you love today?

2. Who did you love yesterday?

3. Who will you love tomorrow?
*****
God loves you
(vintage Stonehill, late 1970s in California probably)

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