From the Coordinator
LCJE – Networking Jewish Evangelism
LCJE is still called LCJE: Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism. When the name is said and written in full, no one can be in doubt that the pivotal point is, yes indeed, Jewish Evangelism. The abbreviation LCJE – like those of all other Jewish ministries and mission organizations – is, admittedly, for insiders. At the recent ICC meeting (another abbreviation!) in Jerusalem, it was decided that the three words Networking Jewish Evangelism may be added, for clarification, in LCJE documents (see Tuvya Zaretsky's report in this issue).
When you network, you admit that you cannot do everything yourself, and that you need challenges and inspiration from others. Networking Jewish Evangelism has been the hallmark of LCJE since its beginning in 1980.
So also in 2005.
We networked about Jewish Evangelism: A Call to the Church – a booklet which was the result of Forum 2004 in Pattaya, Thailand. Even though the booklet is not an LCJE publication, LCJE members have helped to distribute it in large numbers.
The English edition has been printed in 4,000 copies.
And this is not all: Hanspeter Obrist, AmZI, Switzerland, informs us elsewhere in this issue that a German edition is now being published. Jean-Paul Rempp, CWI, France, says that a French translation is on its way, and Avi Snyder, Jews for Jesus, Germany, says that they work on a translation into Russian.
Another result of networking at the European LCJE meeting in Hungary was that once again we have an LCJE Prayer Letter, edited by Mary Chase, Moscow, with a special view to Christians in the majority world.
A number of leaders were “Networking Jewish Evangelism” at the CEO conference in France. We did not agree about everything, but we did agree about the importance of networking together and we also agreed about the necessity of Jewish Evangelism.
At the moment we are halfway between two international LCJE conferences. At these conferences the LCJE area coordinators are normally elected. David Boyd, coordinator for Israel, now works in a different field and has left Israel. Lawrence Hirsch, coordinator for Australia/New Zealand, has wished to relieved from this task. Until the conference in Budapest (9-14 August 2007) Bob Mendelsohn has agreed to serve as coordinator for Australia/New Zealand.
We want to extend our thanks to David Boyd and Lawrence Hirsch and our welcome to Bob Mendelsohn.
Kai Kjær-Hansen
lcje.int@gmail.com