News from the Summit
Thursday, April 25, 2002
The 2002 Ethnic Workers' Summit began as hundreds of participants gathered to
register at Charlotte's Calvary Church. By 7:00 p.m. the church's Crown Room was
packed with people singing along with John Leon Lewis and the Calvary Worship
Team.
Highlights:
-- Russell Begaye, Chair of the Ethnic America Network, welcomed participants
and set the challenge to share Christ with ethnic America.
-- Glen Wagner, Senior Pastor of Calvary Church, welcomed the participants,
saying Calvary is committed to enhancing ethnic ministry.
-- The Carmel Baptist Church Chinese Ministry choir and the Hickory Grove
Baptist Church Portuguese Ministry choir presented special music (today the
Portuguese team is leaving for Brazil to minister among street children).
-- Gebremeskal Andu, from Ethiopia/Eritrea, spoke of the marvels of the Lord's
faithfulness in his life. He told of family separation in time of war and how
the Lord brought his family together again. He said the Lord allows us to go
into times of trouble, as he allowed the disciples to get into a boat when he
knew a storm was coming. Yet he is as present for us as he was for those
disciples, calming our fears and rescuing us, doing for us what he did for those
disciples.
-- Dr. W. Dan Lee used the US Census statistics to project an America in 2050
that is even more highly multicultural and multiethnic than it is now. He
presented the hope that the USA would be a county of people of many ethnic
backgrounds all exalting Jesus Christ as Lord.
-- Dr. Manuel Ortiz spoke with passion of the need to reach the cities, the
center of growing multiethnic populations. In that process we must not limit
ourselves to gathering a congregation of people who are alike. To represent
God's purpose and his kingdom our congregations will probably need to be
multiethnic, multicultural. Churches tend to try to become regional rather than
truly local. We need to strategize with the local community in mind.