• A global research project for the Jesus Film, helping them determine what direction to head from here, now that their flagship media product is more than 30 years old.
• Conversations with Campus Crusade’s vice-president for “Leader-Led Movements” (city- and community-based ministries working with and through leaders) on how we might be able to contribute to their progress
• Conversations also with BreakPoint and Southern Evangelical Seminary, on the possibility of partnering with them to help with their strategic outreach efforts.
• New blogging, at First Things: Evangel.

Jonathan is working as a magician at Busch Gardens this summer, and Lisa just got home from a most excellent experience at a young people’s Christian conference in Pennsylvania.

First, the efforts of Sara, Lisa, and Jonathan to bring a Campus Crusade band to town have come to fruition: 3union arrived yesterday. This evening they’re presenting a concert and message at our church; tomorrow they’re scheduled for the First Priority Christian club at Yorktown Middle School, and on Saturday evening we’re expecting up to 1,000 people from over a dozen churches at a concert where they will share the gospel and promote Christian clubs at public schools here.

Second, Tom is in final preparations for talks he’ll be giving this Saturday at an apologetics conference in Chesapeake, VA. (He’ll be back from the conference in time for the concert that night.) Conference speakers were just informed to “expect to be challenged” because a number of atheists have signed up to attend.

Third, discussion has begun to bring several major Christian leaders to our local area for the first Manhattan Declaration rally in the U.S. We don’t know exactly what that will develop into yet.

And finally, Tom is following through on two new major projects begun in Orlando last week.

Please pray with us for all of these things. Thank you!

Meanwhile Sara, Lisa, and Jonathan are on the home stretch for the March 13 community youth event. Please pray for their final preparations, too.

On the evening prior to the conference about 40 men and women took part in an invitation-only strategy session for Christian thinkers, led by Tom Gilson of Campus Crusade for Christ; Alex McFarland, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary, Steve Bradford, Program Director for BreakPoint (Prison Fellowship); and Brad Bright, president of Bright Media Foundation.

This meeting grew out of two separate roots. In the background there was an initiative begun by Charles Colson at the previous year’s NCCA, the forming of “The Kingdom Movement” to unite Christians to be effective in responding to cultural issues.

The direct impetus of this meeting, however, was prayer laid on Tom Gilson’s heart in February 2009, supplemented by encouragement given by Josh McDowell. In August 2009 Tom met with Alex McFarland to suggest an apologists’s strategy session, and McFarland agreed that it should take place in association with this year’s NCCA. McFarland recommended that Bradford be brought into the planning because of his association with the Kingdom Movement, and Tom Gilson recommended that Brad Bright be included because of his unique approach to strategies for linking thinkers with church and culture. (Brad Bright was already on the NCCA schedule as a speaker for a Friday VIP luncheon.)

Attendees at the meeting included about 40 pastors, authors, speakers, and ministry leaders.

Alex McFarland opened the meeting as host and laid a groundwork of the purpose of the discussion. Tom Gilson then laid out the strategic issue of the evening, which in short form was, “Much of the crisis of our day can be viewed as a crisis of truth. Christian scholars and apologists have a remarkably strong handle on what is true, and on answers that can encourage the church and impact the culture. But it’s not working.” The question was directed primarily to the pastors: What can scholars, academics, and apologists do to serve you and your church better? Discussion focused primarily on developing pastors and youth with what is required to be effective learners and thinkers. The group was united in a very, very deep concern that if our work in this area does not improve there will be continuing serious losses to churches and to culture. It is a serious problem; they are willing to work on it.

Steve Bradford led a discussion on what to do next in terms of continuing communication, and the strongest opinion expressed was that there need to be continuing meetings on this topic. Alex McFarland closed with a wrap-up and a prayer time.

Over the next day or so, Tom Gilson interviewed persons who had been at the meeting to ask whether it had been fruitful. The consistent answer was that it was very positive; and that it had especially been an encouragement to pastors. At the Saturday VIP lunch for conference speakers and other leaders, Charles Colson (who had been at another conference on Thursday and was therefore unable to attend the session in Charlotte) singled out the Thursday evening session as a sign of encouragement and hope that the church can work together in making a difference in America’s culture.

What difference was actually made there? It was only a two-hour session, so expectations were not that an action plan for change would be developed. What happened instead was as positive as had been hoped, however: a strong united agreement among a very diverse group of Christian leaders that this is worth putting significant time into working on together.

No plans were made for the time or location of the next meeting, or who would lead it. Contact information was collected, and the leadership group for this session will take it from there.

Tom also recently led an effort extending far beyond Campus Crusade, a strategy session for pastors, ministry leaders, and Christian scholars in conjunction with the National Conference on Christian Apologetics. The question was: Christianity has great answers even to the hardest questions and most difficult challenges, but are the answers really reaching the people who need them most? How can we do better at this? We’re praying that the work that flows out of this will reach every church in America.

Sara and Lisa: Sara is leading both Jonathan and Lisa in developing some significant new ministry and leadership skills. In particular, Lisa is working to book a Christian band in several venues in our area in March.

Jonathan is doing a twice-weekly computer internship with Campus Crusade for Christ’s Military Ministry this semester.

We need prayers for health—Tom and Jonathan both caught the flu, most likely swine flu since Tom was immunized against the seasonal flu. Both Lisa and Sara had emergency room visits in the past few weeks (they’re fine now). Even our animals have been to the doctor much more than usual; our cat is recovering from a serious attack by another cat on our property.

• Tom is heading up an analysis of Campus Crusade leadership needs (finishing that in the next week or so)
• And also leading the upcoming strategy session for Christian apologists in Charlotte;
• Sara is helping to lead First Priority clubs in local schools
• Both Jonathan and Lisa are also involved in leading those groups
• We are co-leading another Truth Project group starting this week
• There are more Campus Crusade strategy projects on the horizon.

And as often seems to be the case, we feel like we’re wading through mud to get to all these opportunities. Lisa had a sprained ankle a couple of weeks ago, which was just a couple of weeks after she had to go to the ER for a bad head bump (it turned out to be just painful, not serious). Sara has had a stomach bug that took her to the hospital for fluid replenishment last weekend. Our pet rabbit had unexpected surgery on Monday for a parasite problem that was, well, not just a health problem but also very disturbing to see on him.

We’re excited about what God is doing but we do request your prayers that he would smooth out our paths. Thank you!

• Strategies and planning with Bright Media Foundation in Orlando
• Strategic planning follow-through with the Christian Embassy and Here’s Life Inner City in New York
• Broader connections with Campus Crusade’s global strategic direction, by connecting with leaders and planners in other areas of responsibility
• Working with global leaders to help develop better ways to track how well Campus Crusade’s worldwide office teams are doing in their behind-the-scenes operations: finance, human resources, information management, and so on.
• Opportunities to teach and encourage other Christians through speaking and writing