Lausanne World Pulse – Doubt and Amazement: ProChrist2006 in Europe
By Jan-Peter Graap
May 2006
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On 26 March 2006, the European-wide evangelistic campaign ProChrist concluded after eight days. From 19-26 March 2006 approximately 1.5 million visitors at the central site in Munich, Germany and at local sites in many European countries were reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ, broadcast via satellite. The central event was held in the Olympia Hall in Munich and transmitted to over 1,250 sites in more than twenty European countries, with translation into eighteen languages. More than ten thousand persons also watched the event online, via livestream broadcasting over the Internet.
Reverend Ulrich Parzany, evangelist and main speaker at the ProChrist event, said he was pleased with the results. Throughout the eight evenings, it appeared that many were reached who had never had a chance to hear about Jesus Christ. More than forty-two thousand people followed the invitation to the “meeting point at the cross,” which Parzany included every evening at the end of his message. The theme of ProChrist2006 was “Doubt and Amazement.” The first ProChrist event was held in 1993 in Essen, Germany with Dr. Billy Graham as the main speaker. ProChrist2006 is the fifth event.
ProChrist Takes a Stand for Christian Convert in Afghanistan
During the ProChrist event, Parzany referred to the recent political situation in Afghanistan. He called for Christians to take a stand for Abdul Rahman, imprisoned for his conversion to Christianity. Parzany stated that “the opportunity to change your religion indicates the legitimacy of religious freedom.” He was referring to the 40-year-old Rahman, who was threatened with the death sentence for converting to Christianity. Many of the participating ProChrist sites in Germany became active on his behalf and contacted their parliamentarian. By God’s grace, Rahman was released by Afghan authorities and later was given asylum by Italy. Parzany also issued a call for Christians in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzogovina to take the lead with their example of reconciliation.
The Message: Changing Your Life
Every ProChrist evening included an entertaining and diverse programme with music, drama, interviews and an evangelistic message preached by Parzany. Football player Zé Roberto, member of the Brazilian national team and under contract to Bayern Munich, was an interview guest one evening and spoke of his faith in Christ. “Although everything comes to an end, my faith is in an eternal God,” he said.
The theme song for ProChrist2006, “Da kann man nur staunen” (“You can only be amazed”) opened the satellite broadcast every evening. One verse of the song sings, “You are not alone; God wants to be with his people.”
A Life-changing Week
ProChrist offers a special follow-up course called “Living with Jesus Christ.” Seventy churches were part of the local coalition for the central event in Munich. At all the sites the emphasis was on inviting both those interested in faith in general and those making a decision for Christ to a follow-up course where they would explore the basics of faith.
Pastor Siegfried Winkler, chairman of the Munich ProChrist coalition, emphasized, “The vision of ProChrist is to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ, to give people an opportunity to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But that’s not all. Churches in Munich offer different possibilities in terms of follow-up after ProChrist to help people gain understanding about the Bible. ProChrist2006 is more than just an event, it’s an invitation for anyone who has made a decision for Christ. We want to come alongside them and offer help for their first steps in faith, and help them to become part of the Christian community.”
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Jan-Peter Graap is responsible for public relations with ProChrist Germany. He is also a pastor and evangelist in the German Federation of Free Evangelical churches. |