Lausanne World Pulse – PUBLISHER'S MEMO – The Poor, the Needy and the Hope of Heaven

By Lon Allison

Mercy and justice are part of our job as Christ’s Church.

“He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 22:16).

My glad greetings to all who have opened this issue of Lausanne World Pulse. This issue begins our third year of publishing this global internet magazine for evangelism and missions leaders. The first month we published we hoped that someone would find us and read our work. We hoped God would provide donors so we could offer it without charge. Today, I am glad to tell you that each month over six thousand leaders from more than one hundred nations read Lausanne World Pulse. And, God has provided the finances so we can continue. Let the earth rejoice; let the Church of Christ extend to every corner of our globe.

I extend my special greetings to the three hundred of you from sixty nations who met with us in Budapest in June 2007 for the Bi-Annual Lausanne International Leadership Meeting. God met us in significant ways. I returned to my home and ministry full of stirring stories of your love for Christ and a lost world. I was made more courageous and hopeful because of your faith. To those of you I met, thank you for your love and fellowship in Christ. I am a happier man because of it!

In this issue, we focus on the reality of the poor and needy of the world. The needy are everywhere, even in wealthy countries like the United States. My wife Marie just returned from a mission trip to New Orleans (Louisiana), where the devastating hurricane and floods crashed on our shores two years ago. There is still so much devastation. So many people are still homeless. Although the flood waters have receded, depression and deprivation cling to the land. My wife and her team remarked that government efforts to help have in large part failed. However, they said the Church of Jesus Christ has stayed and continues to bring aid. It is interesting that the most powerful and wealthiest nation on earth has not ended this calamity. But God’s people are there, working house by house, block by block.