Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10)
This has always been one of my favorite passages in the Bible, because it is the description of John’s glimpse into Heaven. It reminds me that not only is Heaven a place of celebration and worship, but it is grander, wider, and more diverse than I can imagine. Sometimes I can become too focused on the Church here in America, and I forget that we are but a small part of a vast worldwide Body of Christ. This passage of scripture reminds me that God is at work around the world in ways that I cannot fathom and that knowledge inspires me.
This Sunday we have the opportunity to be inspired by a fellow brother and sister in Christ from Africa and Europe – our special guests will be Bishop Muruiki from the Methodist Church in Kenya and Rev. Susan Johnson from England. They are participating in the 8th International Evangelism Seminar being sponsored by the World Methodist Evangelism Institute at the Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center in Atlanta, Georgia, from June 19-27, 2007. The theme of this seminar is: "THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW JESUS CHRIST: DEVELOPING MISSIONARY CONGREGATIONS." There will be several hundred Evangelists coming to Atlanta from over 70 countries for the conference, and they will be preaching in churches in the Atlanta area this Sunday. We are excited that God has sent the Bishop and Rev. Johnson to share with us what God is doing in their respective countries. The Evangelism Institute is a ministry of World Evangelism, the World Methodist Council, and Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The World Methodist Evangelism Institute is unique in world Christianity because no other world communion has an educational institution connected to a major university that is solely committed to the vision and task of world evangelization. I hope that you will come and celebrate with us this Sunday. Selah.

In Christ,
Steve