In This Month's Report:
* Editorial - The Generation Gap
* April Events - Down Under Wonder
* April Ministry - Impacting the Northeast and Beyond
* Tips and Resources - WingClips: Movie Clips that Illustrate and Inspire
* Products - Three New Resources (see link below)
* Partnership - Invest in God's Program for the Northeast of America
* God Thoughts - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We would love to hear from you; please send us your feedback today. Don’t forget the ever-popular 'GOD THOUGHTS' at the end of this report. Enjoy! JB

INTRODUCTION

We have just returned from an extensive ministry tour of New Zealand and Australia, which occupied the entire month of April (see further report below under April Events).

These two great lands 'down under' occupy a geographical area larger than the United States, but their collective population is only about 23 million. Churches in both nations are having a powerful impact on their culture. In some cases, their influence is so great that it can have an effect on the outcome of political elections.

COMMON DENOMINATOR

However, there is one common denominator that stands out in a large number of Australian and New Zealand charismatic/Pentecostal churches and movements, which are growing rapidly. The common denominator is the average age of the congregations, which ranges predominantly from the early twenties to mid-thirties. There has been great success in passing the baton to the next generation! Without bias, in America, there are few exceptions in the failure to pass on a spiritual inheritance to the next generation in the Body of Christ. It appears to be an endemic problem that could even threaten the future of this nation.

MIA

When young Christians graduate from high school and go to college, they often crumble at the first lecture when a progressive secular professor makes a fool of them for believing in the 'myths' of the Christian world view. Or, they have been known to be threatened with lower grades for being an active believer in Jesus. Or, they fall foul to many of the anti-God interest groups on campus that aggressively vie for their attention from the outset.

It's not that they don't have the Word of God in them; it's just that they don't know how to use it. We would never just give a young person a weapon and send them off to war without training them as to how to use it first. The failure to adequately equip these young Christians is one of the biggest reasons why they are the missing generation from our churches.

SMELL THE COFFEE

Most American churches have a generation gap. There are plenty of kids and some teenagers up to 18, a few young adults, and then the bulk of the rest are over 40 or baby boomers, who are hitting their sixties now. Without a doubt, the style of our churches mostly caters to the boomers or older. Eighteen to 35 year olds, if they are there, concede to this or just don't come because they don't find it relevant to where they are at.

Relevance and applicability, especially in worship and in the message, play the most important part in attracting young people to church. The style of the building would come in behind this. It's time for my generation to wake up and smell the coffee! If we don't actively address this problem, there will not be a church to speak of in 20 years here in America. Let us be spiritual fathers and mothers, passionately eager to pass on the baton to those coming on.

HOPE BURNS BRIGHTLY

Vonette Bright, wife of the late evangelist Bill Bright, recently shared some of the observations she's gleaned on the spiritual state of America and what her hopes are for America in years to come. "I think this generation is very spiritually sensitive because they have seen the material kinds of things that we (the generation before) have given to them as not satisfying" she said. "There's got to be something more to life, more meaning to life than just the material. I'm encouraged by the young generation, I think they're thinking people, unselfish, and beginning to turn away from the 'everything is for me' concept. My grandchildren are more concerned with other things than 'just what I want.'"

There is hope, if we have a passion for the baton! #

Hundreds Make Decisions for Christ on Down Under Ministry Tour  - On April 4th, we made one of the longest plane trips in the world - from New York to Auckland, New Zealand. The best way to describe this arduous journey is to imagine being a sardine for 24 hours. However, it was well worth the ride because, from our perspective, to say it was very fruitful would be an understatement! Hundreds made decisions for Christ, with leaders and churches strengthened.

The first stop was Elim Christian Centre, led by FMI Advisory Board member, Pastor Luke Brough. When I first ministered for Luke over twenty years ago, it was a small pioneer church. However, it has now grown to be one of the biggest churches in New Zealand, with many thousands meeting on four campuses.

Our second stop was Porirua Elim Church. Pastor Ken Roach and his wife, Tai, lead a predominantly Polynesian (Samoan) church just north of New Zealand's capital, Wellington. Many responded to the altar calls, and over seventy leaders were encouraged in a special session designed to help the church go to the next level.

The third stop was at Blue Mountains City Church just outside of Sydney, Australia, at the foot of the beautiful Blue Mountains. Pastors John and Marion Drury have been friends for many years, John having been one of my lecturers at Bible college. Ten years ago, they decided that if there was going to be a future for their church beyond this generation, they would have to go after the young people. Since then, their church has grown to about 1,000, with an average age in the low twenties. On the first night, I spoke at their youth meeting and 29 young people made decisions for Christ. Over the weekend this grew to 42.

Our fourth stop was Parkway Church in Australia's capital, Canberra. Pastor John MackNamara has raised up this fantastic church after the previous building was destroyed by fire four years ago. His church has many young people, from many different ethnic backgrounds (see photo above). I was encouraged by several people who came forward to let me know that I had prophesied over them on my last visit to this church around 1995 and how they had seen those words become a reality.

All in all, this was a wonderful ministry trip that we believe, by faith, will bring forth much eternal fruit.