Evangelism Leadership Summits are designed to involve key denominational leadership in shaping the World Methodist Evangelism Emphasis in their area of the world. Summits have now been held for the Americas in Havana, Cuba (January, 2004) -- see story below --, for Asia in Singapore (August, 2004) for the Pacific in Fiji (January, 2005) and for North America in Atlanta, Georgia (April, 2005.

Evangelism Leadership Summits are scheduled for Europe in August, 2005 and France in January, 2006 and others are in the planning stages.

LEADERSHIP SUMMIT FOR THE AMERICAS

The first of several Evangelism Leadership Summits was held in Havana, Cuba in January 2004 for leaders from Wesleyan/Methodist denominations in North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. These leaders came together to finalize plans for the World Methodist Evangelism Emphasis with special emphasis on the theology and emphases of evangelism for churches and persons in the Americas. Several more of these leadership summits will be held in various parts of the world.

“The Methodist/Wesleyan movement around the world is uniquely equipped to reach out and share the love of Jesus Christ to a world that urgently needs it. The movement is motivated. The movement is trained. The movement is infused with the power of the Holy Spirit and ready to experience the greatest revival in the Christian church in three centuries,” said Dr. H. Eddie Fox , World Director of World Methodist Evangelism, at the Summit in Cuba.

More than 120 Methodist and Wesleyan leaders from twenty countries of North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean – including seventeen bishops and heads of churches representing 26 Wesleyan/Methodist denominations – came together under the auspices of the World Evangelism division of the World Methodist Council and the World Methodist Evangelism Institute at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, to finalize plans for the two-year, unified, World Methodist Evangelism Emphasis within the 130 Wesleyan/Methodist denominations around the world.

“The Evangelism Leadership Summit was held in Cuba ,” said Dr. Winston Worrell , Director of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute, “so the evangelism leaders from throughout the America 's could personally witness the explosive, joy-filled revival happening in the Cuban Methodist Church .” During the seven-day Summit, the evangelism leaders frequently experienced the vitality of the Cuban music and dance in Cuban worship, attended a joyous and deeply moving mass baptism of more than 200 adults, and witnessed what many recognized as “the greatest movement of the Holy Spirit since the early Wesleyan revivals!”

Cuban Bishop Ricardo Pereira said, “We are very happy that this historic meeting of the Methodist Movement in the Americas has been in Cuba . We are encouraged so much by the presence of these leaders,” and Dr. Maxie Dunnam, Chairperson of World Evangelism, World Methodist Council, said, “This is a powerful gathering of leaders from the Movement and we are being energized to do evangelism.”

Dr. George Freeman, General Secretary of the World Methodist Council, told the delegates, “We are being renewed in our focus to spread the gospel throughout the world.”

At the beginning of the Summit in Cuba , Dr. Fox presented the delegates with the initial plans for the global Evangelism Emphasis and called on them to further refine and expand the

During the eight-day World Methodist Evangelism Leadership Summit for the Americas in Cuba, delegates heard major presentations and then, daily, divided into a dozen Vision Groups that finalized the documents that are being used to plan and coordinate the events, activities, programs, and resources of the World Methodist Evangelism Emphasis. These plans are in pdf format and can be viewed, downloaded, or printed by clicking here.

At a Sunday evening worship event, the delegates to the Evangelism Leadership Summit joined more than 2,000 Cuban Methodists for an evangelistic service of pageantry, preaching, singing and dancing at Cuban Bishop Ricardo Pereira's church.

Dr. George Freeman (left), General Secretary of the World Methodist Council and Dr. Eddie Fox, World Methodist Evangelism Director joined with the bishops and pastors from the World Methodist Evangelism Leadership Summit and local Cuban pastors in a joyous mass baptism service in which more than 200 Methodist adults and children were baptized.

plans with special emphasis on the needs within the Americas. Worldwide, the Methodist movement is currently growing at the rate of more than 1,000,000 new believers annually and the plans for the worldwide Evangelism Emphasis include a wide range of activities and events aimed at doubling this growth rate.

Developed around the theme, “That the world may know Jesus Christ!” the plans for the World Methodist Evangelism Emphasis includes a unifying theme logo that will be available in many languages and formats. In addition, the first highly visible element of the Emphasis is a worldwide Bible study of John 14, 15, 16, and 17 written by Bishop Paulo Lockmann of Brazil . The introduction of the study in daily teaching sessions by Bishop Lockmann was a highlight of the Summit . It is being published in traditional, digital, and web-based formats in dozens of languages for use beginning as the primary launch vehicle for churches participating in the Evangelism Emphasis.

Two of the highest moments for the delegates to the Evangelism Leadership Summit in the Americas involved interaction with the Cuban Methodists. On Saturday, January 10 th , clergy and bishops from all areas of the Americas joined Cuban pastors in baptizing more than 200 adults in a single outdoor ceremony filled with vibrant music, dance and prayer. Observers commented on the “explosion of joy and celebration of the Holy Spirit” that shown on the faces of the hundreds gathered for the celebration.

At the baptism service, Dr. Fox and Bishop Pereira blessed the final ten of 500 new bicycles – “Evangebicys” – that have been contributed to the Cuban churches through World Methodist Evangelism. The explosive growth in the Cuban Methodist Church (it is doubling in size every year) has resulted in hundreds of house churches and the Cuban Methodist pastors have needed more and more Evangebicys to itinerate between these churches and to meet the pastoral needs of their people.

On Sunday, January 11, the 120 delegates to the Summit spread across Havana to worship in Cuban Methodist Churches. In many churches, the delegates to the Summit served as guest preachers or liturgists and, in most cases, the delegates from throughout the Americas , gathered with the local congregations for celebrational meals after worship. On Sunday evening, the entire summit gathered with more than 2,000 Cuban Methodists at Bishop Ricardo Pereira's church for an evangelistic pageantry service with preaching by AME Bishop John Bryant, prayer, singing, and dancing.

In connection with the Summit , a delegation of World Methodist leaders was granted permission to meet with Lic. Caridad Diego, the Director of Religious Affairs for the Cuban Government, to discuss the Methodist Church in Cuba . Dr. Fox, Bishop Pereira, Bishop Lockmann, Dr. Worrell, and Dr. Freeman were joined by UMC Bishop Robert Fannin, Vice Chairperson of World Evangelism, CME Bishop Nathaniel Linsey, World Evangelism Regional Secretary for North America and Costa Rican Bishop and Mrs. Luis Palomo, World Evangelism Secretary for Central America . The delegation expressed its thanksgiving for Cuban hospitality for the World Methodist Council meeting and received affirmation that further interaction between the Cuban church and other churches is a possibility.

On the final evening of the Summit , the Methodist/Wesleyan leaders from 26 denominations in 20 countries celebrated a commissioning service in which Dr. Fox challenged the delegates to “move boldly through the wide door in this urgent moment and to expect a worldwide Pentecost.” Bishop Linsey commissioned the delegates to return to their home nations to launch the World Methodist Evangelism Emphasis 2004-2006 and “to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread the revival that is happening in Cuba to every corner of the Americas !”

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