wfn.org | Title: The Millennium - A Christian milestone, not a millstone

[press@eauk.org (EAUK Press Office)]

For Immediate Release: 18th March 1998

A new quarterly publication designed to equip churches to plan
effective and credible Millennium evangelistic initiatives has been
launched today - just days after a Gallup survey in the Daily
Telegraph showed that only one in six people connected the year 2000
with the anniversary of Jesus' birth.

In Publishing Anno Domini, the Evangelical Alliance UK, an umbrella
group representing over one million Christians in around 30
denominations, insisted that when the new millennium arrives, no one
in the UK will be able to say they do not know whose birthday is being
celebrated.

Rev Joel Edwards, general director of the Evangelical Alliance, is
also a member of the Lambeth Group of faith representatives which
advice the government and the New Millennium Experience Company.  He
said: "Most of the column inches of coverage given over to the
Millennium have centred on the contents of the Millennium Dome - so
much so that anybody reading it would think the Millennium was a
millstone.  I want to say that for Christians, the third Millennium
should not be a millstone but a significant milestone in the history
of planet Earth.

"The year 2000 is more than a change of date, it is the celebration of
the 2000th anniversary of the most significant historical event to
have taken place - the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."

The Alliance has established Anno Domini as a co-ordinating group for
evangelical millennium activities.  Anno Domini is Latin for The Year
Of Our Lord and its role is to bring a Christian, biblical dimension
to the many secular celebrations being planned for the Millennium.

As well as the new publication, Anno Domini is organising quarterly
meetings for project co- ordinators and has produced a video to
highlight locally planned initiatives in Greenwich and Walsall
alongside national schemes, providing ideas for churches to adapt
locally as they prepare to celebrate the anniversary of the most
important birth in human history.

The first edition of Anno Domini is being sent to all Alliance member
churches this week and will also be available on subscription.

In it, Anno Domini project director Brian Clews writes: "Followers of
Jesus Christ the world over are in the best position to remind a lost
and hurting world of the significance of AD 2000.  The world is
focused on this time and the Church has a chance to sharpen their
focus.

"We have every opportunity, and not a little obligation, to put the
name of Jesus at the centre of all that happens in these Millennium
celebrations."

The launch edition features reports on Y-2000, an evangelistic use for
an ancient Christian symbol; the Millennium Prayer Countdown, to cover
each of the 1,000 days leading up to the Millennium in prayer; Jubilee
2000, a coalition of 23 groups working for the reduction of Third
World debt; and the Jesus Story, an animated feature film being made
for the Millennium featuring Ralph Fiennes as the voice of Jesus.

While encouraging churches to plan local initiatives, the Alliance is
advising local organisers to ensure their projects are realistic in
what they set out to achieve. 

The inaugural report of the Commission on Strategic Evangelism in the
UK, due to be published shortly by the Alliance with the Evangelical
Missionary Alliance, warns of the dilemma posed by the Millennium.  It
states: "Frequently, such significant moments have been marked by
sharp, short bursts of effort that consume disproportionate amounts of
resource with relatively little impact.  In turn, this can contribute
to a disproportionate loss of confidence and cessation of activity for
a significant period afterwards."

It goes on to say: "Avoiding this scenario must inform all we plan for
the Millennium.  Projects must be evaluated carefully and reviewed for
their long-term impact.  Moreover, we must begin to pray and plan
ahead for the continuing programmes and projects which will take us
beyond the `magical' date."

Anno Domini will be sent free to Evangelical Alliance member churches,
and is also available on subscription priced at stlg20 per annum.  The
video is priced at stlg8, including postage and packing. Both are
available from Anno Domini on 07071 20 2000, (+ 44 7071 20 2000) or by
post at Anno Domini, P O Box 680, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6  9ST. 
E-mail anno.domini@dial.pipex.com

ENDS

For further information, contact:

Keith Ewing, kewing@eauk.org 
0171 207 2116 or + 44 171 207 2116 

or
Gavin Drake, gdrake@eauk.org
0171 207 2117 or + 44 171 207 2117

Evangelical Alliance UK,
Whitefield House,
186 Kennington Park Road,
London, SE11  4BT

http://www.eauk.org