wfn.org | LCMS President Kieschnick to promote Pentecost 2000 in May 16 telecast

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
Board for Communication Services

LCMSNews -- No. 23
April 17, 2002

Kieschnick to promote
Pentecost 200 in May 16 webcast

Synod President Gerald Kieschnick will promote the "Pentecost 2000" mission 
effort in a webcast scheduled for 3 p.m. Central Time on May 16.

A webcast is a live video presentation that viewers can watch on their 
computers, provided they have access to the Internet.

In the webcast, Kieschnick will introduce an eight-minute PowerPoint slide 
show that's designed to update Synod members on the three-year-old 
Pentecost 2000 (P2K) effort and to show them how to use the P2K Web site as 
a resource.  The PowerPoint will be available for downloading from the site 
at http://www.pentecost2000.com.

After the slide presentation, the Synod president will answer questions e 
mailed to him by viewers.  The entire webcast, including the question 
and-answer portion, is expected to last about 45 minutes.

Pentecost 2000 was launched in 1999 by LCMS World Mission's North America 
Ministries division to encourage Synod congregations to take the Gospel to 
their immigrant neighbors.  With a goal of starting 1,000 new 
cross-cultural ministries, the P2K effort includes a Web site that Synod 
members can use to register their ministries, as well as read about _ and 
learn from _ the ministries of others.

To date, more than 730 ministries have been registered on the site _ from 
food, clothing and other resettlement help for Bosnians in Nebraska, to 
housing and employment assistance for Sudanese immigrants in Michigan.

"This Web site is like a giant bulletin board full of dozens of modern-day 
Pentecost adventure stories, background information, resources and links to 
ministry groups," Kieschnick says.  With the P2K Web site, he adds, "you 
don't need to reinvent the wheel as you begin mission outreach."

The new P2K effort, dubbed "Pentecost 2000+" since it was extended for 
another three years by delegates to last summer's Synod convention, will 
run until the next convention in 2004.  At that time, organizers hope to 
have at least 1,000 new cross-cultural ministries registered on the Web site.
P2K Coordinator Marie Biesenthal said she believes Synod members have 
already reached the 1,000-ministry goal.  But many of those who have 
started cross-cultural ministries just haven't taken the time to post them 
on the Web site, she said.

The PowerPoint presentation featured in the webcast is narrated by 
Kieschnick, who shows viewers how easy it is to navigate the site and to 
register a ministry by filling out an online form.

But what's really important isn't the 1,000-ministry goal, Biesenthal 
adds.  Rather, "it's the thousands of people who have been touched by Jesus 
Christ" through new cross-cultural ministries.

"There are more and more people other than white, English-speaking people 
living in the United States today," said Dr. Robert Scudieri, director of 
North America Ministries with LCMS World Mission.  "[There are] more and 
more Asians, more and more Hispanics, more and more Africans _ and these 
people are gifts from God."

LCMS congregations, Scudieri says, "truly desire to reach these 
people.  They just, a lot of times, don't know how.  The Pentecost 2000 Web 
site is constructed to help them know how to reach out."

One of the best things about the ministries featured on the site is that 
they're not just ideas _ they're actual, working ministries, Scudieri noted.

"You can e-mail the person who started the ministry, right from the Web 
site," he said.  "It really is a 21st-century, bulletin-board tool to help 
churches."

Last month, Scudieri mailed letters to all Synod pastors, circuit 
counselors and district presidents to tell them about the webcast and to 
encourage them to get involved in Pentecost 2000+.

For information about the webcast's technical requirements and to view the 
May 16 webcast, go to http://www.cuenet.edu/pentecost2000.

Those who miss the live webcast can view it any time on the P2K Web site at 
http://www.pentecost2000.com.

The eight-minute PowerPoint presentation that shows how to use P2K 
resources may be downloaded free from the Web site.  The presentation also 
will be available in free video (item no. S13033) and CD-ROM (item no. 
S13034) formats; to order, call Concordia Publishing House at (800) 325-3040.

Although the items are free, orders will be charged for shipping and handling.

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