There are two things to thisnewsletter that are important for us to note. The first is Remembrance Day. Thesecond, in a sense, is the product of the first, for out of the freedom thathas been wrought in conflict comes those things we stand for as Christians, whoare free to express themselves. Let me explain. As you read this we will be preparingfor Remembrance Day next Tuesday. We pray for our Baptist Chaplains in Canadathat seek to meet the spiritual needs of those who are in uniform. We quiteunderstandably have mixed views about the necessity to prepare for war. No one,most especially those in the military, have any doubts about their abhorrenceof war and their longing for peace. We must, however, constantly reflect on howwe are to respond to potential conflicts in the world, how we must pray forpeace, and how we must give thanks for those who in their suffering andsacrifice, made the relative peace we enjoy now possible. We as a country areat war in Afghanistan; please pray for all aspects of that conflict and thosewho are affected by it.

The next topic that I wish to drawyour attention to I will frame and explain in greater length next week.

The basic gist of the resolutionspassed by the Baptist World Alliance are that these intentions, commitments andlongings expressed in these motions are to make us more aware of concernsaround the world, encourage us to reflect on how God is calling us to theseparticular concerns and finally provoke us to act into these issues as theypresent themselves to us. I truly believe that the motion on evangelism intendsto reanimate evangelism, not to mute it, to enable it and ennoble it, not toeviscerate it. I think it is with great excitement that we celebrate the 400^thAnniversary of the first Baptist church and I honour our European friends fortheir courage at that very difficult time in history. Next week, we will seecomments on the environment and refugees.

Thank you for your attentiveness tothese matters.

Warmly,

In Christ

Jeremy

BWA Resolutions 2008

October 2008 Approved by theGeneral Council on July 25^th, 2008.

Resolution #1 – Appreciation

The General Council of the BaptistWorld Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;

Offers sincere thanks to the BaptistUnion of Czech Republic for the invitation to hold this Annual Gathering inPrague;

Expresses thanks to Jan Titera,General Secretary of the Baptist Union of the Czech Republic; Keith Jones,Rector of the International Baptist Theological Seminary, and Tony Peck,General Secretary of European Baptist Federation, for their leadership anddiligent efforts in making arrangements for this meeting;

Appreciates all the Baptists of theCzech Republic and members of the International Baptist Theological Seminarycommunity for their gracious hospitality to Baptist representatives from aroundthe world;

Notes that this Annual Gathering isthe first such meeting directed by Baptist World Alliance General SecretaryNeville Callam and congratulates him and the BWA staff for their contributionsin making this a successful meeting;

Thanks all who led in worship andthe many other Baptists who provided leadership in various ways during theweek;

Prays God’s continued blessings onthe Baptist World Alliance as we strive to serve our Lord by serving His peoplearound the world known as Baptists.

Resolution #2 – Baptist YouthConference

The General Council of the BaptistWorld Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;

Commends the Youth Department andother entities of the Baptist World Alliance for their roles in envisioning,organizing, and promoting the “Dive Deeper” Baptist Youth World conference inLeipzig, Germany, July 30-August 3;

Commits to pray for the more than7,000 young people expected to gather in Leipzig, and for those who haveleadership responsibilities during the meeting;

Celebrates the commitment of Baptistyoung people and the vibrancy they bring to the life and witness of Baptists inthe world:

Affirms the promise of Baptistyouth as leaders both now and in the future, and calls upon established membersof the BWA to nurture and make room for those who will come after them.

Resolution #3 – 400^thAnniversary of the Formation of the First Baptist Congregation

The General Council of the BaptistWorld Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;

Resolves to commemorate the 400^thAnniversary of the first Baptist congregation, formed in Amsterdam in 1609, bymeeting for its next Annual Gathering in the Netherlands in 2009;

Encourages Baptists in Europe toparticipate in the “Amsterdam 400” celebration organized by the EuropeanBaptist Federation;

Expresses gratitude for the goodnessand guidance of God through which Baptists have grown to be a world-widecommunion of faith;

Recognizes both the propheticdissent of Baptists from established forms of the Church, and the place ofBaptists within the one, holy, apostolic and universal Church of Jesus Christ;

Calls for a new exploration ofa Baptist understanding of discipleship and the nature of the church in ourage.

Resolution # - Evangelism andContextualization of the Gospel

The General Council of the BaptistWorld Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-25, 2008;

Gives thanks to God for the richspiritual legacy of Reformers like Jan Hus and Petr Chelcicky whose witnessstill inspires Czech Baptist life which began one hundred and fifty years ago;

Calls on Baptists throughoutthe world to be intentional in contextualizing the Gospel in today’s world,recognizing linguistic and cultural issues, and remaining faithful to the GreatCommission to share God’s love in Jesus Christ.