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Mission to the cities, this is probably the most important initiative the Seventh-day
Adventist Church ever had. About 200 years ago, just 3 percent of the world population
was living in the cities. Now we have more than half of people in the world living in
urban areas. In a couple decades we're going to have three quarters of the whole population
of the world living in those major cities. The Seventh-day Adventist Church decided to
reach out to those urban areas. In each division around the world one city was selected and
all over the world we have about 600 major cities that will be reached in a couple of years.
Let's see some of the most challenging cities around the world.
One of the Mission to the Cities urban areas is Lagos, Nigeria.
A port city, Lagos is located on the southern coast of Nigeria.
The largest city in the country and one of the largest on the continent
of Africa, Lagos has an estimated population of some 13 million people. The economic success
of the city is attracting more people all the time and Lagos continues to grow rapidly.
Some place the population as high as 21 million. Yet here in one of the largest urban areas
of the world, there are just over 100 Adventist churches in the city and only about 12,000
Adventist believers. Male #2
We know that God is here and God will give us the means and the ways, the courage, and
the wisdom of how to come about the whole program. We are sure that by the end of this
year and the years after, we will witness some miracles in this city because we want
Lagos to be won for Christ Jesus.
Prague, the capitol of the Czech Republic, is also its largest city. Founded in the 9th century,
today Prague is a mix of modern and historical. Although there are more than 1.4
million inhabitants in this city, you will find less than 10 Seventh-day Adventist churches
and only about 700 Adventist members- that's a fraction of 1 percent.
One of the challenges for the church is to
create a strategy of evangelistic work in the cities, which will focus on the context
in which people live, where are their needs are, where their injuries are, and where they need help.
Let's go across the ocean and look to another challenging urban area.
Built on the ruins of an Aztec city and what was once a lake, Mexico City has grown rapidly
and it's said the city's population doubled between 1930 and 1950. Today Mexico City is
one of the world's largest cities with a greater metro population of 23.6 million people.
There are nearly 54,000 Seventh-day Adventists and more than 200 churches.
That's still less than a quarter of one percent of the population.
The city of Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Here Adventists
are using unique ways—such as street music— to reach people in their community.
Kinshasa has a population that is approaching 10 million people. There are about 8,000 Adventists and
nearly 70 churches—less than .1 percent.
In addition to being the capital of Russia, Moscow is also a showcase for Russian culture known for its museums and theaters.
One of the most recognizable buildings in the world, St. Basil's Basilica dominates the view
over Red Square, which is itself a UNESCO world heritage site. Moscow has a population
of more than 16 million people. Adventists number less than 3,000—about .02 percent
of the population-—worshiping in 15 churches.
Not far from here we have another city.
The capital and largest city in Ukraine, Kiev was named after its founder. A bustling city,
Kiev is home to world-class art and architecture. There are some 3.2 million people living in
Kiev and just over 4,000 are Adventists.
The capitol of Angola, Luanda was founded in the late 1500s by the Portuguese.
Located on the Atlantic coast of Angola, Luanda has been
rebuilding after years of civil war. Today, Luanda has a population of some 6 million
people with about 74,000 Adventists and more than 270 churches
—about 1 and one quarter percent of the city's population.
We have a great challenge in the large city of Luanda,
which is the capitol of Angola, because this is a city that is growing each day.
It's growing in material things as well as in number of people.
It's a city coming from the ruin of war. And everything is rapidly expanding. As everything grows,
our challenge to reach people who don't know God also grows.
Sydney, Australia is said to be one of the
most visited cities in the world attracting visitors from around the world. One of the
deepest harbors in the world, it's known for the Sydney Harbor Bridge and iconic "sails"
of the opera house. Sydney has a population of 4.7 million people with about 9000 Adventists
worshiping in 85 churches and companies.
Let's jump to the other side of the world.
Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is said to be the second largest metropolitan
area in South America. First settled in the 1500s, today Greater Buenos Aires has a population
of some 14.5 million people. The Seventh-day Adventist church has been growing here with
more than 160 churches and more than 22,000 members. Yet that's still less than .2 percent of the population.
The main objective is to church plant in a place where the people are not receptive.
I believe that we would not have reached the people here if it were not in this manner
through the center of influence. Showing sympathy, meeting needs, and winning confidence.
The objective for the future is that the center of influence will be self-sustained and that it will make other churches.
London is well known for its familiar sights and charm. This city is made up of 13.3 million people,
making it one of the largest cities in Europe. The growing challenge of secularism
makes reaching the people difficult. Among the millions of people who walk the streets,
only about 15,000 thousand Adventists live in this European city.
Home to some of the world's most populated cities, India is familiar with the urban landscape.
The Mumbai metro region, formerly known as Bombay, is the one of largest metropolitan
areas in India with a population of about 21.2 million people. In this area there are about
11 thousand Seventh-day Adventist members. This only scratches the surface of the total population.
The challenges of prominent world religions are apparent in this region of the world.
It is amazing to see those challenging urban areas all over the world.
I ask you to pray for those cities. What a beautiful thing to see
the gospel reaching out to all those urban areas. Pray for the Lord so He can send workers,
that we can find ways to reach out to those urban areas. If you want to learn more about this initiative,
just go to the website missiontothecities.org and pray for the large cities of the world.