FIVE YEARS OF CHRIST THE LIVING WATER
By Tony Cupit
An event celebrating the BWA Living Water ministry, held during the Baptist World Congress in Honolulu
on July 31, marked the completion of this special five-year ministry emphasizing evangelism and servant
leadership.
But what was it that we were celebrating?
In 2004, two very generous benefactors gave a substantial financial gift to the BWA to enable it to focus on
the two emphases, evangelism and leadership. Sharing the Christian message has always been a paramount
issue for Baptists and the Living Water strategy was an intentional effort to encourage Baptist leaders and people
around the globe to be unashamedly committed to the proclamation and demonstration of the Good News of
God’s love in Jesus Christ. The leadership model that Living Water stressed was the servant leadership model
offered by Jesus who insisted that he came to this world, not to be served but to serve.
For five years those twin emphases were listened to, taught, modeled, highlighted and emphasized in 20
venues around the world. BWA regions, Asia/Pacific, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America, held at
least two Living Water conferences each where Baptists from all over the particular region gathered.
Beginning in St. Petersburg, Russia, regional conferences were also held in Brazil, Kenya, Thailand, Nigeria,
Nagaland, India, Bahamas, Czech Republic, Australia, Barbados, Panama, Serbia and Mozambique. Some
countries where Baptist believers face significant challenges also hosted a Living Water conference – Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Nepal and Cuba. There are 500 Cuban Baptist pastors. Every one of them attended the conference
in Cuba! In total, almost 5,000 leaders were delegates to the various Living Water events around the world and
many others attended special evening sessions.
All the important features and emphases that characterized the 20 international Living Water conferences from
2005 to 2010 were highlighted in Honolulu, and many representatives of the conferences were able to relive the
joy and challenge that the conferences had provided. A beautiful banner announcing Honolulu, Hawai‘i, as venue
to the celebration was backdrop to the events occurring on the podium and striking banners from the regional
and national conferences were a visible reminder of the various international venues as they adorned the walls
of the conference room.
The Living Water celebration was representative of the different nations, regions, age groups, genders and
other diversities that characterize the Baptist family. A whole array of international Baptists contributed to the
afternoon program including BWA President David Coffey, General Secretary Neville Callam, and Director of the
Division of Mission, Evangelism and Theological Reflection, Fausto Vasconcelos. Others included Kaa Simon,
from Papua New Guinea; Shannon Marrast, Grenada; Brickson Sam, Sierra Leone; Ronald Bobo, USA; Denise
Vasconcelos, Brazil; Michael Taylor, Jamaica; Tanya Fomenko, Russia; Sam Bontha, India; Angelo Scheepers,
South Africa; Victor Gonzalez, Cuba, and Michael Okwakol, Uganda. They gave testimonies about the impact of
Living Water on their lives and their communities, read the Scriptures, led in prayer, broke the congregation into
groups for discussion, re-enacted the story of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, and shared in a
water pouring, symbolic of sharing the Living Water.
A central feature of the celebration was a video that presented an overview of the five years of Living Water
activity and its major emphases and objectives. Callam gave a brief outline of his vision for Baptists in the future
that included a strong and unequivocal focus on evangelism while also encouraging issues of peace, human
rights and other justice issues.
Music was inspirational with an international worship team comprised of Joel Sierra, Mexico; Vee Tetseo,
Nagaland in India/Japan; Liza Vidicki, Serbia; Shannon Marrast, Grenada; Tracy Daniels, USA; and Natalie
Perdue, Australia/USA. Instrumental backing was provided by Yevgeniy Dovgalyuk, Latvia/USA and musicians
from Hawai‘i and Alabama, USA, and Nagaland, India. Rodney Macann from New Zealand was a featured
vocalist.
As one delegate wrote after attending the celebration, “The afternoon was a model of inclusiveness and
multi-cultural worship. Fantastic.”
It is always difficult to assess and quantify the effect of a special effort like the five-year Living Water strategy.
PHOTO: Sam Bontha from India, left, and Denise Vasconcelos from Brazil were two of the participants in the
Living Water celebrations


(Continued on next page) OCTOBER/DECEMBER 2010 21

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