Faced with the fact that the efforts made since its last meeting to raise the necessary funds for the employment of a full-time Secretary and Assistant had not yet yielded the hoped-for results, the committee took several interim measures to ensure the implementation of the activities planned for 2010. It approved the appointment of a half-time administrative assistant and agreed on the allocation of a number of tasks to committee members. In the same spirit three sub-committees were set up to work on communication, fundraising and the global Forum event that will conclude the current Three – Year Programme. The dates for this event were set: 4 – 7 October 2011. The committee discussed also its content, shape and size. It was proposed to focus on the changing face of world Christianity and on the discernment of what the Spirit is saying to the churches. This could take form through the sharing of "community stories" in a way similar to the methodology of sharing individual faith itineraries. The next global Forum event is intended to bring together some 250 participants including senior church leaders as well as women and youth. Three possible venues were considered. A final decision will be taken at the next meeting of the committee in June 2010 after a survey of the sites.

The committee reassessed and approved the activities for 2010: a regional meeting in Latin America and one in Asia, a team visit to North America, a sub-regional meeting for the Nordic and Baltic countries in Europe and possibly one more in another European sub-region. It also agreed on the issue of the changes in world Christianity as an appropriate theme for a thematic consultation. This meeting should come after the Edinburgh 2010 World Mission Conference (June) and the Third International Congress on World Evangelization of the Lausanne Movement (in October 2010).

Encouraged by the positive outcome of the June 2009 team visit to the Middle East, the committee discussed possible follow-up of the visit in 2010. Decisions will be finalized after responses to the report have been received from the region.

Other important items on the agenda of the meeting included the involvement of non-denominational and mega-churches in the GCF and a review of the recommendations of the evaluations carried out in 2008, particularly those pertaining to the objectives of the Forum. The committee engaged in a discussion on the meaning of an "open space" for encounter and dialogue and affirmed the need for on-going theological reflection and study on the vision and purpose of the Forum.

The meeting took place at Sunbury Court, an International Conference Centre of the Salvation Army in Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, UK.

If you need any more information on these or other aspects of the Global Christian Forum, please contact the Secretariat at gcforum@freesurf.ch

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