When COVID-19 closed schools in early 2020, Elias Apetogo, Africa leader for The Prayer Covenant, shifted plans to mobilize 750,000 people through radio and local churches to pray for the Go2020 global outreach. A few months later, these prayers led to a partnership with All Africa Baptist Youth Fellowship (AABYF) that gave birth to “Last Quarter Evangelism 2020” or “LQE” — so named because it would happen in the last three months (quarter) or 2020.
Through this partnership, young people across Africa were empowered to create and then share their own evangelism material. Starting from West Africa, this partnership became a movement that eventually involved people in over 36 countries on the continent. Some 14,000 churches affiliated with AABYF participated in the outreach. An estimated 5.8 million people heard the gospel as a result.
Israel, a twelve-year-old boy who participated in LQE, shares:
2020 has been the best year of my life because I have discovered how beautiful it is to be a child of God. I found great joy in sharing the gospel with my classmates and sharing the gospel is now become part of my life whether the church plans an outreach or not. I had the opportunity to pray for adults and many people much older than myself. They were surprised to see my commitment and the way I shared the gospel with others. LQE helped me to experience God in a new way in my life.”
Candy Marballi, CEO for the Prayer Covenant, shares that, “We see children and youth, those God made the standard for greatness in His kingdom, finding joy in sharing the gospel. They are finding their identity as children of God and their purpose in glorifying God to share His message.”
The vision and passion of Last Quarter Evangelism will go well beyond the end of 2020. The strategy has now been incorporated as a part of GO Decade, a global effort to bring the gospel to every man, woman, and child on earth by the end of 2030. (GACX and many member organizations are a partner in this effort.)
Candy notes that kids should not be overlooked as the answer to the prayer for more harvest laborers. “Disciple them in prayer and evangelism, release them and watch what God does,” she adds. To get kids on the prayer journey, visit theprayercovenant.org for free downloadable resources.
Video courtesy of The Prayer Covenant and Building a Difference.