Bind Us Together, Lord

The LittWorld 2009 conference in Kenya is now history. The nearly 150 Christian publishers, editors and writers from 36 countries have returned home. But they take with them fresh vision, sharpened skills and new friendships for the work ahead. The following are exceprts from Nigerian journalist Lekan Otufodunrin's impressions of LittWorld.

There are indeed many Christian media conferences organized regularly worldwide. But for me, especially as a print-media person, I am not sure how many compare with LittWorld by Media Associates International.

One cannot but be lost finding the right words to describe the conference, considering among other things, the large number of participants from all corners of the world, the knowledge shared and the lasting impact on the life and ministry of those present.

This probably explains why the end of the conference evoked all kinds of emotion. "I had looked forward to the conference," said Julie Ackerman Link in her workshop on the spirituality of editing. "I have really been blessed and can't imagine that it is all ending too soon."

As we sang the popular song, "Bind us together, Lord, bind us together with a chord that cannot be broken" on the last night, one could feel the spirit of love and unity permeating the meeting. Participants held on tightly to one another as they pledged in their hearts to work together to spread the gospel through the written word in their corners of the world when they returned home.

There was the symbolic lighting of the candles by participants, with all the lights switched off to signify our desire to keep shining the light of the gospel in the dark areas of the world. All participants kept their candles to serve as a reminder.

The success of the conference is a big plus for Africa. It is the first time the conference was held on this continent. There were reasons for apprehension considering the massive logistics required to host such a meeting with participants coming from around the world.

It was indeed a big relief that Africa, by God's grace, lived up to the expectations. As the chairman of the local organizing team, Barine Kirimi of Evangel Publishing, assured on opening night, "All will be well," it was indeed a huge success. It's not certain where the next LittWorld conference will be held. Wherever the MAI Board decides to hold the conference, it will be my pleasure to be there to listen to the various testimonies of what the Lord has done in the Christian publishing world.