Dave Drum: Unity as a Witness to the Gospel
For Dave Drum, who came from the United States, this gathering was meant to be a source of encouragement for disciples engaged in mission. He found much more than that. From the very beginning, a genuine fellowship developed among people of very diverse backgrounds, cultures, and traditions. One participant who didn’t know anyone even stated that this unity could only be explained by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Invited to present the situation in the United States, Dave Drum spoke about the challenges his country faces in building unity among Christians. Drawing on fifteen years dedicated to bringing together the Body of Christ in a deeply divided society, he shared several insights gained from that experience. In his view, God has already given His Church everything it needs; it is a matter of listening to the Lord, obeying Him, and persevering faithfully.
He leaves Burtigny convinced that Jesus Christ alone is enough to unite people who, humanly speaking, have almost nothing in common. The brotherly love experienced during this gathering is, in his view, one of the most credible testimonies to the Gospel.
Olivier Fleury: Accelerating Through Consecration and Organization
For Olivier Fleury, director of JC2033-International, the movement’s current acceleration cannot be reduced to a quest for efficiency. It requires a life of consecration and a renewed openness to God. The Kingdom of God operates according to a paradoxical logic: to move forward more quickly, one must sometimes learn to let go, to strip oneself of worldly attachments, and to discerningly choose the priorities that God indicates.
Growth, he adds, is based on unity in diversity. He uses the image of the apple tree, which bears fruit only through the work of bees moving from one flower to another. This complementarity illustrates how God causes His work to grow. The married couple also serves as an example of fruitfulness born of diversity lived out in unity.
In his view, JC2033 is currently experiencing a phase of acceleration that requires both organization and faith. He compares this progress to a locomotive traveling at full speed, with the tracks seeming to appear just before it passes. To sustain this growth through 2033, he believes it is essential to establish solid national and regional structures, with leaders capable of supporting the movement’s development. This organization must enable JC2033 to fulfill its dual mission: to proclaim Christ to the whole world and to contribute to the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer for the unity of his disciples.
Pierre-André Léchot: Concrete Initiatives in the Service of Unity
Pastor Pierre-André Léchot, JC2033 ambassador for French-speaking Switzerland, recalls above all the joy of having met brothers and sisters from nineteen nations to prepare together for the 2033 jubilee. The small number of participants reminded him of Jesus’ first disciples—few in number but united in listening to the Lord before being sent to the ends of the earth.
The times of prayer, praise, and sharing fostered a fraternal communion that he sees as one of JC2033’s greatest treasures. He also presented two initiatives designed to foster this unity. The first involves developing the “Paths of Hope,” meditative walking trails that are becoming increasingly common in French-speaking Switzerland. The second proposes forming small international groups of three people who share the same language so that they can meet regularly via videoconference to pray and encourage one another.
Pierre-André was moved by a remark from Olivier Fleury, who wisely reminded everyone that JC2033’s mission is to build unity rather than dwell on the wounds of the past.
He thus leaves with renewed hope and a desire to see the “paths of hope” and international prayer networks multiply, which will help prepare, in unity, for the celebrations of 2033.
Elodie Rasolo and Martin Hoegger
