An inside view of the 2017 Impact Tour
For the last 5 years we have referred to Momentum Europe’s fall trips to Europe as the Impact Tour. Although the trip is definitely about impact, the word “tour” may need a word of explanation.
One might think of “tour” as a passive time of sitting and watching and having things explained to you – such as a city tour, riding a bus while a guide explains the sights. However, the Impact Tour is anything but passive. It’s active. The impact tour is a time of walking by faith, of active involvement in sharing the love of Christ, of learning about new cultures and of being stretched in our walk with God. Doesn’t exactly sound like your usual city tour, does it?
Typically participants fall into bed after a late evening meal, exhausted but excited to be part of something so meaningful.
The 2017 Impact Tour has taken us to three cities – Bucharest, Romania, Warsaw, Poland and Tirana, Albania. In each city the role of Momentum Europe has been completely different.
In Romania, we played simply a small background role. What we helped launch four years ago has now flourished into a multi-dimensional and multi-city outreach to business and professional leaders. Our role there was to encourage, inform and help reach and engage others primarily through one-on-one appointments.
In Poland, the story was altogether different. There, Momentum Europe participants were a team of 12 people who came to help reignite the vision and faith of the Cru staff team in Warsaw. 
Those staff rose to the challenge of meaningfully hosting a team of 12 international guests. Sixteen various outreach events were focused around doctors, athletes, students, as well as business men and women. There was even a “Valentines Day in October” event organized for couples, an outreach geared toward men and women in grief, and a special women’s forum. Touching nearly 500 people, these events drew on the gifts and experience of all the ME participants to help draw a crowd and make new contacts for the Cru team in Warsaw.
Then, on to Tirana, Albania where the ME team partnered with the Albanian Leader Impact team to share the gospel through several large scale meetings and almost endless one on one appointments. A special focus of the time in Albania was to build relationships with business leaders in Tirana. It was clear that the momentum started during ME’s visit in 2016 has continued and that the Lord is preparing the hearts of many Albanian business and professional people to follow Him.
To an observer from the outs
ide, all the activities of the past three weeks might have seemed rather random, as diverse as they all were. But as an insider – someone connected to the goals and objectives of each of the three countries – it was clear that the spiritual harvest in Europe is growing. One connection is leading to another and then to another and in the end, people are genuinely coming to Christ and beginning to grow in their faith.
As the Executive Director of Momentum Europe,I am grateful for our partners and friends who gave of their time and resources to serve alongside the Leader Impact ministries of Cru in Eastern Europe. Together with the local staff teams, they made for a powerful team of resourceful, Kingdom-minded leaders who left a lasting mark on the lives of hundreds of people in Europe.
Only the Lord knows the truly inside perspective as only He knows the hearts of those that were “reached” through the Impact Tour. But, it was clear to all who participated that we were all part of something special. From deep inside our hearts we found it to be immensely satisfying – to step out in faith and see God work in and through and around us.
The time has come for Europe. It’s true now, more than ever!