Westlake Church Lausanne devotes at least 10% of its annual income, plus one-off offerings, to promote the spread of the Gospel around the world, through word and deed. There are four streams of support: Church Planting, Practical Compassion, Bible Translation and the Persecuted Church.
Who we support
- Medair, South Sudan
- Myanmar
- Port’espoir, Lausanne
- Open Doors
- Wycliffe and Seed Company
- World Vision
- CABES
- GBEU
Westlake also supports a number of other projects through regular and one-off gifts.
Medair, South Sudan
Medair is a Christian humanitarian organisation that responds to conflict, disease and disasters so that the world’s most vulnerable and hard-to-reach people can live with dignity and hope. Its International Global Support Office is based in Ecublens, near Lausanne, and the Westlake church family includes many past and current Medair staff.
Westlake has supported Medair for many years, and since early 2015 we have focused our support on Medair’s programme in South Sudan. Since 1992, Medair has been a lifeline to those hardest to reach there. They travel by boat and canoe from village to village where floodwaters no longer recede to provide training, supplies and supervision for local community health workers, and health and nutrition care for the most vulnerable, including pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and their children.
South Sudan has one of the highest numbers of people displaced from their homes and communities in the world. Many have been forced to flee because of violence and insecurity, or must relocate in search of food. They do not have adequate shelter and basic household items. Access to healthcare, water and sanitation is very limited, which drives the spread of preventable diseases and malnutrition, particularly among young children.
Myanmar
Christianity first reached Myanmar in the early 1500s, but spreading the gospel was a challenge because most Burmese were devoted Buddhists. The foundations of the Protestant Church were laid by the lifetime work of American Baptist missionaries Adoniram and Ann Judson, who arrived in Rangoon (now Yangon) on 13 July 1813. In 1962 Buddhism became the official religion of the country, bringing much hardship and restrictions for Christian minorities. Today the church has grown in the midst of tribulation, and many have risked their lives to spread the Gospel.
As the Church in Myanmar grows, so does the need for local leadership and for reaching remote areas with the gospel. Westlake is privileged to partner with a group of our brothers and sisters in Myanmar who have taken on the challenge of teaching and discipling young people from various tribes and people groups before sending them back to their own people.
Port’espoir
Port’espoir is a local ministry co-initiated and led by Westlake members, seeking to bring the love, freedom and compassion of Jesus to women working the streets of Lausanne.
Open Doors
Open Doors has been serving the persecuted church for 70 years in 71 countries where more than 380 million Christians are severely persecuted for their faith. It takes its name from the heart of its mission: to go everywhere in the world where Christians are severely deprived of religious freedom, believing that God opens doors to fulfil their calling.
As a church, Westlake supports an Open Doors family ministry programme in the Persian-speaking world through a secure online platform. The goal is to help families grow in the knowledge of God and build family relationships based on biblical values.
As a church family we are united in prayer with the persecuted Church and meet on the last Monday of each month to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters.
Wycliffe and Seed Company
Westlake supports Bible translation around the world through Wycliffe Bible Translators and its affiliate, Seed Company.
For many years Westlake supported Seed Company’s translation of the Old Testament into the Saramaccan and Aukan languages of Suriname, a project that is nearly finished now. You can see a video about the project. We continue to support other projects of Wycliffe and Seed Company around the world.
World Vision
Through their giving in Sunday School, our children support two children in Albania. For more information, visit the World Vision website.
CABES
CABES (Contacts Amitié Bible entre Étrangers et Suisses) is a team who seek to share God’s love with non-Westerners who have come to the French-speaking part of Switzerland to find refuge or to flee poverty. This includes welcoming people, developing friendships and sharing the Gospel.
The project began in 1990 with Jean-Pierre and Suzanne Besse’s ministry with a few other people, such as Jürg and Annemarie Loeliger. At present CABES is a Scripture Union ministry. Visit their website
GBEU
Groupes Bibliques des Écoles et Universités (GBEU) are groups of students with a vision to see students transformed by the Gospel to impact their places of study, churches and society. They study the Bible, pray and share the Gospel with fellow students. GBEU provides guidance and training through a team with the spiritual, practical and financial support of the friends of GBEU. Visit their website