Dear BWA friends -

In July, the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) gathered Baptist leaders in Zürich, Switzerland, for the 2018 Annual Gathering. The Sunday before meetings began, a very meaningful worship time at an historic cave was arranged. About 100 people hiked up a hillside near the community of Bäretswil, about a half-hour drive away from Zürich.

The cave where they then praised God and worshiped together was once a place of fear and hiding. In 1526, early Anabaptists were persecuted in Zürich and fled the city. They found themselves at odds with even the Reformation leaders. Some were executed and some hid in the Täuferhöhle cave, where they continued to worship, nearly five hundred years ago. The worship time in July at the start of the BWA meetings brought Baptists Together in worship to remember early Christian martyrs and to proclaim that many are still persecuted around the world. Many proclaimed this a most moving time of worship and prayer.

Giving Tuesday is coming, November 27, a movement dedicated to giving back. And that's our cue to tell you about Baptists and how they worship God - Together!

Meaningful worship is what happens when we are Baptists Together. This Giving Tuesday, we hope you'll join this worldwide family of Baptists serving God in 125 countries and territories. When you give, you support programs that inspire Baptists to worship God in old and new ways.

And we'll worship Together 2020 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! That's our theme for the upcoming celebration, our July 2020 Congress of all Baptists, to which you are invited. As we begin the "giving season" in much of the developed world, we invite you to think about what it means to be Baptists Together. Make plans to worship with Baptists of the world in Rio de Janeiro in 2020 by visiting this link http://www.bwanet.org/events/upcoming-events/congress-2020 .

Baptists Together on Giving Tuesday. Please visit www.bwanet.org/give and make this your worldwide family, too.

For several more weeks, we'll tell you more about the Baptist World Alliance and Baptists Together. Please watch for us on social media and in your email inbox. And send us your stories of how Baptists Together are worshiping  God at [email protected] !