World AG Congress Postponed, Jerusalem 2020 in Question as Israel Issues Travel Ban
The 9th Triennial Congress of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship in Madrid has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the official news outlet for the Assemblies of God.
Around 6,000 people were already registered for the event, which was supposed to take place March 19-21 but was postponed due to a decision made by Spain’s Ministry of Health. Spain reportedly has 151 cases of the virus.
Dr. George O. Wood, chairman of the World AG Fellowship, issued the following statement:
“It is with great regret that the Congress has been postponed due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. We really had no choice in the matter. Rev. Juan Carlos Escobar, superintendent of the Assemblies of God of Spain, and his team have prepared for this Congress for three years. Almost 6,000 people had already registered.”
The World AG Fellowship is trying to reschedule the event for later this year and encourages people to check unlimited2020.com for updates.
Furthermore, Empowered21 is continuing to monitor the situation in Israel to discern whether or not Jerusalem2020 will still take place in Jerusalem on May 31-June 3.
On March 4, Israel’s Health Ministry issued a travel ban on tourists from Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Austria. The United States was exempted from the ban, despite having 500 cases of the coronavirus and 22 deaths.
“The Israeli Ministry of Health has also indefinitely banned all large religious gatherings and all international conferences within Israel,” Empowered 21 President Billy Wilson says in a newsletter update. “The timing of these actions has created significant uncertainty regarding the Jersualem2020 Global Congress.”
The Empowered21 team is considering alternate plans in case Israel’s ban continues through May 31.
