The Stadium Named 'Peace' Becomes Launchpad for Pastor Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan:

KIGALI, Rwanda, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., began a nine-day trip to Rwanda -- his 10th visit -- with an event at Amohoro (translated "Peace") Stadium, celebrating the first three years of the P.E.A.C.E. Plan and the initiation of the first national 40 Days of Purpose campaign at the invitation of His Excellency President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and the Rwandan Purpose Driven P.E.A.C.E. Plan steering committee.

"We are launching a biblical way of living in Rwanda -- we call it, 'The Purpose Driven Life,'" Dr. Warren said to nearly 20,000 gathered from all provinces of Rwanda. "What matters in life is your relationship to God and His purpose for you. The first 500 churches will start this weekend. When they finish, they will train others -- your church -- and then your church will help even more churches."

The program, highlighted by the appearance and comments of President Kagame, included a ceremony for the first of 200 Rwandan pastors who completed a three-year Purpose Driven and P.E.A.C.E. training program.

"I want to say to Rick and Kay Warren that they could not find a better place than Rwanda for the Purpose Driven campaign, for good and bad reasons," President Kagame said. "The bad reasons are related to our history -- in our past we have lived a life without purpose. The good reasons are related to our future -- that we have a chance with the Purpose Driven Life.

"What is unique about this initiative is that the P.E.A.C.E. plan combines the talent and energy from three sectors of society -- public, private and faith," President Kagame continued, affirming Saddleback Church's Western Rwanda HIV/AIDS Healthcare Initiative Project that is reinventing healthcare management and distribution by using churches as clinics. "This model can be replicated in other parts of our country. More importantly, more Rwandans of faith need to adopt this mindset."

The P.E.A.C.E. plan -- Promoting reconciliation, Equipping servant leaders, Assisting the poor, Caring for the sick and Educating the next generation -- is an effort to mobilize 1 billion Christians to attack the five global giants of our day.

The Warrens participated Monday in the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiative Conference (WHOFBCI) on Public-Private Partnerships and Economic Development attended by President Kagame and hosted by WHOFBCI Director Jay Hein.

"Never sacrifice sustainability for speed," Dr. Warren said to U.S. business, government and NGO representatives in what Director Hein described as the quote of the day. "This conference is about partnership, not paternalism. The No. 1 problem in international development is not lack of money, but lack of trust in local leaders to know what to do. Real partnerships say, 'How can we serve and support you,' not, 'Let us direct you.'

Note to Editors: For more information about the Warrens, please visit www.RickWarrenNews.com.

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