Support for the upcoming Internet Evangelism Day, April 24, is ramping up. According to a recent press release, organizations such as Christianity Today International, Campus Crusade for Christ, Operation World, American Bible Society, Youth With a Mission and many others have joined the effort to help Christians discover the Internet as an evangelism tool.

Dr. Tetsunao Yamamori, international director of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, supports Internet Evangelism Day because he believes online outreach is an innovative response to today's high-tech world.

"It is possible to evangelize one billion people through this medium," Yamamori said.

Dr. D. James Kennedy, president and founder of Evangelism Explosion International, said he anticipates widespread involvement.

"I hope every E(vangelism)E(xplosion) church would be involved in Internet Evangelism Day."

Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals in the United States said incredible technological breakthroughs mean that "evangelical Christians must take advantage of this information superhighway. Internet Evangelism Day will help focus our efforts on effectively using this tool."

Haggard encouraged "all evangelical leaders to take advantage of this initiative and explore their options for using the Web to win as many as possible to Christ."

The Internet Evangelism Coalition (IEC - www.webevangelism.com) is endorsing the day and many IEC Coalition members are helping facilitate the development of IED resources.

Tony Whittaker, "Web Evangelism Guide" editor from the UK, along with a team of others from around the world, has given leadership to the development of Internet Evangelism Day and a Web site: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com that provides resources, training information and other ideas for a successful day.

Many churches and ministries are planning an Internet focus within their own programs. By downloading video clips, drama sketches, a PowerPoint presentation, or other resources from the Internet Evangelism Day site, they are able to custom-design a "Web evangelism awareness slot'" to use in a church service, after-church meeting, home group or seminar.

The site also contains examples of "Internet evangelists," including Doug Reese, webmaster of the sports-oriented outreach site To The Next Level, and Lee J. Bloch, founder/director of Ephesians 6:10 ministry that combines street witness with an apologetics Web site.

In addition, the Internet Evangelism Day Web site features inspiring stories of people who have come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through online ministry.

Whittaker says the anticipated outcomes for the day include:

- Increasing Christian understanding and awareness of the Internet as a medium to share Jesus.

- Moving churches to create new Web sites, or modify existing sites to become more user-friendly and attractive to not-yet-Christians in their community.

- Encouraging ministries not currently involved in Web evangelism to investigate how they might integrate Web outreach into other outreach activities.

- Motivating people to full-time or spare-time Web outreach by creating new evangelistic sites or becoming trained in chat room, bulletin board or blog evangelism.

- Creating a higher profile for existing Web evangelism ministries.

- Facilitating the addition of Web evangelism learning modules into Bible college and other training institute curriculums.

Dr. Sterling Huston, IEC Chair and Director of Special Ministries for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, believes the Internet "offers churches, Christian organizations and individuals an amazing and rapidly expanding opportunity to share the 'Good News' with a world in need."

He said he hopes Internet Evangelism Day will inspire more Christians to log on, upload and post their witness to the World Wide Web.