I’ve always enjoyed the film “The Great Escape”. The combination of good humour, goodies & baddies, suspense, drama and excitement, has always appealed to me. I’ve watched the film more times than I can remember and at comical moments in my life have managed to quote lines from the film which bring much amusement. The fact Steve McQueen is one of the heroes of the film adds to it's appeal. The war-time hero which McQueen plays holds an appeal which the sex and violence of James Bond could never quite equal. For me, that Steve McQueen put his trust in Jesus in later life also gives extra pleasure when watching the film.
Whenever I travel in Continental Europe, I am reminded of the thrills of the film. My lack of ability in other languages (I only have very basic GCSE French & German) seems to heighten the sense of feeling a foreigner in a strange land. The excellent train network throughout Continental Europe also brings to mind memorable scenes from the film.
This morning, I woke in Schloss Mittersill, in the heart of Austria. Snow was falling and the Alps were resplendent in their majesty with their snow-covered peaks. For the past few days, I have been at the IFES European Evangelists’ Conference. 
At the invitation of my friend, Lindsay Brown, I joined a group of around 80 evangelists & emerging evangelists from all over Europe, along with one or two from Eurasia and North America. It has been a real thrill and encouragement to hear from folks sharing the message of Jesus throughout Europe. Each day, we met to listen to sample talks given in a variety of settings by folks with experience throughout Europe. We would then meet in small groups and discuss the talks, as well as giving some sample talks of our own & critiquing them. For me, it was a real pleasure to be involved in a group with significant leaders from around Europe, headed up by Rev Michael Green, former Rector of St Aldates Church, Oxford and one of the leading evangelists worldwide in the last 50 years. We had great fun, in our group particularly with some of the leaders of the student movements in the Balkans & that region. I spoke on “She’ll Be Right, I’m Alright & You Can’t Tell Me How to Live” (“She’ll Be Right” is a very Kiwi phrase!) For the rest of the week, I was often met by my group saying “She’ll Be Right!” with a slightly Eastern European lilt to it.
You may be wondering - “Why start by talking about the Great Escape & then go on to the IFES conference?” The answer is simple, when I woke, for some reason, my first thought was of the Great Escape. Schloss Mittersill brings many of these war-time images to mind – it was first documents in 1150 so resounds with history, but between 1939-1944, it was occupied and used by SS Officers (including Himmler). Upon waking, I was going to be leaving early in the morning from the conference and had several friends who I wished to say goodbye to. For me, it brought to mind the clips in the film where some of the escapees say “goodbye” as one walks along the train carriage saying “Tally-ho” in hushed tones. Our goodbyes didn’t have to be quite so secretive, although they were still hushed.
As I also reflected upon the conference and thought of the film, I was reminded by the conversation Steve McQueen’s character, Hilts has with Bartlett (played by Richard Attenborough)
Hilts - “How many are you taking out?” (referring to POW escapees)
Bartlett - “Two hundred and fifty”
Hilts - “Two hundred and fifty?!”
Bartlett - “Yeah!”
Hilts - “You’re crazy!”
Lindsay & the IFES Europe team have the goal over the next few years of training and developing 50 evangelists to be speaking across Universities in Europe – as Lindsay puts it “They’ll be tearing Europe up!” In many ways, it’s a crazy goal, but with God’s help, I pray it will be as significant in the cause of the Gospel as the Great Escape was in the cause of the Allies. On the last day of our conference, we commissioned some of those attending as they were heading around Europe to be involved in University mission work proclaiming the message of Jesus on numerous campuses in the next few days. It reminded me of the POW escapees spreading far and wide from having been together and going about their mission.
Why do IFES have such a mission? For me, the answer comes from the film – again, let me quote. This time, it is Group Capt Ramsey who speaks
“Colonel Von Luger, it is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape. If they cannot escape, then it is their sworn duty to cause the enemy to use an inordinate number of troops to guard them, and their sworn duty to harass the enemy to the best of their ability.”
And later, Ramsey asks Bartlett
“Did the Gestapo give you a hard time?” To which he replies “Not nearly as rough as I now intend to give them.”
We have no reason to escape this spiritual war we are in – we must fight. However, as we fight, it is our sworn duty to cause our enemy havoc and harass him to the best of our ability. The cost may be great, at times, the work may be hard, but we fight for a King who has already won. We do all we can to fight for our King and make it as rough a time as we can for our enemy.
In closing, the words of Ramsey & Flight Lt Hendley spring to mind as they reflect on the death of (Roger) Bartlett killed by the SS.
Ramsey - “Roger's idea was to get back at the enemy the hardest way he could, mess up the works. From what we've heard here, I think he did exactly that.
Hendley -Do you think it was worth the price?
Ramsey - Depends on your point of view, Hendley.”
For some, the work I am involved in seems strange and pointless, it has its costs and sacrifices. Is it worth it? It depends on your point of view.
“He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliott, martyred aged 28.
