World church launches ‘United in Prayer’
Images by Adventist Review
July 5, 2015 | San Antonio, Texas, United States | Sandra Blackmer/ANN
100 Days of Prayer, a General Conference Ministerial Association initiative running from March 25 through July 11, sought a deeper outpouring of the Holy Spirit among church members and an anticipation of God’s blessings at the GC session.
The goal is to keep the momentum going with United in Prayer.
“We are living in serious times and need to be seeking God more earnestly in prayer,” said Melody Mason, volunteer coordinator for 100 Days of Prayer. “Inspiration says that we’ve already received a measure of the Holy Spirit but that we’re continually to ask for more. We want to encourage our church members to hold up the arms of our leaders and also to ‘stand in the gap’ for each other.”
The new initiative, United in Prayer, will be launched at the General Conference session.
It follows in the tracks of 100 Days of Prayer and continues to incorporate 777 (praying at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., 7 days a week) and 10 Days of Prayer, programs in which hundreds of thousands of people worldwide participate. But it will foster a broader focus to provide support for both a personal and an interactive prayer community. Participants will be able to share and receive testimonies, prayer requests, inspirational messages, and practical prayer resources. The stated goal is “praying every day with God’s people and seeing God work.”
Participants in 100 Days of Prayer will automatically be signed up for United in Prayer unless they choose to unsubscribe. Others can sign up online, at the Revival and Reformation booth in the GC session exhibit hall, or following the July 10 evening program led by evangelist Mark Finley and focusing on prayer.
Session delegates and other attendees are also encouraged to stop by the Prayer Room, Meeting Room F, in the Alamodome, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. daily, where the final 10 days of the prayer initiative will culminate.
Numerous reports of spiritual growth and greater unity within congregations have emerged over the 100 Days of Prayer, including some from session delegates who say they’ve been convicted of the need for a closer walk with God as a result of the daily prayer focus and devotionals.
“This is what we’ve been praying for,” Mason said.
Some 6,500 people signed up online to receive the daily devotionals and resources; many shared the resources with their local church congregations. An additional 2,000 visit the dedicated 100daysofprayer.org Web site each day.
“The materials have gone to more people than we can keep track off,” Mason said.
The GC Revival and Reformation Committee, comprising leaders from nearly every GC department, developed and refined the prayer and other world headquarters initiatives.
“It’s been amazing to see all that the Lord has done around the world through the united prayers of His people,” said Janet Page, associate GC Ministerial Assotiation secretary for pastors’ families and leader for all prayer programs and activities. “God’s Word and the Spirit of Prophecy tell us that a true revival of godliness is what we need, and that comes only in answer to prayer.”
Many answers to prayer and stories of changed lives have been posted on the 100 Days of Prayer Web site. One participant told of renewed hope and power to handle life’s challenges, saying that 100 Days of Prayer “came as a lifeline to my dying, sinking soul.”
“Initially I wasn’t sure whether reading would make a difference to the world of hurt I had, but daily God took over,” she wrote. “One day I woke up and realized I was light again; He had taken my entire burden! He taught me to trust in Him . . . [and] provided words of comfort and reassurance that He answers prayer. I’m not the same woman I was before 100 Days of Prayer.”
A local church prayer team coordinator described how she gathered support for the program from her pastor and other church members, who have since held three prayer sessions each day. The group has been experiencing “wonderful fellowship and seeing many prayers answered,” she said.
Mason said that the working of the Holy Spirit has been evident among leaders at the world church headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, as well, and that “unity” and a “sweet spirit” have distinctly stood out at yearly Annual Councils and Spring Meetings.
“I’ve seen firsthand that the prayers have made a difference,” she said. “We have more crucial times ahead, and we need God to help us through—so we must continue praying.”
To find out more or to become a United in Prayer participant, visit 100daysofprayer.org or revivalandreformation.org.