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Breaking News... Our dear friend Peter Neri is doing MUCH BETTER! Thank you for your prayers. He was speaking for campmeeting in Gentry, Arkansas, but on Friday night was taken to ICU with extreme weakness and a heart rate over 200. The electrical conduction of the heart was malfunctioning, so Peter's heart was not in normal rhythm. There were some scary times during the weekend, but God was there.
If you had been there on Sunday evening in Peter's room you would have witnessed a beautiful anointing service with Elder Steve Orian, President of the Arkansas/Louisiana Conference, Marian Parson, conference Prayer Coordinator, and several pastors. A nurse informed Peter shortly after the time of prayer and anointing, that his heart was back in normal rhythm! Thank you for your prayers. He is under the care of specialists, but was out walking his dogs when he called me this week, and he sounded good.
Speaking of anointing services - many Prayer Conferences now include a time for anointing - for healing, for victory, for the Holy Spirit, and for service. Mark Piotrowski, pastor and Prayer Coordinator for the Georgia Cumberland Conference always provides a time for anointing for those who wish to be included. Pastor Dale Tunnell from that conference informed me yesterday that every year they have seen at least one physical healing. Our God is faithful, and He loves to meet the needs of His children. God often surprises us through times of anointing, it's impossible to count them all, and maybe that's good. We don't always need to know - but someday we will see the reasons why we come together for these special times of focused intercession.
The Prayer Tent or Prayer Room at Campmeeting is becoming a place of more and more significance every year. This is a place where God's people can come together to pray for one another, share promises, get resources, enjoy seminars, and pray for speakers. Often an anointing service is offered there in the prayer tent as well.
Kathy Pepper, Prayer Coordinator for the Mountain View Conference, shared these photos of their attractive Prayer Tent. Some of our conference administrators have reported that these prayer tents make a measurable difference in the success of their campmeeting experience - setting the tone, and inviting the presence of God in our midst as He has promised.
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This past Sabbath afternoon, June 13 marked the celebration of the life of a dear friend and brother. The happy/sad (and huge) memorial service for Pastor Ron Halvorsen was held at the Forest Lake Church in Apopka, Florida. It was live-streamed and I hope you were able to watch it. If not, it is still available here.
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Many are praying daily for the CALLED Pastors' Convention in Austin TX, June 28 - July 1, and for the General Conference Session in San Antonio, July 2 - 11. Below are a couple of links to thoughtful presentations about the spirit in which we should all gather to listen for God's leading.
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"The Lord lays upon no man a message that will discourage and dishearten the Church.
He reproves, He rebukes, He chastens; but it is only that He may restore and approve at last."
(Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 23)
The link to Dan Jackson's appeal is here. |
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The link to Ty Gibson's excellent article is
here.
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A reminder to keep the PrayOneMillion reminders visible - at campmeetings, in church services and Sabbath School - in Church bulletins and bulletin boards. It helps to have someone jog our memory to remind us to intercede for those whom God lays on our hearts.
One last praise - in the Alaska Conference, with twenty-nine churches and 3,829 members, we are thanking God for 15 new Prayer Leaders. In this vast state, those 15 new people can have a profound effect for the kingdom. We thank God for every prayer leader in every church across North America. Let's ask Him to grow these prayer circles into larger and stronger groups to make each church a PRAYING CHURCH!
Recently at a National Prayer Committee meeting we were challenged with the thought that a church has an identity - and Christ said that His church should be a "House of Prayer for all people." The speaker made this statement: "When you see someone with an advanced neurological condition like amnesia they sometimes don't know for sure who they are. It's likewise serious if a church forgets its identity and no longer recalls that it is to be a House of Prayer." Nothing else can take the place of prayer - no wonder Christ said it should be the center - the focus - of every church. That's how He is in our midst.
There are so many weekly and daily prayer calls now! Praise the Lord! Only in heaven will we see the full results of this time spent together, in fellowship and encouragement - knowing that God is with us, hearing and answering and receiving our worship.
I read something again just this morning that you may have read many times too - but these statements are becoming more important as we get nearer to the end. Desire of Ages p. 390 says that we should take one verse of Scripture and make it our own, digging deeply to discover what God has put there for us. But then it adds that the experiences related in the Scriptures are to be our experiences, too! A great promise to claim.
God has a plan for you, and He is using you in ways you cannot see.
Blessings,
Ruthie
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Ruthie Jacobsen
NAD Prayer Coordinator
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All Night Call to Prayer
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Phone: 404-891-6338
ID 772 937#
Our next all-night call will be
July 2.
10:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. (EDT)
Mark that date on your calendar.
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Praying for the people we love who have quit coming to church
by Nancy Canwell
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HELP WANTED
Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people." (Matthew 4:19, NLT).
Rather than waiting to approach someone after they've quit coming to church, what might happen if we started connecting with them the moment we see signs of distress? What if we as pastors and members were aware and engaged with them when it appears that they are in the process of leaving?
In his book, An Indescribable Welcome Home, Paul Richardson tells the story of a pastor who did just this.
The pastor had been looking for a way to meet the needs of the community surrounding his church. After doing some careful research, the members discovered that one of the greatest needs was space for community gardens. This was perfect! The church actually had extra land after its building project was completed.
Members spread the word that the land needed to be prepared before it could be offered to the community. Volunteers were needed to bring tractors and tillers, shovels and stakes, soil amendments and seeds, and to do watering and weeding.
To the pastor's delight, some of the first people to show up and help were the men in his church who did not attend on a regular basis. They were more than willing to bring equipment and provide hours of time and manpower. They may not have responded to an invitation to a church service, but they were happy to volunteer their machines and their know-how. Working together on this project for their community brought many of these men back to church on a regular basis.
We all need to be needed. And if someone is on his or her way out of the church because they feel unneeded and unimportant, what better way to keep them than by getting them involved?
When Jesus was here on earth, His disciples were very active participants in His ministry. They weren't merely spectators, but ministered alongside Jesus. He taught them by His example, and then gave them a work to do. In fact, He trained them so well that they took over His ministry after He ascended to heaven.
When Jesus called the 12 to join Him, He said, " 'Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people.' " He let them know that they would active in service. Perhaps we need to say something similar to those in the process of leaving the church: "Come join us. We need your talents," or "Come join us. We could use someone with your education," or "Come join us. We need someone with your unique experience." If we put out a "Help Wanted" sign by personal invitation, we'd see fewer people leaving the church. This is at the heart of Reconnecting Ministries.
Prayer Focus: That God would prompt us to pay attention to who might be missing at church, and to seek them out. And even more importantly, to engage with them when it appears that they may be in the process of leaving.
Recommended Resource: An Indescribable Welcome Home, by Paul Richardson. Order the Bible Study Guide and Leader's Guide from AdventSource: here and here.
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Nancy Canwell
If
you have missed any of the previous articles of the Reconnecting Ministries Series you may find them all here:
Click Here
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Prayer Conference Videos
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Pray For Our Conferences and Their Leaders By Name
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PRAY ONE MILLION
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TEN WEEKS FOR BOLD PRAYERS
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Calendar
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All Night Call to Prayer - July 2
10 Weeks for Bold Prayers - April 19 - June 27
NAD Ministerial Convention - June 28 - July 1
Men's Day of Prayer - September 5
Curriculum Focus for the Month: Prayer - November
Week of Prayer - November 1 - 7
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