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By Gary Bennett
THROUGH the years you’ve probably seen them many
times – those sometimes catchy and often kitschy read-a-board
messages on various church lawns, launching missives such as:
“The family that prays together stays
together”; or “Seven days without prayer makes one weak”;
or “If you don’t pray, you will become prey.”
The jury may be out on the effectiveness of such
attempts at drive-by evangelism. But one thing is certain: when the
church of Jesus Christ goes beyond sloganeering to the actual discipline of
praying, some dramatic things begin to happen.
Such was the case a year ago, when 35 churches and
ministries in the Greater Victoria area coordinated their people, time and
resources to engage in 52 days of continuous hour-by-hour prayer.
Out of that prayer initiative, testimonies arose
– of people coming alive in Christ, relationships being restored,
bodies being healed and greater unity being experienced within the
city-wide church of Victoria.
Building on the success of last year’s
initiative, the 2009 version of ‘52 Days of Prayer’ was
launched in front of nearly 900 people gathered at the Good Friday Rally
April 10 at the North Douglas Pentecostal Church.
The 52 Days will run continuously through Pentecost
Sunday, May 31, culminating with a 6:30 pm city-wide celebration at Glad
Tidings Church.
It is fitting that May 31 has also been designated as
the ‘Global Day of Prayer.’ The theme of the 2009 initiative is
‘You are the Salt. You are the Light. This is Our City.’
Congregations and individuals have been asked to focus
their prayers on inviting God to permeate every aspect of community life
with his transforming presence.
This includes the government, the church, the
educational system, home and family, arts and entertainment, media and the
business community.
Although a slightly different mix this year, there are
once again 35 different churches participating throughout Greater Victoria.
To foster a sense of connection between the various
congregations during the 52 days, a ‘Passing of the Torch’
feature has been added this year.
During the services on Sunday morning, representatives
from congregations concluding their days of prayer are visiting other
congregations about to embark on their days of prayer.
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Prayers and blessings are being exchanged by the
congregational representatives. To facilitate the exchange, a torch is
making its way from church to church.
Actually, the torch is a converted battery-operated
‘trouble light’ with an AC adapter – and a lampshade
emblazoned with the Salt and Light theme.
Some congregations have signed up for several days of
continuous 24-hour prayer. Other congregations have signed up to cover an
entire week.
For their designated times, many churches have
established special prayer rooms where individuals or groups can meet at
any and all hours of the day or night.
To track what the Lord is doing in the lives of his
people during this season, a website and a Facebook grouping have been
established to give people an opportunity to share their experiences with a
wider audience.
The website can be accessed at www.cityreach.ca, and
the Facebook group is City Reach Victoria.
Also, at the May 31 evening Concluding Rally at Glad
Tidings Church, selected participants from the various congregations will
be given an opportunity to give accounts of God’s transforming power
manifested during the 52 days of the prayer initiative.
The 52 Days of Prayer is an initiative spearheaded by a
group of pastors and ministry leaders who have been meeting on Thursday
mornings over the past 10 years, to pray for God’s transformation in
the Greater Victoria area.
It is their hope that this year’s effort will
continue to fuel the establishment of a prayer movement in the churches,
that will provide an ongoing 24-hour covering over 365 days a year.
May 2009
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