Prayer Summit 2013 Planning Begins
A woman from a California Christian Reformed church attended last April’s Prayer Summit and was shocked to see so many people at prayer.
She has been praying most of her life, but often alone, wondering if she was one of the only persons in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) who lived a life so dedicated to prayer.
“Knowing and seeing so many other people praying was very important to her,” said Rev. Moses Chung, director of Christian Reformed Home Missions and one of the coordinators of last April’s inaugural Prayer Summit.
The Summit was held at All Nations CRC this past April in the Los Angeles, Calif. area. Given its success, the denomination has decided to hold another one, also at All Nations CRC, in April 2013.
“This year’s Prayer Summit was a big deal. Many of us went across the country to get there,” said Rev. Joel Boot, executive director of the Christian Reformed Church.
“What made the difference for me was standing in the aisle and having the experience of praying together with so many people.”
Looking Ahead to 2013
As two of the coordinators for the next CRC Prayer Summit, Boot and Chung helped lead a prayer and planning retreat last week at Maranatha Bible Conference in Muskegon, Mich.
About 20 people attended the retreat and discussed the successes of the last Summit and provided suggestions for what to include in next year’s Summit.
One the goals they discussed, Chung says, was to make sure to gather and inspire praying people such as that woman from the California church to consider coming to the Summit to pray with a host of others.
If they can’t attend, they can continue praying wherever they are.
“We believe there is a prayer person in every church in the CRC and we want to bring them together in whatever way,” said Chung.
“We want to empower them. We want to honor those who have faithfully gotten on their knees and through their faithful prayers God has blessed the CRC.”
Many People Were Moved
Besides the story of the woman from the California church, many other stories of people being touched and transformed have emerged from last April’s Summit.
Some of these stories were told during the retreat. Participants said one pastor has started a dawn prayer session in his church; other pastors have found ways to meet regularly to pray.
In addition, individuals have woven prayer more intricately into their lives of faith, and a woman who often feels marginalized by the CRC left the Summit with a strong sense of connection with others in the denomination, especially Korean CRC members.
Looking Ahead
Besides discussing goals for next year’s Summit, the retreat in Muskegon also emphasized prayer and gave participants ample time to pray.
For instance, as the afternoon session of the planning retreat began on the first day, Chung asked one of the participants to read the apostle Paul’s well- known Bible passage Ephesians 6: 10-20.
The passage is about the power and necessity of prayer in order to face and stand up to the daily temptations of the Devil.
After reading and reflecting on it, participants discussed what they had gained from the text.
“We need to pray long and hard, to pray for our brothers and sisters and keep our eyes open,” said one participant.
“God wants us to be strong and prepared,” said another participant. “We’re up against more than we can handle on our own.”
Reflecting on the Retreat
Rev. Mark Hilbelink, lead pastor of Sunrise Community Church in Austin, Texas, says the retreat brought together a range of people from diverse backgrounds, creating space everyone to pray and to participate in the planning.
“That group was able to pray at length, spend time in spontaneous worship and seeking God's face on behalf of the 2013 Prayer Summit and the CRC as a whole.
“It was a privilege to be a part of this group, to spend time worshipping God together and trying to catch a vision for what He is already doing in our midst."
Being Open To The Spirit
For Chung, the best moments of last April’s Summit were those times when something unexpected happened. He calls these “Holy Spirit moments.”
Looking ahead to next April, he said, the goal will not be to repeat what happened this April. Rather, it will be for members of the CRC to gather, as they did this year, to pray together and to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.
“It’s all about God’s kingdom coming on earth,” said Chung.
“What we really desire and what we are after is what happens before and after the Summit. We want to see local congregations all over the denomination develop passionate and consistent habits of prayer.”
