Next month’s Christian Reformed Church prayer summit will feature stories of people whose lives were touched—and, in some cases, profoundly changed—by the first CRC prayer summit held last year.
Stories will include how congregations have “caught fire” for prayer, how people have entered into closer connection to God, and how, through prayer, churches have become more active in their communities.
“These stories will focus on how God’s faithfulness has affected local congregations,” says Rev. Moses Chung, director of Christian Reformed Home Missions and one of the organizers of the summit, set for April 15–17 at All Nations Church in Lakeview Terrace, Calif.
Through the stories, says Chung, “we will continue to listen to God through one another.”
At the same time, there will be lessons to be learned—and learned again. “God is strong, and he wants his people to be strong and not weak,” says Chung.
Speakers at this year’s summit will touch on such topics as kingdom praying, prayer as acknowledging the presence of God, prayer as honest conversation, and prayer as “wasted time” with a purpose.
Besides the personal stories and teaching, the summit will give participants time to pray and worship together, said Rev. Joel Boot, executive director of the Christian Reformed Church.
Boot said he hopes that many CRC congregations will send at least one person and their pastor to the event.
The idea is for people from across the denomination to join in prayer and find “ways for the Christian Reformed Church to develop and enhance prayer ministries in North America until we are truly a denomination on its knees,” Boot said.
“We need each other, and we need to be praying together,” says Chung. “The Word of God is powerful.”
One of those who attended last year’s summit says that as “a result of attending the summit I will commit to spreading the word among my fellow Christians. . . . I will also be praying for those who do not yet know the Lord and building deeper relationships.”
Another of the 900-plus participants said, “I am excited to continue to pray for revival in our church. . . . I am excited to see where the Holy Spirit is going to take us.”
Visit crcna.org/prayersummit to learn more.
About the Author
Chris Meehan is a freelance writer and commissioned pastor at Coit Community Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.
