Eldean Kamp was so encouraged by her attendance at the first-ever Christian Reformed Church Prayer Summit in Los Angeles that she wanted to pass on the blessing to other church members.
As a result, 18 members of six churches in British Columbia gathered on June 16 at Trinity CRC in Abbotsford, British Columbia, for a day devoted to prayer. Kamp is a prayer mobilizer for Classis British Columbia South-East (a regional group of churches).
The inaugural CRC Prayer Summit, hosted by the Korean Council of the CRC, was held in April. Kamp was moved by the powerful outpouring of prayer at the summit. “I believe God is waking up his people, giving them more hunger and desire to pray for what’s in his heart,” she explained.
Kamp was also struck by the growing variety of people within the CRC—people from many different ethnic backgrounds, with different styles of spiritual practice and prayer. “I think it was a taste of what heaven must be like,” she said.
The theme for the local prayer retreat was “Praying for the Harvesters.” Discussion was focused on the importance of prayer in response to the Great Commission. Workshops on building relationships and how to share your story were particularly helpful for those who are sometimes reluctant to speak boldly about their faith, Kamp explained.
At the end of the retreat, participants were invited to share in two challenges coming from the Prayer Summit: a call for 1,000 intercessors to pray for the church for one hour a week for one year, and a call for 365 churches to pray for church ministries over a 24-hour period.
A similar prayer retreat will be held in Vernon, British Columbia, on October 27, 2012.
About the Author
Tracey Yan is the Banner's regional news correspondent for classes British Columbia North-west and British Columbia South-east.