Prayer is Missions Fest Theme

By Dwayne Buhler

ANTICIPATION is building as volunteers and members of the Missions Fest 2009 planning team prepare for the 26th annual conference, to be held January 30 – February 1 at Canada Place.

The theme, ‘If My People Pray,’ represents a call for the church in the Metro Vancouver to draw together in unified prayer for our city, our nation and the world.

The Christian community in the Lower Mainland faces unique opportunities at this point in history. The world will literally be on our doorstep in 2010 for the Olympics, and the church will have many openings for service and witness in the community. There is a grassroots movement calling people to pray for God’s direction and intervention in our city. These groups include men and women, pastors and lay leaders, youth and seniors.

Missions Fest speakers will address the theme of prayer. Tony Campolo’s initial plenary address is titled ‘Red Letter Prayers,’ and focuses upon the red-letter words of Jesus.

Mark Buchanan will speak on ‘Rest and Risk,’ two elements of prayer.

Joseph D’souza of the Dalit Freedom Network will teach on ‘The Lord’s Prayer and Kingdom Mission.’

Marie Ens, a spunky 70-plus senior from Abbotsford who has spent her life serving the Cambodian people, will share her testimony and speak about “the widow’s might.”

Mike Yankoski, author of Under the Overpass, will challenge youth and young adults to put their faith and prayers into action. These speakers join more than 120 seminar presenters who are considering the implications of what happens as God’s people pray.

Samuel Longfellow, brother of legendary author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, wrote: “prayer moves the hand which moves the world.” He discovered that there is a dynamic link between what is called the deeper life, or Spirit-filled life, and missions.

One of the most oft-quoted passages of scripture, I Chronicles 7:14, begins with: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray...“. Some read these words as a conditional clause ­– as if God’s work hinges upon our human action. But they are mistaken. The call to unified prayer is a statement of intention and intimate relationship.

Prayer draws us into the presence of God and reveals the heart of God, changing one’s desires into the very purposes of God. This includes a heart for all the peoples and nations of the world.

Great things happen when people pray. Five leaders gathered in Antioch and heard the clear voice of the Spirit calling Barnabas and Saul to preach the Gospel, and the New Testament missionary movement began (Acts 13:1-3).

Two lone prisoners, beaten and bruised after an unjust series of events, brought growth and encouragement to the church in Philippi through their songs and prayers (Acts 16:25).

The Moravians, led by Count Zinzendorf and a small band of Protestant refugees, began a 24 hour prayer chain that lasted a century.

The American Foreign Missionary Society was born when a group of five students gathered for prayer under a haystack to get out of a thunderstorm.

The world changes when God’s people get together to pray. This is the thought and intention behind this year’s conference.

Dwayne Buhler is director of Missions Fest