Prayer Evangelism on Your Community's Schools Campuses

Campus EvangelismCampus Prayer Journey

A mission to pray for all our nation's schools.

The Goal - The goal of Campus Prayer Journey is to mobilize church members to pray for every elementary, secondary, and collegiate campus in the United States and Canada.

The Plan – The fourth Tuesday in September at 7:00 p.m. Campus Prayer Journey is calling families and individuals to pray on the campuses where their children attend school. Nationally, thousands will be praying for the protection and salvation of our teachers, our children, and our schools. Participants will meet twelve (12) hours before students meet for prayer at the nationwide See You at the Pole event. Participants may walk, skate, jog, bike (journey) aroundthe campus and pray for the students, teachers, and school staff.

The Purpose – The purpose of Campus Prayer Journey is to pray for the salvation, the safety, and the spiritual growth of students, teachers, and school staff members===>Click headline to access the site: Free Prayer Guides, Seven Step process . . .

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IBSA Prayer Leader Interviewed

The Expert on Prayer

Knowing my new online friend, Phil Miglioratti, I am sure he would probably object to being called the "expert on prayer," but since it is at the center of his life I have given him that title, at least for this interview.

I appreciate him taking the time to answer my questions.
----------------------
Tell us a little about your background.

Since a very young age, Christ has been central to my life; my ultimate purpose is to follow him though I often stumble. I have served as a pastor to youth, been on the staff of a mega-church (Willow Creek Community Church), pastored a small congregation for 19 years (The Woodfield Church, known as the Love One Another Church), and now my mission is to connect people to God through corporate prayer. I have a wife, Carol (married 36 years) and two married daughters each with a daughter of their own. Like David, a Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys fanatic===>Click headline to access complete interview . . .

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Prayer Spans Generations

Today there is thanksgiving that women on the reservation prayed

By Eva Wolever/Florida Baptist Witness / Baptist Press

A student finishes her day with a smile at First Indian Baptist Academy near Okeechobee, Fla. Photo by Joni B. Hannigan/Florida Baptist Witness

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (BP)--The women sat in a cluster, their heads bowed, their faces creased in earnest pleading with God to bless their families, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Years later, there is thanksgiving.

One of their answered prayers is First Indian Baptist Academy.

"I used to be with those grandmas and great grandmas as they prayed for their families," said Betty Luckey, a teacher at the school, "and now I'm getting to be with those very babies they had prayed for.

"They're now young teenagers and preteens. "God is answering the prayers of the elders. He is blessing the kids."===>Click headline to access complete article...


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IMB Leader's Thanksgiving Prayer

A Thanksgiving Prayer
By Erich Bridges

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)—Dear Lord: Thank You for bearing with us for another year. Your mercy never ceases to amaze.

For those who continue to believe that human nature must be improved by effort and good intentions -– rather than redeemed by Your grace -– 2006 has been another case study in failure.

Given the choice between peace and violence, traditional enemies continue to fight. “New” hostilities that burst upon international awareness, such as the blood feud between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, are actually centuries old. Other hatreds persist with depressing reliability.

With few exceptions, nations still seek their own interests first and last, which is what nations have done throughout history. If others benefit, it’s often a happy accident, not a policy. Allies typically help each other because it is expedient, not because they love each other -– or You.

Nations act like people: Our individual lives follow the same pattern of self-interest and indifference toward others. We tend to look out for ourselves and our families -– and the devil take the rest (he is only too happy to oblige). All have gone their own way. None has sought after You. No, not even one.

In a land of riches, we, Your children, mostly seek our own desires. Once we obtain them, we call them Your blessings. We say we will use them to bless others, but we usually spend them on ourselves.

Is it Your will that we live in big houses and drive around in fancy cars, even as billions live and die in poverty? We’ve become experts in rationalizing it. Do You really desire the construction of a thousand more castle-like sanctuaries in America when entire people groups have never heard the name of Jesus?

And yet You remain faithful.

Where we hate, You love. Where we are indifferent, You are passionately concerned, even for those who worship other gods or no god. Just as You showed compassion for the 120,000 wicked Ninevites Jonah disdained, who didn’t “know the difference between their right and left hand” (Jonah 4:11), You care today for the many peoples who will repent –- if only we will tell them You are the way to salvation.

Thank You that You are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Have mercy upon us once again. Make our hearts like Yours. Teach us to be like You. Teach us to seek You first, not Your gifts and blessings. You are divinely jealous, Father. As Brother Lawrence said, You won’t allow a soul that is searching for You to be comforted by anything other than You.

Long ago, Thomas a Kempis warned in The Imitation of Christ: “He who seeks any other thing in religion than God alone and the salvation of his soul will find nothing but trouble and sorrow. He will not remain there long in peace and quiet who does not labor to be the least, and subject to all.”

How strange such words sound to us – almost as strange as the words of Christians in other lands who not only expect but welcome persecutions. We know we are not worthy of such brothers and sisters, Lord. Make us worthy, somehow, to share their sufferings, if only through the great privilege of praying for them.

As David sang in Psalm 16, You are our portion, Lord. We have no good thing besides You. In Your presence is fullness of joy, and in Your right hand are pleasures forever. Teach us in the coming year to be thankful for Your blessings, but to lay aside once and for all the notion that they are a substitute for You.

Teach us to bless You, Father. Teach us to praise You, to lift Your name among all the nations. For You are all in all! Amen.

Erich Bridges is a senior writer with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board
Please submit any prayer requests via http://www.sbc.net/oneinamillion
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Help! for IBSA Prayer Champions

Navigate your way to the IBSA Prayer Ministries web page:

• The latest books on prayer from LifeWay and other publishers
• New ideas for bland & boring prayer meetings
• IBSA @ Prayer ~ Examples from our congregations and associations
• Resources to pray outward (IMB) and forward (NAMB)
• News and articles on the status of prayer throughout the SBC

Get connected!

• Receive the IBSA Prayer~Gram (monthly notice of new postings
  
• Send an email to phil@nppn.org

Get help!

• IBSA Prayer Consultant Phil Miglioratti is available to serve your congregation or association
• Sunday Preaching * Weekend Workshops * Midweek Prayer Adventures * Consulting
• Let's talk ~ 847-991-0153
  

NAMB 2007 Week of Prayer Missionaries

North American missionaries selected for 2007 Week of Prayer

By Staff, Baptist Press

Bill and Arlene Barker

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--The North American Mission Board has announced the selection of missionaries to be featured during next spring�s Week of Prayer for the 2007 North American Missions Emphasis.

The 2007 theme, �Change Your World,� is based on Ephesians 2:10 to help renew Southern Baptists� awareness of the need to support those who are sharing the Gospel on the North American mission field.

Eight NAMB missionaries or missionary couples are selected each year to represent the work of 5,300 missionaries across the United States and Canada. The work of the missionaries selected in 2007 includes starting new churches, leading community ministries, serving as associational missionaries, evangelizing cross-culturally and ministering in resort settings.

The 2007 Week of Prayer missionaries are:

-- Bill and Arlene Barker of West Virginia, who coordinate mobilization of volunteers to the Appalachian region of the United States.

-- Thira and Montira Siengsukon of Missouri, who direct the Lao School of Ministry. Thira�s ministry involves equipping Lao-culture pastors and church leaders, many of whom are first-generation Christians who lack biblical knowledge and background.

-- Gary and Joyce Irby of Washington, who supervise Anglo church planting for the Seattle area. Gary assists in identifying church planters and locations for new church starts and helps train and encourage church planters.

-- Diana and John Lewis of Arkansas, who serve in ministry evangelism. Diana assists churches in identifying and developing community ministries and also plans and implements statewide Mississippi River Ministry projects.

-- Ken and Cindy Wilson of Michigan, who serve in associational missions. As associational missionary for Northland Baptist Association, Ken�s vision is to encourage and equip Baptists to make a Kingdom impact in Michigan.

-- Leroy and Carolyn Fountain, formerly of Texas, who served in church planting. Though the Week of Prayer emphasis focuses on Leroy�s work in Texas, he recently has joined the staff of the North American Mission Board. In his previous role in Texas and now nationwide, Leroy helps identify, assess and train church planters and works to match them with sponsoring churches.

-- Anatoliy and Natasha Odnoralov of Colorado, who serve in church planting. Anatoliy plants churches among Russian-speaking people in the Denver area and also uses English as a Second Language classes as a method of evangelism.

-- Jeff and Thea Ford of Alabama, who direct resort ministries for the Baldwin Baptist Association. Jeff�s ministries include campground chaplaincy, worship services for RV parks, outreach to �snowbirds,� disaster relief, beach evangelism and coordinating summer missionaries and mission team volunteers.

To assist Southern Baptist churches, a free promotion packet emphasizing the �Change Your World� theme will be mailed to every church by mid-January. Week of Prayer missionaries are featured throughout the packet, in video segments on a DVD (VHS available on request), in a daily prayer guide and on missionary prayer cards available for purchase.

The North American Missions Emphasis includes three aspects:

-- The annual Week of Prayer, March 4-11, 2007, when churches are asked to focus on praying for the eight missionaries and their areas of service.

-- The North American Mission Study, designed to involve all age groups in a study of the Change Your World theme and spark a desire to make a difference in North America.

-- The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, which supports more than 5,300 North American missionaries and their ministries. The 2007 goal is $57 million, 100 percent of which is used for missionary support.

More information about the Week of Prayer for North American Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is available at www.AnnieArmstrong.com. North American mission study materials (lesson plans and supportive material) will be added in January.

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Idea #3 - Praying for You . . .

A Simple Handwritten Note

As the pastor of the church, it is imperative that I communicate to my people that I love and care for them. However, as a bivocational minister, my schedule is extremely tight and I don't have the time to visit the congregation as much as I would like. What can I do?

My friend Ben offers a great idea, and presents a time-saving solution - A Simple Handwritten Note.

Ben says, "When was the last time you received a handwritten note? It's OK if you can't remember. In our electronic world handwriting anything seems to be the last thing anyone considers or expects. But I bet you can tell me the last handwritten note you received, who it was from, and the reason why. That's because it stood out from all the other interruptions in our lives. The people in your church and community are no different that you are. They want to feel special and noticed too."

Read more and download a page with 6 sample personal notes.

Blessings,

Mitch Martin

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Rafters or Prayer?

United in prayer & empowered by the Spirit

By Kenneth S. Hemphill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--If you were preparing to build a house, you wouldn't begin by putting the rafters in place. Yet many churches that are plateaued or declining look first for a new method, marketing strategy, or worship style to return their church to healthy growth. While it may be necessary to address issues of method and style, the most critical issue is supernatural empowering by the Spirit. This empowering comes in response to the concerted prayer of God's people. When we demonstrate our dependence on God, He pours out His Spirit upon His Church.

Several years ago many people were fascinated by the success of the cell group movement in Korea. I was privileged to hear a prominent Korean pastor speak on his cell groups. Toward the end of the presentation he made an interesting observation. He noted that many people who came to hear him were fascinated to hear about his cell groups but uninterested when he spoke about prayer mountain, the place where hundreds of believers gathered to pray early in the morning. He told us that God had grown the church and the cells were nothing more than their attempt to accommodate the supernatural growth God had given. LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer, in his doctoral dissertation on church growth, called prayer the power behind the principles.

Prayer and the empowering of the Spirit are interrelated, and thus I will treat it as a single characteristic of the Kingdom-centered church. Since supernatural empowering is the essential foundation, we will first examine prayer and then look at the role of the Spirit in expanding the Kingdom through the church===>Click headline to access complete article . . .

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LifeWay Research ~ Read the Newspaper so You Know How to Pray

SUMMARY: New research shows that Protestant ministers tend to be less informed about popular culture
(magazines, TV, videogames, music, etc.) than are the people to whom they are ministering.


Facts & Trends November/December 2006FULL RELEASE:
Research results being released for the first time in the November/December edition of Facts & Trends magazine show just how informed Protestant ministers and laity are about today's culture: books, music, sports, celebrities, television programs, politics, magazines, radio and TV talk shows, movies, the internet, video and computer games, and clothing and fashion. In general, pastors are less informed about the culture in which they live than are the people in their churches.

Facts & Trends is published bimonthly by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Two studies were conducted for Facts & Trends by Ellison Research (Phoenix, Ariz.). One is a representative sample of 797 Protestant church ministers nationwide, and the other is a companion survey of 1,184 adults who attend Protestant churches at least once a month. The studies asked each group to rate how informed they are about 12 different elements of today's popular culture: very informed, somewhat informed, not very informed, or they actively avoid it.

Not one of the 12 cultural elements show a majority of clergy or laity claiming to be very informed about it. Pastors and churchgoers rarely try to avoid popular culture, but they often are relatively uninformed about cultural influences.

The area of today's culture ministers tend to stay most informed about is politics, with 36 percent saying they are very informed about politics, and another 55 percent claiming to be somewhat informed on the subject. This is the only one of the 12 areas included in the study about which ministers actually feel better informed than the laity - 29 percent of all churchgoers feel very informed about politics, and another 47 percent feel somewhat informed about it.

Pastors and laity feel about equally informed about sports. Twenty-four percent of clergy feel very informed about sports in today's culture, and another 44 percent are somewhat informed about this topic, with laity providing answers which are very similar.

On each of the other ten topics, laity feel significantly more informed about the culture surrounding them than do ministers. Twenty percent of ministers feel very informed about the internet, compared to 43 percent of laity. Nineteen percent of ministers feel very informed about what's on television today, compared to 31 percent of laity. Eighteen percent are very informed about books, compared to 27 percent of laity, and 16 percent are very informed about movies today, compared to 24 percent of laity.

Pastors rarely feel very informed about the other culture topics on the list: radio and TV talk shows (12 percent, compared to 20 percent among laity), music (11 percent, versus 28 percent among laity), magazines (11 percent, compared to 17 percent among laity), clothing and fashion (7 percent, compared to 16 percent among laity), video and computer games (5 percent, compared to 16 percent among laity), and celebrities (4 percent, versus 10 percent among laity).

The areas where the greatest gaps exist between pastors and laity are in video and computer games, fashion, and celebrities. Fifty-nine percent of ministers are uninformed about fashion, compared to 37 percent of the people in the pews. Sixty-nine percent know next to nothing about celebrities, while this is true of 49 percent of their congregations. And 71 percent are uninformed about video and computer games, while 49 percent of their congregants know next to nothing on this subject.

Among ministers, there are not dramatic differences in the findings by theology or denominational group. Most differences among denominational groups (Methodists, Baptists, etc.) are fairly minor. In general, mainline ministers tend to feel slightly more informed about books and movies than do evangelical pastors, but other areas are quite similar.

There are some differences according to age, however. Younger ministers (under age 45) feel more informed about sports, the internet, music, clothing and fashion, celebrities, and video and computer games than do older pastors. However, this is also true among the people attending their churches - younger people feel much more informed about these areas and others in today's culture than do older laypeople.

Among the laity, how informed they are about the culture around them does not vary significantly according to how long people have attended their current church, whether they are involved in a mainline or evangelical church, how often they attend it, or whether they are in a volunteer leadership position within the church.

Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, pointed out that this research raises the question of whether churches are having an impact on how people interact with culture. "There's a long-term debate within Christendom about what is an appropriate level of involvement in popular culture. Some Christians believe separation from the world is part of godly behavior, while others believe involvement in the world is necessary in order to reach out to the world," Sellers observed. "Either way, one might logically expect church involvement to change how a person looks at culture - either becoming more involved in order to have more effective outreach, or becoming less involved as they seek to lead a less worldly lifestyle. But the data shows no difference in cultural awareness according to how frequently people attend church, how long they've been there, or whether they are in a leadership position. This raises the question of how much churches actually impact how people live their daily lives."

Sellers also noted that one criticism people often have about churches is that they are out of touch with the world around them. "The data shows ministers are, generally speaking, not all that informed about the culture in which they seek to minister. The people in the pews feel much more informed about the internet, movies, videogames, and other expressions of popular culture than do their pastors. People are definitely impacted by the culture they consume - the web sites they visit or the music they listen to, for instance. Pastors need to be informed about what's out there in order to understand how the culture is influencing the people they are trying to reach," Sellers said.

STUDY DETAILS:
Ellison Research has conducted a series of studies among clergy and laity for Facts & Trends. Facts & Trends is a bimonthly magazine produced by the corporate communications office of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is designed to assist pastors, church staff and denominational leaders in their roles of ministry by informing them about LifeWay resources and how they relate to current issues in Christian ministry. For information about Facts & Trends, contact Chris Turner at 615-251-2307.

Both studies were conducted by Ellison Research, a marketing research company located in Phoenix, Arizona. The sample of 802 Protestant ministers included only those who are actively leading churches. The study's total sample is accurate to within ±3.3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level with a 50 percent response distribution. The sample of 1,184 people who attend a Protestant church once a month or more is accurate to within ±2.7 percentage points under the same parameters.

Both studies were conducted in all 50 states, using a representative sample of pastors and laity from all Protestant denominations. Respondents' gender, age, geography, church size, and denomination were carefully tracked to ensure appropriate representation and accuracy.

More complete data from these questions, including denominational detail, is available at http://www.ellisonresearch.com/releases/20061109.htm. If you would prefer to receive future news releases at a different e-mail address, please contact Laura Stump at Ellison Research (phone 602-493-3500 x8143), or at laurastump@ellisonresearch.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Ron Sellers, President, Ellison Research * ronsellers@ellisonresearch.com
Phone: 602-493-3500 x8130
Additional data on this topic from the study can be found at http://www.ellisonresearch.com/releases/20061109.htm

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IBSA Prayer Coordinator on National TeleConference

Attention Pastors and Prayer Leaders . . .

Would you like to improve as a prayer mobilizer for your church? Then join us on the November Church Prayer Leaders Network telephone seminar. This month’s topic is:

Becoming A Champion for Prayer in Your Church

Phil Miglioratti of the National Pastors Prayer Network will be presenting.

Tuesday, November 21, 8:30 pm EST

To enter, smiply call: 1 (641) 985-1133 and use Pass Code: 2756# at the prompt.

We would love to see you there.

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The Work of Prayer

Doing The Work Of Prayer

Georges Boujakly writes a monthly column on spiritual disciplines for the Christian life.

In December of 2004, I wrote about doing the “work of prayer”. A friend quizzed “what on earth do you mean by that?” I take her challenge to describe what I mean by showing how people I know do it.

James Houston defines prayer as “keeping company with God”. This is something like what my kids would say when I ask: “Where have you been?” “Hanging out with friends,” they reply. Being there or being present to God, being available and open to enter into conversation at any moment he beckons is the work of prayer. Do you think it would be a good idea to accuse my daughters of wasting time? They think that “hanging out” is a major occupation of their time with friends. It is productive time. Presence is what they “do”.

Another experience to describe the work of prayer comes to mind. A few years ago, I met a woman at a Wichita pastors’ gathering. Right then Holy Spirit summoned her to begin praying for me. Ever since, every few months she calls and asks about my prayer needs. I share with her my family needs and my ministry needs. When she calls again she asks specifically about the needs I shared with her the time before. She marks off her list those prayers that God has answered. Would you say she is one who does the work of prayer? Do you do the work of prayer in someone’s life? What a blessing you are and could be!

Yet another idea. My wife, Carolyn, loves to minister to the elderly. This is her favorite job. Presently she is a companion to the mother of a woman from our home church. This wonderful daughter pays Carolyn to go to the house daily to meet her mother’s physical needs. But that is not the most important thing she does. According to her, the time she spends listening to her older companion is very rewarding to both of them. Listening to the heart of people is God’s work and when we do it, we do the work of prayer. We imitate Abba.

Carolyn has discovered that one way to get her older friend to eat sufficiently to keep up her physical strength is to bring her own lunch and to eat together. Doing the work of prayer is keeping the company of others listening to their dramas and hopes. It is sharing what sustains, heals, reconciles and guides.

The work of prayer is keeping company with God, praying intensely for others, listening to others and sharing life with them. It sounds a lot like Jesus to me. Walking with the master is doing the work of prayer.

Past Columns

• teousSpending An Hour With a Good Hymn! November 2006
• The Host, The House And The Hosted October 2006
• Walking in Friendship With God and Others September 2006
• Image Of Child As Disciple August 2006
• White Collars, Black Robes July 2006
• The Deeper Reality of Discipleship June 2006
• Athletic Image Of Discipleship May 2006
• Image Of A Soldier March 2006
• Every Disciple A Servant and A Steward January 2006
• In The Service Of The Master December 2005
• More Columns from Walking with the Master

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