A Wake-Up Call to Pray

Global Day of Prayer Starts May 1st

By Charles Fay

Many people have heard the Bible verse from II Chronicles 7:14, where God says: “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins and restore their land.” Christians believe they represent the people that God is addressing in this verse, and therefore this verse is a critical wake up call for all of them.

The St. Louis Region will soon experience an unprecedented eleven days in May filled with Christian prayers and praise. Starting on May 1st, the National Day of Prayer will be observed with a multitude of prayer gatherings throughout the region at city halls, churches and even the Arch. (For location details, see www.gatewayndp.org.)

On May 2nd through the 10th, the Global Day of Prayer (GDP) will have pre-Pentecost prayer gatherings open to everyone at nine different churches, reflecting the period of time when believers were waiting in the upper room after Jesus rose from the dead.

Then on Pentecost Sunday, May 11th, this unique concentration of prayer in St. Louis will climax with a Global Day of Prayer event for all Christians as they meet together at Busch Stadium, starting at 4 p.m. and ending before 6 p.m. For the fourth year in a row, St. Louis will become one of thousands of locations around the world praying to God in the name of His Son, Christ Jesus of Nazareth. Christians in every nation in the world are expected to meet to pray on this day; which commemorates the birth of the Christian Church.

GDP History

The Global Day of Prayer had its beginnings in 2001, when a Christian businessman in Cape Town, South Africa had a vision from God to rent a stadium and invite Christians from all Church affiliations to come together to pray in unity. Amazingly, 45,000 Christians gathered at Newlands Rugby Stadium, and many lives were changed. Each year after that, the numbers of people meeting for prayer on the same day grew tremendously until every country on the continent of Africa, and over 22 million people, participated in 2004.

This supernatural outpouring led to an invitation from Africa to the rest of the world, which resulted in the first Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost Sunday, 2005. Since then, the participation worldwide has been explosive with estimates now of hundreds of millions of Christians meeting in auditoriums, stadiums, churches and open fields to pray on Pentecost Sunday. The magnitude and critical importance of this amazing story is something everyone should know. (See www.globaldayofprayer.com)

The St. Louis Region GDP

In St. Louis, the primary purpose of Global Day of Prayer participation is to please God by joining the rest of the world offering prayers, praise and service to others, while particularly honoring the name of Jesus. The plan is to bring God’s whole family together in one place to pray with humility for racial and denominational harmony, and then follow that with acts of service for others. Everyone who believes in The Apostles’ Creed is encouraged to participate in this move of God. There will be no charge to participate as admission is free. Just as the Bible states in Acts 2:1, where all the believers were meeting together in one place on Pentecost, in St. Louis, the plan is to do it again. The place this time will be Busch Stadium.

A particularly unique feature of the May 11 date is that Pentecost Sunday is also Mother’s Day in the United States. For this reason, the theme of the 2008 St. Louis program is “Women of Faith and Prayer,” and great women of the Bible will be given special attention. The desire is to encourage families to make a significant difference this Mother’s Day, by going to church, going to lunch and then going to the stadium to honor the Lord with many others in His family. Co-moderators who have been invited to lead the St. Louis program are motivational speaker Dr. Debra Peppers and former Miss America Debbye Turner. There will be several prayer leaders from the region offering short prayers (no sermons, speeches or homilies). There will be a variety of ways to pray for each other, for communities, for repentance, for healing and for a transformation of our Region. (See www.praystl.org.)

A large assembly of Christians representing hundreds of churches is expected and will be joined by a mass ‘choir of choirs’ directed by Concert Choir director Bob Pickett. In addition, there will be a large liturgical dance team directed by praise dance instructor Jamesetta Roach, and a praise band led by worship leader Daryl Black. Note that the singers, musicians and dancers will focus on worship, not entertainment. Jesus will be praised, and no names other than Jesus will be acknowledged.

Nearly 1,000 prayer intercessors have been praying that this event will please God and that His presence will be evident to all who attend. Those interested in hearing more about the intercessory prayer group can contact gdop.stl.prayer@gmail.com.

The review board in St. Louis that oversees and coordinates the Global Day of Prayer in St. Louis consists of seven people: Reverend Deacon Dennis Chitwood, Dr. C. David Claybrook, Charles F. Fay, Dr. Harold H. Hendrick, Lynne M. Jackson, Dr. Michael J. McClymond, and Eric Von Rogers.

As an act of service to the St. Louis Region, a free will offering will be received during the May 11th program and the excess above financial requirements will be donated to the Key Players Initiative program of St. Patrick Center. This program is specifically directed toward reducing, and eventually eliminating, chronic homelessness in the St. Louis area. The St. Patrick Center is the largest provider of homeless services in Missouri. A variety of opportunities will also be provided for those interested in helping with hands on volunteering in the weeks and months following the May 11th Global Day of Prayer. (See www.stpatrickcenter.org.)

Perhaps most significant about the Global Day of Prayer this year is that May 11th is the first day of the week when Israel celebrates its independence once again as a Jewish nation. May 14, 2008 is the 60th anniversary of the independence of Israel. Many people from around the world, including world leaders, are planning to visit Jerusalem in May, and God TV is planning 24 hour telecasts of the Global Day of Prayer and the anniversary events. (See www.god.tv/israel2008)

It is particularly fitting that one of those who will observe the Global Day of Prayer in Jerusalem on May 11th is the same man who received the original vision from God to call people to pray in Cape Town, South Africa. His name is Graham Power.

The St. Louis Region is widely considered to represent the heart of America. Many would say it is clearly time to pray together for a clean heart. The late Leonard Ravenhill once said “The self-sufficient do not pray, the self-satisfied will not pray, the self-righteous cannot pray.”

The wake up call is clear. The time for believers to pray is now. Not only can it be done; it must be done.

For more information, please visit www.praystl.org or contact Charles Fay at (314) 965-1230.