St. Louis Joins World in Prayer May 31st

By Charles Fay

A wise man once said: “Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize what may seem like common occasions and make them great.” On Sunday, May 31st, followers of Jesus in the St. Louis Bi-State Region have a unique opportunity to make a common occasion of prayer into something great. On that day in the new Chaifetz Arena from 4 to 6 p.m., the Global Day of Prayer will take place, providing a rare opportunity for the entire family of God to gather, pray together, and praise the One from whom all blessings flow. Christians of all affiliations are invited to participate in this public expression of humility and harmony before God.

Since the year 2000, an unprecedented annual prayer gathering, which started in South Africa, has experienced explosive growth and now involves hundreds of millions of Christians in locations in nearly every nation of the world, all praying on the same day. Perhaps now, more than at any other time in recent history,
p eople are being drawn to pray and pray fervently. This year’s event marks the fifth time the St. Louis Region has joined the celebration, but the first time it will be held indoors at the new Chaifetz Arena, which is located at the northwest corner of Compton Avenue and Market Street, on the campus of St. Louis University.

The Co-Masters of Ceremonies for this event are Michael Jones, Senior Pastor of Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church (www.ftmbc.org) in the City of St. Louis and Dan Doriani, Senior Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church (www.centralpres.com) in St. Louis County. The program will provide opportunities to pray in several ways, including in small groups, responsively, silently, liturgically and in song. Program participants will include St. Louis Metropolitan Police Captain John W. Hayden, Pastor Connie Cahill of New Covenant Christian Center, Pastor Barry Henning of New City Fellowship, Pastor Brig Jones of Grace and Truth Christian Congregation located in the nation of Israel, Lindsey Porlier, Director of Community Development at St. Patrick Center, and nine-year old believer Caleb Pottebaum. Multiple expressions of worship, including both traditional and contemporary praise, will be provided by Kaleb Krueger and his band (www.kalebkrueger.com), a choir of choirs directed by Bob Pickett (www.cmichoir.org/cmi-st-louis.php ), a praise dance group directed by Jamesetta Roach (www.jamesettaroach.com), and a special “Gathering of the Nations” around a cross involving ethnic believers each dressed in their native attire.

An unusual feature of this event is that no program participant will be introduced by name or title on that day and not even listed in the printed program. This is intentional as the only name to be lifted up at the Global Day of Prayer is the name of Jesus. The focus of all the prayer and celebration will be on the cross of Christ. With the focus completely on Him and His sacrifice, God’s family will draw closer to Him and to each other through repentance, restoration and rededication.

Come and be a part of the largest prayer gathering on Earth. Join the body of Christ to seek God’s presence and to petition together for His transformation of our region. Reflect on this opportunity to allow God to transform our hearts and our city. Now that is something extraordinary. Let’s not miss it!

Charles Fay is Coordinator of Global Day of Prayer-St. Louis. For more information visit www.praystl.org, call (314) 783-0078 or e-mail Charlie@praystl.org .