*    A NOTE FROM PASTOR PHIL
  *    NPPN CONNECTIONS

 1.    PASTORS NETWORK:
    LESSON LEARNED SINCE 1996
 2.    NETHERLANDS: A REPORT ON CITY REACHING
 3.    MEMO TO OVER 800 PPGs...
 4.    TWIN CITIES, MN: 24 HOUR LORD’S WATCH
 5.    HOUSTON, TX: CITY TRANSFORMING PRAYER
 6.    HOUSTON, TX:
    NATION & GENERATION TRANSFORMING PRAYER
 7.    CHARLOTTE, NC: 15,000 @ “BIRTHDAY PARTY”
 8.    DALLAS: THANKSGIVING COLLABORATION
 9.    TOLEDO, OH: NEW GOAL FOR PRAYER NET
10.    UTAH: CHURCHES STANDING TOGETHER
11.    WEST VIRGINIA: 170 DELEGATES FROM 40 COUNTIES
12.    ST. LOUIS, MO: CITY IMPACT ROUNDTABLE
13.    RALEIGH, NC: PASTOR’S SEMINAR ON MENTORING
14.    GEORGIA STRATEGIC PRAYER NETWORK
15.    FOX VALLEY, IL: PASTORS MINI SUMMIT
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

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___________________________________________________>>>

 

>From: Vicim@aol.com
 
Our Pastors Network is still together because we have built relationships amongst the pastors.  Pastors have become friends.
 
Our Pastors Network has been together since 1996.  We had for the past two years hosted the following events:
 
 1.  Every Thursday morning prayer meeting (same location)
 2.  Once a month Fellowship lunch (same location)
 3.  Once a month Fire of God rally. (different church every month)
 
We have also worked together to host a Tent Revival in 2000 and they raised funds to host a Pastors Network in the Philippines (they paid their lunch, dinner and costs for 200 pastors)  and some luncheons (75 pastors) in India in January 2003.  We sponsored a National Day of Prayer Mayor's Prayer Breakfast for two years.  We are working to host a Pastors Conference in Hawaii in August.
 
How do we keep this group going?  -  First of all communication.  We have a monthly newsletter called, "The Pastors Network."  This keeps the network informed and on top of important information and events. We also share each other's events via email.
 
Secondly, we pray for one another.  When one of the pastors is ill, or has a church situation or needs encouragement, and we hear about it, immediately the network begins to intercede and if possible we put action to our prayers. We have many praise reports because of pastors praying for one another.

Thirdly,  we encourage one another and we support each other.  One of our pastors had  problems in  his/her church.  During those discouraging times, pastors visited their churches and encouraged them and the congregation. Pastors prayed for them and even took them out for lunch or dinner for fellowship and now the church is doing great again.  
 
Finally,  we also protect one another.  We are not afraid to give our opinion whether it is personal or church related. And, we absolutely do not proselyte. How can we go from church to church every month for two years, receive offerings in which 100% is given by the host church to the Pastors Network and be invited back again and again.  Because we do not proselyte.
 
We respect the each others' flock.  We don't contact each other's people.  We don't collect their names and addresses.  Our purpose is simply to encourage, uplift and edify one another.  We build relationships.
 
Our goal is not numbers.  We are not interested in having the largest pastors network.  Nor are we interested in reaching and bringing in every pastor in the city.  We are doing like Jesus did, inviting  whomever the Lord places on our hearts and in our paths.  So far this has worked wonderful in maintaining unity.  Pastors invite pastors whom they love and respect.  So there is lots of love within the network and unity in a very diverse group.  Several denominations are represented as well as independent works.
 
Also, nobody cares who gets the credit.  They truly prefer one another.
 
Are we all one color?  No, we have a rainbow of colors in our network.  From all over the world.
 
Do we always have some kind of an agenda?  Not really.   Pastors are busy with their own agendas and in So. California there are all kinds of prayer summits, gatherings, revivals, rallies, concerts, seminars, etc.  If you talk to the average pastor he is in meetings 3-7 times a week.  His calendar and date book is filled with have to dos, must-dos, and need to dos. So rather than always having something to do or some kind of project, our purpose is to be a place where pastors can come for a refreshing, to rest, to relax and be ministered to, sometimes to laugh, sometimes to cry and just be encouraged.
 
We do our best and ask God to  help us to make His purpose our purpose.  Not our purpose, His purpose.
 
We  pray for revival, harvest, our leaders, our city, state and nation, one another  and right now the situation in Iraq.
 
The Pastors Network is a place where pastors can come and be themselves. There is no one to impress, because we are all in the same boat.
 
Perhaps the main key is having leadership at the top of this network who genuinely cares about the well being of God called and ordained pastors. Many pastors fall into sin, get discouraged and leave the ministry simply because they don't have a friend or moral support.  If we can prevent one pastor from falling into sin, or leaving the ministry because of discouragement, we will have fulfilled our purpose.
 
Since 1996, our purpose has not changed.  We are pastors committed to encouraging, uplifting and empowering other pastors and especially the next generation of pastors (the younger pastors) to fulfill their personal destinies and visions.  And if we can help, pray for them and encourage them, then that's what we are here for.
 
Our small city  has about 9-10 churches coming together on the first Sunday night of the month in our Fire of God Rallies.  In fact the former Mayor of our city will be our special speaker/guest on April 6th.  He is a born-again spirit filled Christian who himself started a Chaplain/Ministerial Prayer meeting in the Police Department in our city.
 
Our Pastors Network Luncheon at Clifton's Cafeteria draws between 30-50 pastors each month (more are Senior pastors of smaller churches, some evangelists and some missionaries and now we are drawing para-church leaders from all over Southern California).
 
The weekly prayer meeting draws from 8-12 pastors.
 
The Annual Christmas Banquet draws around 75 pastors and wives.   (Next year we may have to get a bigger banquet room).
 
So, in our humble opinion... the glue that keeps us together is our love for one another because the Lord has given us favor.  Of course, we are pastors too of one of the smallest churches in the group.  Our Network doesn't care if you have 10 member or 150 members.  They encourage the one with 10 members to grow and they encourage the one with 150 members to keep
up the good work!
 
 Michael and Adelle McKinney
 The Pastors Network of Southern California
 P.O. Box 3003,  Covina, CA 91722
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2.    NETHERLANDS: A REPORT ON CITY REACHING
 

>From: "Paul Dozeman" <pdoze@cityrestoration.org>
>At: http://www.cityrestoration.org

Revival is one of those words that is spoken so easily. It just rolls out with other religious terms. But in reality it is hard to make a reality.

We are looking for city-reaching spiritual leaders who are "persons of God," leaders who declare the absolute and certain truth of God’s Word both to the Christian community and to the lost world call us to accountability and personal holiness have a character that can be described as

—having perfect hearts. Their hearts are totally God’s.
—a clear purpose and commitment. They know where they are going.
—conviction of principles and priorities. They will not compromise.
—purity and perception. Their lives are blameless and beyond reproach.
—pray and demonstrate the power of prayer.
—utterly dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the United States many pastors and city-reaching groups have started out and then "hit the wall." The vision and expectations just didn’t bear fruit. Sometimes the commitment was weak, so when conflicts arose, participation ended. Sometimes intercessors and pastor’s relationships broke down, and the vision lost focus. Sometimes there was disagreement in the pastors’ group regarding vision and direction. Even prayer styles have caused pastors’ groups to break up.

Marc van der Woude from Joel Ministries in the Netherlands has conducted a survey and written about it. Many of his observations about city reaching in the Netherlands are applicable in the United States. His conclusions are valid for our cities.
 

"Revival Yes, but Hands Off My Church"
 

By Pim van Arnhem and Marc van der Woude

Source: Joel News, www.joelnews.org, www.joelministries.org 

"Revival yes, but hands off my church." That is in short the main conclusion of a survey by Dutch church growth organizations Joel Ministries and Impuls, together with the Dutch National Platform of Pentecostal and Full Gospel Churches, among (mostly evangelical) church leaders. It shows that in 75 percent of Dutch towns and regions, some form of interchurch collaboration has begun, but without taking off properly anywhere. A large majority of leaders believe that God can and will send revival, but they think their own church boundaries ought not to be taxed too much.

In an increasing number of Dutch towns, some cooperation is growing in the areas of prayer, unity, and evangelism. In some places this cooperation is going well; in others, ministry is stagnating. To Joel Ministries (publisher of Joel News) and Impuls (an organization for church development) it seemed a good idea to send a questionnaire to evangelical church leaders in several towns in the Netherlands to ask them about two things:
    What do church leaders think of revival, prayer, unity, and leadership? What are their convictions and tenets?
    How much interchurch prayer, unity, and evangelism are actually taking place? What are the most important results and difficulties? What concrete steps are leaders taking to create an environment for spiritual rebirth in their towns or regions?

FIRST RESULTS

The inquiry turned up some interesting information. First of all, in the Netherlands we are only at the beginning of citywide cooperation, as far as depth and impact of this process are concerned, but, in itself, citywide cooperation is a familiar phenomenon. At least 75 percent of church leaders reply that some form of cooperation has started, and this includes mostly evangelicals, charismatics, and Reformed churches. The three primary results of this process are
    Church leaders get to know and respect one another.
    Church leaders pray together, and/or interchurch city prayer has come into being.
    There is a growing form of cooperation (for example, for evangelism, although usually at a "safe distance").

FOUR FACTORS FOR SUCCESS

How can churches develop a common strategy for saturating their town with the gospel? The church leaders mention four factors they see as crucial:
    Praying together.
    Learning to accept/respect/trust/love each other (growth in relationships and friendship).
    Building unity among many leaders/churches/types of church (unity in diversity, keeping your own "smell").
    Developing a common vision for the town/region (that is, having an overall evangelistic plan).

FOUR OBSTACLES

But we also see serious obstacles for unity looming. The four biggest are these:
    Churches are inward-looking and still think in terms of rivalry with other churches (safeguarding their own segment of the market).
    Lack of time/priority. In practice, churches’ own activities are put higher on the agenda than city-reaching initiatives. Many church leaders basically choose not to break through this pattern, so citywide initiatives languish.
    Differences in theology and disagreements on doctrine.
    Lack of vision, faith, and communication. Here we in fact see the necessity of prophetic and apostolic leadership, even though church leaders do not use these terms. We have observed that it is usually prophetic leaders who communicate vision, and apostolic leaders who get the "citywide church" (the whole group of Christians and churches in a city/region) to move.

The church leaders are optimistic about their ability to understand the leadership of the Holy Spirit (and to obey it rather than their own agendas), their compassion for people outside the church and their readiness to develop and release young leaders. They put these areas at the bottom of the list of possible deficiencies.

THREE VIRGIN TERRITORIES

So while some initial steps have been taken, the survey shows that there are areas of interchurch unity in which almost nothing has as yet been achieved. The most important are these three:
    Reconciliation between leaders and churches who have gone through splits or have spoken critically of one another.
    Contacts with secular government (city council, mayor, local politicians, police and other services).
    Exchange of ministries among churches (pulpit exchange, sharing or lending out staff, facilities, programs, and so on).

It is striking that most church leaders say they do not need more information, training, or help to build unity and shape a city strategy in their locality. Their reactions seem to say that they think they have come a long way once they have started praying together or have some services together, while in fact that is only the very beginning. They seem to be content with small steps, and they lack the drive to carry the whole process to a higher level and give it necessary depth.

FIFTY STATEMENTS

To find out what church leaders think about revival, prayer, unity, leadership, and evangelism, and to test their ideas for practicality, we offered them fifty statements. They could indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 whether they agreed or disagreed. This revealed some interesting facts.

. . . ABOUT REVIVAL AND CHANGE

It turns out there is a great longing for revival and transformation in evangelical/charismatic circles in the Netherlands. More than 85 percent of these leaders believe that:
    God wishes/can bring a great revival in my locality
    there will be no revival without constant, united prayer
    social transformation is a legitimate goal (that is, the gospel is meant to influence all parts of life and society)

"But," the same majority say, "such a revival is almost entirely unrelated to change of church structures." In other words, "Hands off my church; we're doing fine; we don't have to change to cope with revival." We think this perspective has two implications:
    Church leaders see little need to prepare their churches for the harvest time they are expecting.
    They think God will change the world around them without first transforming them and their churches.

If our assumptions are right, these are two serious underestimation's. We do not think the church as it is now will be able to disciple the world. At this moment, we see the opposite happening. The world is "discipling" the church.

. . . ABOUT EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP

The survey shows that most church leaders believe God has a plan for their locality and that they have spiritual responsibility for their locality. But at the level of the local church and the "citywide church" (the whole group of local churches) these thoughts are not implemented.

The city-church needs its own leadership team, most church leaders agree. And this calls especially for people with apostolic giftedness. It’s interesting that about 40 percent of church leaders see themselves in this role. That’s rather a high percentage, when we consider that, generally speaking, leaders with evident apostolic gifts are rather thin on the ground. If 40 percent of church leaders actually had these gifts, 40 percent of the Dutch churches in this sector would be showing forth strong growth, and an equal percentage of citywide initiatives would be developing in a healthy manner.

Practically every church leader states that leadership has more to do with relationships than with position. Yet only half of them are taking time to train and coach young leaders.

. . . FROM OBSTACLES TO UNITY

On the subject of unity and cooperation, there are several things church leaders cannot easily agree on. Is it necessary for successful citywide cooperation that all churches and congregations in a locality are included? Is the relationship with leaders and churches in my locality more important than my denominational affiliation? Should I sacrifice some of my own goals and desires for the sake of the process toward unity? Should my church help in practical ways or with finances if other churches in town have difficulties?

These are hard questions. No wonder only 25 percent of citywide cooperation platforms have formulated a common vision.

Theological differences are becoming less important. Most church leaders share the opinion that their church does not have a better theology than other churches in town. And 70 percent sees no insurmountable objections to cooperation with Roman Catholics. But that does not lead to actual pulpit sharing. Of all church leaders, 20 percent have preached in other churches, but these are mostly of the same denomination. It’s still quite exceptional for a Free church pastor to preach in a Reformed church and vice-versa.

. . . ABOUT PRAYER AND SPIRITUAL MAPPING

In the area of prayer and research, a large majority of church leaders agree with the following four statements:
    Satan currently has more influence in my locality than Jesus.
    The church is called to battle demonic powers in this place ("spiritual warfare").
    Collective and historic sins (of the city or of the church) are still quite relevant today; we should confess these inherited sins.
    Intercessors are useful (it is good to cooperate with them).

Most church leaders see the use of spiritual mapping, but fewer than 20 percent have done it or have asked others to do it for the spiritual and social situation of their locality.

Half of the church leaders pray for their localities daily; the others don't. In a little more than half of all localities, pastors have begun to pray together.

. . . ABOUT EVANGELISM AND THE GAP

Almost 80 percent of church leaders affirm there is a gap between the church and the world, which is the reason why the church seems more or less irrelevant to people who do not yet know God. Most church leaders also say they understand why people are disappointed in the church. In spite of this, most church leaders hesitate to change church organization
    only 30 percent of the churches know what their calling is and have developed a strategy to implement their calling
    only half of the church leaders agree that "the church's primary reason for existence is for its nonmembers"
    fewer than 10 percent of the churches try to equip businessmen/women for their     ministry in the business world
    fewer than 40 percent structurally cooperate for evangelism with other churches in their locality

By far most leaders do not believe that big evangelistic events like Impact World Tour and Sonrise are effective for reaching their cities. Fewer than 10 percent choose for this method. Ready-made "foreign" evangelistic concepts are no longer popular.

Just over half of the respondents believe it is a good idea to start new churches, including specific churches for young people, which is remarkable, because interest in church planting has diminished lately.

CONCLUDING

Generally we might draw three conclusions from this survey:
    Church leaders want revival and know what is needed.
    They think they're not doing too badly.
    But when you dig a bit more deeply, there is little to show.

Interchurch talks and prayer or a service together from time to time gives pastors the idea they are cooperating nicely (and of course it is a good start), but it is all very tentative and has practically no impact for nonbelievers. There is insufficient strategic thinking and effective action.

What can we do about it? Judging from transformations and citywide cooperation in other countries, we can point to three key issues:
To bear fruit, the grain must fall in the earth and die. This is a spiritual principle. Do we dare to ask God to "crucify" our own strength and ambitions, so that his power and passion may be manifested? At the moment, many Christians are experiencing such a process of dying to themselves and their work. It is necessary to become deeply dependent on the Lord so that he can use us the way he wants.

The most powerful weapon in the heavenlies is a covenant. If we make a covenant with God for our city, Satan cannot easily drive us apart. Let us decide to devote ourselves completely to God and his plan with our locality— in prayer, in consecration, finances, time, and passion. That sort of consecration is an open invitation to God to powerfully work with us through his Spirit.   It is crucial to learn to discern God's times, people, and anointings. That means we no longer start things in our own strength but wait till they are born from the Holy Spirit, in God's time, with the right people in place, and with God's visible power. This is a secret we are only just learning. Also, the results described above offer a number of points at which the process of unity and city strategy can be strengthened.

SOME ADDITIONAL FACTS ABOUT THE SURVEY

We have sent out several hundreds of questionnaires, of which 70 were filled in and returned. There were open questions, and there were a number of statements to react to. Because the survey was not very large, and the questions were not formulated according to proper academic procedure, we have purposely not given exact percentages but, instead, rough indications. This means that this survey is no more than an indication of what those who responded (a cross-section of evangelical church leaders) think. When we speak of a "large majority," this means at least 85 percent. A "majority" is at least 70 percent.

Definitions:
church leader: a leading person in a local church (pastor, minister, or elder/deacon/evangelist)
city strategy: the process by which local churches in a city grow in unity, evangelism, and social action to develop a common strategy to "saturate" their city in all its branches and pockets with the message of the kingdom of God
city church: the total number of all Christians and churches in a given locality

 - - - - -
Free Resources Available from City Restoration (e-mailed as Microsoft Word document files for local printing)

A Restored City Will Be a "Prayed-for" City (30 pages)
Primer on Transformation (72 pages)
A New Focus on Compassion Ministries (30 pages)
Starting a Pastors’ Prayer Cluster (8 pages)
Planning for Compassion Ministries (114 pages)
Community Focus and Community Issues (56 pages)
Becoming a House of Prayer—mobilizing members for prayer ministries (80 pages)
Preparing for the Harvest (201 pages)
City-wide Prayerwalking
Neighbor to Neighbor (62 pages)
Monthly newsletter City View
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Send us a 3 -5 sentence emessage to encourage the other 700 PPG's across the nation. Click on phil@nppn.org

ALSO - Please, take a moment to review / revise your contact information...
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>From: "Prayer Transformation Ministries" <PTM@prayertransformation.com>
>At: http://www.prayertransformation.com/

“New! 24 Hours Lord’’s Watch”

It’s finally here!

I am so excited to announce the launching of a new 24-hour Lord's Watch website at <http://www.prayertransformation.com/lordswatch>  . This new website is designed to network intercessors and prayer groups around the Twin Cities and state in a continuous prayer cover, focusing on revival and transformation.

By going to the website, you can sign up, individually or as a group, for a weekly or monthly commitment to pray for revival and other prayer needs of our cities. If you already have a prayer group that is meeting, we want to know about you! We know that God has called many intercessors to pray for transformation, and so this website will begin to network us into a powerful prayer covering. This is not designed to replace what is already happening, but to link us together in a concerted way for a united prayer covering.

Just to go <http://www.prayertranformation.com/lordswatch> to learn more--and to sign up!

Just imagine a city and state with 24-hour prayer cover!

Your servant in Christ, Steve Loopstra
Executive Director, Prayer Transformation Ministries

We would love to expand this prayer and information group. To subscribe send and email to: PTM@prayertransformation.com  with the word subscribe-intercessors  in the body of the message. This email group is  for the purpose of prayer and information. Your email address is not supplied to any other group.
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5.    HOUSTON, TX: CITY TRANSFORMING PRAYER
 

>From: Jim Herrington <jhmh@swbell.net>

Praying friends:
 
God is taking the prayer movement in Houston is moving to a next level.  Please read the following report and consider doing three things.
   1.  Distribute this list to every praying person that you know.
    2.  If you have not already done so, sending me the names and contact information of any person - pastor or congregational leader who leads an intercessory prayer group (regardless of the size of that group.)
    3.  Use these pray targets as a part of your prayer life every day.
 
These four “prayer targets” have prayerfully emerged during the past five months of interaction among a diverse group of thirty-five pastors and intercessory prayer leaders. They were shared this past Thursday night at the citywide prayer meeting.  You are urged to pray over these prayer targets on an ongoing basis during the next several months at your church, during community prayer gatherings, as well as during your times of family and personal intercessory prayer.

 A network of approximately two million intercessors from Indonesia has begun to pray and agree with the church in Houston for these prayer targets. Let’s join our hearts with one another in faith, along with our brothers and sisters from Indonesia for long awaited and much needed “spiritual breakthroughs.” Together let’s experience the power of prayer in unity (John17:21),  focus (Matthew 21:21), and agreement (Matthew18:19) as God transforms our lives, His church, and our city!

For more intercessory details log on to: <http://www.houstonprays.com/> 

Together, let us pray for:

The Citywide Prayer Movement Across Houston -May We Be:

§         United- representing the whole church (Psalm 133)

§         Inclusive- representing the whole city (Ephesians 2:14-18)

§         Prophetic- representing God’s voice (Revelation 2:7)


God To Baptize The Church in His Love Resulting in:

§         True repentance, deep, and lasting change (Romans 2:4)

§         Pure and simple devotion to Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 11:3)

§         Unity of spirit, heart, and mission (John 17:21)

§         That the world may know and believe in God’s Son Jesus   (John 17:21)


The Mind of Christ that We May Be:

§       Selfless, serving, and sacrificial in our living and giving   (Philippians 2:3)

§       Truly humble in heart, broken, and free of pride (Philippians 2:8)

§       Filled with godly wisdom and Christlike character  (Philippians 2:2; James 3:13-18)


An Abundant Harvest of Lives Transformed into Fully Devoted Disciples of Jesus Christ:

§         For a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church (Acts 1:8)

§         For “harvest hearts” and “harvest eyes” (John 4:35)

§         For many more laborers for the harvest (Matthew 9:37)

§         That God would birth an abundance of life-giving, world changing churches across Houston (Acts 17:6)

§         That the intercessors of the city would engage and persist in fervent, united prayer for the harvest all across Houston (Matthew 9:38)
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November 29, 2003        THE CALL TEXAS

The following is a letter from a good friend and international leader, Doug Stringer of Houston.  Please get out your calendars and mark November 29.  If you would like to be an intercessor for this important event, please contact Cathe Halford, President of Pray Texas.  You can e-mail Cathe at PrayTX <mailto:praytx@aol.com> @aol.com. <mailto:praytx@aol.com>

The Call Texas is coming to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on November 29 and I want you to be a part of it. After years of networking various churches and ministries together to be a part of something bigger than themselves, we now have an opportunity to impact several generations at this momentous gathering. Attendance is expected to be over 70,000.

The Call is an assembly that bridges the generations and releases this next generation to its destiny. Tens of thousands gather to seek God's face through fasting, worship and intercession. The Call is spearheaded by Che Ahn and Lou Engle; its message is simple-consecrate yourself through prayer and fasting until the heavens move. Many lives have been drastically changed, young people have surrendered to ministry, and missionaries have been sent to other countries as a result. The Call Texas will be the seventh and last U.S. Call. Over one million young people have been impacted by the six Call gatherings that have been held to date.

As apostolic covering and director of The Call Texas, I have asked the ministry of Generation Jesus to work alongside me. For years we have both known that a time was coming when stadiums would be packed with people who are radical for the things of God. The Call Texas will link together many who have like vision. I believe as we run with this vision, a revival fire can be sparked in every church and ministry, every home and family. The Generation Jesus Team and other GenEdge mobilizing teams will be ministering at rallies in various cities to promote this event. However, this is only the beginning. Beyond The Call, we plan to equip ministry-called young people so that their destinies will be fulfilled. This includes training teachers, preachers, worship leaders, intercessors and so many others.

The Bible clearly states in 2Kings…. "It is time for the children to come to birth but there is no strength to bring them forth." We will need strength to release prophetic generations and to reconcile prodigals to parents. We are looking for a generation who will invest in the future by investing in a younger generation.

To fulfill The Call, there is a financial need. The budget for many promotional and administrative aspects of this event has not yet been met. Your financial support is greatly needed. Please be a part in releasing this generation. You can make checks payable to Turning Point Ministries Int'l. Mail checks to P.O. Box 570007 Houston, TX 77257-0007.

Surrendering to the Call,
J. Doug Stringer, Somebody Cares America/Turning Point Ministries Int’l
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>From: "Metrolina PrayerLetter" <prayer@metrolinaprayer.net>

Phil:
Just a report to let you know that the New Life 91.9 10th Birthday Party was a great success, with over 15,000 gathering together to celebrate God's blessing on this Christian radio ministry in our area last Saturday, June 14.  Joining us as artists and worship leaders were Salvador, 4Him, Nicole C. Mullen, and Jars of Clay in the 5 -10 pm event.
 
An intercessory team covered the Charlotte Coliseum with prayerwalking before the event began, and prayer guides were distributed via email and hard copy to several hundred who joined in praying for the event on-site.  We prayed for God's protection, for His blessing on New Life 91.9, and for the salvation of many who attended the event who did not know Christ.  Heaven will reveal the answers to those prayers!
 
Every blessing to you and yours...
Bob Lowman, Jr.
Metrolina Prayer Network
1101 South Blvd, Suite 102, Charlotte, NC 28203
Office: 704.377.9953
Email: bob@metrolinaprayer.net
Website: www.metrolinaprayer.net 
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>From: Dorothyrom@aol.com

Subject: Thanksgiving Feeding in Fair Park

We have an opportunity for a joint effort from the city of Dallas, the local churches and the volunteer center to offer a large feeding on Thanksgiving.

Our agency and others like us get more volunteers wanting to come down to help us feed the homeless and poor families on Thanksgiving than we have a place for. This is true of all the other groups. We would like to work with the city to offer a day of service to the people.

I also work with the Hispanic heath fair team and many children's camp leaders who want to help.

I have worked directly with Gatha Davis from the Department of Health and Human Services on several outreaches in Fair Park in the past and she would be a good laison for the city.

Rev. Dorothy Moore
President Reconciliation Outreach    
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>From: Toledo PrayerNet <surfingohio@cs.com>

Please send an emial to your friends who are people of prayer to become part of the Toldo Payer Net.  Our goal is to have 1,000 members by the end of this year.  Today we have over 120 members.  Soon we will be coming out with a weekly AD in the blade, bumper stickers, and radio and TV spots on Christian stations.  

Copi Valdiviez
DAWN Projects for Jesus
http: //www.toledoprayernet.com
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>From: Gregory Johnson [mailto:greg@mail.standingtogether.org]

Dear NPPN:  A prayer request from Utah:
    On Sunday, June 22nd 15-20 local evangelical churches and Standing Together Ministries will sponsor a historic worship and prayer gathering in Salt Lake City, called "Prayer and Praise on the Promenade."  We have 5 local praise teams leading us and several pastors leading out in prayer and words affirming the unity of the body of Christ.  
    Just this past week or two, three good pastors have faced some of the greatest conflict in their ministries, ever, and my heart cries out for prayer covering for the pastors of Utah.  As we gather to worship and Pray in Utah, it would be awesome to know that others are lifting us up in Utah, a state well known to be spiritually challenging to the good news of Jesus.

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!
Blessings, Pastor Greg Johnson
Director, Standing Together Ministries
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>From: "Pastor Ron Thaxton" <praywv@churchinthecity.com>
 
170 Delegates Representing 40 Counties Gathered on May 20 to the Geographical Center of our State to Seek the Lord in Worship, Prayer and Witness!!!
 
Testimonies:
    We four people will never be the same.  Oh, my, it sparked something in us that feels like we were ignited by a 50 megaton bomb.  That seems a bit dramatic, but that's how we feel.  All we could say on the way back home was that we had never experienced anything like that before.  The presence of God was so evident.  We recently talked and said that the whole state must come together again like that soon.  SOON!  SOON!  We hear the rain.  We hear the abundance of rain.  Our little group has decided to come together more often to pray.  We feel the urgency.  The enemy has been sending discouragement and distraction our way but we aren't ignorant of his devices.  We will press on and We WILL lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of us!
    As we prayed over the meeting we saw the heavenly realm open up and God sending an angel to bring blessings or direction, wisdom and knowledge.  In particular I saw a star of brilliant light in a beautiful blue sky and under it was the outline of West Virginia and in the middle of this outline I was dressed as a samurai warrior holding a sword in battle stance. The Spirit said that the Word of God is our sword, the sword of truth and with that truth we would drive the enemy out of our state as a samurai drives the enemy out of his territory. By His Word, not by our might. I believe this is a word for all who would stand for Christ in West Virginia. We are warriors in the fight against the prevailing darkness. Instruments for God's use to drive out the darkness and allow the light of Christ to shine through us.
    At the end, again, I could see the mountains of WV on fire and God's breath of life fanning it.  As He showed me this, He was blowing His breath through me into the room to signify Him fanning His anointing, into those in the room, for the blazing of His fire even more so than in the past. SHALOM!!
    The 'Fire in the Mountains Convocation' was truly a work of the Lord from beginning to end in my life.  Thank you for standing in the very frontlines in the Lord for WV.
 
WHAT ARE WE HEARING?  (This is from the worksheets that the delegates to the Convocation completed.)
 
1)  NOW IS THE TIME!!!!!  
       As we prayed I saw His scepter come down in favor to answer!  Humility is the first fruits of revival.  The Lord is raising up the apostolic mantel/covering over the state - it's being uncovered today!
        The Lord spoke to me and said that in West Virginia, we are at a place now – it is going to come now – where the Lord is starting to release signs and wonders, miraculous signs and wonders through the hands of the apostles.  Don't misunderstand me, signs and wonders, miraculous things, and miracles can happen to every born again Christian.  It happens, and they are available to you, but the Lord is at the place where we are going to see an impartation in the State of West Virginia.  Surely you all didn't think we were going to have revival and transformation without signs and wonders, surely you didn't.  I just want to say to you that I believe, I feel under a commission to do this today, that the Spirit of the Lord is saying, "Now is the time," and the Lord is going to begin to release the miraculous through the hands of the apostles, and then it will start to flow down to the rest of the body, through the fivefold office, and into the Body of Christ.  So you need to believe it, and you need to receive that and covet that, because God is going to pour that out and do it.

2)  There is an increased awareness of the intent of our Lord for the people of our state and region.  We are not a forsaken people--we have been kept for the purposes of God.
       Like many others, I have been called by the heart of the Father to transplant myself into West Virginia.  My previous roots have lost their significance.  Still others have transplanted themselves back into West Virginia, renewing their calling to be a part of what our Father is preparing to do here.  Be assured that it is the Father's Heart that has called us here (or back home) for specific purposes.

3)  The hope level is on the increase while disappointment is waning.  
       I shall make an impression such as has never been made in WV  before.  I have marked this state for My own.  I have picked this place as a rare flower.  I have such a heart for my people here.  My mind and my heart for them is given that my will may come about here, and there and everywhere in WV.  Call on Me and I will come.  Say not, "Where is the Lord?"  The Lord is here in WV.  I will push back the darkness and apathy here more and more and more as my people intercede and stand in the gap for my people.

4)  Expectancy is producing a higher level of anointing.  
       During the worship song "Open the Eyes of My Heart" the Lord gave me a brief vision of a portal opening over this meeting/WV.  I saw a strong angel pointing down at us.  He proclaimed, "Look, they are praying there!"  He pointed to us and shouted these words over his shoulder.  Other angels came and looked down through the open heaven at the meeting.

5)  It is essential that we maintain a spirit of humility.  
       We really must stay humble as we walk with Him.  God has chosen the State of West Virginia because we are a humble state.  We have been a humiliated state, and we must be careful to walk humbly because there are going to be some miraculous outpourings take place.  We are going to have to be on guard for one another that we will not be puffed up about it and do not allow pride to come in because when that begins to happen, then division will follow.  The enemy is subtle; he is still the most crafty beast of the field that the Lord God has created.  One of the things I feel the Lord spoke to me to say to you today is to stay humble, stay in humility.  Partner with the people in your church to keep yourself with that attitude of humility.  

 

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
 

1)  From the Convocation we are hearing God speak clearly of the need for the convening of an "apostolic council" to serve and to "father" this statewide transformation movement.  We believe it will also result in the release of the provision necessary to run toward the vision!  This concept is in the exploratory stage of development.
 
2)  We, as well as any of the presenters at the Convocation are willing to go anywhere within our state at anytime to share the hope and the vision.  As a matter of fact, this has already begun!
 
3)  Consider the possibility of another statewide gathering in conjunction with Bridge Day in Fayette County.
 
4)  The "Prophetic Words for West Virginia" booklets which went quickly at the Convocation are available again.  A gift of $5.00 each would be appreciated.
 
We are yours in Him for a state transformed by the power of prayer!
 
Pastors Ron & Nancy Thaxton
www.churchinthecity.com <http://www.churchinthecity.com> 
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Overall Action Points

 

Whole Church –
  Mission Metro St. Louis will serve as a Coordinating Council with four working groups.
  Confession and Reconciliation: Will focus attention on racial relations first and then work on other areas needing reconciliation in the Church of Metro St. Louis (Working Group)
  Regional Leadership: Divide metro area into self-defined geographic regions and seek to gather leaders in ministry affinity groups. (Working Group)

Whole Gospel –
  Citywide events  (Working Group)
  Evangelism
  Doing the Gospel, Outreach Events
  Form a Group to Define and Declare the Gospel and call the church together

Whole City –
  Communications (Working Group):
  Develop Network to share information and verify the legitimacy of ministries and organizations that are worthy of endorsement
  Develop Communications about ministry opportunities for better use of gifts and calling of Christians from congregations throughout the church of metro St. Louis.

A comprehensive email list was collected for communications.

Each group set next time and place of meeting. Three of the four set meeting times within the next 10 days.
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>From: Biblicalwm@aol.com

Thursday July 10, 1:00 PM through 3:30, The Rev Stephen M. Crotts will host a seminar on MENTORING. We will look at Paul's letters to the Corinthians, How he motivated them, and the crossover to our own culture and practical ways we can motivated our own people in our Churches. This seminar will be followed by one a month for awhile on the subject of disciplemaking. Call the office to sign up! Please feel free to bring a friend! A 10$ donation is suggested.

PASTORAL COUNSELING AVAILABLE: A reminder that BWM has a pastoral counselor on staff.  Dr. James J. Seymour is available for counseling by appointment on MWF from 3:00 PM until 5:00 PM for pastors and their families, or for church leaders and their families.  BWM is a safe place to come.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT: "Helping to develop healthy churches served by healthy leaders as we offer God's love, encouragement, truth and hope to those in ministry and lay leadership."

1215 Jones Franklin Road, Suite 201, Raleigh, NC 27606
919-783-6075 (Office)   /   919-783-0655 (Fax)
http://www.biblicalwellness.org 
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>From: Jacquie Tyre <jacquietyre@comcast.net>
 
"Advancing the Kingdom"
Georgia's portion of the "50-State Tour"
With Dr. Chuck Pierce & Pastor Dutch Sheets

July 11-12, 2003
Friday night, 7:30 pm
Saturday morning, 9:00 am
 
Victory World Church
5905 Brookhollow Parkway
Norcross, GA  30071
 
No Registration Fee.
Love Offerings will be taken.
 
Conference Hotel information for those coming in from across the state:
Holiday Inn Select, 6050 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Norcross, GA
770-448-4400
Special Group Rate:  $49.00
*Ask for the "50-State Tour Rate"
 
For More Information Contact:  jacquietyre@comcast.net

“50-State Tour” Purpose:
Chuck Pierce & Dutch Sheets have been called of the Lord to mobilize and cover the nation in prayer.  As a part of answering this call, they are visiting every state for what is being called the “50-State Tour.”  Chuck wrote in a letter to intercessors earlier this year, “The purpose of these meetings is to gather together God's leadership, identify and draw together the intercessors of a state, and then align strategic intercession with apostolic, prophetic, pastoral leadership.  We also feel this is the defining year for this nation, so we know that it is important to rally the Body of Christ in each state.  God is raising up an army.”
 
Jacquie Tyre, GA-SPN, State Coordinator
http: //www.GA-USSPN.injesus.com
1315 Denmark Drive, Lilburn, GA  30047
678-380-0288
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>From: "Tony Danhelka" <tony@lightfirst.com>

Pastors and Ministry Leaders
Tuesday, July 8th from 9AM to Noon!
 
Please mark your calendar!  The Chicagoland International Renewal Ministries Pastors Prayer Summit Leadership Team has selected The Fox Valley Church of West Dundee, Pastor Tom Atchison, as the hosting site for the next Mini-Summit.
 
Men and women in ministry are invited.  Senior Pastors, Associates, Ministers and Ministry Leaders are welcome.  In IRM Summit style we will earnestly seek the Face of the LORD in prayer for the Christian Church of Chicagoland that meets in many locations.  We will pray for God's Restoration of His Church, Salvation for the loss, and greater impact on the hurting, needy and disenfranchised.
 
To learn more about IRM Prayer Summits visit their web site at http://www.multnomah.edu/IRM/summits.asp
 
To learn more about Chicagoland Pastor pray initiatives of our "One Great City"  visit http://www.praychicago.net/
 
Mark your calendar and let us know you are coming. tony@RiverwoodsChristianCenter.org 
 
Warmly in Christ,
Rev Tony Danhelka - Riverwoods Christian Center President
http://www.RiverwoodsChristianCenter.org  
Fox Valley City Reachers Facilitator
www.FoxValleyCityReachers.org 
 
PS Also mark your calendar for the next 3 day full Pastors Prayer Summit this fall on September 29 - October 1st, 2003 at a Retreat Center in Mundelein, IL.