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I N T H I S
U P D A T E
and
for our prayers:
*PASTOR PHIL’S
PRAYER LETTER
--->NPPNote:
*PRAY
WITHOUT CEASING FOR BUSY PEOPLE
*PRAYER
BLESSES 1,000,000
*KANSAS
CITY, MO: 24 HOUR PRAYER CENTER
*SACRED
ASSEMBLY: A MODEL FOR YOUR CHURCH
*TV SPECIAL:
HEAL OUR LAND - MUSICAL PRAYER MEETING
*PRAISE
AMERICA 2000: 24/7 PRAISE TO EMPOWER PRAYER
*REVIVAL
PRAYING
*INTERCESSOR
ENCOURAGES TO MINISTERS’ WIVES
*DC CRIME
DROPS 45%
*PRAYER AVERTS MALL SHOOTINGS, FIRE DAMAGE
*PASTOR
PHIL’S PRAYER LETTER
On
July 8, 1741,
Jonathan
Edwards preached a sermon that sparked a Great Awakening throughout our nation.
On July 8,
2000,
Thousands of
Christians will take to the streets and parks and beaches to
bring the
hope of Christ to Chicagoland
On July 8,
2000,
Will you be
mowing your lawn...?
Shopping at
the mall...? or
Sharing your
faith?
PRAY
For
Chicago!
? Perfect
³witnessing weather² on July 8th
? 100,000
Books of Hope placed in the hands and homes of lost persons
?
Receptivity to Christians witnessing in neighborhoods and parks
? Safety,
health and protection for the thousands of volunteers making
the
journey to Chicago for this Prayer/Care/Share day
? 100
healthy new churches throughout city and suburbs in 2000
COME
To The
Celebration!
? On
Chicago¹s World-Class Lakefront *
9am - 10:30pm * ? Adjacent to the Taste of Chicago (1 million in attendance) ?
A Festival of Hope: The Body of Christ Sharing The Faith thru...
Gospel
Choirs * Prayer Stations * Baptism
by the Lake
Clowning *
Puppets * Balloons
* Face Painting * Frisbee Toss
50,000
Books of Hope * Christian Rock Concert
Taste of
Chicago Fireworks * Chicago Fire Soccer Game
It¹s NOT
too late to participate!
Contact
Carla: 800-645-2412 x16 / carla@chicago2000.net
___________________________________________>>>
--->NPPNote:
For some reason, some of our subscribers sometimes receive a duplicate Update
or a blank email. To help you determine that this is from our broadcast mailing
and not a personal message, we have begun sending Updates from: updates@nppn.org. Personal messages are sent
from phil@nppn.org. We’re looking for the
bug; uncatchable to this point...
___________________________________________>>>
*PRAY
WITHOUT CEASING FOR BUSY PEOPLE
>From: “Crosswalk.com”
<editor@crosswalk.com>
“Pray
without ceasing” is taking on a new meaning. More Christians are practicing “fixed-hour
prayer,” the tradition of reciting psalms, hymns, Scripture, or prayers at
specific, fixed times throughout the day, Religion News Service said. ...It’s not easy for busy people to work the
prayers into a daily routine, but it is rewarding, says Phyllis Tickle, author
of The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime (Doubleday). She has followed the
routine for 30 years, since she was a college student, and sometimes has to
pull off to the side of the highway or excuse herself to the ladies room to
pray, she said. Others say the regular prayers, usually said from three to five
times a day, are a good way to slow down a busy day and focus on God. ...Fixed-hour prayers have been popular
primarily among liturgical traditions such as Roman Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and
Anglicanism, but have spread among individuals in many denominations, RNS said.
...News
from ReligionToday is Copyrighted by Crosswalk.com
___________________________________________>>>
*PRAYER
BLESSES 1,000,000
>From:
Sharon Ann Barnes <sbarnes@women-of-faith.com>
Over
1,000,000 women! That’s how many have
attended events sponsored by the Women of Faith movement since 1996. And what’s really amazing is that nearly one
half of those million attendees came from the 1999 Outrageous Joy tour through
25 cities. Now, already in the first
tri-mester of this year, after eight conferences, Women of Faith has touched
the lives of over 109,000 women ... more than 7,000 women have been recorded as
making first time decisions for Christ.
The
Importance of Prayer: Prayer is
foundational to everything regarding Women
of Faith: lives being renewed
spiritually, walls coming down and our experiencing unity, and those who do not
know Jesus coming into a personal relationship with Him. We want to connect
with existing prayer groups, be a part of starting new ones, and encourage men
to support us in prayer. In some areas,
where men have been a part of praying during the hours of the conference and
especially during the gospel presentation, the number of decisions for Christ
have tripled and even quadrupled in some cities.
Unity: Women of Faith desires to be a part of
bringing the body of Christ
together
in unity
A Safe
Place: Women of Faith has a passion to
create that safe place where women can invite their friends, relatives, or
co-workers who do not know God in a personal way to hear a life-changing
message of His unending love and amazing forgiveness!
Sharon
Barnes, Natonal Dir. of Ministry, Women of Faith
888-550-8925
___________________________________________>>>
*KANSAS
CITY, MO: 24 HOUR PRAYER CENTER
>From: charisma@strang.com
Mike
Bickle’s IHOP in Kansas City, Mo., is open 24 hours a day, but there is not a
pancake in sight. Instead people serve up praise and intercession round-the-clock
at the first of what Bickle believes will be a worldwide network of
International House of Prayer centers.
Last
year he resigned as pastor of Metro Christian Fellowship, the 3,000-member
charismatic church he founded in 1982, to devote himself to IHOP, where
volunteers pray and worship for up to 50 hours a week. “Intercession has been left out of the
Protestant view of missions, while preaching and mercy deeds have been
emphasized,” he said. “Jesus said that when you see the harvest, pray. People
tend to see and send rather than pray.”
The
marriage of worship and intercession is based on Revelation’s description of
heaven, and is essential to see real breakthroughs, he said. “Worship is agreement with who God is.
Intercession is agreement with what He’s going to do. In both, you are telling
God what is true about Himself. Worship
gives faith and longevity to intercession.”
Seventy
people are currently part of IHOP full-time, with hundreds of others having
expressed an interest in being involved at conferences where Bickle has spoken
about the pioneering model. An IHOP has been started in San Diego, with plans
for another in Chicago.
Charisma
News Service is Copyrighted 1999,2000 by Strang Communications
Company
___________________________________________>>>
*SACRED
ASSEMBLY: A MODEL FOR YOUR CHURCH
>From:
Jacquie J Tyre <j-mtyre@juno.com>
A Call to
Women of Prayer to Gather for a Sacred Assembly
To cry out
and seek the Lord in Repentance, Restoration, & Revival for
the
Southeast United States, Saturday, June 17, 2000 at 10:00am
Mt.
Paran Church of God, 2055 Mt. Paran Road, NW,
Atlanta,
GA 30327 - 2nd Floor, Room EFGH
So What
Is A Sacred Assembly?
A Sacred
or Solemn Assembly is a gathering of God’s people who come together out of a
sense of need, desperation and urgency to seek the Lord. The heart cry of a Sacred Assembly resounds
with repentance, brokenness and humility, confessing our deep need and utter
helplessness in the face of our sinful condition and the circumstances of our community. It is a crying out for sovereign move of
Almighty God to revive and awaken His people and our communities.
A Sacred
Assembly actively embraces God’s command that we “humble ourselves, pray, seek
His face and turn from our wicked ways”, in believing faith that He will then
fulfill His promise to “hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land.”
(2 Chr. 7:14)
A Sacred
Assembly consists of the coming together of God’s people in the “unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace” for the pursuit of His Kingdom coming and His will
being done on earth as it is in heaven.
It is a time of coming into agreement with the Lord our God concerning
our lives - in relationship to the Lord, fellow believers and the world.
A Sacred
Assembly is a . . .call to Repentance,
a
prayer for Restoration, and a cry for Revival.
Biblical
Examples . . .
Hezekiah
- 2 chronicles 29-31 “Hear me,
Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the Lord God of your
fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place.” (29:5)
Josiah - 2 Chronicles 34 “Because your heart was tender,
and you
humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this
place and
against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me,
and you
tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you’,
says
the Lord.” (34:27)
Ezra -
Ezra 10 “Now
while Ezra was
praying,
and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God,
a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel;
for the people wept very bitterly.”
(10:1)
Nehemiah
- Nehemiah 8-9 “Now all the
people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the
Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Law of Moses,
which the Lord had commanded Israel.” (8:1)
Joel -
Joel 1-2 “Gird yourselves and lament, you priests;
Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You
who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering Are
withheld from the house of your God. Consecrate
a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders, And all the inhabitants of
the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord.”
(1:13-14)
“Now,
therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with
weeping, and with mourning.’ so rend your hearts, and not your garments; Return
to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of
great kindness; And he relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and
relent, And leave a blessing behind Him - “ (2:12-14)
Preparing
for a Sacred Assembly . . .
In
preparing to participate in a Sacred Assembly there are 5 basic components
derived from Scripture that we need to pursue prior to gathering for the actual
assembly. These are:
Humble
ourselves before the Lord in heart searching repentance.
Fast -
beginning at 6 p.m. on the evening before the gathering, or for an extended
time (full or partial) for the eight days prior to the assembly.
Turn
from our Wicked Ways - intentionally forsake all unrighteousness and self-righteousness
to embrace His righteousness.
Pray -
specifically interceding for the heart of God to break in upon us, and for our
hearts to respond in repentance, faith and holiness.
Seek His
Face - spend time expressing a deep heart cry to know the Lord for Who He is,
not just for what He can do for us.
We are
providing the following guide for the eight days prior to the Sacred Assembly
to assist us all in preparing to meet the Lord together. Invite the Holy Spirit to take these aides
to focus your heart upon His will and to draw you closer into alignment with
His holiness during these days. May God
bless you as you seek to obey His word day by day - For His Glory!
“Consecrate
a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders, And all
the
inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, And cry
out to the
Lord.” Joel 1:14
Eight
Days of Preparing our Hearts:
Day 1 A Call to Sanctification
1
Thessalonians 3:11-13; 5:23; Hebrews 2:11
Lord,
search my heart and reveal anyway in which I am not living sanctified’ - set
apart totally for You and Your purposes.
I choose this day to heed Your call to be holy, even as You are holy,
and to live as one set apart for Your good pleasure. Search my heart, O God.
Day 2
Return to your First Love
Revelation
2:1-7; 3:7-13, 14-22; John 10:1-10
Ask these
questions: Do I live out of a passionate love for the Lord Jesus Christ? Is He truly my all in all? Have I allowed my heart to grow cold and
indifferent toward the Lord? Does He
receive the best part of my day - or simply what is left over after everything
else is done/ Lord, show me the true condition of my heart, and lead me in the
path of repentance - to return to You and to love You with all my heart, soul, mind
and strength.
Day 3 Be A
Living Sacrifice
Romans
12:1-2; 6:1-14; Galatians 2:20
Jesus
gave His all for our redemption, have you given your all to Him for love,
service, and the praise of His name? Ask the Lord to reveal all areas of your
life that are not fully surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Confess these as sin, and yield yourself
fully to identify with Christ in His death - dying to self and the sin nature.
Lord, help me to willingly offer myself as a living sacrifice, that I might
live in newness of life according to Your word.
Day 4 Be
Washed in the Word
Ephesians
5:26; John 17:17; Ephesians 1, 2
Read the
Word and allow its cleansing truth to wash, purify and refresh you. Respond in repentance, intercession and
worship according to the Truth revealed.
Father, teach and impart life to my soul through Your Word that I might
live to the praise and glory of Your own dear Son, Jesus - my Savior, Redeemer
and Bridegroom.
Day 5 Be
Filled with the Holy Spirit and with
Fire Matthew 3:1-12; Ephesians 5:18; 1:17-23 Today - ask yourself and ask the
Lord, Am I filled with the Holy Spirit and with fire? Is there evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in and through you
producing the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit? And, producing the purity, passion and power that comes only from
the fullness of the Spirit and His holy fire?
What is hindering the work of His fullness in you today? Confess all hindrance as sin, and ask to be filled
anew today with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Commit to being filled daily.
Day 6 Feed
Upon His Truth
Matthew
4:4; John 6; Ezekiel 2:8-3:14; Jeremiah 7:23-28; John 17;
Ephesians
4:1-16.
Allow the
Holy Spirit to open the Scriptures to you, feeding you with His sweetness and
stirring your soul to receive revelation of our spiritual condition. This will inevitably birth deep cries of
repentance and intercession. Lord,
would You grant the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that I might know your will,
in order that I might fervently and effectively pray.
Day 7
Offer Incense to the Lord
I Thess
5:16-19; 2 Chr. 7:12-22; Rev.5:8; 8-4-5
Far too
often we are guilty of talking and complaining about the conditions that
surround us - both to one another and to God, but we fail to come to the place
of offering the sweet smelling fragrance of intercession, praise, worship and
thanksgiving before the Lord. Repent and
seek the Lord’s unction to present holy incense before Him in faith, hope and
joy of His will being done on earth as it is in heaven.
Day 8 Be
Still in His Presence
Psalm 46;
Isaiah 55:1-13; Isaiah 64:1-12
In the
final hours of preparation, tune your heart to earnestly listen for the still,
small voice of the Almighty. He is
HOLY. Let us reverence and worship Him in the beauty of holiness. May we hear
His voice and be found faithful in love and obedience.
___________________________________________>>>
*TV
SPECIAL: HEAL OUR LAND - MUSICAL PRAYER MEETING
>From:
Bret Ridley <healourland@compuserve.com>
Heal Our
Land, the musical prayer meeting for America by Jimmy and Carol Owens, is now a
TV special.
Led by
Pastor Jack Hayford, Bishop Ken Ulmer and a raft of Contemporary Christian
artists, the program is designed to lead the people of God into a commitment to
repentance, intercession, service and witness.
Please
help us by telling your people about it. Showings begin this week, and if
successful, will continue to spread across the US. Drop us a note if you have any questions or would like to see
this aired on your local Christian station.
(Please include station call letters if possible.)
The
first round of showings is as follows:
STATION MARKET
AIRDATE DAY AIRTIME
(local station times)
WACX Orlando, FL 15-Jun Thursday 8:00 PM
WCFC Chicago, IL 17-Jun Saturday 10:00 PM
WTGL Orlando, FL 18-Jun Sunday 10:00 PM
KTNL San Francisco 21-Jun Wednesday 9:00 PM
WCFC Chicago
23-Jun Late Fri early Sat 12:30 AM
WCLF Tampa, FL 23-Jun Friday 10:00 PM
WFGC W. Palm Beach 23-Jun Friday 9:00 PM
WHBR Pensecola, FL 23-Jun Friday 9:00 PM
WRXY Ft. Meyers 23-Jun Friday 10:00 PM
WHTN Nashville, TN 23-Jun Friday 10:00 PM
WACX Orlando
28-Jun Wednesday 1:30 PM
WCLF Tampa
24-Jun Saturday 11:00 PM
WFGC W. Palm Beach 24-Jun Saturday 11:00 PM
WHBR Pensecola 24-Jun Saturday 11:00
WRKY Ft. Meyers 24-Jun Saturday 11:00 PM
WHTN Nashville 24-Jun Saturday 11:00 PM
WCFC Chicago
25-Jun Sunday 9:30 PM
KTNL San Francisco 28-Jun Wednesday 9:00 PM
WCLF Tampa
30-Jun Friday 10:00 PM
WCLF Tampa
1-Jul Saturday 11:00
WTGL Orlando
2-Jul Sunday 10:00 PM
Family
Net National 29-Jul
Saturday 10:00 PM Eastern
Family
Net National 5-Aug
Late Fri early Sat 1:00 AM
Eastern
___________________________________________>>>
*PRAISE
AMERICA 2000: 24/7 PRAISE TO EMPOWER PRAYER
>From:
CiwWAB@aol.com
I
received your invitation to join with the National Pastors Prayer Network.
I think
it is a great idea. Like every idea it needs power to succeed. The following
information tells about the power that is needed in the program for great
success.
Praise
releases God’s power in prayer. There have been an untold number of prayer
programs started in the United States. Few if any have reached the potential
that the organizers envisioned. Why? Because they left praise out as the main
focal point of the worship service. It is in praise that God promises that He
will work miracles and we certainly need a miracle if the United States of
America is to return to being a quality Christian nation.
In
Exodus
15:11 God says He is awesome in praises working wonders. You can be
assured
that revival will not come and no prayer program will reach it’s
full
potential
unless there is first praise.
Therefore
by Him let us continually offer the sacrifices of praise to God, that is, the
fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15.
Pay very
close attention. The message in Hebrews 13:15 is to the body of Christ because
it is impossible for an individual to praise God continuously.
The
churches are to come together and coordinate their resources in a chain of
praise that will cover every hour of every day until He returns.
After
World War II General Douglas McArthur asked the churches to send
Bibles
to Japan.
The churches did not respond and the greatest opportunity there
has
ever been
was missed to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to Japan. The same
holds true
for a CONTINUOUS national praise program. We have an opportunity
to
have the
greatest worship service of praise and prayer that the world has
ever
known. Praise brings special powers to prayer and we need powerful
prayers
for our nation and for our people. It is not possible for a prayer
program to
reach it’s full potential apart from praise. Please pray that our
leaders
and the churches will respond to this opportunity. The following is a suggested
praise program.
Praise
America 2000
To
implement Praise America 2000 each state must be contacted and assigned
their
week and this is to be done in alphabetical order. A logical procedure
is to
contact the church in each state that has the best salvation record and offer
them the opportunity to be the facilitator for their state. The Baptist offer
an easy way to secure the salvation information in that in their annual report
all churches publish their number of baptisms.
Each
state facilitator for Praise America 2000 will coordinate the necessary
number
of churches to insure that God is praised twenty-four hours a day for
seven
days. Each church will have the full participation of it’s members and
choir
for it’s one hour praise program.
There
are only 168 hours in a week and there will be more churches wanting to participate
than there will be time slots. This is wonderful in that we can have more than
one church covering the same time period.
The 50
states will cover the first 50 weeks. The provinces (Virgin Islands,
Puerto Rico,
etc.) will take the 51st. week and the District of Columbia
will
take the
52nd. week. Nehemiah raised the walls of Jerusalem in 52 weeks and
we
Christians in America can raise the spiritual walls of our nation with 52
weeks of
continuous praise.
We will
begin with Alabama on January 1, 2001. They will be quickly followed
by
Alaska, Arizona, California, etc. Never before has God been praised in such a
continuous and unified manner. Imagine the anticipation and excitement as each
church takes it’s position to praise God in this National Praise Program. A
praise program of such magnitude that it has never been done before.
Let
the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise
thee.
Psalm 67:3
Therefore
by Him let us continually offer the sacrifices of
praise
to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to
His
name. Hebrews 13:15
Who
is like unto thee, O Lord among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
God is
giving His children a very clear message. When we praise Him continuously then
we can expect a miracle in the United States of America just as surely as God
gave a miracle to King Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah in 2 Chronicles
20:21.
In
Christ service, Warner A. Bonner, Christian Internet Witness
___________________________________________>>>
*REVIVAL
PRAYING
>From: “Francois
Carr” <revival@yebo.co.za>
“ The
evangelism of the last fifty years has been the most costly in history.
High-powered methods have needed high-powered men with high salaries to get
them to function. On the other hand, Revival never costs a penny. It is the
Lords doing and is marvelous in our eyes.” (Leonard Ravenhill)
·
Do
not expect God to revive us without cleansing us (Ps. 51:2,10).
·
Do
not expect God to come to us in revival without our going to Him in repentance
(Jer. 4:1).
·
Do
not expect God to reward us with revival for our much praying. Revival is not a
reward but rather an expression of His own character (Ps. 23:3).
·
Do
not expect God to send revival only during a week of revival services (John
4:35).
·
Do
not expect God to use only preachers or evangelists to spark revival.
He uses
whomever He pleases (Joel 2:28).
·
Do
not expect God to do only the things we ask. His plans far exceed our normal
way of thinking (Isa. 55:8-9).
·
Do
not expect God to send revival to others without first touching you (Isa. 6:5-7).
·
Do
not expect God to work revival without involving you in the work (Isa.
6:8).
·
Do
not expect God to send a revival until He can trust the church with the results
(Matt. 25:14- 29).
·
Do
not expect God to send revival if you have already decided to return to your
former way of living as soon as it is over (Rev. 2:4-5).
·
Do
not expect God to send revival at no cost to us (2 Tim. 3:12). (Article by Roy
Stebbins)
The
Bulletin of Revival is part of the ministry of Revival Congresses SA and serve
as a Heart cry for a Biblical and Godsend Revival. There are so many “revivals”
these days that few people could distinguish between the real truth. The
Bulletin will distribute and publish, sermons, stories and news of current
movements of the Holy Spirit in Revival to the readers. The Bulletin is also
aimed at all leaders, pastors and Christians that prayed and long for Revival.
The purpose is to encourage and motivate believers to keep on praying for
Revival.
Francois
Carr, National Coordinator of Revival Congresses SA
PO Box
27130, Sunnyside, 0132, RSA,
___________________________________________>>>
*INTERCESSOR
ENCOURAGES TO MINISTERS’ WIVES
>From: “Crosswalk.com”
<editor@crosswalk.com>
>By
Shannon Baker
ORLANDO,
Fla. (BP)--Intimacy with God will allow you to be women of influence,” Vonette
Bright, wife of Bill Bright and cofounder of Campus Crusade for Christ, told
nearly 1,200 Southern Baptist ministers’ wives at a June 13 luncheon on the
first day of the SBC annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.
Speaking
on the 45th annual Southern Baptist Ministers’ Wives Conference
theme, “Women of Influence,” Bright said joy in intimacy with God and in
walking in God’s Spirit leads to godly influence.
“Experiencing
God’s presence is the greatest privilege of the believer. It comes from time
spent in his Word and in daily prayer,” she said.
An
internationally known speaker and author, Bright currently directs Women Today,
a radio and resource ministry that encourages women to take the next step of
faith as they seek to influence their world.
“I’ve
learned from experience that God’s presence can be lost by a lack of prayer and
lack of spending time with him,” Bright said. “Many people in leadership, even
pastors and pastors’ wives, are trying to live in their own strength, trying to
maintain this Christian life without really giving priority to the Lord and
priority to prayer.
“When I
let the pressure of work rob me of time with God, I am revealing my lack of
dependence on him,” she said.
“Defeat
and failure are due to the loss of God’s presence,” Bright cautioned. “Ask God
to reveal if there is sin your life preventing that presence; then confess it
and return to your first love. Joy in the Holy Spirit is preserved only by our
daily fellowship with God.
“When we
have fellowship with Jesus Christ, we receive heavenly grace every day,” she
continued. “We receive inspiration, energy, motivation, strength, endurance,
confidence, peace and joy in being God’s instrument. There isn’t anything that
can stop you from what God wants you to do.
“I am
not trying to overwork you or send you on a guilt trip, but to inspire you and
encourage you that you can make a difference,” Bright said.
“You, by
your calling, have tremendous influence,” she said. “You don’t need great
talent or personality. You just need to walk with God—trust him, love him and
obey him.”
___________________________________________>>>
*DC CRIME
DROPS 45%
>From: USAPRAY@aol.com
>By: Dan
Wedderburn
Most
people know that crime in New York City has declined dramatically in recent
years. But how many know that crime in Washington has fallen just as dramatically?
Crime in
the District of Columbia fell 32 percent from 1993 to 1998, and in 1999 it
dropped an additional 14 percent, according to preliminary police figures. Thus crime in the District has been nearly
halved in the past six years.
Of more
significance, violent crime - murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault - is
down 60 percent. Remember the District’s nickname of “murder capital?” Well,
the number of murders in the city has dropped from 454 in 1993 to 232 last
year. Rape in the District has fallen
more than 40 percent, while aggravated assault and robber are both down about
60 percent. Burglaries declined almost
70 percent.
The
District’s precipitous drop in crime far exceeds the national average. Across the country, crime fell 12 percent
from 1993 to 1998, while crime in Washington dropped 32 percent. The city’s
reduced crime rate also compares favorably with crime-rate reduction in its
suburbs of Montgomery, Prince George’s and Fairfax counties, where, during the
same period of 1993 to 1998, crime fell 4 percent, 5 percent and 7 percent,
respectively.
What
accounts for the significant reduction in crime in recent years? The
reasons
are unclear [emphasis added] but appear to include the robust
economy,
low unemployment, few people in younger-age categories that account
for a
disproportionate share of crime, record high incarcerations and better
policing
strategies.
Other
factors contributing to the District’s reduced crime are the significant
decline in crack-cocaine trafficking and open-air drug markets, and the
demolition of more that 1,500 units of public housing, the site of much violent
crime. Of special note in this mix is the fact that the number of DC police
officers declined 20 percent during the city’s dramatic reduction in crime,
from 4,372 officers in 1993 to 3,488 at the end of October 1999.
Unlike
New York City’s, the District dramatic reduction in crime has not been publicized.
It needs to be.
The
above appeared as a “letter to the editor” in the The Washngton Post on May 28,
2000. Mr. Dan Wedderburn serves on the
DC Human Rights Commission.
Prayer
Background
In January
of 1990 Intercessors for America (IFA) united with Together In
Ministry
International (TIM) to spearhead a 90-hour prayer and fasting vigil
during
the first week of the year. Multi-ethnic
assemblies convened each evening at historic churches in the District. Much appointed intercessory work concerning
the city was done, with a “breakthrough” jubilee time occurring at the close of
the vigil. In mid-January a prophetic intercessory
conference was convened at New Covenant Fellowship in nearby Northern Virginia. The Lord assigned the group to bind “deception”
in Washington, DC.
It was
on that night that then-mayor Marion Barry was arrested in the act of smoking
cocaine. From January 1990 a purging of
corruption and renewal of “good government” has been unfolding in our nation’s
capital.
Intercessors
for America began a monthly “Washington Watch” prayer effort in
late
1992, just months before the noted drop in crime began. This developed
into a
weekly specific prayer focus on Washington DC which is now part of IFA’s weekly
On Watch In Washington - received via e-mail or fax and and used by more than
6,000 nationwide and overseas. Over the
past eight years, this weekly Alert
often included a focus on District officials, crime and the DC Police
Department. To receive On Watch In
Washington via e-mail, fax or U.S.
Postal
Service contact the IFA offices; E-mail usapray@aol.com,
or sign-up via Website www.ifa-usapray.org.
A group of
national leaders, some based in Metro DC, initiated a nationwide
24-hour
US/DC Prayer Watch in late 1997. Many
hours of the day now have
more
than one
individual standing watch in intercession for the nation’s capital,
the
ambassadors and nations represented by embassies in DC, the the top 120
civil
officials in the city, DC pastors and church leaders, specific ethnic
neighborhoods
and all of the city’s residents - pages of the telephone
directory
are mailed to all who enroll to pray one or more hours per week or
month. Write US/DC Prayer Watch, PO Box 9519,
Washington, DC 20016, Fax 202-638-5833, or E-mail USDCWatch@aol.com for information.
A number
of Christian members of Congress, who prefer to remain anonymous,
convene
weekly multi-cultural prayer meetings for the District which involve
city
leaders and pastors.
Scores
of local congregations and various ministries hold weekly prayer meetings for
the city. A 24-hour Capital Region
Revival Prayer Watch is being maintained by year-round by local churches. For information write Together In Ministry
Intn’l, PO Box 91010, Washington, DC 20090; Tel 202-526-2235. A new C.I.T.I.PRAYER networking and
mobilization is alos underway. Write
C.I.T.I.PRAYER, 8818 Weems Road, Manassas, VA 20110 or e-mail BYarbro724@aol.com.
While we
realize that many more Christians than ever before are praying for our nation’s
capital, let us humbly offer thanksgiving for the contribution which IFA “partners
in prayer” (many of you!) have made
over these years. Let us intercede that
the crescendo of prayer in our nation’s capital increases even more!
“On Watch In
Washington” - Intercessors for America
PO Box 4477,
Leesburg, VA 20177
703-777-0003
- usapray@aol.com
___________________________________________>>>
*PRAYER
AVERTS MALL SHOOTINGS, FIRE DAMAGE
>From: charisma@strang.com
The
power of prayer is being credited with saving people from a random shooting and
homes from being consumed by fire.
Participants
at last week’s PrayerQuake conference in Phoenix heard how the 1999 event
issued an alert for people to pray for the safety of children, especially at
shopping malls. Within days three men were arrested at a Phoenix mall. Two had
concealed semiautomatic guns, and there were several loaded guns in their car.
“It
really spurred us on to pray more for the malls,” Cheryl Sacks of BridgeBuilders
International Leadership Network, which organized the prayer event, told “The
Arizona Republic.” “Some of the churches turned out their Wednesday night
service, and they took cars to different malls and prayed. People...began to come out of the church
walls and get into the community to pray a presence of God in places where
there didn’t seem to be [any].”
Seventh-day
Adventists at the church’s Eden Valley Institute in Loveland, Colo., celebrated
after a wildfire abruptly halted not far from their community homes. They had
prayed together as the flames drew closer. “We feel it was a real miracle that
the wind changed,” Don Johnson told “The Rocky Mountain News.” Loveland fire
chief Darryl Grauberger told the newspaper he could not explain the sudden
shift. “We were lucky.”
Content
is Copyrighted 1999,2000 by Strang Communications Company
___________________________________________>>>
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Phil
Miglioratti ? National Pastors’ Prayer Network / US
1130
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