Prayer Ministries Report

The year 2020 saw a great resurgence in the urgency of prayer among the people. It is wonderful that people saw the need to seek the Lord in persistent prayer. It is sad that it took a pandemic to get us to the place where we sought the Lord so earnestly. He calls for people to “stand in the gap… on behalf of the land” (Ezekiel 22:30). Seeking the Lord in prayer is the most important thing we can do. Submission to Him is vital. Spending time in His presence opens space to hear the Holy Spirit and be guided in what He would have us do in this sin-sick world to bring spiritual and emotional healing to wounded hearts.

“Shut down” laws, implemented because of the pandemic, motivated many to learn how to engage in online meetings. I think online meetings are a blessing, making the gospel accessible to many who otherwise would never have been open to participating in a religious meeting in person.

A quick review of some of the invitations to prayer reminds us of the 100 Days of Prayer that began 27 March 2020. Many churches engaged in prayer times, some once a week, others every day, for 100 days. When the 100 Days of Prayer were completed, many churches embarked on other prayer times: 40 Days Praying for Families, 50 Days Praying against Criticism, etc.

The Alberta Conference had a Day of Fasting and Prayer on 21 April 2020 from 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Two events happened simultaneously that day:

1. Every church in the conference was invited to participate in and assigned a one-hour timeslot for a local prayer time so we would have prayers covering Alberta throughout the day. 2. There was an online meeting open to the whole of the Alberta Conference, with different people leading out each hour, opening space for people to give praises to God and lift requests to Him.

It was a time of encouragement and connection that was deep and meaningful. Other conference-wide prayer invitations included the Ministries Convention on 25–28 March 2021, which incorporated a prayer ministries stream; Prayer for evangelism, 16–17 June 2021, at 5 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. each day; Half Night of Prayer, 16 October 2021, where prayer coordinators in local churches and some pastors led out in 30-minute segments, drawing our focus to God and standing in the gap for our land.

The past two years saw our annual Camp Meeting online. You were invited to prayer as the first thing before the first Friday evening meeting, then every morning, Sabbath to Sabbath, from 8–9 a.m., as well as noon meetings Monday through Friday. These meetings were led by our Alberta pastors. Blessings be upon those who made time to seek the Lord and come away encouraged in Him.

Each year, we began with 10 Days of Prayer, and this is coming up again on 5–15 January 2022. The theme is “The Three Angels Call to Prayer” (please visit tendaysofprayer.org).

I encourage all churches to participate

Prayer Ministries Report

in seeking the Lord at the start of the year. We will have a Half Night of Prayer on 15 January, from 6–11 p.m., to close the 10 Days of Prayer. Pastor Ian Bramble, Northern Region prayer coordinator, will organize an online meeting open to all Alberta that will be a time of sharing “God sightings” from the 10 Days of Prayer and praying together.

Besides the conference-wide prayer times, many local churches are active in opening space for people to seek the Lord. There have been prayer weekends, weeks of prayer, weekly prayer meetings, and weekly and daily prayer times. Our major cities, Edmonton and Calgary, also have citywide prayer times monthly, specifically in preparation for city-wide evangelism.

I want to say a huge thank you to the local prayer coordinators. Thank you for your willingness to serve the Lord in encouraging others to seek Him, lead out in meetings, and persistently seek the Lord in prayer. Thank you! I encourage every member of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Alberta to intentionally seek the Lord and stand in the gap for our land.

Submitted by Honey Todd Nurture Pastor College Heights SDA Church and Prayer Ministries Coordinator Alberta Conference