Christians all over the world are invited to join hands and take part in a Global Day of Prayer. This initiative will continue for the next several years. Every year on Pentecost Sunday there will be a Global Day of Prayer.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.".

And Hab.2:14...

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." 
 

1. 10 days of prayer from Ascension Day till the Saturday before Pentecost Sunday.
2.  A Global Day of Repentance & Prayer on Pentecost Sunday
3.  90 days of "community blessing"

May 13 - 22, 2010

What is the reason for the 10 day period before the Global Day of Prayer?

After Jesus was raised from the dead, He met with His followers many times during a period of forty days. He did far more than prove that He was alive. He spoke continuously about the Kingdom of God and the importance of spreading God's love amongst all the peoples of the earth.

On the last day that Jesus was with them, He told them to stay in Jerusalem and to wait for "the promise of the Father." Following His ascension into heaven, His disciples acted on His instruction - but it was not a passive waiting.

Now is the time for God's people to gather again in persistent, united prayer. What better way to do so than to consecrate ourselves to seek God in prayer, as Jesus' first followers did?

23 May 2010

 Towns and cities unite in repentance & prayer at stadiums, churches, market squares, etc. In "closed" countries, creative Christians will make a way to pray together. Many television, radio and Internet services around the world will broadcast this phenomenon.

After May 23, 2010

“90 Days of Blessing” or Community outreach after 23 May 2010. This may include evangelism, different types of outreaches and helping the poor and needy. 

There are a number of outreach ways that we can bring the love of God to our communities in Edmonton & Area for 90 days beginning May 24, 2010. These include;  

A.  Twenty Ways to Reach Out

"Hazel, look at this!" hollers Merv, from his La-Z-Boy towards the general direction of the kitchen. Hazel scurries in just as the on-screen truck drives off into the distance and a big "Ford" sign appears in its place. "We should get a new vehicle, and that Explorer XLT looks like the one!"

In his morning paper Merv sees an ad for the Explorer. "Hmm, it has a 5.4 litre engine. That’s the kind of power we need!" Later he sees his neighbour washing a new SUV. "I’m glad I bought this Explorer. You should get one too, Merv," he says. That afternoon Merv hears a catchy commercial for the Explorer on the car radio as he passes under a billboard for the vehicle. "It sure looks nice," he mutters to himself. On a whim he pulls into a Ford dealership. A salesman with amazingly white teeth takes him for a test drive.

On Tuesday Merv and Hazel are driving a new Explorer.

What made them decide on that vehicle? Was it the TV commercial? The newspaper ad? The testimony of the neighbour? The billboard? The salesman? Actually, it was the cumulative effect of all of them.

So it is most often with the gospel. I read that the average American hears the good news eight times before they turn to Christ (maybe in Canada it is 10 or 12). This means it is wise to present the love of God often and in many different ways to those around us […]. Paul expresses this in 1 Corinthians 9:22: "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."

Here, then, are 20 ideas for evangelism:

1. Organize a fun festival in the church parking lot. (The young families might be very grateful that you tell them all about your mid-week children’s programs.)
2. Deliver Welcome to the Community baskets. (New neighbours can be looking for new friends and a church.)
3. Hold an interchurch sports tournament for youth in the community. (The police in one area said that juvenile crime went down when it was on.)
4. Hold a community golf tournament. (Announce that a businessman will talk later about faith in the workplace.)
5. Invite neighbours to a renewal of marriage vows event. (Married couples often re-evaluate their lives and faith.)
6. Go door to door with free batteries for smoke detectors. (One church got free batteries from the manufacturer.)
7. Hold a Foods From Around the World event. (Showcase traditional finger food items from various homelands.)
8. Gather food from the neighbourhood and fill the local food bank. (Always appreciated.)
9. Have a single mom and child banquet, where kids are entertained separately and moms are made to feel special.
10. Do acts of kindness: mow the lawn for seniors; paint a women’s shelter; wash car windshields for free.
11. Beautify a subsidized housing project. (I heard one resident say: "Your actions have made me think about God again. I will be in church next Sunday.")
12. Have an evangelistic banquet. (In spite of the bad press these are still extremely effective if done well—with relevance and sensitivity.)
13. "Check out Christianity" home meetings. (Offer an ALPHA, Quest or other thought-provoking course.)
14. Hold a one-time course on basic self-defence.
15. Raise money for relief work. (Fill a container for overseas.)
16. Run recovery programs for the community. (Such as Divorce Recovery.)
17. Offer a free parenting course. (Many people today are looking for help in bringing up their children. Of course faith will be a key ingredient.)
18. Teach English as a second language. (Immigrants are looking for relationships and are very open.)
19. Have a "Celebration of Friendship" event (87 percent of people find Christ through a friend or relative).
20. Hold a public event called: What was The Passion of the Christ really all about? (Show the movie—a new less-violent version is also available—and have a Q&A dessert.)

Finally, a few aspects that cannot be taken for granted: all evangelism must be rooted in much prayer; everyone should be retrained periodically in how to share their faith and give their testimony; a strong follow-up track should be in place to help the new believers to grow.

Effective evangelism is a wonderful, exciting, multifaceted team effort, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6: "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."

Used with permission. David Arrol Macfarlane is  currently Director of National Initiatives of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

For information on a major gathering in 2010 go to http://www.gdop2010.com/ .

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land"

-- 2 Chronicles 7:14

Follow this link for information on GDOP international partners: 

http://www.globaldayofprayer.com/partners.php