Prayer and Worship
Wednesday's meeting was both challenging and excellent in many ways. It was one of our less attended gatherings; most state reps were unable to attend. Although this was disappointing, we were not discouraged but kept our eyes focused on Jesus, and had one of the most powerful times of prayer and worship we have ever had at an Alliance gathering. The Lord truly showed up in our midst. It was also a beautiful day of divine convergence. We were at Pilgrim Church in Beverly, the same building where the Pilgrim House of Prayer meets. Wednesday was the first day of the morning shifts (7-9am, M-F). It was a real blessing to have the Alliance meet on the day that the House of Prayer was starting the new hours.
On a personal note, as many of you know, Jeff Marks has not been well since the winter of 2007. His recovery has been slow. Jeff attended his first Alliance meeting since 2007 this Wednesday. During our prayer time, Jeff prayed like I haven't heard him pray in 2 years. It was as though the sleeping lion had awakened. After the prayer, I asked him about how he was feeling. He said that during the meeting, he had begun to experience the joy of the Lord again for the first time in years! Seeing Jeff come alive like this was probably the best part of the meeting for me. I include this in the update, because I know it will cheer many of your hearts and also encourage you to continue to pray for his complete recovery.
Proposals
At the beginning of the month, the Alliance Board met at Lion of Judah, partly, in order to set the agenda for the upcoming year. Although several ideas were discussed, no hard and fast agenda was set for 2010. This Wednesday, several proposals were repeated or made for the first time. We need to hear the response of those who were not present--let me know what you think!
60.12 Vision Gathering 60 leaders from around NE once a month for prayer, fellowship, and intentionally addressing areas of division in the body (Jonathan Friz 10daysofprayer@gmail.com)
Mass Awake Victor Khoklan, a Russian pastor in Sommerville, presented a vision God has laid on his heart for united prayer and fasting in Massachuetts focused on the "moral slide" in recent years and on return to the founding purposes of our nation/MA. Victor's vision included hosting a Solemn Assembly in September 2010, something we have done for the last 2 years. It seems that there is some major overlap between Victor's vision and the vision of the Alliance. vrkhokhlan@yahoo.com
GDOP 2010 David McCahon, a pastor in Western MA, has proposed hosting a GDOP gathering on May 23, 2010 at the Mullins Center in Amherst, MA. The Mullins Center is Umass Amherst's main indoor sports arena, and can seat up to 10,000. David suggested a 5,000 person event for the GDOP spearheaded by local church leaders with the support of the Alliance. All expenses related to the Mullins center (rental, sound, insurance, etc.) would be an extraordinarily low $7,500. This day has been reserved by David. David is also looking into other dates as well, including Sept 18 for a fall Solemn Assembly and October 10 for a "University Call" with Lou Engle. dmcahon@comcast.net
Return to Righteous Roots: Becoming a Culture of Remembrance Josiah Armstrong has proposed hosting Garrett Lear, the "Patriot Pastor", for two days in January and February for training days on the holy history and redemptive call of America. Contrary to my initial email to some of you, Josiah is unable to emcee/organize this gathering. We would need to make a decision within the next week on this, so if you are interested in helping to host this, please let me know right away. jarmstrong@youthstorm.org
HELP Found! Finally, one more piece of good news. Suzanne Carter, will begin serving one day a week for the Alliance and helping with communicatons, website, and promotion. Suzanne formerly worked in the mentored ministry department of Gordon-Conwell, connecting students and ministries around New England. Because of her extensive relationships throughout NE via the Seminary, her giftings as a connector, and the clear call of God on her for this, she is uniquely gifted to take on this role. If you want to contact her, her current email is scarter@gcts.edu.
Future Gatherings
We did not set a date for a future gathering on Wednesday. I will keep you posted via email regarding our last gathering of the 2009.
Peace,
Jonathan Friz