Donations

This Sunday the Christians of Bamako, the capital of Mali, gather downtown to pray together with one voice for Africa, Mali, and Bamako. CAM will also participate, taking our people there to pray together with the body of Christ. Pray that our women and those as yet unsaved will be impacted by that event.

Organizers of the world's first global prayer event are calling on Christians across America to be unified in persistent prayer for these next 10 days leading up to the first-ever Global Day of Prayer event on Pentecost Sunday, May 15.

On that date, an estimated 200 million Christians in more than 160 countries are expected to be united in prayer to seek God's blessings upon the world's nations and to usher in a global transformation. U.S. activities will be telecasted via the Sky Angel nationwide direct-to-home Christian-family satellite television service.

Activities from Reunion Arena in downtown Dallas, which is serving as the flagship location for Global Day of Prayer events taking place at various locations across America, will air live on Sky Angel's special events channel, Angel Two/Channel 9702, from 5 to 8 p.m. ET, enabling believers to gather in homes, churches, colleges and more around the country to take part via satellite.

Like other Global Day of Prayer events, the Dallas event will transcend denominational lines, to be hosted by a diverse group of ministry leaders.

While the National Day of Prayer and Global Day of Prayer are two separate observances, both are projects of America's National Prayer Committee, with the global event in cooperation with the International Prayer Council and Transformation Africa organizers.

According to event organizers, the 10 days of prayer leading up to the Global Day of Prayer event is of great spiritual significance.

For ten days, the 12 Apostles sought the Lord in fervent prayer. During that ten-day period of intense intercession, God increased their numbers and prepared them to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Organizers say that as the Lord responded to the 12 disciples, GDOP participants anticipate a powerful movement of God's hand as He responds to an army of 200 million intercessors.

On May 15, 2005, an estimated 200 million Christians will join together for a Global Day of Prayer.
Participants plan to start praying as the sun rises in the east (New Zealand), in different time zones until the sun sets in the west (USA).

Planning for the Global Day of Prayer event involves leaders from all six continents and includes more than 240 countries around the globe working under the direction of the International Prayer Council.

According to a press release from event organizers, during the last five years God has raised up a number of groups of Christians including Transformation Africa, Prayer Week, the USA's National Prayer Committee and Global Day of Prayer.

According to Global Day of Prayer officials, "Many of these streams are converging into a global day of prayer where Christians all over the world will pray for an outpouring of God's Spirit, the healing of the nations, the salvation of the lost, and that the glory of the Lord will fill the earth."

Organizers have come up with a three-fold strategy to help ensure the success of the event. Between May 6 and May 15, 2005, they are asking people to pray for their church congregation, city or region around the clock.

On May 15, residents of towns and cities globally will come together to pray. In addition, according to organizers, both traditional media and the Internet will broadcast the day's events.

Following the event, there will be a 90-day follow-up. Tentative plans are for this to include evangelism, creative forms of outreach and ministry to the poor and needy.

And, event organizers continued, "if you have a story to tell about how your town or city is mobilizing for the Global Day of Prayer, send it to us (at info@globaldayofprayer.com). We will post many of them so that others will be encouraged and learn from you."

Planning for Global Day of Prayer

The upcoming Global Day of Prayer follows on the heels of a prayer event in May 2004 where more than 20 million people gathered in 56 nations of Africa to call on God, according to an Assist News Service story.

Ed Silvoso of Harvest Evangelism told ANS in July 2004, "This may be the biggest prayer movement the world has ever seen."

According to the Global Day of Prayer website, following that event 70 prayer leaders from each of the world's major regions of the world met together at the October 2004 International Prayer Council meeting in Thailand to brainstorm for the Global Day of Prayer.

Leaders voted to continue the GDP "process" until 2010, the organization's website reported, "in order to build momentum and fill the earth."

That decision was also announced to the nearly 1,700 international leaders gathered for the Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization meeting nearby.

GDP has its roots in Africa. However, according to an e-mail from Isebel Spangenberg, administrator for Transformation Africa and GDP, the vision has spread far beyond that continent.

With this year's event, Spangenberg wrote, "The idea is that every nation in every country prays for their own – not just for Africa. We had the Day of Prayer for Africa this year and we are taking ownership of our continent. People who participate take ownership of their own region and country."

The GDP traces its origins to July 2000 and February 2002 when, according to the group's website, God showed businessman and relatively new believer Graham Power that Africa would become the "Light to the world."

There were five stages to what Power was told. The first was to invite the Christians of all denominations in Cape Town (the southern point of South Africa) to unite in a day of repentance and prayer.

This occurred on March 21, 2001, when about 45,000 Christians gathered at the Newlands Rugby stadium.

According to the GDP website, "Hundreds of testimonies can be shared of lives, communities and a city that was impacted. This started a process that has changed many lives in the city of Cape Town."

Following that event, eight additional areas spanning South Africa hosted similar events in 2002. This represented the second stage of God's vision to Power.

The event was broadcast live by a variety of television networks. In addition, the GDP website reported, there was an outpouring of public support: "Many participated in community centers, churches, correctional facilities, retirement homes, town halls and private dwellings, not to mention the fact that it was seen and heard in many African countries via the television and radio broadcasts."

This event was so successful that leaders decided it was important to keep pressing on with the vision. A summit was held in late September 2002 with a variety of leaders from nine different African countries in attendance. There, according to the website, "representatives decided on a mission and vision for 'Transformation Africa.'"

It was decided the vision would be "Africa for Christ," with the mission being "Transforming Africa through Unity and Prayer as we mobilize the Body of Christ and all spheres of society, Community by Community, Nation by Nation with the full Gospel of Jesus Christ."

According to the GDP website, "The challenge facing the regions then was to unite all the churches in the different regions to work together towards transforming South Africa and Africa. People needed to take hands over a broad spectrum, not only with regards to race and culture, but also across the boundaries of various church denominations."

Also in 2002, the International Prayer Council met in Cape Town. It was then that the idea for the upcoming GDP was first birthed. This coincided, the website reported, with the vision of Transformation Africa and many reports from elsewhere in the world.

Power's vision was still gaining momentum. Across the African continent, the GDP website reported, Christians were so inspired with what was happening that they were galvanized to further action. That resulted in 77 South African regions and 27 African countries comprising 66 cities committed themselves to participate in "Transformation Africa" and taking part in a day of repentance and prayer for Africa on May 1, 2003. This was stage three of Power's vision.

Mid-2004 saw the realization of stage four of the vision. The Day of Repentance and Prayer for Africa was held on May 2.

"Our aim was to have all 56 countries in Africa participate. Part of the planning was to involve every town (and) community in Africa," the GDP website reported. "We are happy to say that more than 273 cities (and) towns in South Africa and all 56 countries in Africa (more than 1,200 towns and cities) committed themselves to the process of transforming Africa and participated in a day of repentance and prayer for Africa, raising a 'Canopy of Prayer' across the continent. More than 22 million people are known to have participated. This was a day that has undoubtedly changed the face of Africa forever."

Much has occurred as a result of this unique call to Power, the GDP website reported. "Over the past five years a vision was born and is being realized that is and has been the blessing of millions of people and whole continents. This dream has been the hope of many, including the prophets, and is now being joined with a critical mass and modern technology to bless the earth. Certainly, this story represents a call and a movement of God. Soon, the whole earth will be affected."

A previous ANS story reported that in an e-mail report to Steve Loopstra, executive director of Prayer Transformation Ministries in Minneapolis, Minn., Inger J. Logelin commented that a movement that started in one city, moved to a region, then a nation and finally a continent is by no means over. Great things are expected for the upcoming Global Day of Prayer.