Dear Transformation Africa Friend,
Ephesians 4:3 – “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Sunday is an opportunity for the Body of Christ to show our unity in Jesus Christ. The following statement by leading South African Christian leaders supports this.
This information needs to get out to every local newspaper and every church in your area:
MEDIA STATEMENT released on May 29, 2006
The countdown to the greatest world concert of prayer ever has begun. Close to 500 million Christians in 186 nations will be praying for the needs of planet earth on Sunday, June 4.
This event has been organised by Cape Town businessman Graham Power who initiated this global project and has been in contact with church leaders worldwide.
In South Africa Christians have already begun praying and believers in over 620 towns and cities will be meeting in stadiums, open fields, halls and churches on Sunday for a mass sessions of prayer between 2 pm and 6 pm.
Millions of South Africans will take to stadiums, churches and halls across the country on Sunday, June 4, to ask God to bring peace and security to the nation.
Mass prayer rallies are being organised in 810 venues across the country where Christians will gather and one of the main focuses of our prayers will be to ask God to bring true repentance and reconciliation among all racial groups and also a breakthrough in crime and violence, according to church leaders who announced the event last week.
“We will also be praying for HIV and AIDS people and their families and will call upon God to help us as a nation to strengthen the moral fibre of our people and to help our leaders govern the nation wisely,” said a Global Prayer spokesperson.
Church youth groups and children are also part of the Global event with 570 South African schools committed to praying on Friday, June 2.
Dr Coenie Burger, moderator of the Dutch Reformed Church, said that the Global Day of Prayer was coming at just the right moment for the church in South Africa. “We need to confront the challenge of crime, violence and the decline in morality and we need God’s help to do this.”
Prof. Russel Botman, president of the South African Council of Churches, said: “As a community we cannot be reminded enough of our unity and the justice we owe each other. This, and more so, our faith should become the foundation of our hope. Hope is our security against violence, division and destruction.”
Dr Isak Burger, president of the Apostolic Faith Mission, said that his denomination’s 2 000 churches were fully behind the day of prayer and expected to see some exciting results because of the world wide concert of prayer.
Rev Ndaba Mazabane, chairman of the World Evangelical Alliance, said: “The upcoming day of prayer offers us the opportunity not only to connect locally in different venues, but to be one in spirit with the family of Christian believers around the world as they join in, to earnestly seek God’s intervention to the many challenges and ills facing us.”
Pastor Ray McCauley, of Rhema, said that Christians needed to make a bold stand and the Global Day of Prayer was a clear statement that the church was very much alive and relevant.
Dr Michael Cassidy, of African Enterprise comments as follows: “I believe it is important for Christians everywhere to register that this Global Day of Prayer is without precedent in Christian History. This means that God is doing something very special and important. It also requires us to tune into Him in a new way to discover His agenda. I believe that at least one of the major items He wants us to attend to, is that of marriage and family life. May people everywhere pray for marriage to be maintained as heterosexual and monogamous and that family life generally should be deepened and strengthened. Let’s commit ourselves afresh to this.”
And with Paul we cry out – Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Graham Power
Chairman – Transformation Africa
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