Prayer Points for the Highand Festival
forwarded by (Rev.) Stewart Jeffrey
Note further details about opportunities to pray together will soon (d.v.) be posted - Ed.
<Scroooooll down to the foot of the page insert or read 'Comments' for further info>
Prayer points week commencing Monday 18 May 2009
The challenge facing us all in these days is to be a people whom God can use. E.M. Bounds in a small yet powerful book “Power through Prayer” wrote, “The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men!”
By God’s grace we count ourselves among those who are called by God’s Name, and this is a glorious privilege. But with it comes the responsibility of living as God’s people. We have all come short as God measures things. We can therefore only come in humility, thankful for the promised forgiveness in Christ, and pray that God will graciously honour his promise and come and heal our land.
His promise is clear; our response ought to be likewise. Pray on!
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Give thanks:
1. Tiffany writes: “We were able to get almost all of the promotional materials out to churches last week. It was a blessing to have so many ministers willing to come to the office to retrieve the materials. Also, we had great help packaging and sorting materials for churches from volunteers of participating churches. This week we will coordinate getting materials to those churches outside the Inverness area.”
2. Praise God for the quality of the publicity material and for the helpful way negotiations over advertising have been working out.
Items for Prayer
1. We need to recruit and train approximately 500 "Festival Friends" (Counsellors). United training classes begin this week - we pray people will participate in these training times: 21st May in the Barn Church, Culloden; 26th May in East Church, Academy St. Both at 7.30 pm. Others will follow.
2. We will be finalizing the Advertising campaign with newspapers this week. Pray we can maximize our advertising while staying within the advertising budget.
3. Pray for the group heading up the reception for civic and business leaders in the Drumossie Hotel, that they might work well together. This is an important outreach and one that can have a big impact for the future of Christian things in the city and district.
4. Pray for God’s wisdom and strength for the various Festival Committees who are working so hard on the many details.
5. Pray that there will be good weather for all of the outdoor events in the Highland Towns 8-14 June, and for the Bught Park events 19-20 June.
6. Pray that funds will be raised quickly and that the financial needs of the Highland Festival may be fully met.
7. Pray for the arrangements for the open Prayer Gathering in Inshes Church on Tuesday 2nd June from 7.30-9.30. Time of praise from 7.10 pm. Try to be there!
Stewart
(Previous) Prayer points week commencing Monday 4 May
A verse of scripture which has been in my mind this past week is the instruction given by Jesus when he appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road:
“Get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness…. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light….” (Acts 26:15-18)
Here is God’s loving heart revealed – to save those in darkness and held by the power of Satan, that they may find forgiveness and a place with the Father. Here also is God’s gracious purpose for Paul’s life – to be a servant and a witness so that God’s saving purposes might be worked out. And isn’t this what we’re still about today here in the Highlands?
“Spread the Word – God is back!” This was the front page bold heading in last Saturday’s Review section of The Times. Is evangelical Christianity now conquering the world as this positive 2-page article suggests? Praise God for the moving of His Spirit, and for such publicity.
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Give thanks:
1. There was a powerful prayer meeting (around 45 present) in connection with the outreach to East Sutherland. Different churches and traditions were represented and working together, for which we praise God.
2. That the meeting of the Ladies’ Committee last week went well with their plans coming together for the lunch at Beaufort Castle.
3. Praise God for the generous giving already – one-third of expected outlay - to meet the financial needs of the Festival.
4. Praise God for good meetings with Highland Council over arrangements for activities in Bught Park, but ask for God’s guiding presence at a further meeting this week.
Items for Prayer
1. Safety in travel for all the members of the team – especially in light of possible restrictions caused by the Swine Flu outbreak, and also the more stringent visa requirements for people coming into the UK. (See Christians Together web-site for details of this problem.)
2. Angus MacKenzie, Finance Committee Chairman, has written to all churches inviting support for the Festival. Pray that the response will be generous as much is still needed.
3. The Executive Committee will meet Friday morning, 8th May. Pray for God’s wisdom for all who will be there. Chair will be Lord James Mckay, Randal Burtis, Angus MacKenzie (Finance), Anne Gunn (Children’s work), Tommie Mackay (Youth), Greer Johnston (Satellites), Jim Robertson (Counselling), Grant Bell, and others.
4. Pray for all involved in the plans for the satellite towns. Some are quite small groups of people with a vision for their communities. While numbers will inevitably be small at some venues, the scattered rural populations of our area are just as important.
5. Pray for good relations with the sponsors of the Marymas Fayre which also takes place on Saturday 20th June in Bught Park.
6. Plans are progressing well for the meetings in Eden Court (17th/18th June). Pray that people will book their seats and bring their uncommitted friends.
(Previous) Prayer Points for week commencing Monday 27 April
This is the first of what will be weekly mailings (on Mondays) to those who have expressed a wish to have information for prayer concerning the Highland Festival with Luis Palau. At the moment many things are still being finalised. It is going out to very wide cross-section of the Church in the Highlands - most of the major denominations and many independent churches - which is surely something to praise God for.
The verse of scripture that comes to mind for this first mailing is Isaiah 54:2:
"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left."
Here is the Lord's command to his people: "get ready for the glory days to come!"
Have we the faith to believe that God is going to do something great in our Highland area through Luis and his team? Have we the faith to believe that people both young and old are going to respond to the message and turn back to God? The materialism of today has surely taken a knock with the credit crunch and its consequences. So I think it's a good time for Luis to be coming with the gospel message. But it falls to us in the churches to lengthen our cords and strengthen our stakes.
I take this as a call to prayer - expectant, believing prayer; looking to God to guide in all the arrangements and planning; asking God to touch the hearts and minds of people in our churches so that we will think big. "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." wrote William Carey, and it is surely with this mindset that we go about praying for the Festival.
Give thanks: For Luis and the team, for their gifts and commitment; and for the vision which God has given for the Highland Festival. For all who are now involved in preparations, including the other committees - Children's Work, Youth Outreach, Counsellor Training and Follow-up, Finance, Meeting with civic and business leaders.
Randal Burtis, the Festival Director, has asked us to pray:
- For people to be drawn to Christ through the Festival events
- For the leadership of schools throughout the area to be open to the schools programme that is being offered. Some already are; others are still thinking about it.
Liz Campbell is heading up the Ladies' Committee and would invite prayer:
- For their first meeting on 28th April that they might work together and gel as a team.
- That hostesses be found for all the tables (in a marquee at Beaufort Castle, kindly granted)
Greer Johnston leads the group arranging the outreach in the satellite towns:
- That the various local committees in Thurso, Lochinver, Gairloch, Mallaig, Buckie, Golspie, Fort William & Forres will work together harmoniously and fruitfully
- That local prayer meetings will be well supported
- That many will volunteer for the counsellor training classes and be blessed by them
 Listen to a series of short interviews with Luis Palau, Andrew Palau and Randy Burtis to learn a little bit more of how all of this came about
You can also watch a short video clip of Randy Burtis, Luis and others when they outlined the prospect at a leaders meeting in Inverness last year.
And for links to other articles click here (but realise that this is a 'work in progress') |
