As he began his ministry as twelfth president of the U.S. C&MA, John Stumbo issued a Call to Prayer to invite God’s guidance, empowerment and provision. With the support and encouragement of the greater Alliance family, the event, held in Colorado Springs over the Labor Day weekend, exceeded all expectations.
God’s Spirit was vividly present among those who gathered on site and throughout the world via Livestream. Just after the event concluded, John reflected:
We have, just a few minutes ago, completed the Call to Prayer. Leaders and pastors came from 22 states and gathered here for two days. Online there were hundreds of sites that joined us for this event. . . and so my body is a little tired, but my heart is really full from the time together.
Dennis Whalen, C&MA vice president for Development, offered these reflections:
As I participated in our Call to Prayer, an old, familiar hymn kept running through my mind: ‘There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord . . .’ From the very beginning of the Call to Prayer, as we were led in confession, praise and thanksgiving and challenged from God’s Word, there was a sweet, sweet Spirit all around us.
When we moved to a local Alliance church for our Friday evening and Saturday morning times of prayer, it was no longer just the hundred or so gathered in Colorado Springs; we were joined by countless numbers from sites around the world, including Kosovo, Senegal, Brazil and Paris, as well as Pennsylvania, Florida and New York. To have the worldwide Alliance family praying together at the same time for the same requests enhanced that Spirit that was so present with us. May this Call to Prayer be something that grows with each special time together.
Denes House, lead pastor of Trinity Alliance Church in Rochester, New York, writes:
When Dr. Stumbo issued his Call to Prayer at Council 2013 in Tampa, my heart was deeply stirred. I knew then that this was a key moment in the movement that is the C&MA, and I believed that it would be a turning point both for The Alliance and for my congregation in Rochester, New York. It was logistically impossible for me to make the trip to Colorado, but Trinity hosted the live stream both days and invited other Alliance churches in our city to join us. Our numbers were few, but the prayer times were glorious. Led to worship and to intercede by Dr. Stumbo, we pressed in to hear from God and to lay ourselves before Him. We prayed around the United States and the world, and the time flew by. I tweeted then, and I’ll reiterate it now, I’d love to see the Alliance live stream a prayer meeting every week from a different Alliance church somewhere in the world. We must not let this first step be the last.
A Virtual Event
The online participation of the greater Alliance family far exceeded expectations, with a combined viewership of more than 4,200, and 748 comments on the live-stream chat. C&MA Twitter traffic also saw a measurable increase. Here are just a few of the comments submitted by Alliance people from around the world—including Paris, Kosovo, Senegal, and Brazil—who participated in the live stream:
- May The Alliance listen to the voice of God as we humbly fall before His throne. May Jesus Christ our Lord be glorified.
- I’m new to the Alliance family and deeply excited to be here. Tonight is why I moved to The Alliance and why I am passionate about what God is doing within this movement!
- We are joining you in prayer that God would show us individually, and as a movement, how to BE the church! Thank you for this amazing opportunity to unite in prayer.
- What a joy to hear Spanish prayer as well!! Gloria a Dios!!
- Overwhelmed hearing [kids ministries] lifted to the throne . . . by a united church body and not just by myself. O Lord, they ARE already being used by You! As an Alliance family may we pour into their hungry hearts.
- Over here in Puerto Rico, that Spanish sounds very nice. We are also praying for a revival in our island.
- Good to pray with you all! Just heard the call to prayer here in Kosovo at the mosque . . . Glad to oblige in the name of Jesus Christ!
- Quiero vaciarme de mí para ser llena de TÍ!” [I empty myself to be filled with You!]
- Praise God for this refreshing breath of the Spirit. Tozer said that praying for revival is one thing, but the secret is in obeying the Spirit.
- What a beautiful sound is prayerful humility that regards God’s favor as our objective. What a beautiful sight is the prayerful congregation that bows their heads focusing on the needs of others.
- God is at work in the Middle East, and His tools are the follies and feuds of ungodly men. He will free the region so that Christ may be preached freely and people may be able to believe.
- The Lord God looks down upon this meeting and is delighted that we have ministered to Him.
John wishes to express his deep gratitude to all who attended the Call to Prayer in person or online, with special thanks to Alliance churches and individuals that hosted Livestream events so that more people could participate.