Prayer: Join the Rebellion
Saturday, February 27 | 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Zoom
This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9-10)
- Are you content with the state of the world today?
- Do you think God’s name is sufficiently honored and that he is sufficiently worshiped around the world today?
- Are you okay with so many people being lost and separated from God?
- Are you willing to accept the status quo of the world in its sin and fallenness?
If not, then join the (kingdom) rebellion!
Prayer is, fundamentally, rebellion against the status quo of the fallen world.
It is acting on the belief that God is willing and able to do something about it, and that he works through the prayers of his people. Prayer is, therefore, one of the easiest and most important ways we can join in God’s mission. That is increasingly obvious to us in light of a global pandemic and current world events, but it is actually true all the time!
Our Missions Conference this year will inspire us and equip us to more consistently, more faithfully, more intentionally engage in prayer for God’s kingdom to be increasingly realized on earth as it is in heaven.
Format: Zoom-only “TED Talks”
- Because of the pandemic, this year our conference will be entirely online through Zoom.
- A children’s program will be provided alongside the conference for families with elementary-age kids (see more below).
- Youth can participate in the conference alongside their parents.
To protect the security of some of our missionaries, registration is required, and the link to the conference will be emailed to you after registration.
- Three GRC missionaries will give us an update about their ministry and then share a brief, “TED Talk”-like teaching that addresses some aspect of prayer or living missionally during the pandemic in order to inspire and equip us to join in God’s mission in this way.
- A keynote speaker will give more extended teaching on the ministry of prayer.
Schedule
| 9:00-9:20 AM | Welcome and Worship |
| 9:20-9:50 AM | Missionary Talk (Ben) |
| 9:50-10:00 AM | Break |
| 10:00-10:30 AM | Missionary Talk (Brandon) |
| 10:30-11:00 AM | Missionary Talk (Katie) |
| 11:00-11:15 AM | Break / Children’s Zoom Call (11:00 AM-12:00 PM) |
| 11:15-12:00 PM | Keynote Talk (Lyn Newbrander) |
| 12:00-12:30 PM | Worship and Prayer |
Missionaries & Speakers
Prayer: Laying a Foundation for Ministry in a Covid-Altered World
In our covid-altered world, many are hurting and need the hope of the Gospel. With the widespread need and humbling the pandemic has brought, the potential for spiritual breakthroughs is great. And yet, ministry in many ways has also become more challenging with the restrictions brought by the virus. More now than ever, we need the direction and strengthening prayer provides to be faithful to the Great Commission.
Ben
Missions Living During the Pandemic
We will share about being flexible and intentional in our mission during unpredictable times. Being faithful to serve and share with the people brought into our lives by the Lord regardless of what our previous plans were.
Brandon
Have I Labored in Vain? – A Reflection on Servanthood
As we look at what has been lost to us because of COVID-19 and other events of this past year, it’s easy for us to see patterns of lost potential – things getting so good only for them to come crashing down. The tempting and scary question looms in our minds: Have We Labored in Vain? Join Katie as she shares how the Lord answered this question for her through the book of Isaiah, and learn how you can truly cherish your servanthood to Christ.
Katie (photo withheld for security reasons)
Prayer IS the Ministry
The experience of Covid has revealed what we prize in ministry: hospitality, creativity, corporate worship, hospital visits, preaching… All these have been impacted and hindered. Let’s turn our focus to what has always been our neglected but primary means of ministry: Prayer. Do we really believe that prayer makes a difference? That prayer is the ministry? Your prayers matter! They are essential to the advancement of the kingdom of God!
Lyn & Tim Newbrander
Children’s Program (11:00 AM-12:00 PM)
Printable Content for Missionary Talks: Children’s Ministry will produce printable materials that will correspond with the three missionary talks. While the missionaries are sharing, kids will be encouraged to listen in as they can, and to use the print materials to learn more about Japan, Indonesia and Turkey and the missionaries who serve there. Part of the content will include challenge pages that the kids can complete and have their parents email to us. These challenge pages will ask the kids to answer three questions:
- Who is the missionary(ies) who serve in Japan, Indonesia or Turkey?
- What do/does this missionary(ies) do?
- How can our family pray for them?
The kids can then color the flag of that missionary’s country. If kids complete the challenge pages they can earn a prize.
Live Zoom Call: During the break right before the keynote speaker, registered and participating parents will be asked to log their kids onto the Kids Missions Lesson Zoom call. It will begin at 11:15 and go until 12:00 or 12:15. The theme will be based on the Bible story of the persistent widow and will encourage kids to keep on praying for missionaries that God’s kingdom would come in the countries and ministries that they work with.
Optional Prayer Workshop Saturday Afternoon (2:00-3:00 PM)
Do you feel like your prayer for missions can fall into a rut? “God, bless the missionaries. Keep them safe and provide for them. Help them lead people to Jesus.” These are honest prayers, but if you find them getting stale or want to add depth and variety to your praying, this workshop is for you!
Two tools for Your Prayer Arsenal: Personalizing and Praying Scripture, Praying for the Nations with the Nations. Lyn Newbrander, our keynote speaker, along with her husband, Tim, will lead us in a prayer workshop that demonstrates how to apply some of the key teachings from her keynote address from the morning. Specifically, they’ll demonstrate how Scripture can be a huge vehicle for focused prayer, and she’ll share some other resources for specific, dynamic ways to pray for the nations. And we’ll all get a chance to break into smaller groups to put these principles in practice. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity for inspiration and equipping for your prayer life!
Children’s Program During the Workshop. We’ve scheduled the workshop during a common nap time for younger kids, and Children’s Ministry will provide a pre-recorded lesson that kids can watch while their parents participate in the workshop. The children’s program will correspond with what the parents are learning about to help kids and families pray for our church’s missionaries.