Date: Friday, April 27, 2012

Time: 7:00 – 9:30pm

Location: Rockpointe Church – Bearspaw Campus (255024 Lochend Road NW)

Possible topics to be covered:

• beyond a ‘grocery list’ approach to prayer
• the power of seeking God’s face
• all prayer requests are not created equal
• changed: from worry to worship
• changed: from fear to fulfillment
• a fresh passion for the glory of God

Hello UChurch! Join Christians from other clubs across campus this Thursday, March 29th from 7:00-9:00 PM in room EDC 179 one last time this semester to worship God and pray for our campus. Come engage in powerful worship from The Deeper Worship band traveling all the way from St. Paul, Alberta! Come hear testimonies of students who have encountered the abundant LIFE of Christ in a tangible way this year as we celebrate the fact that we serve a God who is certainly not dead but ALIVE and at work in our generation!

To those who may be alone and struggling with life’s burdens, hearing others lift them up to the throne of grace can be a great encouragement. It also builds in us love and concern for others as we intercede for them. (adapted from Got Questions Ministries)

The first Thursday of every month, Every Nation (EN) churches around the world join together for a monthly day of corporate fasting and prayer. This is a time that unites EN churches and members to pray and ask God to open doors to the Gospel of Jesus, and as a part of EN churches, UChurch is invited to participate in this!

So please join us on Thursday, April 5 for corporate prayer. Plan to fast on that day, and come prepared in the evening to hear from God and lift up prayers to Him.

Date: Thursday, April 5, 2012 

Time: 7:00 – 9:00pm

Location: UofC room ST128

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7)

As always, everyone is welcome! So come on out, and bring a friend!

Date: Friday, January 20, 2012

Time: 6:30pm – Praise & Worship; 7:00pm – Intercessory Prayer

Location: Calgary Full Gospel Church (917 14 Ave. SW)

ST130 at the U of Calgary

All are welcome!!

Focus for this prayer time:

1.  Worship.  Draw close to God; worship Him; exalt Him; bless Him; tell Him we love Him; He’s worth so much to us.

 2.  Turning to God in the desert.  (more explanation will be given)

3.  Give thanks for 2011

 4.  Pray for God’s presence in 2012

 5.  Prayer with EveryNation for Turkey and Malta (details about what’s going on in these nations will be given)

 6.  Uchurch missions and needs

When: Thursday, November 24th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm

Where: University of Calgary, Craigie Hall, block C, room 119.

What: The live 24/7 Global Prayer Room will be broadcasted through speakers and onto a projector screen such that we might join together in prayer and worship

Date: Thursday, October 6

Time: 6:30pm – 9:00pm

Location: University of Calgary room KNB126 (use the university’s interactive map to find the location of this room)

More Details:

• Come when you can, and leave any time you need to
• There will be freedom to move or walk around as you pray and worship
• An art station will be set up for artists to create while worshipping

Please invite others and spread the word!

Join us in the early morning on Sunday, October 9 for a time of worship, and an opportunity to soak in the presence of God. Art supplies such paper/pencil crayons, chalk/chalkboards will be available for those who feel compelled to create visual masterpieces, and a guitar, electronic keyboard, and hand drum will be available for those who wish to create music. In addition, feel free to bring your own art supplies and/or musical instruments; the whole idea is that God would be glorified through our worship of Him in diverse and creative ways!

Date: Sunday, October 9, 2011

Time: 7:00am – 10:30am (feel free to come and go as you like)

Location: UofC room ST147

More Details: worship music will be played throughout via speakers and an iPod. If anyone would like to lead live worship for any period of time, they may feel free to do so. Bibles and devotional books will be on hand for reading and study, and if you’ve got homework to do, this could be a great alternative to your standard homework spot!

Hope to see you there!

If you want to learn how to live in the freedom, fullness and fruitfulness that God has for you and help others to do the same, this course is for you.

If you would like to know how to bring understanding and healing to those who are struggling, this course is for you.

If you desire to help set people free from the strongholds of the enemy, this course is for you.

Dates: Oct. 14/15, Nov. 4/5, Dec. 2/3, Jan. 6/7, Feb. 3/4, Feb. 11 (workshop), and Mar. 2/3

Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm each Friday, and 9:00am – 4:30pm each Saturday

Location: Ellel Ministries Canada West Office (#10, 5918 – 5th St SE)

Registration: for more information and to register for this year’s Prayer Ministries Skills Training School, visit the Ellel Ministries website.

“The City Wide Prayer Rally is a prayer movement that brings together Christians on a quarterly basis to mobilize the concentrated power of prayer. The purpose of the City Wide Prayer Rally is to seek God’s blessing on lives, families, churches, communities and countries around the world.  Our mission is to reach beyond the church to engage our communities through united prayer.” (source: http://www.calgaryprayerrally.ca/)

UChurch has been participating in City-Wide Prayer Rallies for several years now, and once again we’ve been invited to participate this month:

Date: July 15, 2011

Time: 6:30pm Worship; 7:00pm Prayer

Location: SouthSide Victory Center (6402 – 1a Street SW)

For more information visit http://www.calgaryprayerrally.ca/.

Don and Juanita would appreciate your prayers over these issues. Thank You

Here are the details you need to know:

Dates: Aug. 27th- 28th, 2011

Time: TBA

Location: Hawkwood Baptist Church (20 Hawkwood Drive NW, Calgary)

CNMM is a network of individuals and groups working together with the goal of giving all Muslims in Canada the opportunity to understand and respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Visit www.30-Days.net for more information.

Date: Sunday, April 24

Time: 7:00am – 8:00am

Location: Nose Hill Park (north side of the junction of John Laurie Blvd. and Brisebois Drive NW)

*thumbnail photo courtesy of Flickr user Toni Grigoriu. “Sunrise on Black Sea.” 07 Feb 2006. Online image. Flickr. 14 Apr 2011.

“I’m sure by now there is no one who does not know about the massive earthquake that struck Japan on March 11. I woke that morning and was in and out of meetings all day, keeping an eye on Twitter and Facebook for updates from our pastors and missionaries. Thankfully, all of our Japanese churches and their members are accounted for.

I was sad and stunned when I watched the news footage from Japan that evening, thankful for my friends who are safe, but heartbroken for a nation in pain.

In response to this disaster, Every Nation churches in Japan are rallying to help those in need. We want to help them respond in a big way, so we’ve set up a Japan Earthquake Relief Fund for donations that will go directly to our churches in Japan who are organizing teams to go to the quake zone.

Please keep them in your prayers as reports continue to come in of a nuclear crisis resulting from radiation leaks and also of powerful aftershocks.

For direct live updates from our pastors, leaders, and campus ministers in Japan who are on Twitter, follow:

• Scott Douma (@sdyokohama)
• Ray Mercer (@raymercer)
• Satomi Mercer (@SatomiMercer)
• Ted Kawabata (@tedkawabata)
• James Coble (@jascoble)
• Yokohama Grace Bible Church (@ygbctweets)

The people of Japan need our prayers, our compassion, and our help.

God bless,

Steve Murrell

President, Every Nation Churches and Ministries

*thumbnail photo courtesy of Flickr user jennifer chong. “JAPAN.” 11 Mar 2011. Online image. Flickr. 18 Mar 2011.

Please keep Christchurch and the Wewege family in your prayers.”

Sincerely, Kevin York (Executive Director, Every Nation Churches)

*thumbnail photo courtesy of CNN iReport contributor, Ira Redepenning

In our western culture we seem to believe that it is more important to pray alone than with others. This is a symptom of our society that has elevated individualism to be more desirable than community. History reveals that in previous societies, the people did not even have a word for individualism.  They had no concept of an individual who did not belong to a group.  We have become a society of Solo sapiens! As it relates to prayer, we have lost the New Testament conviction that we must pray together, first, before we are to learn to pray alone.

More is said in Acts and the Epistles about corporate prayer, corporate learning of Biblical truth, corporate evangelism and corporate Christian maturity and growth than about the personal aspects of these Christian disciplines. Don’t misunderstand, the two are intricately related. But the personal dimensions of Christianity are difficult to maintain and practice unless they grow out of a proper corporate experience on a regular basis.  If all we do is pray alone, it is like having only one leg to get around with. Two legs are always better than just one, no matter how strong that one leg is. Both legs are required if you intend to ever run. If we were to place as much emphasis on the other leg (corporate) as we do praying alone, we would be running a lot farther and faster.

In Acts 2 we see the seeds of how the new followers of Jesus lived their new faith. They devoted themselves (plural) to teaching, fellowship, prayer, and meals and were generous with one another, meeting in homes and at the temple.  It is good to understand that until the advent of the printing press, God’s word was experienced primarily in community as followers of Jesus heard the truth explained in regular gatherings. The basic approach to learning was auditory and corporate. Today most followers of Jesus enjoy their own copy of the scriptures, which increases our knowledge, and learning of scripture through private study and devotions. The downside is that this fuels an individualistic approach to our faith, including prayer.

In western culture the church has lived like this for so long that it has become the accepted norm. Even when corporate prayer happens, many describe their experiences as B-O-R-I-N-G and tedious.  As if to excuse the need to pray with others, everyone assumes that private prayer is happening full on, when in fact most people (if honest) will admit just the opposite – they pray very little. Prayer for most people almost becomes synonymous with drudgery.

The fact is that healthy corporate prayer times are just the opposite of what most people now understand. Many people, especially new followers of Jesus, will declare the corporate prayer times together as the most significant times of their lives.  Try and tell the 2,500 who show up every Tuesday night for corporate prayer at the Brooklyn church that what they’re doing is boring. They would probably just grin and suggest you “come and see.”

I will never forget my first corporate prayer time – I was a new follower of Jesus and found myself going to my first ‘bible study’. No Sunday churches existed so by the time I got to this home group, I still had never prayed with anyone, anywhere. I got very little out of the study; it was way over my head at the time. They used a lot of words I had never heard before: sanctification, justification, propitiation …  I thought, “what ever happened to ‘Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so?’”   As the dry study came to a close, the leader asked us to ‘hold hands’ so we could pray.  We were sitting cross-legged on the floor – about 10 of us. I had not held hands with another dude since lining up for potty time in kindergarten. I complied, and before I could say ‘sweaty palms’, I was flying!

I don’t know how long it endured or if I said anything in the moment, all I remember is feeling a euphoric high unlike anything I had experienced before.  At the end when the guy beside me pried my hand from his, I exploded with a pronouncement worthy of an Oscar – “this is the best high EVER!”

Since then I have logged my share of praying in corporate settings. Some are as dull as unbuttered toast, other times I felt like I had died and gone to heaven (good thing).  Other times God has done amazing things in me as tears flowed for God-only-knows how long.  Over the years my personal times in prayer have grown as well – I have learned how to be with God. When I look back on how I transformed from an awkward, stiff, bumbling, self-conscious babe, into a pleasant ease where I can actually hear God (most of the time), I realize it is because of my experience with corporate prayer – watching and learning from others.

As I read the accounts of the disciples learning from Jesus, I was struck by the fact they one day confronted Him and asked Him to teach them “how to pray”.  Seems they had been observing Him – His intimacy with God. It was so different from the technical, styled repetitions they grew up watching in the religious folks around them. They saw Jesus speaking with his Papa from the heart.  They saw something like I learned to spot when watching others who were more mature in their faith – I saw people’s hearts. They saw Jesus’ heart, and it flowed – and even better – God answered. The confidence, the power, the humility…wow! No wonder the disciples wanted to learn!

You see: God does not require a style, or a pattern, or a technique – He does not hear us any better when we use lots of “amens” or cock our head 30 degrees upward.  He sees and hears our hearts – the innerness of us – and He loves it!

Why pray together? Two reasons I think are worth the effort:

1. His presence: there’s just nothing else like it. In the New Testament church, they risked their lives and all they owned to experience it because they new it was the best high ever. God’s presence was palpable – it changed, encouraged, and strengthened everyone present. The fact is that if you think you’re strong enough, encouraged enough, or changed enough, don’t bother to pray with others. God is into helping those who know they need him.
2. When I pray with others, I get to see and hear other peoples’ hearts, their innerness. I learn what a broken contrite heart sounds like, I see what a repentant heart looks like, I get to watch and learn what joy filled heart is like.  I get to see people who know God better perhaps than I do hear, receive, smile, cry, dance, weep, mourn, travail, and be loved by (and love in return) the God of the entire universe.

I am not mature yet; I need to keep learning how to communicate with God.  You would think by now that I might have it down to a nice pattern – but just like my wife after 27 years, she does not want ‘slick’ or pattern; she wants me. She wants me to ‘share feelings.’ Why? Because she wants to hear my heart; because she loves me.  And as much as I find this hard to do at times (yeah macho men!), I am learning how to do it – how to drop the guard.  The same thing goes for talking with Abba father.

I often can still have my guard up when I go to spend time with God. The reasons are long – I am still learning about my guards, my walls.  Yes, I love corporate prayer – I get to see old and young, wise and silly, hard and soft, downtrodden and victorious people lay bare their hearts and it inspires me to do the same, it teaches me how to be free, even when I don’t want to.

Some will tell you to pray  with others because it makes things happen – sure, that is true, but this is a byproduct of an intimate exchange. Pray together because Papa wants to see and hear your heart!  It’s far more rewarding I guarantee!

“Again. I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”  Jesus – Matt 18:19

- Brant

(source of article themes: Fresh Encounters by Daniel Henderson)

*thumbnail photo courtesy of Flickr user …-Wink-… “Another Chain-keh.” 03 Feb. 2009. Online image. Flickr. 19 Jan 2011.

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As Daniel Henderson records in his book, Fresh Encounters, a few years ago a prayer craze seemed to explode upon North America fueled by an obscure prayer that was highlighted in a book titled The Prayer of Jabez. Multi-millions of copies were sold.  In it Bruce Wilkerson challenged his readers that if we prayed the principles of that prayer, God could bless those praying in similar fashion as he experienced in his ministry, that you could experience spiritual and expanded ministry for Him – making a difference in the kingdom.  However not long after a controversy began to brew around the book. It seems that many people thought they would get financial and material blessing if they prayed this prayer.  They started praying selfishly, missing God’s intention entirely. Many people had become more concerned with what God would do for them, instead of what they could (with God’s blessing) do for Him.

It’s not the first time followers have done the ‘right thing’ – prayer, with the wrong motive.  When it comes to prayer many of us have wrong motives. Here are a few I have wrestled with over the years that Daniel Henderson helped outline for me:

Guilt

Because we know prayer is commanded, important and expected, we often feel obligated to pray ourselves or attend prayer meetings and we feel guilt if we don’t.  Guilt however cannot sustain us and keeps us from enjoying the experience. I have found that when I was motivated by guilt, I would look for the slightest excuse to avoid prayer times/meetings.

Acceptance

This one cuts to our sense of belonging. Many of us have grown up in families or culture where our self-esteem is bolstered by our performance and what we think people think about us. Inwardly we think we are only worthy of love when we did things that were deemed impressive or good.  For some of us, we translate that into Christian disciplines with a works-based acceptance with God. Many people inwardly believe that the more they pray, the more God will love them, accept them.  Some of us even have extended this to spiritual leaders around us – that we would feel the acceptance and support of these leaders when we ‘do’ what is encouraged. God loves us, not because of who we are or what we do. He loves us because of who He is. He cannot help it because He is love.  We ought not to pray to be accepted by God. That was settled when he went to the cross for us.

Growth

This logic goes like this – “If I pray, God will be pleased. If God is pleased, He will bless me. If he blesses me, the thing I am doing will grow.” (this could be our business, our ministry, our church, our Home Group, our career, our future spouse, our finances, etc.) For pastors or spiritual leaders, the motive becomes the belief that a growing (big) church is always better.

What we don’t see often is that under the surface, our motive is egotistic.  No matter what ‘thing’ we are doing, if it gets blessed the accolades of personal gratification connected to ‘success’ will closely follow.

God does delight in praying people, and He is eager for things like our churches, our needs, our relationships, etc. to advance. However, He will not reduce something as pure and distinctive as prayer to the next strategy for our human-centered success.  For example, when prayer does not succeed as a church growth tool, it is often discarded for a more “effective” methodology.  When prayer does not work as a means to advance anything we personally are trying to build/grow/get, often we too will discard it and look for some other technique to get results.

Revival

One thing that happens to spiritual leaders is that they hear about the past moves of God in history (called ‘revivals’) and they long to see them today – the impact of good trumping evil.  They hear that what causes God to start a revival is prayer, so off they go to pray for this lofty Godly move. Mercifully all of the spiritual leaders I have come to respect eventfully discover a simple truth along the way.  God comes to them and asks them, “Are you seeking to be revived from Me (God), or are you seeking Me (God) for revival?” Another way to put it is, “are seeking me for what I can do (God’s hands), or are you seeking me for who I am (God’s face).

Yes, revivals do occur because prayer occurs – but when you look into the prayers that sparked a revival, they were all born in an ongoing cry to be revived, not to bring revival.

Recorded in Exodus 32-34, we read of God removing his presence because of Israel’s idolatrous folly with the golden calf.  God essentially said to Moses, “You go on to the Promised Land and I will protect you all the way, because I am a God of my word. But my manifest presence will not go with you.” (Ex. 33:1-3)  Moses and the people knew they were dead in the water – they mourned and repented. Moses went and sought God in prayer ‘face to face” and declared, “Lord, your manifest presence is the only thing that makes us different from anyone else in the world. If your presence does not go with us, we are not moving an inch.” (Ex. 33:15-16) Revival happens ‘out there’ when it first happens in us. The motive to pray is not to get God to do something, but to be with God. It is a relationship that is built intimately where his presence has room to revive us, remove things, and draw us to turn from those things that send His presence away.

The only enduring motive to pray is this: He is worthy to be sought – period. His presence is better than anything else – this is the focused passion God loves to respond to.

“God entrusts His most fruitful plans to those who maintain the most focused passion.”

-Brant

*thumbnail photo courtesy of Flickr user Laura Ferreira. “With a Little Help From a Friend.” 03 Oct. 2009. Online image. Flickr. 19 Jan. 2011.

In the early eighties the Nikolai Kirche Church opened their doors for ‘alternative’ young people who had formed protest groups for disarmament. “I suddenly realized,” says Christian, “that if we would open our doors for these types, the communists would no longer be able to say that the church was just a museum, a place for old ladies waiting to die. The church could again become a grassroots counter movement.”

In 1982 the Nikolai Kirche Church started weekly prayer meetings that went on unbroken for seven years, until the Wall fell. When discouragement kicked in, they reminded each other of Jesus’ words that when two or three gather, He is in their midst. “We realized that if we would stop praying, there would be no hope for change in Germany.”

A few years later Christian started a group for people who wanted to leave the ‘socialist paradise’. He put a sign in front of the church building saying ‘this church is open for everyone’. “Soon we became the best guarded place in the whole GDR because we took ordinary people seriously, and offered them hope.”

When in 1988 a group of protesters got arrested in Berlin, the Nikolai Kirche Church started daily prayer meetings for their release. Hundreds of people joined in, many of them non-Christians. The Sermon on the Mount was central to these prayer gatherings that quickly drew over 2,000 people and continued to grow. This made the government nervous and they sent hundreds of undercover agents to the prayer meetings. “This was just great,” says Christian. “The government sent its employees to church, and they were now forced to listen to Jesus’ teachings. So I started the meeting with a ‘warm welcome to the unofficial representatives of the state’. Everyone laughed, except the secret police guys. The people turned their heads and could immediately spot the cops. This broke the tension.”

By October 1989 over 60,000 people had gathered in and around the church. It was the largest demonstration ever held in the GDR. Everyone had brought candles. In Berlin close to a million were rumored to join the weekly prayer times.  “The Lord reminded me of this Scripture that says that ‘it’s not by might, and not by power, but by His Spirit” Christian noted.

The only successful revolution in Germany was a non-violent one. – The Wall came down.

Later the police stated that they were prepared for everything, but not for prayer and candles.

(source: http://cimarronsong.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/prayer-and-the-berlin-wall/)

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For us in UChurch, I pray we too will one day be unknown for who we are, but rather be known for the things in our world that changed because we took Jesus at his word.

Markus Laegel, who heads up a prayer movement called 24-7 Germany, has written a chapter in a new book about his experiences of the power of prayer growing up in Leipzig on the day the Berlin Wall came down. Here are some excerpts that describe the events – he was 13 at the time….

“Rev. Christian Führer, described one particular Saturday: ‘For ten hours, uniformed men beat the defenceless people, who did not retaliate, and took them away in lorries. Hundreds of them were herded into stables in Markkleeberg.’

‘What if my Dad’s in the middle of it, in prison, even? Just like we watched yesterday on TV.’ Dad did come home that Monday evening. It was very late, but he was okay. They had only got out of the city by using side roads and diversions. Twice they were stopped by police. Next Monday, though, he’d be back in Leipzig again (at the prayer meeting)  and I’d be there with him. This time I had not been allowed as I was still only 13, but it was my birthday in three days. Then I’d be 14. I could go along and I would go along. What I experienced then was the most extraordinary thing my young eyes had ever seen. This I have never forgotten…

Thousands of people gather. They’re here to pray. They’re praying for peace. The prayer is set to start at 6pm. The idea is to use the Nikolai church, but that’s already full and it’s still only 4 o’clock. We go down to the church of St. Thomas. That’s full too, but we manage to find a space. Mum, Dad and me. We’re a family. Not just us, but everyone. Everyone in EVERY church at that moment. The people sit and stand wherever there’s room. The pews were filled long ago.

The people pray simple but honest prayers. Many of them probably don’t even believe in God, but who else can help them?

As the final hymn “Dona nobis pacem” – “Give us peace, Lord!” is sung, I experience the same miracle that also happened the week before.”

Rev. Führer also writes:

“… when more than 2000 of us came out of the church – I will never forget the sight – tens of thousands more were waiting outside in the square. They were holding candles. When you hold a candle you need both hands. You have to guard the flame, stop it from being blown out.

You can’t hold a stone or a club at the same time. And then the miracle occurred. The SPIRIT OF JESUS, a Spirit of non-violence, took hold of the masses and what resulted was material, peaceful violence. The army, fighting patrols and police were drawn in, started conversations and retreated.

Thousands of people with candles. People who’ve never met before, suddenly a family. They lay their candles at the feet of the armed soldiers and police. The steps of the STASI building – the organization that spied on, abused and sold people out – now awash with candles. It looks like a river of peace and light.

On that Monday it was as if I heard God inside of me whisper – even though it was only a whisper I was startled – ‘In the same way as this unjust system has fallen, so every other unjust system will fall.’ It has a hold on me to this very day. That experience is the reason I’m doing this 24-7 prayer thing. I want to see God’s justice triumph so that ‘my’ generation can be free. I don’t want to put up with people still living under oppression. So many have merely swapped communism for consumerism. Free they’re certainly not.

As early as 10 years previously – since 1979 – people had started praying in the Nikolai church in Leipzig. Every Monday. They prayed for peace and justice. For 10 long years they endured suffering and defamation. In October 1989 there were tens of thousands of them.”

(source: http://www.24-7prayer.com/articles/661)

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One of the profound truths that struck me as I read this account was the fact that God used the very people who were praying to be the answer to their own prayer. They became the very force God would use to bring light into the darkness.  They sought for peace in prayer every week for 7 years and they ended up beoming peaceful – full of the Prince of Peace. It was so tangible, the forces collapsed in the presence of the people.

The most dangerous aspect to corporate prayer is not in the praying, it is in the way God changes those who are praying. They become bold in Him. Prayer changes the future because prayer changes us.

- Brant

*thumbnail photo courtesy of Flickr user echiner1. “Candles in Meteora.” 21 Jun 2009. Online image. Flickr. 19 Jan 2011.

Date: Every Wednesday morning

Time: 9:00 – 10:00 am in room MSC 317 (the prayer room; upstairs by the old Mac Hall ballroom)

The Need… Effective Prayer

Our human spirits are often damaged, resulting in pain and woundedness.

The damage has a source—a root cause—yet our prayers may only address the symptoms; which does not bring about healing or freedom into one’s life.

As the body of Christ, we need to be equipped in how to pray and minister more effectively into people’s lives so that Jesus can bring about complete healing, restoration and wholeness.

The Tool… Prayer Ministry Skills

This Prayer Ministry Skills series is designed to provide many of the spiritual keys and basic skills necessary to effectively pray for someone in need.

The teaching follows a logical order and is broken into six weekend courses.

During the series there will be teaching on key relevant subjects, question and answer sessions, demonstration ministry and opportunities to practically apply that which is learnt. It is designed to disciple and equip the Body of Christ.

The Weekend Courses

Prayer Ministry Skills 1 (October 15-16, 2010)

• Foundations for Healing
• The Nature of Man: Body-Soul-Spirit
• Forgiveness
• Generational Iniquities and Soul Ties
• Bitter Root Judgements and Expectations

Prayer Ministry Skills 2 (November 5-6, 2010)

• Belief Systems
• Defence Mechanisms and Behaviour Cycles
• Understanding Emotions
• Curses, Pronouncements and Inner Vows
• Healing through Deliverance-Part A
• Listening

Prayer Ministry Skills 3 (December 3-4, 2010)

• Godly Sex and Sexuality
• God’s Order for the Family
• Healing the Human Spirit
• Ministry into Fear
• Healing through Deliverance-Part B

Prayer Ministry Skills 4 (January 7-8, 2011)

• Loss and Grief
• How to Minister into Abortion and Miscarriage
• Praying for Physical Healing
• Godly Authority and Ungodly Control
• Ministry to Victims of Accident and Trauma

Prayer Ministry Skills 5 (February 4-5, 2011)

• Right Relationships
• How to Minister into Rejection
• Understanding Addictions and Eating Disorders
• Stress, Anxiety and Burnout
• Anger – How Do You Deal With It?

Prayer Ministry Skills 6 (March 4-5, 2011)

• Freedom from the Occult
• Understanding and Ministering to the Abused
• Ministry Principles and Practices

Healing & Deliverance Workshop (February 19, 2011)

This workshop provides practical application of the skills learned from the series. The emphasis is on small group ministry under the guidance of an experienced Ellel Team leader.

Click here to download a brochure outlining the details of this exciting opportunity.

To register, visit the Ellel website and click on the “Dates and Registration” tab at the top of the page.

Please join us in praying for the next generation on the campus! Specifically, please pray for:

1. Students to encounter Christ while studying at the university, and especially for 1st year students.
‘We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.’ ~ Psalm 78:4

2. The international students. Many nations are represented on the campus.
‘Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.’ ~ Psalm 2:8

3. Faculty, staff, & governing authorities on the campus. 
‘Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.’ ~ Romans 13:1

4. Christian students to walk in boldness and for laborers to be released into this vital harvest field.
‘For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.’
Luke 10:2: ‘Jesus told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’ ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

5. Unity within the larger Christian community on the campus. 
‘How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!’ ~ Psalm 133:1

Details and Directions:

Date: Wednesday, September 8th

Time: 6:30 – 9:00 pm

Location: Cornerstone Church (1227 48th Avenue NE)

“Tonight was our farewell party. They overwhelmed us with gift after gift after gift. All bought by people out of their pockets. How can people who have so little give so much? Its because we miss the fact that they are rich. Rich in love and God. They made several of our team members honourary chiefs tonight and gave them robes and hats to match”

Although the end to this trip Sierra Leone is near, please continue to pray. Pray for the team members who will now begin their journey back to Canada, as well as for the team members who stayed on the ground in Canada all along. Pray for protection and for grace for them to process what has happened together.

Pray as team members transition back to life here in Calgary, and that what God has imparted to them will not be lost or forgotten. Pray for travel mercies and joy and peace.

And lastly realize that many of them will be returning home to family members who have not shared this experience and that processing and sharing will occur with patience and grace.

“We had a really busy day in Kigali … but WHAT A DAY! It was wonderful!!!

We spent the morning doing home visits with the women that Tubahumurize works with. Yesterday we attended their group counseling session and despite the lack of understanding (everyone was speaking Kinyarwanda) we could understand the emotions and the amazing love and support they offered each other. When the leader asked them who would like us to visit them in their homes, they all raised their hands! I couldn’t imagine walking to all 18 homes!

During our visits we met a young lady (19 years old) and her brand new baby … less than 24 hours old! What struck us the most about her village was that it is full of women who were raising girls.  We brought these ladies bags of rice, gave them Canadian flag pins, shared our family photos, and prayed for them. We loved being with them, but left with heavy hearts. So much could be done … so little is being done … and it could be done in increments … so easy! 

Later in the afternoon, we visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Then at 4:00 p.m. we went out to visit the soccer teams we had sponsored last year. Little did we know, they planned a whole program for us. There were signs to thank us for the jerseys, there was singing and dancing … and an exhibition soccer match! We had our pictures taken with them and they loved on us a great deal. I can’t believe how grateful they were for something so simple as a few dozen jerseys. We were very humbled by their response. 

Tomorrow we are off to Gisenyi. We have hired a car for the day and will be accompanied by my friend Olivier. He was so excited to be asked to join us. He is fluent in at least 5 languages and is the best translator here … and he is very protective of us … the best qualities for a guide! 

We are having a wonderful time. We are both healthy and really enjoying ourselves here. Thank you for your prayers. We are well taken care of, to say the least!”

“Well, we’ve arrived in Kigali … two red-eyes back to back is a little wearisome but we made it!  Thus far we have met several individuals from the US Ministry of Defence, and a fellow from Calgary – Andy – who spoke at the Rwanda genocide memorial a year ago. He is taking his daughter to Rwanda for the first time. Andy left during the genocide but still has many family members there. This should be quite a trip for them! Andy was so sweet to us … he even offered us a ride to the place we would be staying! So even before we arrived in Rwanda we felt loved and cared for. These Rwandese sure know how to do hospitality!

When we arrived in Kigali, we were greeted by our friends Eddie, Bonita and Olivier. A brief visit with Olivier and plans were made to join him for a concert that he is performing in on Friday … should be great fun!  Today has been a lazy day. The weather is gorgeous here … mid-twenties and a light breeze – awesome! We’ll take in culture and then set to work tomorrow. Off to the market and the Genocide Memorial and some more time with Eddie and Bonita … a good day for our first. We are meeting at the Tubahumarize office at 9:00 for the group counseling sessions that they run. We can’t wait to meet the women there.

On Wednesday, Eddie has arranged for us to meet the soccer teams that we sponsored last year … bringing them jersey and cleats. The teams have blossomed and grown – they have become known as the teams to reckon with. It will be great to continue to support this team and their coaches.

We will keep you informed as we go along. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!”

How de body?! We be fine! So here is a short recap of our adventure thus far…….

After 18 hours of travel, we arrived in Freetown, where we got off a chilly airplane straight  into an early-evening curtain of  very warm and humid West African air. “Oh, man – I’m sticky already!” one of us lamented. “Wonderful – I LOVE this!” another exclaimed (as her hair almost immediately began curling around her head). We were a formidable group – sixteen travellers with two pieces of checked luggage each in addition to our carry-ons. Do the math – thirty-two large pieces, and the porters were more than willing to heave the lot onto trolleys as we headed to the taxis.

We spent the first night at a guesthouse in Freetown where we were welcomed warmly and treated to a fabulous African meal of spiced chicken, rice, fried plantain, and banana and mango.  African food (at least in Sierra Leone) consists primarily of starch such as rice, yam or fufu (made from cassava, a root vegetable) and sauce. Vegetables are scarce, meat is expensive, but pineapple, mango and banana are common. Anyway, we spent the next morning at Sierra Leone’s university where we joined about 100 students as we sang, prayed, and then played a “game” that we thought up. We were there to encourage these bright minds as they face challenges we only read about in the papers. Six of us and six of them took turns exhorting all of us as we preached, coached and encouraged. We all had a lot of fun, and we were then able to pray for the leaders of the new inter-varsity Christian fellowship.

In the late afternoon, we split up into three vans and made the three-hour trip east to the town of Bo – our destination. Another guesthouse, another traditional meal – and a very warm, exhuberant welcome involving some great African harmonies! These people are very relational and make it clear that they want to really know us. Our hosts – Pastor Shodankeh and his lovely wife Santa – are so gracious as they make sure we are well looked after.

What have we been doing? Up at the crack of dawn (it seems!), worship and a short teaching, followed by breakfast. Time to brush our teeth before we hurry into the vans that will take us either to the girls’ school construction site, or the clinic or hospital. The medical team is headed up by Charge Nurse Kia and consists of Nurse Lisi, Nurse Katie, Fake Nurse Patty, and Chief Assistant and Major Encourager Yvonne. We spent the day at the local clinic in Bo yesterday, where the nurses there were seeing pregnant and lactating mothers and their sick babies. We were greeted there by Pastor Jonathon, and after he introduced us to the waiting room, he opened in prayer and praise, and the waiting mothers all took part! Kia, Lisi and Katie took turns taking vital signs (blood pressure and temps) and tried not to laugh when the little ones took great fright from our ghostly white skin. The team also spent much time praying for these mothers and their beautiful babies; not one turned us down. Typhoid, malaria, measles, pneumonia, malnutrition – the cases are many and the workers are few. The doctor, nurses, pastors – they work tirelessly and obviously care a great deal for these patients.

No matter how much training is done, how many stories are told, or how many pictures have been seen, the only way to know Africa is to be in Africa. And as soon as you are in Africa, you are a part of Africa. To describe our experience into Sierra Leone culturally would be equivalent to staring at Canada, being spun 180 degrees, and seeing Sierra Leone. Make sense? Don’t worry, we’re still just as confused. Picture every flaw Canadian culture exudes; our rampant materialism and individualism, then do a 180. Sierra Leoneans have a capacity to love unlike one I have ever experienced. They have nothing, yet ask for nothing; they love selflessly… even on a bunch of foreigners whom they’ve never met. I find God’s heart in these people; his desperation for relationship, his love for family, and his simple overwhelming goodness. To paint a picture of understanding for you, our team traveled to an orphanage where we delivered backpacks stuffed with treats and school supplies. The first child who received a backpack was the youngest, a boy the age of 2. While the older children waited patiently, the young boy discovered some candies in his bag. Instantly, he picked them up and handed them out to every child in the orphanage. This boy was 2 years old. If you compare this to the average Canadian 2 year old, you understand the type of people we are surrounded by; you understand how the heart of God is so vibrant and alive within them. Africa tends to have negative paradigms surrounding it, but these very ideologies are invented by those who have never known the love of God. Yes, there is poverty and ruin in this country, but there is something more powerful than that at work. I cannot be here and dwell on the heartbreak, because God has given me his eyes, and it is good. I feel overwhelming joy, because I see only His potential and His love. By God’s grace, Sierra Leone is moving forward.  I can only praise God that we are so blessed to be here and offer our meager abilities and gifts. We have the extreme privilege of being here at this time, yet if you asked a Sierra Leonean, they would only insist of what an honor it is to have us. If there is one thing I’ve learned so far, it is to never underestimate the strength of a nation being pursued by a relentless God. Keep us all in your prayers as we begin an exciting new chapter to this adventure- the participation in mobile clinics!

The youth in our city and surrounding area are the focus for the upcoming City Wide Prayer Rally. Mrs. Wanda Bailey – Prayer Coordinator for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association – and several other guest youth speakers will lead us in prayer for our youth. In addition, we will be praying for the Rock the River Tour West, which is scheduled to take place on August 21st (stay tuned for details).

Here’s what you need to know:

When: worship begins at 7:00pm on Friday, July 23rd; the Prayer Rally runs from 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Where: First Alliance Church (12345 40th Street SE)

*Immediately following the rally is a special time for youth to hang out and get to know each other (there will be pizza, dessert, and games!!!).

Hello world!! Or should I say, “Anula” – Dagbani for “Good evening.” It is 9 pm here in Tamale, Ghana. I am sitting in the library at the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation and it is (thank the Lord) air conditioned. One of my teammates has lent his computer to me and there is a fairly reliable ethernet connection here. I am sitting next to a gentleman named Ernest who is working on a translation into his mother tongue. The translation will be transformed into an audio recording of a portion of Scripture. Across from me is Emily (from Ohio), one of my teammates. She’s craving maple syrup at the moment.

First impressions? The people here live in a sauna. If you know me, you know I like warm weather; despite this, I have never LIVED anywhere hot. For those of you from Kenya, it’s like living in Mombasa during December/January, except you can’t parade around in your swimsuit. Or you could probably liken it to Daba. Though I think hotter than either Mombasa or Daba, if my memory serves me correctly.

We arrived here and got to the guesthouse around 10:30 pm Tuesday evening (June 15). The following morning we jumped right into things, with an early breakfast and our first meeting. We were then split into teams of four and were told to get to Asanka Local to meet everyone for lunch, and then to find our way to Osu (a shopping district), with various tasks to accomplish. No, we were given no further directions, so were as clueless as you are now. Each day has been a mix of team meetings and tasks with little/no warning and zero instruction. It has literally been sink or swim.

A few points to highlight:
A couple of lovely rainy season torrential downpours; a few days in various markets (Osu and Makola in Accra, Taxi Round, Ababu and Kamula Station in Tamale); my group on one day ate our first fish heads (well, and the entire rest of the fish as well, and yes that includes scales, bones, fins,… thank you, thank you, I take a bow!); sitting under an umbrella inside a taxi; a day spent with a local teenage girl - we went to church with her, ate lunch in her home, wandered the village and market with her, and sat at her home learning language, a proverb, songs with her neighbour and sister; touring each department of the institute here – translation, literacy programs, literacy development, Scripture in use, audio recording, etc etc etc.

I think I’ve dribbled on about facts and events. What are my impressions? I’m having a hard time not melding the culture here into my Kenyan lens, although that lens has helped me adjust quite quickly to life in Africa. While we have spent a lot of time out meeting people and learning language, it has not been the same language all the time, so I am eager to spend some time in one language area. My Swahili has kept trying to pop up, which is frustrating – clearly they are not speaking Swahili! I am actually having a hard time adjusting to the climate and food; that being said, I am definitely adjusting to both so am optimistic that it will continue to improve. The sink-or-swim structure of the program has been challenging and definitely contrary to my personality, but I can already appreciate the value of having been pushed so hard the last several days as we prepare to go out on our own (literally). I’ve been journaling each day (are you proud of me?) and am starting to get excited about the next four weeks!

Thank you for your prayers and support - please continue to pray for us as we disburse to our project areas (some will travel for up to 2 days), settle into life in the respective towns and with our partners, and as we strive to see how we can be a blessing to our hosts.

~ Danielle ~

Hello All!

I have my pink, frilly apron on, a batch of banana chocolate chip muffins in the oven and a colony of butterflies in my stomach. Departure Day – or Leaving Day, as we called it at boarding school – is looming in the not-so-distant future. Thirteen days, to be exact. Thirteen.

A good number of people have asked me if I’m nervous, to which I honestly and quickly respond, “No!” Yet the butter- flies still flutter in what I can only call pure and growing excitement. When I let myself really stop and think about what I’m about to embark on, my spirit lights up in a way I’m not sure it ever has. Take my passions and put them together: languages, Africa, missions, stepping off into the unknown, realigning with a deeper sense of fulfillment and purpose, and getting outside of that comfortable box to a point where I honestly can’t say what’s around the bend.

My boss and coworkers seem increasingly worried that I’m going to get back to Canada and promptly quit my job. While I don’t see that happening (as flattering as their concerns are to my ego), it’s exciting to know that the next chapter is closer at hand. Even if I’m still where I am today for a couple more years yet, it’s as though the winds have shifted and are blowing from a different direction, pulling the scent of finding myself further along this journey with God that I’ve jumped into.

With most of my preparations in order (or so I think), I find my main points of stress right now stemming from my hope to get things at work and home tied up before I go. Thanks so much to you, I have all the financial support required for this Discovery trip. It’s true! I’ve told a few people that although I grew up in the missionary context and am entirely familiar with the philosophy and reality of raising support, it has been incredibly humbling and inspiring to experience firsthand. Wow. And thank you.

For those who have committed to pray, I’d really appreciate prayer for:

- unity within the team

- humility, health and a willingness to learn, laugh and be vulnerable

- sensitivity to local customs

- safety traveling

In case you’re curious: I leave on June 14 and fly Calgary to London to Accra. There is no way to guarantee that I will have internet or email access, so please assume that no news is good news! And no, I don’t yet know where specifically I will be or what I’ll be doing, which is just dandy by me (and

which also gives me that much more to blab about when I’m back, right?). I fly Accra to London on August 4 and will then be in France from Aug 6-18 (oui oui!), flying home to Calgary on August 19. I expect a throng of people at the air- port to welcome me back. Or maybe at least one person. Mom?

Thanks, Danielle

- Why You Should Fast

- How to Fast Safely

- How to Adequately Prepare Yourself

- How to Make this Spiritual Exercise all it can be

- How to Break a Fast

Click on the link to access this guide for yourself: Personal Guide to Fasting and Prayer

- every Thursday morning from 9:00-10:00 am in Mac Hall at the Chaplain’s Centre

- every Wednesday from 8:45-9:30 am in Mac Hall at the Chaplain’s Centre

Hope to see you there!

Click on the link below for notes from this message:

Straight Up Truths about Prayer

When: Friday, October 16th @7pm

Where: St Micheals Catholic Church (4718 Worcester Drive SW)

For more information click here

Click on the link below for notes from this message:

The Power of Corporate Prayer

One definition of prayer walking is “intercession on location, with information, in cooperation, against opposition, for glorification.”  While the term “prayer walking” does not appear in the Bible, it is clear that this activity was undertaken on many occasions throughout the scriptures.  For example, when God made a covenant with Abraham He said, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. ¹⁵ All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. [...] ¹⁷ Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” (Genesis 13:14 – 15, 17)

This coming Sunday, we will walk around the university campus and pray that God would be experienced in powerful ways, that current student leaders would be encouraged and equipped for the year ahead, and to claim possession of the land in the name of the Lord.  Please join us from 12:00 noon – 12:30 as we walk and pray.

When: Sunday mornings, 9-10am

Where: University of Calgary, ST147

Good Friday – April 10th

Meet @ 6:30am @ the Base of Nosehill (The parking lot by Brisebois Drive & John Laurie Blvd). The group will meet in the parking lot and walk up the pathway to the brow of the hill. If you are late head up the dirt pathway to the brow to find us!

Easter Sunday – April 12th

Meet @ 7:00am @ the Base of Nosehill (The parking lot by Brisebois Drive & John Laurie Blvd). The group will meet in the parking lot and walk up the pathway to the brow of the hill. If you are late head up the dirt pathway to the brow to find us!

Join with other believers in the city who understand and believe in the power of prayer for spiritual transformation!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 17, 2008

Worship begins at 6:30

Hosted by: St. Michael’s Catholic Community Church

4718 Worchester Drive SW (Corner of Bow Tr and 45th Street SW)

For more information: 403-272-7550  /  www.calgaryprayerrally.ca

For the past two years at the start of every academic year we have walked around the campus praying and trusting God to move in extraordinary ways! We have seen him bring unity among Christians on campus, raise up leaders, build stronger relationships and draw us closer in relationship with HIM. So this year we want to take the same initiative and continue with the Student Prayer Walk on Campus. What an awesome time to be faithful and stand united through the power of prayer.

So join us this week to lay a spiritual foundation for the great and awesome things that God is going to do through each one of us this year!

The Schedule is as follows:

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday – University of Calgary

• 7-8PM each evening
• Meet at the Dairy Queet in MacEwan Student Centre – See Map

Thursday – Mount Royal College

• 7-8pm
• Meet at Wyckham House by the West Gate Entrance – See Map

Friday & Saturday – University of Calgary

• 7-8pm each evening
• Meet at the Dairy Queet in MacEwan Student Centre – See Map

Sunday – University of Calgary

• 9-10am. Meet at ST 145 (near our Church Room)

Hope to see you all next week!

In Calgary there are prayer gatherings in 3 different churches across the city…

Calgary Full Gospel Church: Saturday, May 10th, 6:00 – 7:30 PM & Sunday, May 11th, 3:00 – 4:30 PM

St. Michael’s Catholic Community Church: Saturday, May 10th, 7:30 – 9:00 PM

North West Family Church: Sunday, May 11th, 6:00 – 7:30 PM

For more information go to: www.gdopcalgary.com