By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC
God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil. — E.M. Bounds
Within the discouraging and at times overwhelming state of our world, we cling to prayer. As Holy Week launches us forward, sometimes we feel stuck in Gethsemane. Sometimes we carry such heaviness while crying out to God pleading for relief/removal. But like Christ we lean in and journey forward. And because of Christ, we are able to cling onto Easter hope and resurrection power. We settle into Paul’s prayers:
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Phil. 3:10-12)
I pray that you are drinking more and more deeply of this anticipatory hope, non-circumstantial joy and baffling-peace that comes with the way of Jesus. He is risen! He is risen indeed!
This month, I highlight two things for us here.
The first thing that I would like to share is about our upcoming annual meeting on Saturday, April 24th. The theme is “Come and See What the Lord Has Done!” Love that. We have much to share.
Around this same time last year, we were barely two months into the pandemic. Since then, we faced challenges that stretched and sometimes even tore at the fabric of our families, work, societally, and in our churches. Within the crucible that was this year, impurities were burned away. It helped us as churches get more focused and have more clarity about who we are and what we do.
In it all, God faithfully reminded us of his constancy and his love for us. Jesus reminded us of his promises that he himself would build the church. The Spirit continued to fill us and guide us through the fog.
We gather for our second online annual meeting, streaming from Yakima Covenant Church. It is a perfect location after this particular year. Eastern Washington reminds us that every season is necessary for fruitfulness. God used this past season to lead us to fruitfulness as well. Mission Friends, we have much to share about what the Lord did in us as churches and among us together. There has been good fruit. In addition to sharing good news with each other, we will have a time to pray together to thank God for his goodness last year and dedicate ourselves to the year ahead.
Distance and finances are no longer an obstacle to sending your allotment of delegates. Find more information and register HERE.
The last thing I’d like to share is about our new quarterly focus. As we step into a new quarter, we move from our focus on evangelism to, now, prayer. Associate Superintendent Dawn Taloyo continues to lead our quarterly emphases. You will be hearing more from her in the days ahead, but here she gives us some framing:
“Following the church calendar, with Easter, Ascension Sunday and Pentecost in Spring, it feels right to keep prayer in focus. In the “in between” of Ascension and Pentecost we find the disciples in the upper room “joined together constantly in prayer.” That is the image and vision we hope to keep before us as a conference. We are churches of the Pacific Northwest Conference joined together constantly in prayer. We pray for one another, for our geographic areas, for our pastors and leaders, for justice to roll down, for the fields that are ripe for harvest, for God’s kingdom to come.
While on one hand prayer is one of the most human and innate of languages, rising up from deep and unconscious places, at the same time it takes nurture. Similar to the care needed in all growing and deepening relationships, it takes practice and intention. There is no one way to pray. There are a multitude of prayer postures and languages to examine, try-on, and appreciate. Over the next few months we look forward to encouraging new practices and intentions, as well as highlighting the stories of churches and practitioners. May we join together, as Covenant churches of the PacNWC, in this work behind the work. Lord, hear our prayer.”
Love it. I’m looking forward to joining together in the “work behind the work.” Stay tuned…
Friends, we’ll see you soon at the annual meeting. Lets remember to “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Rom 12:12). God bless!