News (9)
We are in need of more finance to help us to move forward. We have moved into a new season. WPC is being called to do significantly more in mobilising, informing and inspiring prayer in the nation and other parts of the world.
SOME OF THE CHANGES:
New staff and volunteers in the WPC team to enable us to expand our capacity
Developing the Prayer Hub – the new WPC website, providing accessible, credible and
current global information. It will facilitate more informed prayer by individuals, small
groups and church meetings
Developing new technology, apps and social media to enable us to contact more
people and commission people to pray in large numbers over key issues.
Developing prayer resource and materials: Booklets, DVDs, teaching tools, articles,
and other material to equip the experienced pray-er and those new to prayer.
Events – such as Trumpet Call and other prayer initiatives. We are planning to organise
more regional prayer events working with partners.
Strengthen partnership working – supporting key Christian organisations with prayer,
bringing together children’s prayer leaders, youth prayer and the many others in the
prayer movement. Developing WPC TEAMS, working in communities and with prayer
ministries to pray for blessing and transformation.
YOU CAN HELP MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE:
Please consider how you might support us and enable us at this time.
If you currently support us financially, please consider increasing your giving.
Standing Orders are easy to set up. Ask us and we can send you details.
Would you consider leaving World Prayer Centre legacy?
Send a one-off gift.
Through local fund raising events and sponsorship.
Prayer – please pray for God to release resources – people, finance, wisdom.
The work of WPC is expanding rapidly. We need help!
This is a new season for us. We are seeing a significant increase in prayer in the UK and internationally. We are looking to provide credible and informative resources and prayer information to enable people to respond quickly and pray wisely through our new prayer hub and social media websites. God is calling us to work in unity with a range of ministries and organisations – to strengthen prayer in the prayer movement and the wider church. We believe that there will be a growth in prayer events and meetings.
BEING A VOLUNTEER MEANS SOMEONE WHO:
Can commit to work for 1 – 3 days a week on a regular basis and for an agreed
period of time.
Would be part of the WPC Staff Team.
Has a passion for prayer, who will pray with us and work with us and take on some of the growing workload.
VOLUNTEER ROLES
If you consider that you have some of the skills and experience necessary for any of these roles below, we would like to hear from you.
Prayer Researcher – to find credible information using the internet and other
resources; turn the research into prayer prompts. This role could be both home or
office based.
Data Management – to help update, refresh and expand our data. This is vital work
if we are to keep in contact with a growing number of people who pray
Admin Support – to arrange meetings, help staff the phones and provide
administrative support for the team
Events Support – help plan and organise events, liaising with venues & dealing with bookings
INTERESTED …..?
Contact Laurence Sharman on 0121 633 7393 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. He will talk the roles through with you more fully and send you more details and an application form. In line with our volunteers policy, there would be a short interview to check that the role is suitable for you and identify any areas of development and support you might need, allowing us to make best use of your strengths and experience.
This is an exciting and important time to join us as a volunteer!
We look forward to hearing from you!
HOW DO WE ENGAGE IN AND PRAY FOR THE MAY 7th ELECTIONS……?
One of our key prayer themes in The Mill Statement is a call to wake up. There is a well known painting by William Holman Hunt called The Light of the World – Jesus stands at an overgrown, under used door and knocks – waiting to be invited in. The wake up call starts with us. Jesus is calling us into a deeper relationship with him and so we are more aware of and responsive to what is happening around us. He calls us to be ambassadors for his kingdom. A wake up call is disturbing. We may want to deny we were asleep, we feel shaken up. God wants his church to wake up.
‘It’s not about them. It’s all about you. Not them. You. About you because a general election is one of those rare times when your voice counts as much as anyone else’s voice does. About you because you have the chance to help choose who represents you and your community in Parliament. About you because you can influence who will run the country for the next five years and, therefore, help shape what sort of country you live in. Rarely has there been a choice so wide or one with an impact which could be so dramatic.’ So writes Nick Robinson Political Editor of the BBC.
Firstly, we need to be informed about the issues, the process and the people. There are many excellent resources to help us and we would refer you to the Evangelical Alliance and CARE websites for in depth information http://election2015.eauk.org and www.engage15.org.uk
Secondly, we need to pray : So let’s ask God to wake everyone up to engage with this election campaign – starting with ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s pray we will awake to God’s invitation to work with Him in prayer for His kingdom to come and His will to be done in and through all that we take place in these coming weeks. We need to enthrone and worship Jesus as Lord; cry out for mercy, grace and favour; declare God’s word and release the blessing of Father, Son and Holy Spirit into the whole process – especially into the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament as well as everything that takes place in Westminster. We can stand guard in prayer over each of the candidates standing for election in our constituencies. We need to ask for God’s protection over our nation at this vulnerable time; that any who are planning destructive acts will be brought into the light; for special protection for the party leaders and their families and for wisdom and guidance for the police and security forces.
CARE has released a 5 week General Election prayer guide starting Sunday 12th April covering your local constituency, political parties and policy issues; the media, party leaders and candidates and after the election. Download it HERE
THE POWER OF HIS PRESENCE CONFERENCE 18-20 March 2015
The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick
230 of us gathered in at The Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick in mid-March for our three day The Power of His Presence conference. There was a real sense of God mobilising all who stand with us in prayer – not just those in Swanwick.
Our key theme was God’s presence. We were delighted to have Malcolm Duncan, from Goldhill Baptist Church with us – we deeply appreciate his openness, his depth of knowledge, his partnership with us, his love of God and his Northern Irish humour. He took us back to 2 Kings 19:29–31 when God speaks of His provision for Israel. He linked this with the presence of God – He fills us constantly with His spirit – day by day – moment by moment. In Exodus 33 Moses pleads with God –“If your presence will not go with us do not let us go from here.” Jesus gives the great commission in Matt 28 calling us to make disciples – and promising that he will be with us always.
Malcolm talked about King Hezekiah – a Godly King who brought the terrible threats of Sennacherib to God and his prophet Isaiah in prayer. Out of that God gave Hezekiah a three year plan – to eat what grows in the ground in year one – and then in year two to eat what grows from that – moving to year three when Hezekiah’s people will plant seed and vines and reap a harvest. The prayer led to the provision – and God’s promise that the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Hezekiah confronted the dead religious traditions of Israel – he wanted genuine powerful worship. He was a man with a heart for God who – as King – brought his nation and people to God.
Malcolm also talked about the indicators of the presence of God – these include –a deep and sustained move of God and a strong awareness of his presence. There is a strong proclamation of the gospel. He described Acts as full of sermons explaining what God has done – taking miracles and signs of the kingdom as opportunities to speak about Jesus. Other signs include a clear response to the word of God and an authentic and joy filled community.
We also prayed about our nation and the world. Lloyd Cooke (Saltbox, Stoke on Trent) shared that we are called to seek the welfare of the city and reported on a strong growing movement across the UK of unity, action and prayer. Malcolm shared his passion for the nation – to pray for more focus on the gospel, the power of the cross to change lives, and the importance of the Bible as the Word of God. We had input on a move of God in the Middle East and the need for more labourers in this harvest – many Muslims are questioning their faith and seeking the truth about Jesus.
We enjoyed the contribution of our friends from Urban Devotion, Birmingham – these young men and women are dedicating themselves to serving God in a difficult community. 20% of their time is given to prayer and they have built positive relationships with many local schools, local young people, and local government. We also heard about two important new WPC initiatives. The Prayer Hub will enable us to provide accessible, credible prayer information – using new technology to engage people in prayer. We also prayed for the work Colin and Chrissie Greaves will be doing on WPC Teams
Our final morning was a dramatic and moving time as the Holy Spirit moved among us – stirring us up to pray for His presence in the church, in our lives and in this nation.
We are so grateful to God for raising up watchmen networks of men and women across our nations and for His protection over recent years. The current terrorist threat level for the UK for international terrorism has again been raised to severe.
Two main areas of threat come from a growing strand of radical Islam – committed to Jihad (a holy war to establish Islam). Their attitude is territorial, wanting to impose Sharia law, take over schools, councils, and other authorities. Their immediate targets are fellow Muslims – the radicals want to impose their agenda and beliefs on Muslim neighbours they see as more liberal or westernised. They see Christians and Jews as unbelievers to be fought. As we know, threats of bombings and shootings are very real – and increasingly from people experienced in fighting in Syria. Another area of threat is right wing extremism, growing across Europe and often has a respectable face – but it is pushing moderate Muslims towards the radicals.
LET’S PRAY FOR:
- The Security Service (MI5) and its national director, Andrew Parker – responsible for protecting the United Kingdom against threats to national security.
- Our local and national Police Force, operating at many levels including counter terrorism units
- COBRA – the government’s emergency response unit.
- The Prime Minister, David Cameron and The Home Secretary, Theresa May; The Cabinet – making decisions on what new legislation to be passed regarding access to communications.
- The exposure of any terrorists plots being planned in secret. Terrorists to receive revelations of Jesus.
- Take responsibility for guarding in prayer the transport systems (stations, airports, motorways and ports), city businesses and shopping centres and other places in your local community or the nation as God leads.
- The Jewish communities across the UK—for protection, grace and a freedom to live normal lives without living in fear of being victims of extremist actions.
- The Muslim population across The UK: During our Day of Prayer in November, we welcomed Gordon Hickson from The Mahabba Network, hi-lighting how Christians can be equipped to share Jesus with their Muslim neighbours through prayer, care and understanding. We commend Mahabba to you. Many respect Jesus, but have a distorted view of Him. Let’s pray for large scale revelations and that Muslim background believers will be received with love and generosity by the church.
Praying for France
According to Operation World, church attendance is one of the lowest in Europe (6-8%); 80% of French people have never owned or even seen a Bible. There are approximately 50,000 full-time practitioners of occult arts (tarot, fortune telling, psychic healing, etc) who easily outnumber the 35,000 full-time Christian workers in France. Muslims make up approximately 10% of France’s population. This is the highest percentage in any European country. France is also home to Europe’s largest Jewish population and anti Semitism is on the rise. Let’s pray for Godly wisdom for her leaders: President Francois Hollande; Prime Minister Manuel Valls; for those working on the ground in divided communities, for unmasking of other terrorist cells and for a mighty move of God through church and nation. Since 2001 a prayer initiative has taken place during the season of Lent to pray specifically for France. Check out their website for this year’s resources.
Praying for Europe
Most of mainland Europe is covered by the Schengen Agreement (The Schengen Agreement abolished internal borders, enabling passport-free movement between a large number of European countries) as there are no borders controls between these countries – what affects one country affects many – all people including terrorists can freely move between all the 26 countries covered by this agreement. Pray for:
The security services across Europe to work together to tackle those that may be plotting attacks or encouraging others to commit acts of terrorism.
For peace in Europe between the indigenous populations and their Muslim neighbours and communities including the Jewish community, the Romany community and others.
That the church will not be constrained by anti-religious feelings.
The light of Jesus to shine on the governments throughout Europe – so that that which is done in darkness maybe brought to light and dealt with.
UK General Election – May 7th 2015
As the political manifestos are launched and the campaigning begins, how might we pray for this most important of elections? We need to rise above party politics and pray as never before for ‘His kingdom to come and His will to be done’ in and through the election.
Let’ pray for our own MP’s and those standing for election in our local constituencies; for protection, for the whole election process, for truth to be shared, for balanced media coverage and for the highlighting of the real issues in need of debate in the coming weeks. As we pray, believe that apathy will be replaced by a real desire by everyone to take part.
The EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE’S website and CARE’s website will provide up to date information and resources as we approach May 7th. We will provide regular updates through our monthly e-News. We also need to remember the outworking of the Smith Commission’s report following the Scottish Referendum before God; for protection for the Northern Ireland Assembly following the Stormont House Agreement (December 2014) and for wise governance to take place in the Welsh Assembly in the lead up to the Election, which all take place during 2016.
“Complexity, fragility and uncertainty are potentially ending an era of economic integration and international partnership that began in 1989. What is clear is that we are confronted by profound political, economic, social and, above all, technological transformations. They are altering long-standing assumptions about our prospects, resulting in an entirely “new global context” for decision-making.” *
Complexity, fragility, uncertainty are not words that spring to mind at the beginning of a New Year with all its opportunities and challenges, hopes and fears, but they are certainly relevant to our nations at this time. Uncertainty is one word politicians, financiers, business leaders, in fact all of us intensely dislike. Stock Markets fall, companies stop investing, and relationships at every level suffer where there is uncertainty.
So if complexity, fragility and uncertainty are the Trumpet sound from World Leaders, what is the Trumpet sound through the Church to be this year? If our Nation and the Nations are facing a complex, fragile, uncertain future, and we are clearly being told that we are, have we as Christians anything to say or carry any responsibility for what may happen in the coming weeks, months and years.
As part of the World Prayer Centre’s response to the situation we believe God has asked us to again blow a trumpet in the land. Against the back drop of economic, political and social complexity, fragility and uncertainty, we must sound a warning of the serious consequences for a nation that has rejected God and His word; The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings clarity, strength and certainty for now and for eternity for every man, woman, boy and girl in our nations and in the world!
We unashamedly ask for your support as we call our days of prayer, host our annual Swanwick Conference 18-20 March and on Saturday July 4th 2015 we go to the International Convention Centre in Birmingham and blow the trumpet. Many prayer and mission agencies are already standing with us. We invite you, your prayer group and your church to do the same.
Thank you. As we pray together with the leading and guidance of Holy Spirit, we believe this can be a turnaround year for our nations. Ian Cole
*…taken from the opening paragraph of The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 21-24 January 2015
“IT’S BREAKTHROUGH TIME!”
We met at Birmingham Christian Centre on SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER with a sense of expectation and anticipation. There was an encouraging number of people as we gathered to pray, worship, hear what God is doing in the UK and around other nations and we had the privilege of having GORDON HICKSON from The Mahabba Network.
Following a time of extended worship, IAN COLE shared a story from a recent trip to Egypt. While meeting with prayer leaders from other nations, Ian was stopped by one of the prayer leaders, telling him that he felt God was saying that he HAD to blow a trumpet in England. There is a deep concern about what is up ahead for the UK and this trumpet should be sounded as a warning to the nation, to awaken. Ian shared that we continue to pray about the highways of prayer, praise, proclamation and worship that God has been speaking about recently for His glory to come…… recognizing that these are exciting, but serious times……
GORDON HICKSON was with us for the day and shared form his heart about the work of Mahabba (meaning love in Aramaic, Arabic and Urdu) Network. Gordon shared how the number one reason for people coming to know Jesus was that they watched the life of a christian friend and the genuine nature of this life drew them to God.
Click HERE to find out how to download resources from The Mahabba Network
We spent a good pat of day in prayer and worship. As we heard more about what God is doing both in this nation from JANE HOLLLOWAY and around the globe, it was wall backed by prayer. In all our praying we were asking God to come into our villages, towns and cities, to come into our families, our relationships and to open our eyes to see Jesus. You can download a very straight forward Advent prayer resource HERE. The day finished as we sung “O come, O come Emmanuel” as a prayer from our hearts.
The next Day of Prayer will; be on Saturday 31 January 2015 – do join us.