Celebration initiative powered by several cross-country prayer events
"Prayer is the way we engage the power of God for the things He has called us to do," says Dave Carson, pastor and director of Intercessors for Canada, and director of the prayer initiatives for Celebration 2005.
Celebration 2005, under the umbrella of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, is a three-week effort of proclaiming and demonstrating the love of Christ to Canadians, from May 21 to June 12, 2005. Organizers hope at least 2,000 churches will sign up to hold Celebration events in their own communities, and then link up on Sunday, June 12 for a Canada-wide worship fest.
Carson's role is to ensure that the entire process is supported with prayer. Monthly prayer letters to church leaders began to go out last June, just before the event was launched on "100 Huntley Street."
The EFC is calling 2005 a year of prayer for Canada, and Carson says it was fitting to launch the year with a major prayer event in the nation's capital. A prayer walk was held January 8 in Ottawa, and included a gathering on Parliament Hill followed by a concert of prayer at Dominion Chalmers United Church involving prayer coordinators from across Canada.
"Canada's 12 most wanted answers to prayer" were unveiled at the gathering, and included prayer for governing leaders (Parliament and Supreme Court), for the problem of organized crime, and for our collective guilt for lives lost through abortion.
Two major prayer events are also being planned for the weekend of May 14 and 15, one week before the official start of Celebration 2005 activities.
On May 14, under the leadership of Caroline Laing, Women Alive is spearheading the "Heal Our Land Prayer Wave." Fifteen women's organizations are working together to gather women across the country to pray on that day from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The same format will be used in every community—adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication—using the same Scriptures and prayer progression. Prayer Wave plans are already underway in communities in every province and territory.
Laing is excited about the participation of prayer coordinators from a wide spectrum of denominations and ministries. "These women are passionate about the Lord, passionate about this nation, and they know that prayer moves the hand of God!" she says.
On May 15, Pentecost Sunday, the EFC is calling churches to pray for Celebration 2005 as well as cooperating with the International Prayer Council that has proclaimed May 15 a global day of prayer. "We will pray for our nation and we will pray for our world," says Carson.
As the Celebration 2005 event culminates with a linked service across Canada, Carson expects a time of thanksgiving for the opportunities churches have had to show God's love through proclamation and acts of kindness.
"My real hope," he says, "is that it doesn't end there. I hope this thrust will provide an ongoing stimulus for prayer."
Sponsors of Celebration 2005 include: SIM, Trinity Western University, Wycliffe, World Vision, Every Home for Christ, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Redeemer University College, Navigators, Focus on the Family, Prairie Bible Institute, Crossroads Ministries, Compassion and Campus Crusade for Christ.
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