Stories of renewed relationships with Jesus are common among more than 700 Adventist pastors, leaders and members who attended the North American Division’s Prayer Conference in January.
Within this crowd were 50 pastors and 10 leaders from Washington Conference. Donors funded the way for Washington pastors to attend the prayer conference and have a place to stay in Monterey, Calif. The investment of time and effort to arrange for 50 pastors to attend a national event paid off with continuing stories of revival among leaders.
“The prayer conference retooled our thinking about prayer and prayer fellowship,” says Bruce Koch, Washington Conference stewardship director and pastor. “We came back with good resources [for our churches] and a revolutionized way of doing our ministries.”
Pastors are sharing their prayer conference experience and already implementing prayer ministries within their churches.
Eddie General, Greater Seattle Filipino-American pastor, led his congregation in a worship model he experienced at the prayer conference. “Our key Bible passage was Psalm 23,” says General. “It was a great experience worshipping God by corporate memorization of Psalm 23 and singing hymns about it.”
Rick Casebier, Olympia Transformation Life Center pastor, found a renewed passion for prayer. “We were challenged by Dwight Nelson’s appeal for three key ingredients for transformational revival: desperation, urgency and expectancy,” says Casebier. “We are already encouraged by what God will do in the months ahead in answer to united, persevering prayer.”
Vince Saunders, Bonney Lake and Voice of Hope pastor, appreciated the opportunity to reconnect friends and colleagues. He attended a breakout session by Pavel Goia, a pastor from Lexington, Ky., where seminar attendees learned that “prayer is not about solving problems; it is about a relationship with God.”
The prayer conference included preaching services by Dwight Nelson, Freddie Russell, David Levy, John Ashcroft and Washington Conference’s own Kevin Wilfley. In addition there were breakout sessions on prayer, Bible study, discipleship, personal witnessing, victorious living and much more. Prayer Conference participants had ample time for prayer in small groups, in large meetings and in private.
“God is growing our prayer life and taking us to new heights,” says John Freedman, Washington Conference president. “This was a mini-revival for our pastors, and we hope to see this revival continue in our churches.”
Fifty pastors from Washington Conference join more than 700 participants at the North American Division Prayer Conference in Monterey, Calif., in January.
Each January, Washington Conference brings its pastoral team together for ministry training. This year, 50 pastors went "on the road" to attend the North American Division Prayer Conference to learn more about prayer and prayer fellowship.
Bill Roberts, Auburn Academy Church senior pastor, listens to a NAD Prayer Conference presentation. The pastoral team describes this experience as a spiritually transforming time in their ministry.
The NAD Prayer Conference provides times of worship, instruction, interaction and prayer.
