Praying without faith is like trying to cut with a blunt knife - much labor expended to little purpose. --- J. O. Fraser

We would like to invite you (the congregation) to join a dedicated time and space to intercede on behalf of Lake Avenue Church (LAC) supported missionaries and our church’s outreach efforts.

From the beginning of modern missions, the role of prayer supporters has been essential in bringing the word of God and the love of Jesus to “the ends of the earth.” Established on a bedrock of prayer, some early missions became spiritual powerhouses in their own day; in others, the seeds of the gospel sank out of sight only to amaze everyone by emerging in our day. But it was not the prayers of the missionaries alone that produced these results; the prayers of those on the home front often provided crucial breakthroughs.

The legacy of these missions and the intercessors who nurtured them is astounding. Witness the powerful testimonies of the church in China under intense repression, the explosive growth of Christianity in South Korea, the great spread of the gospel over Africa that has brought 50% of its people to Christ.

None of these extraordinary movements was birthed without the prayers of faithful supporters in the missionaries’ home churches. Today the original mission fields have grown and changed, but new ones are constantly being formed. Missionaries now come from all over the world. But God’s call to us in the lands where the modern missionary movement originated has not changed; it has only become more urgent.

How Can We Participate in God’s Mission through Prayers?

Not everyone is called to relocate geographically but everyone can be involved in some way in bringing the gospel cross-culturally. Praying for those who desperately need Christ but have no way of meeting him can be as powerful as going in person.

For many years God has used the prayers of committed intercessors at LAC to cause breakthroughs in mission work, bring the right workers to the mission field, and support missionaries. These prayers are critical in continuing the work God is doing now, and they must not stop.

In these workshops, we will explore ways to enhance the prayers for missionaries and mission work you are already offering to God. We will practice listening to God, praying for one another, and interceding as a group for missionaries in real-time. Our gatherings are not intended to be about cognitive absorption of data; we hope they will be times when we can encounter God together and receive what he has for us. We anticipate coming together to prayerfully connect with God‘s mission for His world, and thereby connecting with God‘s heart. Looking forward to joining with you!

This three-part series on praying for missions will be facilitated by Steve Moorey and Brenda Sansom-Moorey, who are part of OMF International (previously known as China Inland Mission). Steve is the Director of Prayer Mobilization for the OMF U.S. branch, and Brenda is the LA area Regional Manager for Advocacy.