As you may have seen in the bulletin insert on Sunday, the Spiritual Formation Committee is looking for people to join the Band of Gideons to encourage daily prayer for the capital campaign. I had the chance to ask George McFarland about his vision for the group and below is his response. I hope that some of you who read this are motivated to join the group!
My real vision for the Band of Gideon is that we would capture the excitement to "pray without ceasing" for God's good spiritual purposes in our lives during the time of the campaign. I like the idea of intentionally committing ourselves to prayer each day for the needs of the campaign. "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availith much." Our "fathers" in the faith prayed this way and we should to. I honestly believe that we "have not because we ask not" and what better time in the strategic life of our church than now to make our appeal to our heavenly father to see what he desires for us. The Spiritual Formation Committee has been meeting regularly each Sunday morning JUST TO PRAY. It has been a very rich experience for all of us to "make known our requests" to our Lord. The Lord has given us a sense of unity through prayer, but as well, a confidence that he hears us and is working out good plans for Tenth through the campaign.
When God chose to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Midianites, he chose to use Gideon and a small band of men (“With the 300 men . . . I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands”—Judges 7:7–8). God could have chosen to supply many men for the work; instead, he chose to use a small number to demonstrate that the real victory comes from him.
Like Israel of old, Tenth is at a critical juncture in its history. When the Session approved the plan for a capital campaign, the elders determined that the campaign would be foremost a time for seeking the Lord’s direction and to grow in faith and obedience. Thus, prayer is the most important activity in which we engage.
The Spiritual Formation Committee of the Capital Campaign would like to invite people of all ages to consider being a part of the “Band of Gideon.” This group will commit to pray daily for the campaign from February 15–April 20. E-mails, along with praise/prayer items listed in the church bulletin, will be available to assist you through this process. If, after carefully considering this commitment before the Lord, you wish to participate, please fill in your name and email address below. Through weekly emails, you will receive updates, matters to pray for and encouragements to pray.
My real vision for the Band of Gideon is that we would capture the excitement to "pray without ceasing" for God's good spiritual purposes in our lives during the time of the campaign. I like the idea of intentionally committing ourselves to prayer each day for the needs of the campaign. "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availith much." Our "fathers" in the faith prayed this way and we should to. I honestly believe that we "have not because we ask not" and what better time in the strategic life of our church than now to make our appeal to our heavenly father to see what he desires for us. The Spiritual Formation Committee has been meeting regularly each Sunday morning JUST TO PRAY. It has been a very rich experience for all of us to "make known our requests" to our Lord. The Lord has given us a sense of unity through prayer, but as well, a confidence that he hears us and is working out good plans for Tenth through the campaign.
The following is the text from Sunday’s bulletin insert. If you are interested in joining the group and did not fill out the form available in the bulletin, you can contact George McFarland at gmcfarland@dccs.org.
When God chose to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Midianites, he chose to use Gideon and a small band of men (“With the 300 men . . . I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands”—Judges 7:7–8). God could have chosen to supply many men for the work; instead, he chose to use a small number to demonstrate that the real victory comes from him.
Like Israel of old, Tenth is at a critical juncture in its history. When the Session approved the plan for a capital campaign, the elders determined that the campaign would be foremost a time for seeking the Lord’s direction and to grow in faith and obedience. Thus, prayer is the most important activity in which we engage.
The Spiritual Formation Committee of the Capital Campaign would like to invite people of all ages to consider being a part of the “Band of Gideon.” This group will commit to pray daily for the campaign from February 15–April 20. E-mails, along with praise/prayer items listed in the church bulletin, will be available to assist you through this process. If, after carefully considering this commitment before the Lord, you wish to participate, please fill in your name and email address below. Through weekly emails, you will receive updates, matters to pray for and encouragements to pray.
