Global Day of Prayer to be Held in US for First Time
The annual Global Day of Prayer event will be held Saturday, and will be broadcast worldwide via satellite. For the first time in its 11-year history, the prayer rally will originate from a U. S. city—Jacksonville, Fla.
The Global Day of Prayer unites Christians for worship through praise and prayer while mobilizing the Church to become involved in social issues, such as redeveloping urban areas, feeding the poor, and supporting the oppressed.
The Global Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement which started in Cape Town, South Africa in 2000. Event organizers hope for Christians to unite in repentance and prayer, and encourage them to work together as God’s servants for the blessing and healing of the nations.
According to event organizers, last year more than 400 million people joined together for the Global Day of Prayer celebration, broadcast from Cape Town, South Africa. This year it is expected that one-half billion will participate, making it the largest prayer gathering in the history of the world.
“It is historic to have the center of this international prayer movement in the U.S. for the first time,” said Walter Bennett, Global Day of Prayer Conference organizer.
“In addition to the live satellite program, which will unite Christians worldwide, we’ve added two pre-conferences to this year’s activities, allowing the opportunity for individuals to join together in in-depth discussions regarding leadership, worship and prayer.”
The Foundations for Transformation Conference will take place June 9, focusing on instruction for marketplace ministry, entertainment and leadership. The Worship 1st Conference will follow on Friday, providing teaching and training in all aspects of worship. Training will be offered in vocals, song writing, dancing, and audio and visual production.
Each conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and will include evening concerts featuring acclaimed Christian singer and songwriter Don Moen and recording artist Phil Wickham.
The Global Day of Prayer commemoration will conclude on Saturday with a worldwide telecast beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT. South African businessman Graham Power, who founded Global Day of Prayer in 2000, will share milestones of the movement’s history, and conduct live phone interviews with a number of the individuals participating in their own country halfway around the world.
“It is amazing to see how God took this small vision he gave me and has grown it into such a powerful ministry,” said Power. “We look forward to what He will do this year and would love to have you be part.”
Watch the Global Day of Prayer live on God TV (beginning Saturday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m. EDT). God TV wil stream the entire broadcast live.
“It is amazing to see how God took this small vision he gave me and has grown it into such a powerful ministry,” said Power. “We look forward to what He will do this year and would love to have you be part.”
Click here for additional information on the Global Day of Prayer.
Craig von Buseck is ministries director for CBN.com. He has written several books, and his most recent, Praying the News, will be released on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Sept. 11, 2011. Click here to read his blog, ChurchWatch.
