The World Prayer Centre, Birmingham will, as far as we know, be the largest permanent prayer centre in the world, and a project quite beyond anything the UK church has been called to in recent years. The fact that God has placed it in the UK is something to celebrate, and we believe it will be a blessing to the whole nation.
A strategic information hub
Equipped with the latest global communications technology, the World Prayer Centre will gather and disseminate strategic prayer information from around the world. Churches, prayer groups and individuals will be able to focus on strategic prayer needs and targets, both for the church itself and for its global commission. The World Prayer Centre will be a centre of excellence, and a place that many will want to visit. Its attractive steel and glass structure will house a huge range of resources and amenities.
A place for prayer
Prayer facilities at the new centre will include:
- a 4000-seater dished prayer auditorium
- dedicated prayer rooms for each continent of the world, plus rooms for Israel and the UK
- 86 individual private prayer rooms
- a chapel for visitors’ use
A place for the family
Families will be able to use the purpose-built family centre, young people’s action zone and day care facilities. In addition, there will be a leisure pool, a well-equipped fitness room and a variety of restaurant facilities. Families of all kinds will benefit from the support and positive encouragement which are part of the very fabric of the World Prayer Centre.
Ground Floor
Ground Floor
This level includes: (text colours approximate to colours on plan to show locations)
| Foyers | 8-lane, 82ft leisure pool |
| 1000 seat theatre | Health and fitness rooms |
| Family Centre | Restaurant |
| Creche | Coffee Shop |
| 4000 seat ‘dished’ prayer auditorium | Book Shop |
| River of Life | Accommodation |
and outside:
Gardens / parking
Boulevard of Nations (national flags around the perimeter)
SANTA FE - On one side, the Anika Island Resort faces a glittering stretch of azure sea. On the other three, it faces the remains of homes and coconut palms minced by wind into the white sand.
The hotel is the only one of 32 to avoid demolition by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Santa Fe, an idyllic tourist town on Bantayan island flattened by one of the world's biggest storms.
The destruction here reflects the damage to the tourism industry in many parts of the Philippines since the category-5 super typhoon struck on Friday. Hundreds of tourists have been stranded for days by the storm, which has killed thousands of people and leveled the coastal city of Tacloban.
The scale of the storm and its carnage have made for a week of international headlines, frightening away tourists across central Philippines and triggering mass cancellations at resorts, though the record-breaking typhoon struck only six of the country's 7,107 islands.
Resorts at major destinations such as Boracay, Palawan, Cebu and Bohol, however, have seen cancellation rates of 30 to 40 percent since the storm hit, said Cesar Cruz, president of the Philippine Tour Operators Association in Manila.
"The cancellations are still coming in," he said.
Just three days ago, more than 400 tourists from 26 countries were stranded in Palawan alone, turning the scuba-diving center with its dozens of gorgeous islands into a terrifying travel nightmare. Many were evacuated.
Anika's owner, Nelson Yuvallos, attributes the survival of his hotel to divine intervention, after he "prayed like Moses" that winds of nearly 315 km per hour (195 miles per hour) would part around it. Across Santa Fe, local officials say 95 percent of buildings were severely damaged.
"Tourism is very important here. It's the only income," Yuvallos said. About 4,000 tourists come to the island, just off the northern tip of Cebu, in a regular month, peaking to 10,000 during the northern winter, he said.
In some ways, local tourism has been lucky. The ferries that run to the mainland were back in operation within two days of the storm, taking the remaining weary tourists with them.
"It's like people are thinking all the Philippines is gone. If you look at the international media that is the impression you get," Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez told Reuters. "But tourists who were meant for one place have been diverted to another and most of this has been successful."
Bringing them back, however, will be a challenge.
A squeeze on tourism
Hotel owners have agreed to try to rebuild by December. Too much of a delay, and tourists will pick another palm-fringed paradise - one where twisted fallen powerlines have not been repurposed for drying the clothes of people living in the open.
The mayor, Jose Titing Esgana, is less optimistic. "Rebuilding by December is a very high expectation," he said.
Esgana said tourism may only be able to recover in time for Easter, when the island famously fills up with Catholic tourists who come to feast on pork, thanks to a belief that the island was granted papal license in the 19th century to eat red meat on Good Friday. In the meantime, up to 400 people will be out of work.
Tourism is a growing business in the Philippines, where the number of visitors climbed to 4.3 million last year from 3.9 million the year before. It generates about 5.9 percent of the fast-growing $250 billion economy.
The government has set an ambitious target to more than double tourist arrivals in the next three years to 10 million. Typhoon Yolanda undoubtedly makes that harder.
"It might temper the trajectory a little bit," said Jun Neri, an economist at the Bank of the Philippine Islands. "But it should be able to bounce back in the latter part of the first half of next year."
He expects some of the billions of dollars in reconstruction that awaits the Philippines to offset tourism losses. German-based CEDIM Forensic Disaster Analysis has estimated the typhoon could cost the country as much as $19 billion in reconstruction.
"Mercy for my children"
In Sante Fe, almost all the fishing boats have been destroyed and the chickens - which supply the whole province with eggs - are being killed to feed locals.
Food aid is trickling through to the people, but so far no shelter or reconstruction material has arrived for more than 6,400 displaced families. The destruction is so complete that "the structure is totally zero," Esgana said. "There is nothing to reconstruct with."
Arsolin Ofiasa is trying to do just that. The small shack where he lives with his pregnant wife and five of his seven children was almost completely flattened on Friday, saved only by a sturdy wooden cabinet.
Ofiasa is now salvaging the nails from wrecked planks from his house in the hope of using them again to hammer a firmer structure into place.
"All I want is to be able rebuild a house and live decently, and I hope for mercy for my children."
Dear Friends,
We have received these prayer concerns for the Philippines from one of the Christian leaders here. Let's please keep these concerns in our hearts before God during the coming days.
Thanks for praying,
John Robb
Thank you for your messages, prayers and concern for our current situation in the Philippines. As you know, a super typhoon named Haiyan (deadlier than Hurricane Katrina that had swept the US) ravaged the provinces in the central part of our archipelago last Friday. These cities are a plane ride away from Manila, so those of us live in the capital city are safe. Before the typhoon struck, Christians were praying that the Lord would change the typhoon's course. As it was however, fierce winds and tsunami-like waves totally whipped these provinces, killing an estimated 10,000 helpless victims. Warnings and preparations for evacuation and relief work were no match for the winds and rain. Many cities now look like no man's land.
But our Lord is sovereign over all; He never fails us and we believe that as a nation, this is an opportunity to show our spirit of unity, deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and demonstrate our selfless giving. We have not seen in our history such a generous outpouring of aid and supplies from within the country (through the private sector), and from countries around the world, (some of them erstwhile 'enemies' of the Philippines). Everywhere, we see people wanting to help out and give their support. Please pray with us through the weeks and months ahead of relief, rescue and rehabilitation work, on behalf of the millions of Filipinos who are helpless victims of this tragedy.
These are our specific prayer requests:
1. Pray that our Lord will give an extraordinary amount of wisdom, steadfast spirit, keen insight, quickness to respond and political will among our national, regional and local government officials in mapping out and implementing a sustained plan of action for relief, rescue and rehabilitation. Pray that the Lord will give them the mind of Joseph who knew how to direct the people when the seven years of famine struck Egypt. Such was his wisdom that no one lacked. Pray that the millions of aid will be wisely distributed and allocated.
2. Pray for our Compassion Philippines Rapid Response Team to be able to carry out relief assistance and to provide comfort, prayers and support to our afflicted children, their families and local churches. Pray for the safety and health of Noel (our Ph Country Director), Toyditz (our Asia Regional Advocacy Director), and the rest of the Rapid Response Team as they are in Cebu and Leyte for a few days to carry out the relief work.
3. Pray that Satan, the Enemy will be 'padlocked' so that unscrupulous people/thieves/robbers will not be able to carry out looting, robberies, or resort to killing; pray that no corrupt officials will be able to lay their hands on any of the relief money or goods for their own selfish motives.
4. Pray that the Lord will give our Filipino brothers and sisters with unwavering faith in the Lord that they will receive timely help in terms of food, water, medicines and a safe place to sleep for the weeks and months ahead.
5. Pray that the US military personnel sent to help will be able to quickly train Filipino local officials so that all (and not only a few) affected towns and provinces will receive timely relief help. Pray that the aircraft sent to airlift goods and supplies will be safe and will help bring food especially to those towns where people have not eaten a single food since Friday.
6. Pray for miracles of healing to those who are ill, and for thousands and millions of Filipinos in central Philippines to come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior through the mighty work of the Holy Spirit. Pray that the body of Christ in the Philippines, represented by the thousands of local churches will be a source of sustained blessing to the typhoon victims, in word and deed.
7. Pray that as we see the rehab work successfully accomplished, we will be able to declare: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20,21)
With sincerest thanks,
Menchit
These suggestions and recommendations come from the Children in Prayer global consultation. For more information or to get involved, please contact Tety Irwan This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Irma Chon This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
MIDDLE EAST
Strategy to connect children of Egypt and the Middle East in a new real effective and practical way. (From different backgrounds)
Creative arts to children (Music, dance and painting) and also other creative ideas.
New ideas in media to reach out to children of this time in a challenging and encouraging way.
NORTH AMERICA
A. Identify prayer networks that currently exist. Ask people to share what they are doing as a report. We can categorise what's happening.
B. Identify existing ministries to support these especially focused on the youth ministries, many of which are already interdenominational to bring these to a different level.
Connect these (intergenerational to 4-14 window)
Vision to see 24-7 house of prayer (intergenerational vision)
Follow-up to determine next step.
Possibility: local pages on IPC website
EUROPE
Start from one church locally à pilot project
Do family- oriented activity. Legislation/parents need to be present.
Music/ musicals/ discipling (JCPPII- Choirs in Finland)
Moms in prayer/ Deborah arise!
Prayer triplets for children
AFRICA
Prayer: Pray for open doors in order to be able to reach out to the children and youths.
Action: Reaching out to them in local churches, neighborhood and communities and also networking with those that are children workers so that we cab bring/share our prayer elements with them.
Identify youths and support youths and children with talents.
Find/discover the needs of these children and youths and get them supported.
INDIA
Database development of churches, denominations, Para churches working among children and youth. Deadline 31st Jan 2014. Onasis will send in the available information
Vision Casting and Networking ( State or Regional ). Regional leaders will host this.
Identifying challenges faced by children and youth. Regional meetings will carry out this task.
IPC - SOUTH EAST ASIA
Raise Awareness among churches through advocacy (also using the website as a tool)
Provide information on what and why to pray in order to ignite prayer
Collaborate- partnering for training.
SOUTH AMERICA/ BRAZIL
To equip and train teams to reach children and youth according to the context where they live. Example: Teams to go to street kids, who are often drug addicts and pray for them. To young people in universities or college students.
To make the website available to entities like daycare and schools offering them the availability to the team to go and develop nuclei of prayer with them.
To create an App, a prayer application for teenagers and youth
The app should also include:
- Request of prayer à international, national
- Prayer strategies
- Contact young intercessors
- How to become a young intercessors
- And more
In a country rocked by change and division, some 1,400 eight to fourteen-year-old Egyptian children last week gathered to worship and ask God to change them to be the salt and light for Jesus in their communities.
The first ever “One Thing Kids Festival” was held at the desert oasis of Wadi El Natroun from 16-18 July and televised live by Christian broadcaster SAT-7.
"Our vision is to have this generation praying and worshipping God, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be able to change the world," say festival organisers Kasr El Doubara Evangelical Church (KDEC) and the children's prayer ministry of the Synod of the Nile of the Presbyterian Church.
Most of the sessions were broadcast live on SAT-7 on the SAT-7 KIDS and SAT-7 ARABIC channels as well as on the SAT-7 KIDS Youtube Live page – the latest on-location broadcast from SAT-7 which previously has included prayer by tens of thousands at Cairo's Cave Church and broadcasts from the annual One Thing festivals for older youth.
The Wadi el Natroun area was long an historic centre for Christian prayer by monks and pilgrims, but at One Thing Kids – held at KDEC's retreat and campsite – young children took over that mantle. Many of the children took a prominent role – some as part of the worship choir, others helping to lead prayers for themselves and their nation.
SAT-7's Egypt Director, Farid Samir, said: "In a conference like this we saw kids worshipping and praying from their pure hearts, hearing God's voice and sharing it. Some kids told their testimonies of special encounters with the Lord."
Farid said his own children, aged 9 and 10 attended and "were spiritually stretched, they memorised Bible verses, learnt new songs, and learnt how to intercede for their country".
He concluded: "We believe God is going to change things in Egypt because of the faithful intercession of kids, and there will be reconciliation, salt and light especially at the communities the kids will get back to."
http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/Stories/International?storyaction=view&storyid=413
Since January 2011, the children of Myanmar have been praying for the transformation of their nation.
Many good changes such as the release of Aung Aan Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy activist and Nobel prize winner, and other political prisoners, reconciliation efforts with ethnic minorities and other signs of political and economic liberalization began to happen after the children started praying! Here is a recent picture from one of the conferences for praying children that were sent to us. When children connect with the Lord in prayer, they are nurtured in intimacy with Him for a life of companionship and service to their Creator; their prayers are also a powerful resource for the transformation of their nations and communities.
For more information and videos on how children can be raised up as God’s instruments of transformation through prayer, please see our website www.ipcprayer.org under “Resources”.
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Last month, about 300 from China and Hong Kong participated in a training consultation to raise up children and youth in prayer across their vast land and population (350 million under 18 years of age, what a challenge and opportunity!). It was exciting to see how they caught the vision from Pastor Tety Irwan and her colleagues on the international CiP facilitation team that also led that track during the World Prayer Assembly.
Pastor Gloria Au Yeung and her team also arranged for prayer leaders and intercessors from China's 32 provinces who want to connect in a movement of transformational prayer to come together for this purpose at the new house of prayer she and her church have established in Hong Kong. These Chinese leaders were full of joy and fire, and it was a great privilege to pray with them and hear their visions for their land. Some have served prison terms for their faith already, and they mean business for the Lord and the prayer movement.
It was great to witness this part off the “New Wave” from the World Prayer Assembly affecting things here at the one-year anniversary of the WPA. Please see the banner at the back of the room as well as the grinning 76-year old man who remembered to wear his WPA shirt on its anniversary!
