Update: As I work with a number of different teams here at World Prayer Centre, at More than Gold, at Hope, Prayer For Today, Global Day of Prayer, Prayer Forum, etc., it is exciting to see how the prayer strategy is developing in the lead up to 2012; how HOPE is resourcing its constituency in prayer; and how God has created wonderful trust between different churches, organisations and ministries all planning for years of prayer in 2012 + all that is emerging in 2013 and 2014 - I get a real sense in my spirit that our Father is up to something. That 'something' is very profound as He knocks on the door of our planning with the aim of getting our attention off the programme and focussed afresh on Jesus.
 
More than Gold - the organisation working to co-ordinate the churches response to the Olympic and Paralympic Games through hospitality, service and mission (undergirded by prayer) has seen some wonderful answers to prayer.
     A time to shine - a call to pray for communities and nations (Isaiah 60:1-5). There will be  4 seasons of prayer during 2012 in which all will be invited -  whether linked with More than Gold or not - to pray locally and link nationally in this unique season:
1.    Shine for the New Year 31.12.11-8.1.12
2.    Shine as the flame travels* - prayer and blessing travelling around 210 locations at each place the Olympic torch stops for 70 days**
3.    Shine during the Games (both Olympic and Paralympics).
4.    Shine forever - continuing the momentum of prayer and mission

*I will be in touch with leaders in For England - Together shortly to share more fully the prophetic background and invitation to join in Shine as the flame travels
** We are praying over what needs to take place prayerwise during the Paralympic torch relay.
http://www.morethangold.org.uk/your-church/prayer/
 
•    Over 1750 church reps (Gold Champions) are in place and it is exciting to see how many churches are engaging in how to use the Games as a mission opportunity.
•    All of the 23 programme teams are now in place and making plans to deliver resources to help churches run holiday clubs, sports academies, community festivals, deliver hospitality, welcome mission teams, accommodate athlete's families, recruit Games Pastors (who will be used in transport hubs in SE England)

Update: As I work with a number of different teams here at World Prayer Centre, at More than Gold, at Hope, Prayer For Today, Global Day of Prayer, Prayer Forum, etc., it is exciting to see how the prayer strategy is developing in the lead up to 2012; how HOPE is resourcing its constituency in prayer; and how God has created wonderful trust between different churches, organisations and ministries all planning for years of prayer in 2012 + all that is emerging in 2013 and 2014 - I get a real sense in my spirit that our Father is up to something. That 'something' is very profound as He knocks on the door of our planning with the aim of getting our attention off the programme and focussed afresh on Jesus.
 
More than Gold - the organisation working to co-ordinate the churches response to the Olympic and Paralympic Games through hospitality, service and mission (undergirded by prayer) has seen some wonderful answers to prayer.
     A time to shine - a call to pray for communities and nations (Isaiah 60:1-5). There will be  4 seasons of prayer during 2012 in which all will be invited -  whether linked with More than Gold or not - to pray locally and link nationally in this unique season:
1.    Shine for the New Year 31.12.11-8.1.12
2.    Shine as the flame travels* - prayer and blessing travelling around 210 locations at each place the Olympic torch stops for 70 days**
3.    Shine during the Games (both Olympic and Paralympics).
4.    Shine forever - continuing the momentum of prayer and mission

*I will be in touch with leaders in For England - Together shortly to share more fully the prophetic background and invitation to join in Shine as the flame travels
** We are praying over what needs to take place prayerwise during the Paralympic torch relay.
http://www.morethangold.org.uk/your-church/prayer/
 
•    Over 1750 church reps (Gold Champions) are in place and it is exciting to see how many churches are engaging in how to use the Games as a mission opportunity.
•    All of the 23 programme teams are now in place and making plans to deliver resources to help churches run holiday clubs, sports academies, community festivals, deliver hospitality, welcome mission teams, accommodate athlete's families, recruit Games Pastors (who will be used in transport hubs in SE England)

“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” Isaiah 26:8
Ten years ago, it was the horrendously tragic 9/11 terrorist attack that helped catalyze the formation of the International Prayer Council in the weeks that followed. Thirty-five international prayer leaders answered Ben Jenning’s call to meet in New York City at the beginning of December 2001. We struggled to pray at Ground Zero, expressing our deep grief but also extending forgiveness to the extremist monsters and their backers who, because of their bondage to an ideology so full of deception and death, had just wantonly murdered 3000 Americans.
As we prayed and deliberated about the way forward in the global prayer movement, it seemed obvious that it was a time for a “network of prayer networks.” It would connect prayer leaders and intercessors across the world to pray concertedly for the effective resolution of global and regional issues such as terrorism, humanitarian disasters, and especially for the fulfillment of the Great Commission and implementation of the Great Commandment.
The key word is “connect”. The IPC has been used by the Lord to join brothers and sisters in Christ together across the globe to pray with an informed and united focus in many different situations and venues since 2001. Here is a partial list of what has been accomplished thus far so we can rejoice, thank God, and look ahead:
1) International Prayer Leaders Consultation, Cape Town, South Africa, November, 2002 – almost 300 prayer networks gathered to launch the IPC and regional prayer networks cross the world.
2) Regional prayer summits through these networks have brought together prayer and ministry leaders in virtually every region of the world. Some regions have met several times and continue to pray and work together for God’s transformation.
3) National prayer initiatives, many of them with IPC-related facilitation teams, have been arranged and led in at least 30 nations. In many cases, the Lord has brought about major transformations by ending wars, removing evil leaders and enabling the formation of national unity governments. He has also ignited spiritual revival among participating pastors, denominational and even political leaders as His people have repented, become reconciled and prayed.
4) International Prayer Consultations have been held in conjunction with other major events such as the Lausanne Forum in Thailand, 2004, Malaysia, 2006, and the Global Day of Prayer conference, 2010.
5) Global Day of Prayer – since September 2004, the IPC has gone to bat for the GDOP, helping to mobilize participation around the world through its links with other prayer networks and ministries. Up to 300 million have taken part in these annual days of united prayer for our communities and world.
6) Two global Children in Prayer Consultations, bringing together children’s workers from more than 60 nations, were held in Malaysia (2006), and India (2008). These times of cross-fertilization, along with video and written resources and a new website, helped inspire and broaden the rapidly growing Children in Prayer movement now in possibly 100 nations.
7) International Prayer Initiatives for the United Nations connected over 400 prayer leaders from 70 plus countries to pray with ambassadors inside the chambers of the U.N. (2007 and 2009).
8) Rich relationships of love and trust have been developed through such connections, enabling a wonderful Kingdom synergy that has released human, financial and other resources to flow where
they are needed.
9) Now, the IPC (by this time also known as International Prayer Connect) is taking on its biggest challenge yet – the World Prayer Assembly. For the last ten years, we have thought and prayed about this possibility. In connection with the Indonesian and Korean prayer movements who will be co-hosting and with the support of many other prayer networks worldwide, the WPA will take place next year (May 14-18) in Jakarta, Indonesia. See www.wpa2012.org.
Many colleagues in the IPC and thousands upon thousands of other brothers and sisters in Christ have prayed and worked together to make all these things happen. Thank you for the crucial, vital roles you have played, sometimes involving considerable personal sacrifice. As that old saying goes, “It is not what you know but who you know that really matters!”
However, in the final analysis, it is the Spirit of God who has stirred our hearts to join Him in united intercession for our world and the outworking of His loving purposes for it. As Isaiah goes on to say in that same passage, “All that we have accomplished you have done for us.” Let us, therefore, reflect, rejoice and give thanks to the Lord who has done “immeasurably more” than all we have asked or imagined!
John Robb
IPC Chairman

In the context of world events, I believe this assembly comes at a God ordained moment. An assembly, which is “the coming together of people for a specific purpose” or the “forming of something from different parts” is different from a conference “receiving and sharing information”, or a meeting, “a group of people led by one or two people”. To assemble before God is to bring all the parts of the body together in unity of purpose so that the Master builder can shape and energise us for His purposes.
The sacred assembly that God called for in Joel 2 was for all the people, everyone to gather, the elders, the children, the young, the newly weds, the priests. Assemblies were called by God so that the people were in a position to cry to God and to hear from God. From that position of humility and awe, God was able to say to His people “I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully”. WPA is a once in a generation moment for the parts of the body of Christ to come together from around the world, to stand together in humility, to worship Him, to seek His face and to hear His voice and to receive the grain, the wine and the oil to take to the ends of the earth.
The more I pray and ponder regarding the assembly, the more I see this as a unique moment in church history. This is not about promotion of ministries, it is not about well known speakers, it is not about networking, there are many other events that take place at which these things can rightly take place. This is a moment in history when representatives of the Body of Christ from around the world stand in unity, listening, ready to hear the word of the Lord.
I am excited when I think of those united sessions where we are led into the presence of God in worship of the King of Kings by brothers and sisters from different continents, where we stand shoulder to shoulder with brothers and sisters from many nations and pray out the things that God puts on our hearts to pray and where together in our unity and humility God is able to command blessing even life for evermore.
It has been prophesied that WPA is heralding a new wave of the Spirit that will sweep across the world so that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. We now know that tsunami waves start with the movement of huge tectonic plates under the earth’s surface. Let us gather in Indonesia in faith believing that the WPA will see such a shift that as the plates of our denominations, ministries and movements come together a wave of the presence of God will sweep out of Indonesia growing and gathering pace as it sweeps through His church across the continents.
Ian Cole, Director of the World Prayer Centre