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We are pleased to bring you IPC Connections for June 2020.
We are compiling this International Prayer Connections Newsletter a few days ahead of Pentecost Sunday. There is a great sense of expectancy as we approach this time when we celebrate the empowering of the Holy Spirit from on high.
Readers will be encouraged as they read this article on our website in which Dr Jason Hubbard talks us through the significance of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus, which 'bridges the Passover to Pentecost'. Jason exhorts us to meditate on the exaltation and ascension of Jesus and give him his due reward! 'Let’s return to the place of united worship-saturated prayer, around the throne, around the clock and around the globe all for the Glory of the Lamb!'
Pentecost Weekend also marks Global Outreach Day when Christians around the world will be sharing their faith. GodTV have partnered with GO2020 to present broadcasts over the weekend to train Christians in personal evangelism. Let’s continue to be praying for this initiative which seeks to reach 1 billion worldwide for Christ!
Watch the GO 2020 Video | Download the Brochure | Download the June Prayer Guide
Many of the IPC networks will be joining in the Sound from Heaven global broadcast on 31st May. See the calendar below for details of some of the many Pentecost events taking place this next few days.
The vision and mission of GO2020 continues with the 90 Days of HOPE which runs from June 1st through to August 2020, which encourages us to continue to put our prayers into action with evangelism and sharing our faith. Download the Flyer Here
In this edition of IPC Connections, we are headlining GO2020 Kids – which aims to teach children and young people how to pray and unashamedly share their faith at home, in schools and across their communities. IPC colleagues, Tom Victor and Candy Marballi have prepared several informative and encouraging articles to excite and enthuse us about what is already happening across the regions. To use Tom’s words, please only read these articles ‘if you are a kid or have been one!’. Humorous but also challenging words that remind us in the Kingdom context that we need to become like children. (Matt 18) Let’s be praying for this important area of mission and seeking God as to how we can all be more involved with it.
The covid-19 pandemic has brought massive challenges to every nation of the world. In this edition, we bring some top level updates, prayers and links to partner organisations resources. Many of us are assisting brothers and sisters who are serving the Lord as pastors and mission workers in lesser-developed countries. As well as praying, we are conscious of a massive humanitarian impact that the lockdowns are causing that demands our practical and sacrificial financial responses.
The resulting 'lockdown' has changed how the Church meets and how conferences happen with many gathering online using zoom, skype, Teams, Facebook Live, Youtube and other apps. Our colleagues at IPC have regularly been jumping between two or three events across the continents with a few clicks of a mouse. Delegates of regional events such as the Caribbean Prayer Summit this last week are excited about how technology makes such gatherings accessible and so much cheaper to attend. 'Virtual hugs and 'zoomed out' are becoming new phrases that we are all familiar with. Please pray for the IPC Exec and our regional teams as we explore how to take the utilisation of online gatherings forward.
We are keen to get to know our ‘network of networks’ better and to understand how we can best keep you connected and informed. Over the next ten days, we will be emailing all of our contacts to invite you to let us know a little more about you and your organisation. The info that you provide will only be used by IPC. We won’t be selling or sharing it with anyone else. Thank you in advance for your participation!
Did you know that IPC is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube?! Please like, follow and share us, to help get the message out!
International Prayer Connections is produced and distributed freely each month to inform God's praying people around the world. We are grateful to those who have given generously to enable this to happen and continue to need such support for this and our other transformational prayer initiatives.
If you can make a gift towards our costs by giving to our funding arm, the Transformation Prayer Foundation, we would appreciate it. Please click here.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us in catalysing united prayer across nations, denominations, movements, and generations for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.
As we approach Pentecost 2020, let’s ask the Lord for a ‘greater Pentecost,’ a wave of the tangible presence and power of the Holy Spirit coming upon us with great revelation, with great anointing, and with great provision!
May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.
Wishing you His continued blessings,
Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator
John D Robb – Chairman - International Prayer Connect
Tom Victor of ‘Great Commission Coalition’ and Candy Marballi of ‘The Children’s Prayer Covenant’ (both are members of the IPC’s Leadership Team) have put together a special selection of stories about how children around the world are and will be involved with Go 2020 Kids. We trust you will be encouraged to pray for and get involved with these initiatives!
It may be the largest united evangelistic outreach in history as churches, denominations, ministries, networks and even movements have united together with the goal of mobilizing 100 million believers to pray for and to reach out to 1 billion others during the month of May 2020.
The theme has been, “Every Believer A Witness!” And children have been invited to join us.
But why children? What can they do? How will they be involved? Great questions!
Remember when parents wanted to bring their children to meet Jesus and his disciples tried to stop them? When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14
Jesus was really angry with his disciples. He wanted the children to come to him so he could bless them. He said the kingdom of God belongs to them.
In another place his disciples wanted to know who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. What did Jesus do? He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-3
Children are a top priority to Jesus.
- He wants them to come to him
- He tells us the kingdom belongs to them
- He tells us that we need to become like them in order to enter the kingdom of heaven
We’ve put together some stories about how children around the world are and will be involved with Go 2020 Kids. But first we want to share briefly how God has used kids throughout history. And we want to share how you can be involved in helping to empower the children you love to become Go 2020 Kids.
But before we go further, there are a couple of rules we want you to follow.
Rule #1: You should only read these stories if you are a kid or were a kid sometime in your life. (Otherwise you probably won’t understand them at all!)
Rule #2: You should pray and ask God if he wants you to know about Go 2020 Kids. (That way, if he says “Yes,” you can ask him to help you see the children the way he does and you can plan time to read the stories or watch the videos later if you are too busy right now.)
Rule #3: Ask God to show you if there is someone he wants you to share about Go 2020 Kids
OK, let’s get started with The Historical Testimony - how God used Children throughout history. Here’s a little 3-minute animated video to share that story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-_qCB2pAAI&t=7s
Go 2020 Kids and Children in Prayer: More recently, beginning 25 years ago, 40 children were invited to be delegates at a Global Mission Conference. God moved and the Children In Prayer Movement was launched. Here’s the story of their part with Go 2020 Kids.
**(#2 World Shapers Club)
The 4 to 14 Window Movement launched in 2009, calling on the Global Church to focus on Children, ages 4 to 14. In a few short years it spread to almost every nation on the planet. While calling the Church to reach these who were the most responsive to the gospel, it also challenged us to release them to be “full partners” in God’s mission. There is no Junior Holy Spirit. Here’s a 3 minute animated video introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7AS24VlydM&t=27s
Go 2020 and the Prayer Covenant for Children. Prayer, of course, is our First Action. World Shapers and the Royal Kids have been praying faithfully for Go 2020 Kids, as have others. The Prayer Covenant for Children, our first “official” partner, was the one that provided the key Prayer Resource for Go 2020 Kids.
In less than six years God has used the Prayer Covenant for Children to disciple more than 5 million children in 50+ nations into a “life-style” of prayer. As you read further, you will hear reports from Go 2020 Kids Team members in Africa, Asia and around the world sharing about the power of the Prayer Covenant for Children. You well also meet some of them through these two Prayer Covenant for Children equipping videos produced for a 4 to 14 Window Global Forum. I’m sure they will inspire you to consider how this key Go 2020 Kids Prayer Resource could impact you children, grandchildren, church or ministry. It’s all downloadable for free!
Prayer Covenant for Children - Part 1
Prayer Covenant for Children - Part 2
Download the Best News Ever e-book pdf which explains the Gospel message to children.
Download the Prayer Covenant e-booklet
Download the Prayer Covenant bookmark
Asia holds ½ of the world’s children - 1 billion of the 2 billion children on the planet under the age of 15. And because of the deep entrenchment of religious and political systems that resist the message of Christ, it is also the region of the world least reached by the gospel. How could Go 2020 Kids help to change that?
Go 2020 Kids Southeast Asia and Campus Crusade for Christ - The 11 nations of Southeast Asia are amazingly in the diversity of their peoples, religions and cultures. But there is a vision to see their children discover their common identity in Christ.
**(#3 Go 2020 Kids: Cru Southeast Asia)
Go 2020 Kids Northeast Asia and YWAM Kings Kids - Go 2020 represents the largest united prayer and evangelistic thrust in history. Asia represents ½ of the world’s children. What could happen if God continued to unite the whole Church to be “on mission” with him, including the children. Let’s be the answer to the prayer of Jesus!
**(#4 Go 2020 Kids: Kings Kids International - Taiwan)
Africa is by far the youngest continent with 41% of the population under 15 years of age. They had major plans to mobilize one million Prayer Covenant Children to reach 20 million other children with the gospel for Go 2020 Kids. Covid-19 altered the plans but not the passion. You can hear how God is using 9-year old Gifty from Togo to mobilize and lead other children to Christ as well as from Elias, the Continental Director and Apollos, the Nigerian Director on Part 2 of the Prayer Covenant for Children Video above. Here’s the Go 2020 Kids update from Elias for Africa and from Fidele in Burkina Faso.
**(#5 Go 2020 Kids: Prayer and Outreach – Africa)
Hadassah is a 13-year old missionary with a passion for God and for lost people. She became a missionary at age 8. She knows the power of fasting and prayer and how God can use anyone, even children. She recently shared a challenge on the World Prayer Together call with leaders from around the world. Now she wants to help other children find their calling as Go 2020 Kids. She’s written up a bit of her story for you here.
**(#6 Hadassah Lawson’s Inspiring Testimony)
Children by Nations helps us see what we sometimes miss. There are more than 2 billion children under the age of 15, almost 26% of the world’s population. India has the most with more than 376 million. It is a major focus for Go 2020 Kids. More than 41% of Africa is under 15. Only 3% are over 65. You can download the document Children by Nation to see where the children live. Many have found it helpful to focus their prayers.
**(#7Children by Nations)
From the very beginning of Go 2020 Kids many on our team felt this was more about a “life-style” than it was about a “campaign month.” COVID-19 has certainly shifted many of the planned events and caused everyone to think differently. Go 2020 has now become a call for all of us to Go – for the whole year – and beyond. But for the Children we are seeing new opportunities, something we are calling the Go 2020 Kids ‘Good News’ Super Challenge.
- It’s a call for children everywhere to step up and take the Greatest Super-Power ever, God’s love, to someone that needs it most.
- It’s a call for us “older kids” to step up and become “coaches” and “encouragers,” to help the children learn to hear from the Super Coach. He wants them fully active on his team - but there are many others seeking to distract them.
- And it’s also a call for us “older kids” to find our “inner child” because Jesus himself told us that, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)
Here’s our Working Draft of the Go 2020 Kids “Good News” Super Challenge. It is a Working Draft because it will need to be contextualized for every culture and every family and every child.
(#8 Go 2020 Kids “Good News” Super Challenge)
Pray for Go 2020 Kids:
- Pray that God would visit and pour out His Spirit on children around the world during this Pentecost season - in fulfillment of Joel 2:28
- Pray that God would help us all to see the 2+ billion children in the world as “full partners” in God’s mission - in fulfillment of Matthew 19:14
- Pray that God would help us “older children” to discover our true Kingdom identity as children - in fulfillment of Matthew 18:1-5
More info on most of the resources on GO2020 Kids can be found here: http://www.prayercovenant.org/go2020-kids.html
See the GO2020 Resources page here: https://go2020usa.com/resources/
Introducing ‘World Shapers Club’ - Partners of G02020 Kids!
THEN - 1995: 40 children and teenagers, representing 8 nations, converged on the world scene as full-fledged delegates and intercessors at the Global Consultation on World Evangelism in Seoul, S. Korea. God drew the attention of world leaders to all He has put into the spiritual DNA of our children and youth.
NOW - 2020: Twenty-five years later, millions of children and youth have been mobilized to partner with adults in prayer and missions. Generation Now, fully participating in the “Great Commission!”
World Shapers Club (WSC): In May 2019, Shapers began praying into the Go2020 vision for families, neighborhoods and nations. Its May 2019 calendar was totally devoted to Go2020 as well as two prayer points moving forward each month. “Focus on Five” to hear and receive the “good news” about Jesus was a repeated theme.
WSC plans for May 2020 outreaches had to be cancelled due to the covid-19 crisis. BUT GOD! WSC leaders and their families have gone door-to-door delivering aid packages, prayer calendars, prayer AND JESUS to individuals and families!
Just days ago, a WSC began in a Rwandan refugee camp where many families, including some of our Shapers took shelter from severe flooding that destroyed their homes. Sixty-three children and youth joined WSC and ten adults came to know Jesus!
Partnership with Go2020 Kids has given our Shapers a greater understanding of the global alliances in which they participate each month and it has also brought some of our WSC Ambassadors and Directors closer together.
In some areas, three times the number of monthly calendars were printed and distributed. More people have been reached this way than what our original plans might have accomplished. At the intersection of Go2020 & Covid-19, God had already prepared a force to seize the “day!”
More Info and Sign Up: https://esthernet.net/category/eni/world-shapers-club
Mary Tome
Esther Network International / World Shapers Club
A Report by Carol Magno who is with Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) in Southeast Asia.
On my 1st year as full-time missionary with CRU, I took serious heed to the verse, “So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:38). By God’s grace of being in the field, I still pray for God to send more workers in the field. Children, Prayer and Discipleship are 3 critical issues and “meeting points” of intersection that we have with Prayer Covenant for Children, (PC4C). Ten countries with varied religions, somehow Christian Children are a minority.
We are praying for and mobilizing people whose hearts are for children. God has led us in directions toward pursuing 50,000 Children per country to be discipled as Christ followers across Southeast Asia. Partnering with PC4C also opened doors to partner with One Hope. We are embarking on a project.
We hope to see Children with PC4C to be gospel ambassadors in their different venues to be distributing One Hope books. We hope to replicate what we can be learning in the Philippines to the 9 other nations. We thank God for opportunity to trust Him to go before us and redeem the children who are not merely “object of mission” but “missionaries to their families and their generation.” Reaching Southeast Asia with the love of Christ means reaching the children.
May God be Praised!
Here’s a brief picture report of our progress to date:
During our first Orientation, we included 4 to 14-year-old children of missionaries (from Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Indonesia) studying in a seminary in Philippines.
Others have been trained and are influencing these regions of the nation.
Ministry with Prayer is happening with Volcano evacuees and traumatized children in Philippines. Mobilizing children across the Philippines.
The vision is not just for this one nation but for the Southeast Asian Region. 50,000 children raised up in each of 10 nations of Southeast Asia.
Work to translate materials continues. In November more than 40 children’s workers from one of the major churches in Indonesia were trained with the PC4C and with the Go 2020 Kids vision.
If you want to know more, you can hear Carol yourself as she shares her passion on the Prayer Covenant for Children - Part 2 video.
Carol Magno
Campus Crusade for Christ
Tim Gillette from YWAM introduces the TAIWAN TRIBAL TRAINING project
Kings Kids International, the children’s ministry of Youth With A Mission, has been equipping children to be fully devoted followers of Christ since their founding in 1976. Tim and Naomi Gillette have been serving with KKI in Taiwan for well over 2 decades. About one year ago Tim was introduced to the Prayer Covenant for Children and found it to be a resource he’d been searching for to equip children for a “life-style” of prayer. He and his team have been actively translating the materials into multiple languages across Asia.
Tim shares a story here about their current plans to use the PC4C in tribal communities in Taiwan. You can meet Tim and learn more about his heart and vision, especially in the area of prayer, on the Prayer Covenant for Children - Part 2 Video. Here’s his story.
May and June we are launching a series of trainings for tribal church youth and leaders each Saturday from 09:30-12:00. We start with a 30 min orientation and preparation for young leaders, reminding them of the importance of their presence, participation as they model for the younger ones.
Then, we run an hour sample program and finish up with 30 minutes of debriefing and processing. An unexpected challenge for us was adjusting for the many children who cannot read or write, as much of the material is geared toward those who can.
However, we found wonderful ways for both to work together and learn from each other. We heard several testimonies of teachers feeling quite dejected, despondent and desperate for quality, meaningful, powerful material, but now feel empowered and equipped. We’ve designed all our summer programs around the Prayer Covenant for Children. From 5 Day Camps to Seminars and Workshops, we are coaching teens and young leaders to passionately invest directly into the younger ones. This fosters responsibility, establishes authority and gives them a much needed sense of ownership and purpose within the Body.
We are very excited as a team to encourage and champion The Children’s Prayer Covenant among the leadership of King’s Kids International. This material fits hand in glove with our values of establishing a lifestyle of daily discipleship, intergenerational engagement, nurturing the spiritual capacity of children while valuing and partnering with families and preparing them for ministry and missions.
Tim Gillette
Kings Kids International | Youth with a Mission
More info and resources: https://www.kkint.net/who-we-are/ministry-description
A report from Elias Apetogbo – Prayer Covenant for Children Continental Leader and Fidele Zouma from Burkina Faso
While much of original plan to train and mobilize children to reach out to their peers in May was put on hold by Covid-19, training did take place and the vision and passion continues.
Fidele Zouma, Head of Children’s Ministry for Assemblies of God and Prayer Covenant National Leader for Burkina Faso shares the following. “In late February the Assemblies of God of Burkina Faso hosted 300 leaders from all denominations to take part in Prayer Covenant children’s leadership training.
We then provided each leader with more than 300 prayers cards to use within their children’s ministry. Each of the leaders was commissioned to train 10 children as part of the Go 2020 Kids strategy.
Those children were equipped to reach five others with the gospel. When we followed up, each leader had begun the training within their ministry. In order to help facilitate this, we started a television Prayer Covenant ministry due to Covid-19. The feedback from pastors is that the children are really responding well and liking the program. Children are praying for their friends to come to know and follow Jesus.
The pandemic has opened many new doors. One example was an invitation for children to do daily Prayer Covenant Online Radio Programs with the All African Baptist Youth Fellowship in 12 nations, including Togo, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia, Malawi, Niger, Guinea, Gabon, Cameron, Benin and Sierra Leon.
All but one station gave separate airtime for the children and youth to reach out in two or more languages. Elias says, “We are really encouraged by the commitment of leaders that lead prayer meetings through radio program across the Continent.
I’m personally greatly encouraged by the way leaders use Bible quotation in their prayers for winning souls. It’s so fantastic and very inspiring. And that is helping us to trust the power in prayer."
On the ground outreach continued as well. Elias tells us, “Children are so joyful to be part of divine mission. In fact, they are always happy when time comes to go and share the Gospel. Children are very happy to know that the opportunity is given to them to be useful in the vineyard of the master. I can read the joy in their faces when they pray for the salvation of souls. They are very excited when they go out to display small beautiful and powerful words of evangelization. None of them like to miss such moments. To God be the glory!
This is the time to evaluate our impact and to motivate kids to hold on the zeal of evangelism.
More info at: https://theprayercovenant.org/children/
Hi! my name is Hadassah Lawson and I’m the founder of Shaking and Shining Children Outreach. I started when I was 8 and now I’m 13. What inspired me was a vacation bible school I went to in the summer of 2015. I saw children get saved and wanted to do the same thing, share the gospel with children around the world.
That same year me and my family were going to Togo, West Africa. I asked my mom to how fast, then I fasted and prayed for three days that God would bring me at least 100 kids to share the gospel with them, and that they would share with their families and friends. At the end of the program I had over 250 children. After that I knew that I wanted to be a mission for the rest of my life. For the past 5 years I have been sharing the Good News with children around the world and also meeting their basic humanitarian and educational needs.
I thank the Go2020 Kids Team for allowing me to be a part of this movement. What I love about being part of Go2020 Kids is knowing that what I do will leave an imprint for Christ, by inspiring kids to give their lives to Jesus and to share the gospel to others like them. My passion is to share the gospel with kids. I love seeing the joy people get when they hear it for the first time, the hope and courage the gospel can give a person is AMAZING! Being part of a group like Go2020 Kids lets me see the wonders that can be done with Christ by your side. I hope that I can continue working with groups like them and bring more souls to the kingdom of heaven.
I also like adults to see how to get children involved in the work of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 2:17 said: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. The bible did not say that he poured out His Spirit on adults, it said on ALL FLESH; part of that flesh are children. I would like to encourage parents and grandparents to help your kids know that they will prophesy and have visions, that they are also part of advancing the kingdom of Christ.
Challenge: Now that we're in May 2020, I want to challenge all the adults to have their kids memorize one scripture a week but, just don’t make them memorize the scripture - make it fun. You might be wondering how? So this is how we are going to do it. Each child has Monday to Friday to remember the scripture of the week. On Saturday, or Sunday (whichever you prefer) you talk about the scripture he or she is memorizing, and how he or she is using it in their life that week. After that he or she can make a poem, drawing, printing, story, play, whatever fun activity they want out of that scripture. They can share the activity or art with someone else and how they are using that scripture in their lives. And finally they can challenge others to do the same and use a scripture of their choice and share that with others. I hope you have fun with this new challenge.
Have fun and stay safe.
Bye!
Watch Hadassah’s Testimony Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQA6YUStuWs
More about Shaking & Shining Children Outreach: https://shakingandshining.org/
This table helps us see what we sometimes miss. There are more than 2 billion children under the age of 15, almost 26% of the world’s population.
India has the most with more than 376 million. It is a major focus for Go 2020 Kids.
More than 41% of Africa is under 15. Only 3% are over 65.
You can download the document Children by Nation to see where the children live.
Many have found it helpful to focus their prayers.
Download the full listing here: http://ipcprayer.org/images/Children-by-Nations-2020.pdf
More interesting information to guide our prayers for children from the UN: https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/children/