Tuesday, August 23, 2016

A New Thing: RESTORE New England Convocation on the Northfield Campus


10 Days is doing a new thing this year!

This fall we’re inviting everyone participating in 10 Days to come to a culminating gathering on Wednesday, October 12 called Restore: A New England Convocation. The gathering will be in Northfield, Massachusetts at the campus founded by DL Moody. We’ll also have 5 days of 24/7 prayer in Northfield for the last half of 10 Days starting Friday evening, October 7.

10 Days is a decentralized network.  We want to see you uniting the Church in your own city, bringing glory to Jesus Christ right where you live.  We know not everyone who participates in San Antonio, Chicago, or Washington State will be able to attend a gathering in Massachusetts.

However, we hope that many from the Northeast will be able to join us and realize that some of our friends around the nation and world will want to come as well, especially given the significant history of the location and timing of this Convocation.  Let me explain…

 
After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,
that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord..
 (Acts 15)
An Historic Moment for an Historic Campus

Nestled into the idyllic New England country-side, among green mountains and the winding Connecticut river is the 200+ acre Northfield Campus with 40 major buildings.

Founded by famous evangelist D.L. Moody in 1879, the campus originally housed a secondary school for girls.  During the summers in the late 1800’s, 30 trains a day would come back and forth to this little town, bringing people to the Northfield Conferences where they spent time in prayer, bible-study, fellowship and hearing from some of the most-recognized Christian leaders of the day.

Northfield was renowned as a place of encounter, considered a “Mount of Transfiguration” by contemporaries where the summer gatherings were called “heaven on earth”.  In 1886, the young men’s conference launched the Student Volunteer Mission Movement.  In a generation, the Student Volunteers had sent 20,000 missionaries overseas.  To this day, busloads of Korean Christians come and visit the campus and the grave of DL Moody as a kind of pilgrimage.  Because the Student Volunteers were the ones who brought the gospel to Korea, they see Northfield as a kind of spiritual birthplace for the gospel in their nation.

Since 2005, this campus, amazing both for its beauty and its history has been sitting almost entirely empty.

In 2009, in answer to the prayers of many, the campus was bought by a Christian organization, Hobby Lobby. Originally listed in the tens of millions, the campus ended up selling for an incredible mere $100,000.  Since then there have been numerous efforts to bring in new owners, but nothing has been able to work up to now.  For years, the campus has just been sitting there, resting, waiting.  I’m convinced that God is reserving this spot for a special purpose and that this incredible location will once again be known as a light to the nations and a gathering and sending center for the global body of Christ!
Students from the ONE10 Intensive by the graves of D.L. and Emma Moody
Restore: A New England Convocation + 5 Days of 24/7

This summer, the New England Alliance, approached the current owners, the National Christian Foundation about renting the Moody Auditorium, a 2,500 person venue on the campus, for a special event.  We shared with them our conviction that having the New England Church and others from around the nation uniting in prayer on this property could be a key step towards bring fresh life to the campus. Amazingly, they agreed to have us come and do an event this fall.

As we’ve shared with some of our partners around the nation, it’s been incredible to see how God has confirmed this call and gathered others.  You might say there’s a fragrance around this place and this moment that is attracting people.  Michael Thorton and the “Jesus Tent” are coming up to Northfield with a group from North Carolina to sustain 24/7 prayer and worship for the second half of the 10 Days starting on Friday evening, October 7.  Other groups are also planning to come from out of town and invest in prayer and worship for all five days.  If you’re interested in coming out for all or part of that time, let us know!

In conclusion, we’re beyond thrilled to invite you to join us at Northfield for Restore on October 12.  We believe it has the potential to be a historic moment for a historic campus.  We hope you’ll mark the date on your calendar and plan to be with us.

-Jonathan Friz

www.10days.net/restore
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