Dear Friends,
It was a privilege to be a part of what happened yesterday at Lion of Judah. God exceeded our expectations with a powerful visitation of His presence as over 70 leaders from around New England gathered at Lion of Judah to worship together, grow in relationship, and hear from the Lord and one another.
Ministry to the LordLindy Conant with a team of YWAM Circuit Riders led us in an incredibly intimate and powerful morning of worship and prayer. God poured out His presence over us and we ministered to Him and to one another. One participant remarked that the "sense of family and the sweetness of the unity" was the greatest they had sensed in these gatherings to date. There was also a real sense of the beauty and worth of each person; each gift that was present was precious and had a significant role to play in God's plan for New England. We were surrounded by men and women who had paid a real price to serve God in this region. It really was an honor to be in the room! This atmosphere of His presence poured over into our table fellowship as we enjoyed a great meal together.
Roberto's "State of the Church" AddressAs he did last year, Roberto Miranda gave a "state of the church" address on our place in a "Trumpian World" touching on the church's position relative to the geopolitical and economic trends of our day. I thought it was a very wise and balanced approach to a topic that's incredibly controversial. Here's the YouTube link to Roberto's Message:
"How to be the Church in a Trumpian World" Listen to his remarks and also see Len Cowan's great notes (attached) or Gregg Healey's
blog post. NE Alliance 2017 Goals: Building on what's been establishedLast year was an incredible year of establishing new things within the Alliance. This year, we feel God is calling us to continue to build on those foundations. Toward that end, we laid out some fairly ambitious goals for this year, including the possibility of launching a regional, decentralized 24/7 prayer network (1 Church/1 Day). We also laid out dates and times for upcoming meetings including a multi-day Spring conference, another Restore Gathering (Sept 30), and a Holy Spirit Weekend in November. Feel free to reach out to me personally if to discuss any areas of the vision God may be highlighting for you.
Touching RealityAs the day concluded and we began the drive home, I couldn't help but smile and feel grateful to the Lord: "Days like this are why we do what we do." There's nothing on this planet that compares to the presence of God and there's nothing on earth that compares to the beauty of the body of Christ. There's no other place where we can experience this kind of love, joy, peace, and purity. There's no other cause, no other tribe, no other kingdom, and no other person who can unite us in this simple, supernatural way. Yes, in the midst of a world that's shaking, we are touching something true, something powerful, something real. We walking in a reality that this world knows nothing about. And no one can take that away from us no matter what comes. I'm incredibly grateful for all of you--it's great to walk in this reality together!
Yours,
Jonathan Friz
The New England
Alliance is a “network of networks” composed of state, regional, and
city-wide unity groups. We are working
together to establish authentic unity and sustainable movements of prayer and
worship in order to see long-term revival and awakening in the New England
Church. “In Jesus, you also are being
built together to become a dwelling in
which God lives by His Spirit.” (Eph 2:22)
Here's our provisional statement on Goals and Gatherings for 2017
Continuing to build
on what God established last year including…
·
Launching “1 Church/1 Day” Regional 24/7 Canopy
· Investigating further partnership with the Moody Center related to a NE ministry
center at the Northfield Campus
·
Integrating regional leadership for the Alliance
and growing in functional unity
·
Participating in the following…
State Rep Retreat
(Location TBD)
April 25-26
Description: This is a small 24/hour retreat for the NE
Alliance leadership/State Representatives.
Our goal is to bring in representatives from all 6 states that are
walking together in a common vision and representing and leading many of the
various like-minded movements in our region.
10 Days National
Summit (with Vision Cast for 1 Church/1 Day)
Week of May 21-27
(dates TBD)
Location: Northfield Campus
Description: Leaders of the 10 Days movement around the
nation will converge for a multi-day gathering during the week of May
21-27. We will hear from a variety of
leaders, including Jason Hubbard (Bellingham, WA) who will be sharing about the
“1 Church/1 Day” initiative that we hope to launch in New England this fall.
NE Leader’s Meeting
August 16 (Location
TBD)
A regional gathering of worship, fellowship, and sharing to
reconnect in preparation for fall activities
10 Days and Restore
September 20-30:
10 Days (in our various cities).
Sept 29-30, Restore
Conference at Northfield
September 30, Restore
Gathering
Holy Spirit Weekend
(November 10-11) Location TBD
An opportunity for to minister to those from many churches
related to the person and power of the Holy Spirit
