A New England wide relational network of believers and church leaders laboring for authentic unity and encouraging sustainable movements of prayer in order to see long-term revival and awakening in the New England Church. "In Jesus, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit." (Eph. 2:22)
In the last post, I shared a summary of last Wednesday's gathering. Some of you emailed me and mentioned a few major things that I left out. Truth be told, there was simply too much going on for me to share on all of it. However, JC Alzamora, David Rosen, Gregg Healey, and Brandt Gillespie put together a video immediately after the gathering hitting on some of the other major themes, including a word that many shared of how a new level of experience many are reporting in the supernatural and miracle working power of God. We need the encouragement of these testimonies--Check out the video below!
"1 Church/1 Day" Vision Cast is Thursday, May 25 in Northfield Last Wednesday, we introduced a schedule for the year (attached) that includes the launching of a New England wide 24/7 prayer strategy this October.
This strategy (1 Church/1 Day) involves at least 31 churches or ministries committing to 1 day/month of 24 hour prayer. We're inviting anyone interested in participating in 1 Church to come to our next gathering in Northfield, Massachusetts on Thursday, May 25. We'll be visited by Jason Hubbard of Light of the World Prayer Center in Bellingham, Washington. The vision cast for "1 Church" will be part of a 4 day/3 night "10 Days National Summit" hosted at Northfield (May 23-26). I'll follow up with details on registration in days to come.
If you're interested in hearing a little more about the 1 Church strategy, please check out this amazing video: The Whatcom Story.
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 Lord Lindy 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" Address
As 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 established Last 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 Reality As 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
Friday, September 30, 2016
We’re just two weeks from the Restore New England Convocation on October 12. This Friday,
Roberto Miranda, pastor of Lion of Judah and lead convener of the NE
Alliance, shared the following about his sense of excitement for Restore:
“We’ve had many gatherings of unity throughout the New England region over the years, but of all those gatherings, none has filled me with a sense of anticipation and potential as this one has.”
Because
of Roberto’s history in this movement, through all the ups and downs,
this struck me. I’ve heard that idea echoed by many others around the
region, and I think I could add my own “amen” to that as well. Take a
minute to watch Roberto's invitation for yourself!
Restore: October 12 at the Moody Campus (1 Moody St. Northfield MA)
Restore is
something of a New England church family reunion. We’ll begin with a
picnic lunch at the Northfield campus at 11, with historic tours,
worship, and workshops beginning at 11:30. Don’t miss the main event starting at 3pm
with representatives from the six-state region! Plan ahead to take the
day off work and enjoy the drive in the midst of beautiful fall
foliage!
October 12 Schedule: (1 Moody St. Northfield, MA)
11-3pm: Workshops, Revival history tours, Picnic Lunch, Worship (some food will be provided, but bring something as well)
3pm-6:30: Restore Convocation in the 2,500 person Moody Auditorium! (No registration, no cost)
10 Days Starts Sunday, October 12:
Together, we are mobilizing prayer throughout New England.
There are 15 regions of New England participating in 10 Days this fall, part of more than 30 cities participating in the nation and globally. This includes:
3 in Maine
3 in Connecticut (including a state-wide effort)
4 in New Hampshire and
5 in Massachusetts
Please see 10days.net for
a complete listing of cities/regions. More importantly, please join us
in fasting and prayer starting this Sunday evening, October 2. As someone said to me recently, “We have an appointment with God, and God is going to honor the appointment!”
Share and Invite others to Restore
The
New England Alliance is a network composed of state and city-wide unity
networks. As a network, we have little central infrastructure; our strength is in like-minded lovers of Jesus like you! Together, we can mobilize New England and Restore God’s inheritance in this region.
Blessings,
Jonathan Friz, Coordinator, NE Alliance
RESTORE Resources:
Vids: Here is a series of five videos that have been produced...share whichever ones are most helpful!
It’s exciting to see what God is doing in New
England.
Please Read the
Vision Related Below!!
Since I move in prayer circles, I get to hear a lot
of dreams and visions. I rarely share them via this group but I received one a
few weeks ago that directly touches on what we're doing this fall with Restoreand applies to us as a region. I receive it from Mike Thorton, leader of the
North Carolina team that's bringing a tent and 70 people to pray for 5 Days. Take
a minute to read it (below and attached)—I think you’ll be encouraged that God is really serious about this idea of Restoration not only at this historic campus, but for us as a region!
Northfield: A Quick Update and Request for Prayer
-----We now have over 100
people coming for the 5
Days in the tent at Northfield. God has
been moving on people’s hearts and they’re coming out. We anticipate
this number growing over the next month. We’re rejoicing that so many
are coming. We
need prayer for housing and accommodation for so many people during a
busy
holiday weekend. -----The Alliance Convening team is meeting tomorrow
to discuss the RESTORE gathering. Please
pray for us to have wisdom as we plan this “New England Family Reunion”. -----Participating Ministry: We’d love to hear from
you if you’d like to sign-on as a participating ministry for Restore. We’ll circulate a letter, written by Dr.
Miranda, with all of our signatures in the weeks leading up to October 12.
Here’s the Vision from North Carolina!
Vision Background: Michael Thorton, who is
leading the team from North Carolina that is bringing the tent shared this
remarkable "open vision" from a woman in her early 20's named Laura Johnson,
someone who is an intern at their church. She had been away on a missions
trip to Trinidad and shared this vision with Mike on returning.
She knew that the Jesus Tent was going to Massachusetts from a posting
online, but didn't know anything about the location, DL Moody, Northfield, etc.
I double checked and their posting didn’t mention Moody. Here's what she saw: I've lightly edited for grammar.
Pay special attention to the fourth and final paragraph:
God showed me a vision of The Jesus Tent in Massachusetts on 8/24/16. The
vision goes as follows:
The tent was set up on the field and it was the first night of the five
days it would be set up. The worship team had already begun worship and the
tent was full of people. The Lord led me outside of the tent and I was
now standing in the field looking back at the tent. In the spirit I saw a Dam that Satan had built to halt
the move of God and His plans for the region.
On the Dam, demons had graffittied their assignments, which were:
witchcraft, social injustice, racism, riot, hate, etc... I then asked
God, "How do we break this Dam?" God then replied back to me, "2
Chronicles 7:14." I now go back to the tent and Pastor Mike Thorton hands
me the mic to lead prayer. The prayer begins and all that are under the tent are
warring and breaking generational curses and strongholds. The Holy Spirit was
moving, people were getting saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit. We all lifted up our
voices in Unity and cried out for healing in the region.
I then again was led outside of the tent. I saw in the spirit the
Dam break and when that happened it sent Satan into a tantrum. He fell down and
whaled in agony, flopping his hands and kicking his feet. This sent his demons
into confusion and they started beating each other up. I now go back to the
tent and everyone is worshiping. Each person had a stream of water flowing from
their belly. Each individual stream met up in the air and formed a river. This
river flowed up to heaven, to the throne room, and rested at the feet of Jesus!
Then, a multitude of Angels descended from Heaven and they were flying over the
tent and were running their hands through the river. They were singing praises
unto God, "Holy, Holy, Holy!" They were rejoicing!
The vision now changes. The Lord
showed me a man (during the 1800's period), sitting at a desk. A piece of
paper was on the desk and he was writing with ink and a quill pin. He began
writing a vision, a story that God had given him for this region. Each line on
the paper represented a generation. After a few lines were written, this man
stopped writing. The pen was put down and the ink dried up. Then I saw a young
hand. This young hand picked up the quill pen, dipped it into the ink - which
was revived, and began writing the vision again. "" End of
vision.
When the vision was over, I wanted to know who the man was in the vision
that started writing the story. I then did a google Image search and found
it to be D. L. Moody!
As Michael told me, Laura was
completely amazed when he told her that the Tent would be set-up on the campus
founded by DL Moody. She had no idea, but that was a powerful confirmation of her
vision.
I'm encouraged by this
that God indeed wants to revive and restore not only the campus, but also the
regional legacy of DL Moody.
We're in a season of real
excitement and acceleration on many of our collective endeavors. Let's
walk, and even run in the grace God is pouring out right now! Today, we
had the NE Alliance convening team working out plans for the Restore
Convocation on October 12. I wanted to highlight a couple of key next steps as we prepare for this "New England Church family reunion" on October 12.
Key Strategies: Share "Restore" and The Case for A Bus!
Please continue to share and invite those in your circle of influence to join your city's 10 Day gathering and especially to join in RESTORE on October 12!
A number of enterprising leaders around the region have decided to bring a bus to Northfield on October 12. To my knowledge at this point, there's at least 3 buses coming. I think it'd be great to have 20 more come! Here's why a bus is a good idea:
1)
The bus allows you to multiply the effectiveness of the day, building
community and entering into prayer and worship on the journey!
2) It will help with our limited parking at Northfield
3) The bus provides a tangible goal for mobilization and communicates to others "this is really happening!"
4) Buses are fun...anyone remember field trips? Enough said!
If
you decide to bring a bus, let me know! We may have some kind of a fun
and informal contest on who can bring the most buses...
Vision Gatherings: One of the best ways to share vision is to meet in person. This allows hearts to connect like nothing else. Here's a couple that are happening next week. Consider coming to the gathering that's nearest to you next week in Connecticut or Massachusetts.
In CT: Impact CT 10 Days Summit (part 2)
Date/time: Wednesday, September 21st, 11am – 2pm (lunch provided) Location: Wellspring Church, 222 Lincoln Street, Berlin, CT RSVP: Pam Zinn at pam@wellspring.net or 860-225-0661 x117
In Massachusetts: 10 Days/Restore Vision Night
Date/Time: Friday, September 23, 7pm-9pm
Location: Lion of Judah (20 ReedSt. Boston MA--4th floor of new Sanctuary)
Arriving early at the campus, which is quite large
(40 major
buildings/200+ acres), we took time to reconfigure the room and wipe
down the
chairs that had been out of use for some years.
As people started to arrive, I enjoyed hearing people’s first reactions
to the campus. Usually, something along
the lines of “wow” or “I had no idea this was here" or "I had no idea it
was this big”. I pointed out Moody’s grave 150 feet away to
someone and they were shocked—“Really?”
The view from our meeting room in Hibbard Hall, one of the highest
points of the campus, was stunning. The property has not been in regular
use
since 2005 but does not appear old or worn down.
I was pleased that we had about 60 folks show up, especially
considering the distance and the fact that we had the gathering in mid-August.
We sat in a circle...just a bunch of kids in God's living room!
Worship and
Prayer…then Sharing and Casting Vision
As we worshiped and prayed together, the presence of
God was strong and it was accompanied by that sense of “family” that is I think
one of the most precious characteristics of what God is doing here in New
England.
We were all just kids in God’s living room.
We had prepared to hear from several people,
sharing about
Northfield’s history, some key “words from the Lord” that had defined
the
journey, and just catching people up on the story that had been
unfolding behind
the scenes. However, as I tried to
transition us into this more formal time, there was an overflow from the
heart
as person after person shared moving testimonies of what that moment in
prayer
at that place meant to them. It was powerful seeing how significant the
moment was for many who had gathered and sometimes traveled great
distances to be there.
We wrapped up this time of sharing with 10 minutes of prayer
and worship “Korean style”, consciously submitting and giving ourselves over to
the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Yes!
Roberto shared vision for this fall and several of the other
planners shared some of the ways God had been explicitly guiding the journey
thus-far through visions, dreams, and confirming signs. There’s definitely that sense of being “on
track” with something God is doing, even if we don’t see the full extent of it
yet. Our morning session finally wrapped
up at about 1:30 and we shared a meal and ongoing fellowship together.
Aaron Reeves of YWAM Boston leads worship
What’s Next?
I was blessed by the tangible sense of excitement over what
God is doing this fall. As was shared in
the meeting, we’re doing this. There’s no outside group putting this on—we’re
doing this as the New England Church and for the New England Church.
So, we’re open to
your insights and ideas for the event.
We’d also value your
participation and help in spreading the word.
I’ve attached the
basic flyer here and will follow up in the next several days with other promotional
materials that can be printed and distributed as you see fit or used as online
images. I'll be sending an email with info on how to help out early next week!
In conclusion, thanks to all of those who attended, the
volunteer staff that prepared lunch and helped make the space inviting, and our
friends at the National Christian Foundation and Moody Center for opening up
the space for us to use. It was a memorable day and an encouraging step forward to what God has for us this fall!
-Jonathan Friz
Roberto Miranda casting vision for RESTORE: A New England Convocation
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.
Invitation to Restore: A New England Convocation on October 12, 2016
Dear Friends,
I hope you're having a great summer and getting what I'm sure is much-needed rest.
Just wanted to invite you to reserve the date of October 12, 2016 for Restore: A New England Convocation in Northfield, Masachusetts to celebrate our unity as the Church in New England, and to seek God's greater anointing for ourselves and our communities. We will come together on that date to worship and pray, to lift the name of Jesus together, and to intercede for our nation in a time of extraordinary need.
We have chosen the Northfield location because it is central to many ministries and congregations, because it takes us away from the usual Boston locations of past meetings, and especially because of the huge historical significance of this place.
As many of you know, The Northfield/ Mount Hermon campuses were founded by the well-known evangelist and apostle Dwight L. Moody in the late 19th century. Northfield especially served to unleash the Student Volunteer Missions Movement and for many summers served as a gathering place for college students from campuses all over the United States and the world. The spiritual conferences that took place there brought together the most famous Christian leaders and speakers of their time, such as A.J. Gordon, John R. Mott, A.T. Pierson, and Andrew Murray.
For decades Northfield embodied the spirit and anointing of the great evangelist and incorporated the salient elements of his vision--his passionate love for souls, his acute sense of social justice, and his inclusive attitude toward women in ministry, children, minorities and the poor. In many ways, Moody was ahead of his time, establishing enduring institutions such as the YMCA, Moody Bible Institute and Moody Press. Moody was the quintessential spiritual entrepreneur, toiling incessantly to advance the interests of God's Kingdom, and seeking fresh, creative ways of communicating the Gospel to a rapidly changing world. I cannot think of a better model for the Church in our time.
As you can see, Northfield is pregnant with spiritual significance. It truly is a sacred place, inspiring profound reverence and even awe, especially to those who are familiar with its extraordinary spiritual history. Holding an event there highlighting unity, worship, prayer and revival would be a marvelous way for the New England Church to keep alive the sense of fellowship that has held us together through all these years, as we've done our part to hear God's voice in this spiritually challenging region. It would also be a way to celebrate Moody's spirit and legacy in a timely way, and to reinforce those values among ourselves.
The Restore gathering will take place in the middle of the week, on a Wednesday afternoon and evening. We're aware that this represents a potential challenge for those coming from a distance, but for many different reasons this seems to be the only feasible date that we have available for this year. It also happens to coincide with the end of 10 Days of Prayer.
I do believe that the potential significance of this meeting justifies an extraordinary effort. Many things are happening regarding the Northfield campus. The National Christian Foundation that presently owns the campus is initiating a major effort, called The Moody Center, to promote the ideals of D.L Moody. The Moody Center is partnering with us for the October 12 event, and officers of it will attend. It's a great opportunity to start exploring opportunities for ministry around this intriguing project.
So, there you have it! Please forgive the long missive, but I wanted you to have a clear sense of the importance of this initiative. I strongly encourage us all to reserve the date, and to put forth that extra amount of energy and effort to attend. Please encourage your congregations and friends to attend as well. The Northfield auditorium, where the event will be held, has great prophetic significance, and so will the event itself.
I look forward to seeing you on October 12 as we gather as the New England church to Restore a key aspect of our collective inheritance!
Roberto Miranda
RESTORE Date: October 12, 2016 Time:
Workshops: 11 - 3 P.M.
Gathering: 3- 6:30 P.M. Location: Historic Auditorium on D.L. Moody's Northfield Campus
1 Moody St., Northfield, MA
August 18 for the New England Alliance Gathering and
October 12 for a New England Assembly on the historic Northfield campus.
New England Alliance Gathering: Thursday, August 18 in Northfield, MA at Hibbard Hall You are invited to join us for the next gathering of a group of pastors and prayer leaders from around New England called the New England Alliance.
This group meets a few times a year to share what God is doing
throughout the 5 states of New England and pray together for revival in
our region.
We have the unique opportunity to host the group out here in Western MA
at the Northfield Campus. This is also a great opportunity to see this
amazing property. This NE Alliance meeting will be a great opportunity
to pray, fellowship, and prepare for the October 12 New England-wide
gathering on the final day of the 10 Days of Prayer.
Time: August 18, 10:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. Location: Hibbard Hall on the Northfield Campus (use
1 Moody St. Northfield, MA for your GPS. Turn left at Winchester Rd.
Hibbard hall is about 300 feet down Winchester on the left-hand side.
There is a small parking lot that we will use.)
Objective: Worship and Prayer, Lunch, Tour the campus, and planning the October 12 gathering and other major developments. *Please RSVP if you will be attending the lunch*
New England-wide Assembly: Wednesday, October 12, 2016
*There will also be anight & day worship and prayer tent leading up the Oct. 12 gathering from Oct. 7 - Oct 12 on the Northfield Campus!*
Location: D.L. Moody Auditorium on the Northfield campus.
This gathering will serve as the culminating gathering for 10 Days around New England this year.
The Auditorium was built in 1894 to hold the crowds that flocked to the
campus for renewal and mission focused summer conferences. It holds
about 2500 people. The Student Volunteer Missions Movement started
during the Northfield Conferences in 1886.
Some of you have heard Jonathan Friz share about Northfield. This
campus, founded by DL Moody in 1879, has been sitting empty since 2004.
The property was purchased by Hobby Lobby in 2009. Currently, the
property is owned by the National Christian Foundation. They are seeking
to give the campus away to a qualified group.
The Northfield Campus
is one of the hidden gems of our rich spiritual heritage here in New
England and one that's waiting to be revived! Come check out this
beautiful place and explore how God may be calling us, the Church in New England, to be a part of reviving this campus and the legacy of D.L. Moody.
I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and invite you to participate in the March for Jesus 2013, taking place in Boston on May 18, 2013, the Saturday before Pentecost.
This March for JESUS will be the first of seven consecutive annual Marches for JESUS as one component in the God-breathed Boston 2020 Vision. This is the time for the body of Christ to take to the streets and declare that our God is Lord!
Join us at the March for Jesus!
At no other time in the history of America have we seen such great spiritual devastation in our land. On the surface, it looks as if the enemy is winning but God promised us: "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God will raise a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19). The Holy Spirit has been igniting the most powerful army in the world, the Church of the Jesus Christ for her most glorious hour and destiny!
Some of you participated in the New England Solemn Assembly on September 23, 2010 in Plymouth MA. Over 120 ministries united together to proclaim God's heart and purpose for the church in New England. All over New England, thousands of believers continue to rise up, declaring the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
For more information or to lend your support to the March for Jesus 2013, please email me, Victor Khokhlan, with your full name, the name of your ministry and your city. We would also like to extend an invitation for you to attend our monthly prayer meetings. -- Pastor Victor Khokhlan, King of the Nations House of Prayer, Somerville MA
We are blessed to offer the New England School of Transformation, open to everyone! Our keynote speaker is Rev. Suliasi Kurulo, witness to miraculous transformations as the Lord God changes people, society and the land itself as the result of prayer. President of the Christian Mission Fellowship, Rev. Suliasi is prominently featured on the Sentinel Group's video on the Fiji Transformation. What is "transformation"? George Otis Jr. is the founder and president of The Sentinel Group, a Christian research and information agency. He has traveled to more than 100 countries of the world and served as Senior Associate for the Restricted-Access World with the Lausanne committee for World Evangelism. Presently he co-coordinates the United Prayer Track with Dr. C. Peter Wagner for the AD 2000 And Beyond Movement. For the term "transformed" to be properly applied to a community, George Otis Jr. believes that change must be evident not only in the lives of its inhabitants but also in the fabric of its institutions. In the end, it is dramatic social, political, and even ecological renewal that sets these cases apart from common experience. Please join us for a powerful time together! No registration is required, with the exception of pastors who would like to attend the luncheon on Sat, March 9 at 12 noon. Pastors, to reserve a space at the luncheon, please register online or call 978-934-9414. ---- Pastor Marlene Yeo, Director of Somebody Cares New England and the Haverhill House of Prayer. Pastor, Community Christian Fellowship, Haverhill
What: The New England School of Transformation Where:Community Christian Fellowship, Lowell
105 Princeton Blvd. Lowell MA 01851 Raffoul Najem, Senior Pastor
Contact info: 978-934-9414 Weekend dates and times:
Fri, Mar 8, 6:30 pm: All welcome to the opening session!
Sat, Mar 9, 9 am-12 noon: Workshops for pastors & leaders.
Sat, Mar 9, 12 noon: Pastors' luncheon. Please register online or call 978-934-9414.
Sat, Mar 9, 6:00 pm: All welcome to the closing session!
Come to the First Cathedral on Friday, February 22 at 7:00 PM for a night of united, cross-cultural worship; for prayer for our state; stand for a fresh word of encouragement for the advance of the Kingdom here in Connecticut.
Over the course of the last seven months, the body of Christ has been gathering in regional expressions of unity to worship the Lord together and to pray for revival in our state. An overflow crowd of 2,000 packed the Shubert Theater in New Haven to worship and pray for three hours! The Rome Ballroom on UCONN's campus was filled with students and area believers to pray for revival at the university. Called 7NOW/CT—seven nights of worship for Connecticut, this has been a grass roots relational movement of seeking the Lord. Momentum is building to see a move of God in our state!
Now an eighth gathering has been planned for February 22 at 7:00 PM at the First Cathedral in Bloomfield. Prophet Chuck Pierce, who has been used by God as a voice to the nation, will return to Connecticut for this gathering. It was a prophetic word from Chuck released on June 9 to a similar gathering that launched the vision for 7NOW/CT.
What: Chuck Pierce and a night of united cross-cultural worship; prayer for the state of Connecticut; a fresh word of encouragement for the advance of the Kingdom. Where:First Cathedral, Bloomfield CT Date and time: Fri, Feb 22, 7:00 PM
Contact: Audrey Church McIntyre More information on 7/NOWCT
For nearly 40 days, there has been continuous, 24/7 worship
on the White House Ellipse. The purpose of the worship was not to pray
for this candidate or that candidate to be elected, it was simply to lift up
the name of Jesus during a time when our nation's direction is hanging in the
balance.
Christ (rhymes with "wrist") Otto was one of the
many worship leaders who flocked to David's Tent from all 50 states. In
this video Jonathan and Christ talk with David's Tent catalyst Jason Hershey
about God's work through this unprecedented 40 day worship gathering.
Thursday, Oct. 18th was one of the most encouraging days I
can remember.
Over four hours through two video discussions and a larger
conversation with many of the 10 Days Boston hosts present, we shared “tales of
the Kingdom”. I listened for hours but
it seemed like we had days worth of material.
In terms of sheer volume of testimony, and in terms of the encouragement
it brought to me personally, the day was unparalleled.
As we heard story after story, I was reminded of the end of
the gospel of John: Jesus did too many amazing things to write them all down!
The same is true today when Jesus is in the midst of His people—He does too
much for us to keep track of!
JOY! Friends sharing Stories about Jesus
As I arrived 20 minutes late to our debrief meeting at EGC,
I literally found the meeting by following the sound of laughter. As we continued meeting together, we
continued to laugh. Why were we all so
happy? First of all, it’s because we’re
friends and we like being together! New friends
are welcomed easily into the mix. Christ
dwells in all of us individually—His presence is even more special when we come
together.
The stories that we shared about God’s work were the other
source of Joy. Throughout the day, I
heard story after story of God’s work during the 10 Days. They’re the kind of stories that make you
say, “Wow” or “No Way”. Sometimes, they
just make you laugh.
Honestly, I was “in shock” just from the sheer volume of
things God had done. Even the things
that were hard seemed to be encouraging, just another learning experience on
our journey together. I was reminded of how
Jesus and the disciples rejoiced when the disciples returned from their first
mission trip full of testimonies about the power of God.
I think Jesus was rejoicing with us as well.
Pastor Dana Baker, Keith Bellevue, LaTonya Brown, and Jonathan Friz discuss the impact of 10 Days in Boston and on the South Shore
Personal
Transformation
This Fall, YWAM Boston was really the heart of the 10 Days,
serving by leading much of the daytime prayer and also by doing daily
outreaches all throughout the city. Without
a doubt, YWAM Boston was the single biggest encouragement to me personally
during this 10 Days. I’m so grateful for
them! It’s been a joy to hear how 10
Days impacted them personally and as a group.
Aaron Cieply (YWAM Boston) shared the personal
transformation he experienced and witnessed in others. His own heart was transformed as he learned
how to be a “Mary”, sitting at Jesus’ feet, rather than constantly trying to
serve the Lord as a “Martha”. He shared
the revelation he experienced that “Lovers actually accomplish more than
workers” and his experience of sharing then getting to share the gospel out of
place of rest and a heart full of God’s love.
Keith Bellevue (10 Days South Shore) shared some of the
surprises that God had in store for him. “We went into the 10 Days with the
intent that we were going to "tear down strongholds" and "take
back our land for the Kingdom!" But, by the second day, it seemed clear
that the Lord was more interested in truly knowing [us]..., and in so doing it
seems our original intent was accomplished…”
Keith also shared his surprise at the turnout and the
transformation that followed: “We expected many people to come to the evening
gathering at their own church, we were shocked to also see a core of about
twenty to thirty people that came night after night with burning hearts from
this time of personal sacrifice.”
In this group of people,
Keith began to witness a steady work of transformation happening
day-by-day. A week in, those who had
been showing up night after night were visibly different than when the 10 Days
began—God was doing a deep, inner work that was manifest in their faces, their
speech, the prayers they prayed, and the way they loved each other.
One of the most common reports was simply that people left
the gatherings encouraged and refreshed by God’s presence. That may not sound flashy; however, it’s
impossible for the Church to do anything without God’s presence. Encouragement from the Lord is like food that
strengthens us from day-to-day. If we’re
discouraged, we’re not effective in any aspect of our Christian life.
Satt Scrivner (10 Days North Shore) said that this was the
testimony he heard more than any other. After
their times together, believers would share with him how much they enjoyed
being in God’s presence together and what an encouragement the time had been to
them.
Pastor Lorraine Anderson (International Community Church)
reported how encouraged she was both by God’s presence and by seeing such a
diverse group (Anglo, Black, Hispanic, Deaf, Burmese, and more) worshipping
together. Pastor Dana Baker (Grace
Chapel), Bishop Brian Greene (Pentecostal Tabernacle), and many others shared the
encouragement that came during personal prayer ministry, when God would often speak
into people’s lives through a complete stranger.
Part of the encouragement that came during this time was
simply this: We need to find a way to do this more often—it can’t be limited to
a “once a year” event.
New Relationships and
Open Doors
I was extremely impressed by the perseverance and
determination showed by many of the evening hosts in pursuing relationships
with others in the Body of Christ. They
exhibited determination, love, wisdom, and unshakeable hope as they lovingly
tried to bring others into this season of encountering the Lord together.
Part of our unshakeable hope that we share is a confidence
that some way, somehow, the Father is going to answer Jesus’ prayer in John 17—“let
them be ONE as we are One.” I believe
that God is raising up many in this generation who will persevere with
tenacious hope for the fulfillment of this prayer. Only God can do it (we’re asking for a
miracle), but we get to partner with Him through our faith and perseverance in
love.
One of testimonies from this year was related to the Catholic/Protestant
divide. During the 10 Days in 2011, my
good friend Christ (rhymes with ‘wrist’) Otto had a profound experience with the
Lord. The gist of it was this: 10 Days was supposed to reach out to the
Catholic Church, something we had not attempted to that point. John Spaddacini, a Roman Catholic friend,
helped us immensely by making contact with many potential hosts. However, as we approached the final weeks, all
the doors we knocked on were still closed.
We held open one day out of 10 “in hope” that God would do something “last
minute”.
As our final leads fell through, we decided to call for a “day
of mourning”, inviting Catholics and Protestants to fast and pray as we sought
the Lord to break down this historic, cultural, and theological divide. We
held a silent vigil at St. Clement, a 24/7 Catholic prayer and adoration center
in the heart of Boston.
Bishop Brian Greene (Pentecostal Tabernacle), Dr. Vito Nicastro (Archdiocese of Boston), Aaron Cieply (YWAM Boston) and Jonathan Friz (10 Days) discuss signs of God's work during the 10 Days Boston.
Dr. Vito Nicastro, director of Ecumenical affairs for the
Archdiocese responded to this invitation by fasting, praying, and meeting us
there. He was touched that 20 young
people (YWAM again) showed up to pray in a place that was so distinctly
Catholic and foreign to them. As he later shared, Catholic teaching on “Unity” says
that it is only a “work of the Holy Spirit”.
The official teaching states that any “unity” effort worthy of the name
must be rooted in “prayer, fasting, and repentance.” Evidently, we both had the same ideas about
what would bring about real unity!
Emails and long phone conversations between Vito and many
other evangelicals followed. Protestants
were invited and many came to a historic meeting on the Physician Assisted
Suicide bill which included about 60 leaders from all three major streams of
the Christian faith: Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox. Friendship, love, and trust are budding. Both sides are hopeful about what might come.
Next Year: Growing
Deep, Going Wide
Sept 4-14, 2013 are the dates for the 10 Days next
year. Once again, the month of September
will be a “month for unity” with UNOW on Sept 28th and the Convoy of
Hope city-wide outreach on September 21st. Here’s how we think God
is leading us for next year:
Going Deep
Without a doubt, there is a relationship between time spent
in God’s presence and personal transformation.
If you want to be like Jesus, spending lots of time with Him can’t hurt. Next year, we hope to see more and more
people setting apart all or part of the 10 Days to “seek God’s face”. That means taking time off from “normal” life
to discover “real” life.
As Bishop Brian Greene pointed out, people will wait in line
overnight, sleeping on the ground in the cold to get something as trivial as an
iPhone. They’ll “lose track of time”
playing a video game. We believe that
God is so much better, so much more fascinating than anything this world has to
offer. An iPhone can connect you to the
world, but only the Holy Spirit can connect you to the God of the Universe. We’re
hoping to see more and more people discovering the goodness of Jesus as they
consecrate all or part of the 10 Days for prayer.
Mark your calendar now—set a date with the Lord. Whatever you decide to do, experience
suggests strongly that you won’t be disappointed with your decision.
Going Wide
This year, for the first time, we had three “city-wide
church” 10 Day gatherings and two smaller 10 Day gatherings happening at the
same time. I believe this is going to
continue to spread in years to come. We believe
that this vision is something that God wants to establish as a regular rhythm
in city-wide churches around the nation and the world.
Deep and Wide
Deep is real, Holy, and permanent. Wide is exciting, encouraging and promising. What really gets me excited is when Deep and
Wide come together.
We’re envisioning many people, many cities, many nations “dropping
everything” to seek God in unity as city and regional churches on an annual
basis during the fall Biblical feasts. I’m
imagining certain cities almost “stopping” for Sabbath-like 10 Day seasons of repentance,
fasting, transformation, and renewal.
“Well, that’s impossible!”
We say that this kind of thing is impossible, but I think what we really
mean is “it would take a miracle”. Personally,
I’ve been spending a lot of time with people who don’t seem to understand that “things
are impossible” since they keep seeing God doing miracles when they step out in
faith. Personally, I’m betting on those
guys and their God over “impossible”.
How would God respond if an entire City took a day, or even
10 Days to seek His face together? And what if this was happening not just in
one city, but in thousands of places around the world? If this what happened this year is the result
of a relatively few people saying “yes”, what could the Lord do if entire
cities went deep with God together? I’ve
never seen it happen, but I’ve seen enough to get an idea of how good it would
be. We’re going to see this someday…and
rejoice!
