Global Outreach Day is a Global Missions Network that calls the Church worldwide to focus on praying and sharing the Gospel with the un-churched in the month of May each year.
This coming year, May 2020 the vision is to mobilise 100 million people in united prayer.
We are calling this initiative Go2020!
Already, Christians in 250,000 churches across 140 nations are part of this global outreach strategy to pray and witness towards the fulfilment of God's great commission.
GO 2020 - Year of the Upper Room – Preparing Hearts Prayer Guide
We in the IPC are helping to coordinate the international prayer mobilization for the GO 2020 initiative - with the aim of helping the various partnering prayer for mission projects to flow together.
The ‘Preparing Hearts’ prayer guide is a resource to help that process of integrated praying. It runs from 1st January to 9th February 2020. We trust that it will help up to 100 million people to focus their prayers on the harvest in a user-friendly way as we seek to see 1 billion saved for Christ in May 2020.
It is the first of nine 40-day prayer guides through the coming year that will focus on Go 2020 and other prayer initiatives for the unreached of our world.
To download the first Year of the Upper Room Prayer Guide - Click this Link
More info and sign up for GO2020 at: www.go2020.world/prayer
Australia Calls the World to Pray for the Nations
Australia Christian prayer leaders invite their brothers and sisters in Christ, prayer groups, prayer networks and churches to join with them all over the world to pray at sunrise on New Year's Day 2020 at a public location such as a hill, lookout or landmark in your city or town.
This year our focus is to pray for the nations. Over the last two years we had registrations from 50 different countries including USA, South Africa, Namibia, Pakistan, Japan, United Kingdom, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand, and Australia.
Warwick Marsh, coordinator for Australia’s National Day of Prayer & Fasting said, “David said in Psalm 108:2, “I will wake the dawn with my song.” During this time of prayer, we want to focus on giving great praise to God. We also want to pray for revival and transformation, that God will bring healing to each of our nations: 2 Chronicles 7:14. Let us all pray for a great harvest of souls for the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Marsh continued, “In declaring Jesus Christ as Lord at this worldwide Sunrise Prayer Relay we are circling the globe with prayer, praise and worship and surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ for the glory of God. Psalms 113:3 says, “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” This year we want to challenge people to pray for the nations. Use the prayer resources on the website and social media and register your location at: www.sunriseprayerrelay.org
Our prayer is that with your help, this worldwide Prayer and Praise Relay will go viral.”
Pat Steele, a prayer & evangelist leader in Wollongong Australia, said, “We encourage you to pray the Lord's Prayer together aloud as the sun rises and make a declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, your family, your region and your nation. Let’s also join to pray for the nations.
At your location we encourage you to include praise and worship, prayers, and scripture readings. We suggest 30 minutes, but you can pray for longer. You could even take communion, shine a torch, or light a candle. What you do for your sunrise celebration is up to you.”
Share photos and videos from your location on social media.
Use the hashtag: #sunriseprayerrelay
Website: www.sunriseprayerelay.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sunriseprayerrelay
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sunriseprayerrelay
YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSTHRAixKOQ
Contact: Warwick Marsh 61 418 225212 or Pat Steele by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Finishing the Task Conference 3-5 December 2019
http://finishingthetask.org/ Sunrise Prayer Relay 1st Jan 2020
40 Days of Prayer for 2020 – Preparing Hearts
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EksUzKPVPfkKg8Ki2bLnDaeaCqFa3UZC/view
5 Days of Prayer for the Khawlan People of Saudi Arabia and Yemen – 14th-18th Feb 2020
https://www.pray-ap.info/focus.html
Seek God for the City Feb 26–Apr 5, 2020
https://waymakers.org/pray/seek-god/
Go 2020 – Reaching 1 Billion for Christ - May 2020
One God - One Day - One Africa – 31st May 2020
UPRising Events Calendar
UPRising Australia - July 14-18, 2020 - Sydney, Australia
UPRising New England - November 19-21, 2020 - New England, USA
Dr Jason Hubbard, IPC’s Executive Co-ordinator has written this short devotional booklet which takes us through the greatest love story of all time, when God’s own Son shed his garments of glory to become Bethlehem’s lamb.
It’s a 39 page booklet that will bring a fresh perspective on the Christmas Story and enrich, challenge and teach us more about the significance of the feasts, the history and the message of Hope for all mankind that Jesus brought.
It’s a compelling read.
Download ‘Re-kindling the Glory of Christmas Devotional’ HERE
Ghana: a step towards ending slavery
Thousands of children aged between three and seventeen live in slavery on Lake Volta, working up to 18 hours a day in the fishing industry. They are paid in daily abuse and threats, and the only way out is to drown or be rescued. Praise God for two convictions when the accused men pleaded guilty to human trafficking. One of them, who used the children for labour on his fishing boat, must also pay a fine or spend an additional year to the five-year sentence if unable to pay. While IJM has previously seen convictions for child labour in Ghana, these are their first for human trafficking, and a significant step toward ending slavery in the fishing industry.
Advent prayer resource
SAT-7 constantly receive testimonies of people whose lives are being transformed by Jesus. Some grew up in Christian homes, others first met with Jesus through their television screens. Some had a chance encounter with a Christian and wanted to find out more, others first discovered His joy through picking up a Bible in their own language. SAT-7 have just produced a prayer guide to give us a glimpse into some of their stories. Over the course of Advent they will take people on a journey across the Middle East and North Africa, through the 25 countries where they work, visiting a different country each day, and discovering plenty of reasons to rejoice – as well as ideas for prayer requests.
Archbishops' general election message
Time to ‘leave our echo chambers’ and listen to others, said the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. ‘Stand up for the truth and challenge falsehoods when we hear them’. They are urging voters to ‘honour the gift of truth’ as they engage in political debate in the run-up to the general election. Their letter calls people to engage responsibly on social media and uphold the Christian values of truth, humility and love. ‘People who hold different political views are not our enemies,’ they say. The message also calls on Christians to reject the ‘language of prejudice’, particularly at a time when several groups - especially in Jewish and Muslim communities - feel threatened. Pray that debates will unite rather than divide, and bring us together to trust our institutions, politicians and our politics. See also the next article, on Anti-Semitism, politics and prayer.
Anti-Semitism, politics and prayer
Anti-Israel protesters in London have been screaming death threats at Jews in Arabic, and anti-Semitic activity is said to be active in the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn is being challenged in his own Islington North constituency by Yosef David, an Orthodox Jew, standing for the Brexit Party. Yosef works for a large Jewish charity and acknowledges that toppling Corbyn would be a miracle, but he is ‘highlighting the impact of the Labour anti-Semitism epidemic on the community. On 26 November Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s most senior Jewish leader, accused Corbyn of allowing anti-Semitism to take root in the party, while Justin Welby agreed that British Jews felt much insecurity and fear, and added regretfully that the Church of England has had its own history of antisemitism. On the same day, hundreds of Christians aligned to Operation Breakthrough, Worldwide Mission Fellowship, and Prayer Warriors International spent time in prayer and repentance, focussing on the UK’s attitude towards Israel.
The Big Give
The Christmas Challenge is the UK's biggest online match funding campaign. Since 2008 it has helped raise over £98 million for thousands of charities. In 2018 it raised £13.3m for 589 participating charities. This year the challenge will be between 3 and 10 December. Every person who pledges a donation to one of the participating charities will have their gift matched by Christmas Challenge, so that every donation will make twice the impact on charities working to improve human rights, rescue animals, support the disabled, elderly and homeless, ending child slavery (International Justice Mission), caring for those in poverty (Salvation Army), and many more both at home and abroad.
Christian beliefs on a par with racist views?
Christian doctor David Mackereth, with over 26 years of experience, found that for upholding Biblical truth you can lose your job. A judge has ruled that his belief in Genesis 1:27 is ‘incompatible with human dignity’. The judge is saying that there is no protection in law for the Biblical belief that God made humans unchangeably male and female, putting Christian truth in the same category as racist and Neo-Nazi views. David held to what God says about men and women and his Christian views were not protected in a UK court of law. He lost his job for telling the truth, and now an Employment Tribunal has ruled against him. Christian Concern’s expert legal team has already started work to take this case to an appeal tribunal.