Does Not Include "Praying Through The Window"--SEE PRAYER:INITIATIVE:PTTW

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
QUESTION From: Michael Strahan <strahan@alaska.net> In the past our church has been able to get involved in some of the international initiatives such as "Praying Through the Widow", etc. and would like to do so again in 1998 if possible. Sometimes though, we don't hear about these initiatives until close to the target date, which makes it tough to effectively pull off. This coming year, we'd like to allocate the resources to do a good job with some of these events. This means we need plenty of notice. Does anyone have a list or know of any major national or international prayer efforts, etc. which are designed for the local church, which will be happening in 1998?

ANSWER From: NateWilson@XC.org Have you looked at our conference calendar? As far as I can tell, this is the most comprehensive calendar of mission events out there--which isn't saying much--but the big stuff, as far as I can tell is on it. Most of the events are annual (March For Jesus, Day of Prayer, See you at the Pole, Persecuted church...) except that the Praying Through The Window has been every other year. You can pull it up over email or the web--Email: send the following message to HUB@XC.org "Get brigada-orgs-missionmobilizers calendar" WEB:: ourworld.compuserve.com/Homepages/NathanWilson

30 DAYS HINDU PRAYER FOCUS
Calling Christians everywhere to stand with the Body of Christ in India by humbly learning about and praying for the world's Hindu peoples May 18 (Pentecost Sunday) - June 16, 1997

800 million Hindus; most live in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Malaysia; millions more reside in South Africa, the USA, the UK, on Mauritius, Fiji, in Guyana, Myanmar, Trinidad & Tobago. Many of the 1,739 peoples currently on the Joshua Project 2000 list are Hindu.

India, the second most populous country, and the world's largest secular democracy, celebrates her 50th statehood anniversary this year. India is home to the largest number of Hindus.

While Nepal's Christians have increased dramatically, they still number only one percent of the population in this officially Hindu kingdom.

Here is also an opportunity to understand some of the intellectual and spiritual roots of much of the New Age thinking in the Western world.

AVAILABLE MATERIAL
*Prayer Guide booklets (daily illustrated readings, approx 50 pgs)`

*Poster (16 x 22 illustrated by Mary Filidis)
*The Gods of India video (1997, 12 min. by Procla-Media) WorldChristian News, PO Box 26479, Colorado Springs, CO 80936; USA Tel: 1 (719) 442-6409; Fax: 1 (719) 380-0936; Email: wcn@xc.org Source: World-Wide Web

30-DAY UNITED PRAYER FOR HONG KONG
There will be a worldwide united prayer for Hong Kong from June 16th till July 15th this year. As Hong Kong is going to be part of China from July 1st 1997, we plead that you all will join us to fast and pray for Hong Kong and China and will help to spread the 30day prayer calendar which is available on the web: http://home.hkstar.com/~praylink/e.htm

30-DAYS MUSLIM PRAYER FOCUS 1998
The sixth annual 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus, which coincides with the annual Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, begins Jan. 1. Prayer guides for adults and children are available in 25 languages. For information, contact <wcn@xc.org> or write WorldChristian News, P.O. Box 26479, Colorado Springs, CO 80936 USA.

YOU CAN WIN MILLIONS WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR HOUSE!! Don't pass up this chance to pray for the millions of Muslims in the world. You can win them through prayer! This is why we're making available the Spanish prayer guide, "30 Days of Prayer for the Muslims". This guide is designed for intercession for the Muslim world during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a time during which over one billion Muslims around the world join together in fasting and reflection. During this same month (January 1-30, 1998), the Body of Christ, His Church, will join together to intercede for the salvation of these Muslims. Send your order now to our postal address (please, no e-mail orders!). Don't forget to include how many guides you would like, your name, and the address to which to send the guides. Center for World Missions, Juventud Con Una Mision, Apdo. 1352, Oaxaca 68000, Oaxaca, MEXICO. Prices, including postage: US$2.50 each; (US$0.25 price breaks at 10 and 100) Please write checks in U.S. dollars to "Youth With A Mission". For orders through Mexico (N$20 each), contact Fax number: 91 (951) 5-79-27. From: Mark & Gina Fadely <fadely@compuserve.com>

40 DAYS FOR POLAND
Irek Barela, Campus Crusade for Christ prayer coordinator for Poland, compiled a prayer calendar to support the call to 40 days of prayer and fasting for Poland. This prayer initiative is supported by the national leaders of the Baptist Church, the Pentecostal Church, Campus Crusade for Christ, the Church of God in Christ, the Church of Christ and the Evangelical Church in Poland. The prayer calendar can be retrieved by sending an e-mail to <hub@xc.org> with the following command in the body of your mail: get joel-news-international 40-days-for-poland

FESTIVAL OF PRAYER FOR CHILDREN 1997
...This year Viva Network, Operation Mobilisation, and the Evangelical Missionary Alliance are issuing a joint call for people to join in the 'Festival of Prayer for Children and Young People' from June 7th to 14th 1997. The challenge is to all churches, youth groups, Sunday schools, Christian organisations, schools, ministries or individuals -join us in praying for more than half the worlds population... An Information Pack full of details for prayers is available FREE OF CHARGE from the Viva Network. (e-mail selliott@viva.org or phone UK-1865-450800) Participants are able to reproduce the pack in whatever format they desire, supplimenting it with information relating to children's work in your area. The Pack includes: [Topics of prayer for each day,] Vital prayer information, Art work for posters, Details on running a prayer meeting for the first Saturday, [and an] Evaluation Form...

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH SEPT. 29, 1996
It is time to mobilize the international church to spiritual action on behalf of suffering believers. More people have died for their Christian faith in the 20th Century than in all other centuries combined. Worldwide persecution of Christians is the greatest untold story of this decade...

-The Kuwait constitution respects freedom of religion, yet a Kuwaiti convert was convicted of apostasy and the judge ruled he "should be killed." -Laos has experienced significant and increased persecution in the past 18 months. Reg Reimer, WEF, says "Christianity has replaced America as Enemy #1' in Laos."

-A dominant Somali Islamist group claimed responsibility for six deaths in April claiming these to be the last Somali Christians in Muqdisho.

DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH NOVEMBER 16, 1997
More Christians have been martyred in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined. Pastors are being arrested and sometimes shot in China and Cuba. Believers are forbidden to buy goods or own property in Somalia. Christians who testify to their faith in Iran or Saudi Arabia may be put to death for blasphemy. Mobs have wiped out whole villages of Christians in Pakistan. And it goes on. For all this, the western Church is mostly silent. "I am in prison," says the Lord, "and you are not visiting me." It is time to shatter the silence.

Information concerning the suffering of Christians worldwide may be obtained, in the US and Canada, from the US headquarters of IDOP. The address is: International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, P.O. Box WEF, Wheaton, IL 60189-8003 Phone: 800-LETS-PRAY, EMAIL: IDOP@xc.org, WEB SITE: http://www.persecutedchurch.org

IDOP has a packet of information designed for informing your church group and for joining the day of prayer. The packet contains a Prayer Journal containing several articles concerning the persecuted church, a 21-minute video tape for your church or home group, several letters, and a Prayer Commitment Sheet to send to IDOP to register your support (this is optional. Please pray, with or without notifying anyone.) They ask for $15 to cover the cost of printing and shipping.

KUMBH MELA
Kumbha Mela is a major Hindu religious gathering. More than 10 Million people are expected to take a holy dip in the ganges to cleanse their sins. You can get regular information for Prayer through the Kumbh Mela E-Mail Conference. To subscribe, send an E-Mail message to <hub@xc.org> with the following line in the body of the message. subscribe kumbh.mela

LIFT UP YOUR EYES (NZ Prayer Campaign)
..On the last Sunday of every other month we want to get as many people in New Zealand churches as possible praying strategically with the same mission focus... We're not looking for major prayer involvement in terms of time and effort (the focus will be limited to one Sunday every two months) but at the very least we are hoping that on that Sunday relevant information will be made available to congregations and that some part of some service during the day will acknowledge the prayer focus... Sunday March 30th: The Buddhist World Sunday May 25th: The Hindu World Sunday July 27th: The Unreached Peoples Sunday September 28th: The Persecuted Church Sunday November 30th: The Muslim World

..Supporting materials will be made available. At the very least we will supply a pamphlet master, background notes to the "world" in question, prayer suggestions and masters for overheads. [If you are interested], send an email message to the Centre for Mission Direction... <Info@cmd.org.nz> [orig] www.cmd.org.nz/liftup.html FWD By John Hanna

USA - NATIONAL PRAYER GATHERINGS

• National Solemn Assembly, Oct 24-26, Washington, DC A time for fasting, repentance, and prayer for America. For more information call 202-544-6013 or 703-754-3629
• National Concert of Prayer, Oct 26 Praying "in concert" simultaneously across America for our cities, nation, and unreached people of the world. For more information contact March for Jesus at 512-416-0066
• Fasting & Prayer '96, Nov. 14-16, St. Louis, MO For information call 888-327-8464
• Month of Prayer and Fasting for U.S., April 1997 30-day prayer calendar available. Call 713-855-1417
• National Day of Prayer, May 1, 1997 For more information call 719-531-3379

WALK AROUND JERICHO
During 1998, the Walk Around Jericho project seeks to mobilize 10,000 intercessors from around the world who will focus their prayer efforts on the Muslims of India. This project also seeks to recruit and mobilize at least 100 prayer walking and/or profiling teams who will come to various cities and villages in India for one week in order to pray against these spiritual strongholds and bring down the walls that keep the Muslims of India separated from God and walking in darkness. Teams will be asked to spend 6 days praying over specific places in a city or district where there are large numbers of Muslims. On the seventh day, the prayer focus will be to pray as the team walks around the city with the expectation that God will begin to bring down the walls! You and your church can be involved in Walk Around Jericho. You can be an integral part in bringing down the walls that keep the millions of Indian Muslims in spiritual darkness. If you would like more information please contact ACCHI KHABAR, PO BOX 24056; LEXINGTON, KY 40524- 4056; USA or e-mail: akhabar@watchman.com

WAVE OF PRAYER FOR IRAN
A team of evangelicals is organizing a wave of prayer for Iran that will sweep around the world May 29-30. For information, send an e-mail with "The Wave" in the subject line to <rapadvance@aol.com>.

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