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An Invitation to Prayer

My Dear Church Family,

This year was intended to be one of great celebration for our church as we marked our 30^th anniversary in ministry together. That anniversary date, March 26, was overshadowed by the COVID-19 crisis and resulting stay-at-home orders. Our church moved online for several weeks, and even now, most of our normal ministry activities remain suspended.

As this year began, I waded into it with much uncertainty about what the 2020 would hold for our church—not even knowing what the next six months would hold in store. Looking back, I see God’s hand in that uncertainty. We set goals in January of this year: 30 baptisms to celebrate 30 years of ministry, every adult in a disciple-making relationship, 2020 hours of community engagement logged by the collective membership of our church. The COVID-19 pandemic has frustrated many of our plans toward these goals.

In recent days, God has burdened me to personally return to him in concerted prayer for the future and direction of First Baptist Church of West Albuquerque. I want to answer God’s invitation to seek him for wisdom, vision, and the power to fulfill the Great Commission in fresh and obedient ways as a church.

That on my heart, I am inviting you to join me in 40 days of prayer for our church and God’s future for us. These 40 days will begin on Wednesday, June 17, and conclude on Sunday, July 26 in our next regularly scheduled Quarterly Members’ Meeting that evening. I have included a very simple, daily and weekly rhythm of praying for this season of prayer. It is built upon the five functions of the church in Acts 2:42-47, with the additions of resting in God and seeking his glory.

My overall prayer is that through the next 40 days, God will speak to us, give us a clear vision for future ministry, ignite our hearts for evangelism and discipleship, and draw us nearer to Christ and to one another as partners in his gospel.

My desire is to conclude our 40 days of prayer together on the evening of July 26 as part of our scheduled Member’s Meeting, providing COVID-19 restrictions remain as they are or lessened. I hope to then hear how God has shaped you and share with you what God has revealed to me in these 40 days, and to ask your prayer for responding in obedience to God’s leading.

Will you pray with me?

Your partner in the Gospel,

Pastor Stephen