AG News
ag-news - AG NEWS #1632: January 2, 2009
** Ministry Spotlight: National Prayer Center
National Prayer Center (NPC) was established in 1994 to
strengthen Fellowship's commitment to prayer. NPC offers wide
variety of free resources on prayer, including articles, podcasts
and teaching outlines, on its Web site, http://prayer.ag.org.
Through NPC's 1-800-4-PRAYER call center, individuals share
prayer requests and pray one-on-one with a volunteer. Prayer
requests are sent on to Intercessory Prayer Network, comprised of
more than 500 volunteers who intercede daily for needs. NPC also
helps promote annual Week of Prayer. First full week of January
is designated as time of extended prayer. Visit National Prayer
Center's Web site at http://prayer.ag.org to learn more about its
ministry and access free resources. To view video version of NPC
ministry spotlight, go to
http://ag.org/top/Media/Video/index.cfm#National-Prayer-Center.
** Hard Times Day provides outreach opening
For several years, First Assembly of God in Hartshorne, Oklahoma,
has served free meals at Hard Times Day, an event that recalls
town's struggles during Great Depression. In late 2008, as
residents felt sting of current economic crisis, festival's theme
was especially poignant. Church served approximately 500
complimentary meals to festival attendees, many of whom couldn't
afford concessions sold elsewhere.
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** MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT: NATIONAL PRAYER CENTER
Prayer has always played a vital role in the Assemblies of God. In
1994 the National Prayer Center was established to strengthen the
Fellowship's commitment to this spiritual discipline.
"Our mission in the National Prayer Center is summarized by the
words, 'equipping the churchŠanswering the call,' "says James
Meredith, National Prayer Center assistant director and resource
development coordinator."We believe our mission is to equip
individuals to become people of prayer, and our churches to become
houses of prayer."
The National Prayer Center offers a wide variety of free resources
on prayer on its Web site, http://prayer.ag.org. Among these
resources are articles, prayer guidelines, podcasts and teaching
outlines.
Through the National Prayer Center's 1-800-4-PRAYER call center,
individuals can share prayer requests and pray one-on-one with a
volunteer. The prayer requests are also sent on to the Intercessory
Prayer Network, comprised of more than 500 volunteers around the
world who intercede daily for the needs.
"We believe God has uniquely positioned the Assemblies of God as a
Pentecostal, full-gospel, evangelical Fellowship, to strategically
impact the culture at home and abroad," says National Prayer Center
Director John Maempa. "Through prayer, augmented and empowered by
the Holy Spirit, we are seeing, and will continue to see, God's hand
move in powerful ways and affect kingdom purposes in our world as
never before."
The National Prayer Center also helps promote the Assemblies of
God's annual Week of Prayer. Each year the first full week of
January is designated as a time of extended prayer.
"Our hope and prayer is that the Week of Prayer will launch the new
year with a strong emphasis on prayer across the Fellowship, as well
as encourage believers to increase their commitment to prayer daily
throughout the year," Maempa says.
Visit the National Prayer Center's Web site at http://prayer.ag.org
to learn more about its ministry and access its many free resources.
To view the video version of the National Prayer Center ministry
spotlight, go to
http://ag.org/top/Media/Video/index.cfm#National-Prayer-Center.
-- AG News
** HARD TIMES DAY PROVIDES OUTREACH OPENING
For the past several years, First Assembly of God in Hartshorne,
Oklahoma, has served free meals at Hard Times Day, a fall event that
recalls the town's struggles during the Great Depression.
But in late 2008, as residents felt the sting of the current
economic crisis, the festival's theme was especially poignant.
"We have a number of families in the community that have been
affected by recent hard times," says Joe Alzate, the church's senior
pastor. "It was great to serve some of these families and see smiles
on their faces."
The church served approximately 500 complimentary meals of beans and
cornbread to festival attendees, many of whom couldn't afford the
concessions sold elsewhere.
"This is not a wealthy area," Alzate says. "In everything our
community does, we try to find a way to participate and show the
love of Christ. We hand out free apple cider and hot chocolate at
the Christmas parade and bottled water at summer events."
The congregation also hosts a back-to-school event in August,
providing free haircuts and school supplies to students in
kindergarten through college.
-- Today's Pentecostal Evangel
