Denominational Offices, Calvin College Take Time for Special Prayers

Surrounded by several others, Dr. Steve Timmermans, executive director of the Christian Reformed Church, bowed his head and began the work day on Thursday by praying for a range of world concerns.

“Lord God, we come to you mindful of the tensions and problems around the world,” said Timmermans, standing in the atrium of the CRC’s Grand Rapids office.

“We can feel so empty in terms of our responses. So, we turn to you, Lord, for your help. Hear our prayer.”

Inspired by Calvin College’s decision to hold a day of prayer concerning a range of topics, staff at the CRC offices in Grand Rapids, Burlington, Ontario and Palos Heights, Ill. took time on Thursday to pray for:

• The Ebola outbreak
• The persecuted church in China and protests in Hong Kong
• The crisis in Ukraine
• Immigration issues
• The war in the Middle East.

“We pray especially for the Middle East,” said Rev. Joel R. Boot, director of ministries and administration, at the morning prayer in Grand Rapids.

“We pray that we can follow your will and not our ideas. I pray especially for our brothers and sisters in Iraq and ask that you reassure them of your love.”

Calvin College officials came up with the idea for the day of prayer a week or so ago when they were discussing what the college could do about all of the various difficulties occurring around the world.

Especially, they were concerned about their students who are currently studying in or near some of these troublespots. And so they decided to hold a day of prayer and suggested that the denomination do the same.

At Calvin, they set up a prayer room in the Meeter Center with flags from around the world, a globe hanging from the ceiling, kept the lights low, and made available a table on which they set post-it notes and pens with an invitation to share a thought or prayer, says Don DeGraaf, Calvin’s director of off-campus services.

Students, faculty and others came in and out all day as soft music played at times and at other times there was silence. In addition, handouts were available describing each of the situations that were the focus of prayer, says De Graaf.

There were three community prayer services, with songs and prayers, at 7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 4:30 p.m.

“We had between 60 and 70 people attend these three services,” he said. “We we are thankful, our prayer times were rich and it is our continued prayer that the day was a blessing for all that came.” 

Terry Greenfield, director of operations for Back to God Ministries International, says that the office in Palos Heights invited staff to meet at 10:45 .a.m for prayer around the various topics  suggested.

Jimmy Lin, Chinese ministry leader, "led with a number of comments about the topics for prayer and gave a personal reflection on the Hong Kong situation since Hong Kong is home to Jimmy and three other staff members,” says Greenfield.

“We also discussed other areas in which Back to God is connected to Ebola outbreaks, ISIS and the Middle East, and the Ukraine crisis.”

The office then had a time of prayer.

Staff at the CRC’s Burlington office held three services on Thursday, each geared to some aspect of the prayer list of concerns.

Additionally, special prayer requests were offered relating to the work World Renew and Christian Reformed World Missions are doing in many of these areas of concern. Prayer was also offered asking God to care for CRC staff and their partners as they work in various capacities in these areas.

In Burlington, they divided each session, except the last, in separate prayer stations, each with a special focus.

“We had a leader for each station that opened with a passage of Scripture and prayer,” says Samantha Keddy, an assistant project manager for World Renew’s International Disaster Response Team.

“The leaders were there to help facilitate the prayer times and to offer leadership in prayer. There was a large focus in prayer on praying for ‘Sustainable Faith’.”

 She says one participant mentioned “how powerful it felt to be emotionally and spiritually connected as a group of staff and how the Holy Spirit was certainly felt in the room and it felt empowering.”

In the final session, there was only one prayer station at which they offered Thanksgiving and praise for the Lord’s work “that is already being done and to be done,” says Keddy.