Prayer Summit Pastors Seek God’s Face

Ten Korean pastors joined on Saturday morning to sing in powerful, full-throated voices, plaintively asking God to renew his church on earth and to especially pour out his grace onthe Christian Reformed Church.

“My soul is looking only for you,” they sang in Korean in the small sanctuary of Glory Mission Church, located on the corner of a busy intersection in Fullerton, California.

“My hope is coming . . . Only from you comes our salvation. My glory, my Lord, only you are my refuge and rock. You are our refuge.”

The idea for the Prayer Summit, which kicks off at noon today at all Nations Church in Lakeview Terrace, California,emerged out of this small group who have met every Saturday for two years to sing and pray with a powerful purpose.

That purpose was intially for their own churches, but then the focus expanded.

The idea grew slowly, took shape and then they went ahead to invite the CRC to join them in coodfinating a first-ever Prayer Summit.

The CRC gratefully and quickly accepted the invitation to join in preparing for and attending the Prayer Summit, which features speakers, worships, concerts and plenty of time for prayer.

“We have prayed for a time such as this,” said Rev. Tong Park, the Christian Reformed Home Missions Korean Ministries Team Leader.

Tong was delivering the message to the small group of pastors who gathered late Saturday morning on the eve of the Summit, which is expected to draw more than 500 people from across the CRC.

“Lord, we want to thank you for what you have done as we prepared for this Summit. We believe now is the time of God.

“We pray that we will humble ourselves and be servants who will bring fresh water . . . We will be there seeking God’s face.”

“Seeking God’s Face” is the theme of the Summit, organized by the praying pastors at Glory Mission Church as a way to show their appreciation for the CRC as it has helped Koreans churches establish themselves and, over the last 40 years, to join the denomination. They love the CRC because it is filled with the Reformed doctrine.

Last Saturday, one of the pastors stood in front of the sanctuary, his eyes closed, his arms pumping at his sides, knees kicking, and led a final song that followed a time of meditation.

He sang out, his voice filling the sanctuary, his body in motion, as if leading his fellow pastors on a prayer march before the throne of God.

When the song finished, he prayed: “We pray God for a renewal of your land and your people,” he said.

“We pray God that your power and grace will fill the CRC during this Summit, because we will be there with one purpose — to pray to you, so that the unseen can be made seen . . . We pray God for your revival in the church.”

After the prayer meeting, another pastor said: “The vision for the Prayer Summit came out of here. We expect special things when we gather together in God’s name.”