Prayer leaders establish 40-day fast-prayer event on election eve
By CE staff reporter
CHRISTIAN EXAMINER
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LONG BEACH, Calif. — Sensing the significant stakes for the November general election, a collaborative of some of the largest prayer ministries in the country is teaming up for a 40-day campaign of prayer and fasting leading up to the fall presidential sweepstakes.
Tatsuo Akamine, West Coast coordinator of the World Prayer Summit, said he’s mesmerized by the response of the “40 Days of Corporate Prayer and Fasting for National Repentance” effort, which will begin Sept. 24 and conclude Nov. 2, the day of the election.
“This thing has spread like wildfire,” Akamine said. “We are calling 20 million Christians in the United States. It must involve and embrace every ethnic group.”
In addition, the project is being expanded worldwide, with a goal of 200 million participants.
The bold vision started small, with several people, including Akamine, thinking about such a plan independently. Through a series of phone contacts, the concept blossomed.
“I thought to myself, ‘Instead of conducting our own regional fast, maybe we could bring these streams together and with a single voice make a clarion call to the nation,” Akamine said in a news release.”
The effort, he said, is being underscored by the dictates of global repentance contained in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
“This summons to pray and fast for national repentance will include a wide spectrum of believers from varying denominations and ethnic backgrounds,” Akamine said. “This movement will include our brothers and sisters in Christ who are serving God in government, education, media, business, … in order to expand our understanding of the gravity of the state of the nation so that we may be able to pray more effectively in repentance as a corporate body.”
Akamine added that the idea is to signal “solidarity of faith and vision for the nation.”
To do so, the coordinator said, requires participants to enter the project while leaving self behind.
“It is incumbent that we surrender our own agendas, regardless of how noble they may be, in order to join our hearts, mind and strength to intercede earnestly …
Planning session held
To help jumpstart the effort a team of national prayer leaders was planning to meet Aug. 23 to 25 in Colorado Springs. The leaders approached the event with a five-point plan that included prayer, sharing the vision, presenting an update on the prayer movement, creating a network and planning a corporate response among national leaders.
“The present cultural crisis in our nation and the world, during this election year, is precipitating a most profound concerted prayer movement in the Body of Christ in the history of America,” Akamine said in a news release.
Akamine, of South Bay Revival Mission, said he envisions three distinct stages in the prayer and fasting event. The first he’s calling “Sounding of the Trumpet.”
“Members of the body of Christ have been responding to the Lord in enthusiasm and have been spreading the word of His call,” Akamine said. “Some have already begun to fast and pray as the Lord has directed them to. Others have been making preparations to participate with the Lord and unite during the 40 days.
“However, there has been little real direction on how to unite the body as a whole, across the nation and internationally, for the entire 40 days. This is creating a ‘critical mass’ for the second stage.
That stage prompted the August leadership meeting, he said.
“The Lord is raising up key leaders with specific burden to give greater clarity and vision for a statewide and nationwide perspective,” he said.
“As we come together in Colorado to pray and meet with others throughout the nation, relationships and networks will be established from which corporate planning can take place. Besides sharing and building strong networks, I also believe it is critical and necessary that we ‘pray this movement through’—asking the Holy Spirit to give us further wisdom, guidance, understanding and direction.”
The third stage was to have been developed during the meeting. Details of the meeting were not available at press time.
Wide range of support
The coordinating Leadership team for the event includes Ray Bringham of World Prayer Summit; Gary Bergel, Intercessors for America; Dave Butts, Harvest Prayer Ministries and chairman of the National Prayer Committee, Lou Engle, The Cause USA; Chuck D. Pierce, Glory of Zion International/Global Harvest Ministries; Bill and Beth LaRock, Community Prayer Watch and Boyd Lillard, Youth Interceding for America.
In addition to the leadership team, dozens of ministries have agreed to participate including Che Ahn, Harvest International Ministries; John and Robin Blanchard, America for Jesus; Paul Cedar, Mission America Coalition; Cornell (Corkie) Haan Pray the Vote/Presidential Prayer Team; Bobbie Hill, National Day of Prayer Task; Phil Miglioratti, National Pastors Prayer Network; Fern Nichols, Moms in Touch International; John Robb, International Prayer Council and World Vision; Eddie and Alice Smith; U.S. Prayer Center and Harry Valentine, Capitol Hill Prayer Alert.
For more information about the fast and prayer event, log on to 40DaysUSA.org.
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