Evangelicals flock to Ottawa
OTTAWA, ON - It's going to be a busy May in Ottawa. A number of Christian groups are planning national conventions in Ottawa around the date of the Canadian Prayer Assembly May 26.
Assembly organizers including Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Focus on the Family, March for Jesus, Campus Crusade for Christ, Promise Keepers, Aglow Canada, Canadian Youth Network and a number of prayer groups are hoping that thousands will show up at Ottawa's Frank Clair football stadium.
The purpose of the event is to pray for the nation and begin reconciliation among Canada's people groups. The idea behind the event comes from 2 Chronicles 7:14, which promises that if God's people "humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways," God will "forgive their sin and will heal their land."
The event is the culmination of scattered prayer efforts in a vareity of denominations and regions.
"We are fragmented geographically by the distance between our nation's regions," says Dorcas Sawatzky, director development for Canada in Prayer. "The Assembly will be a time when we come together and are reminded that we are united in prayer."
"The concept of the assembly," says EFC president Gary Walsh, "is to give the fragrant offering of prayer to God and to express our humility in the presence of His majesty."
Brian Warren, director of prayer and reconciliation for Promise Keepers Canada was inspired to help organize a Canadian prayer rally after attending the U.S. Promise Keepers's Standing in the Gap event in Washington, D.C. where about two million men gathered to pray for the nation.
"Spiritual responsibility belongs to the church," he says. "We have been silent for too long."
"We're coming together because we believe that in the year 2000, this is a party. We want to give him the present 'that we may be one.' Wouldn't it be cool if God poured out revival on us?"
Piggyback events
And with that many people already in Ottawa, PK and Women Aglow of Canada are both are piggybacking on the event by hosting their own events the next day, May 27.
Promise Keepers Canada, with help from Canadian Business Men's Committee, is hosting the Millennial Men's Conference at the Ottawa Civic Centre. Keynote speakers David Sweet, PK Canada president, Phil Downer, president of CBMC USA and David Chernoff, a Messianic Jewish rabbi from Pennsylvania, will call men to strive to live "In His Image." Canadian author Phil Callaway and evangelism teacher Walter DeSousa will also address the crowd.
Meanwhile, Women's Aglow of Canada will be meeting for a convention that could attract up to 1,500 women.
"There is unity in the body of Christ. I believe he wants to bring us together to celebrate the Lord. I pray that they leave with a fresh vision personally," says Aglow Canada president Zee Jones. Jane Hansen will speak on reconciliation, Mary Kassian on women in society and Pat Francis will talk about women with a mission.
Jones says that all the Promise Keepers men will be invited to the Aglow Canada session Saturday evening, because PK will be wrapped up by the evening.
Jones, like PK organizers, seem even more excited about the prayer rally the evening before. "At the Friday night prayer time, we believe God's going to unite us in prayer for our nation. Wonderful things will happen there. We have great hopes."
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