February is Intercessory Prayer Ministry month at First Baptist Church. This is a special time set aside to emphasize intercessory prayer in the life of an individual and the role of the intercessory prayer ministry in the life of the church. The Rev. Leland Crawford, pastor of First Baptist Church, invites the community to participate in any or all special services and events to be held during this special month long emphasis.
This year’s theme is “A Time To Pray,” along with the scripture verse “Pray to the Lord of the Harvest…” Matthew 9:37-38.
Each Sunday in February will feature special messages on prayer and special testimonies from members of the Intercessory Prayer Ministry. On Sunday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m., the blockbuster movie War Room will be shown in the church sanctuary. War Room, another powerful faith-based movie from Alex and Stephen Kendrick, the creators of Fireproof and Courageous, is “a compelling drama with humor and heart that explores the power that prayer can have on marriages, parenting, careers, friendships and every other area of our lives.”
Sunday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. is the Prayer Banquet. This year’s guest speaker is Dr. Dennis Swanberg. Known as America’s Minister of Encouragement, Swanberg is a motivational speaker, teacher, preacher, author, counselor, TV personality and humorist. He has turned “40 years of wit into a lifetime of wisdom.”
Established in 1991 under the leadership of Roberta Kitchens, the Intercessory Prayer Ministry has grown to include over 300 men and women committed to the prayer ministry. The Prayer Room at FBC is a war room itself with seven prayer stations listing hundreds of needs from immediate crisis to general needs, to expectant mothers to college students and more. According to Mrs. Kitchens, “Our goal is to have someone present in the Prayer Room 24/7.” The prayer ministry also includes a homebound prayer ministry and a crisis email ministry, E-Prayer. If you have a prayer need please call 371-PRAY. All requests are strictly confidential.
According to the Rev. Crawford, “We at First Baptist are excited about this month of prayer emphasis and what it means to the life of our church and to individuals. Please join us for this special time.”
Then He said to His Disciples, “Harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38 NKJV
Pamela Davis – Special to the Press-Herald