Every State. Each Church. One Nation.
On Sunday, July 1 Pastor encouraged us to begin praying for our nation, state by state. Thank you for the comments you’ve shared with us on how God is already using the state card you received that Sunday to prompt you to pray for your state. Here’s the testimony of one couple, Tommy & Suella Jones, and their state card:
“When Bret got up and asked everyone to take their cards and explained the purpose of what we had in our hands…I am thinking to myself, “Lord, I know exactly how to pray for Connecticut.”
Tommy and I had just returned from Connecticut in answer to a call-out by Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief for volunteers to go and help with feeding, cleanup, and recovery following tornadoes and strong storms that hit the area a few weeks before. We drove to Southbury, Connecticut where we spent a week preparing meals for 60-90 clean-up volunteers from numerous Baptist State Conventions across the U.S.
Following the storms that hit in Connecticut, the New England Baptist Disaster Relief representative had gone to the local government officials and asked them to allow the Baptist to come in with volunteers and clean up the homes of the many elderly and disabled people who had been affected by the tornados and storms. Only about 2% of the community were Baptist and not well looked on by locals. The officials reluctantly agreed but once they saw what our volunteers were doing for their citizens it changed the attitude of not only the government officials but the citizens in Southbury and surrounding communities.
They were amazed at the distance the volunteers traveled, their tireless effort in cleaning up their yards and homes, and never asking for anything in return except to be allowed to pray with them and share their own testimony.
The community became energized by this Baptist effort and began donating cooked meals to our teams, food items for the menus we prepared, and gift cards at local grocery stores where we shopped. As I was grocery shopping, seeing my yellow Disaster Relief hat, people would walk up to me and say ‘thank you for what you are doing here and how can I help’. I could tell through these conversations with strangers that a different view of this group called ‘Baptists’ was emerging.
For me, it was about the special opportunity God was giving us to minister in an area that either believes God does not exist or that you just need to do good deeds and live a good life to go to heaven. God had used the storm as He has done throughout Scripture to do His will. People were more receptive to hearing the gospel and seeds were planted that will see some lives changed for eternity.
(Christ Redeemer Church, Southbury, CT)
We were so excited about what happened at Warren on that Sunday because it was fresh on our minds and hearts. We are now inspired to follow this idea of praying for a state whether we are traveling for pleasure, responding to another GBDR call-out, or on mission with Warren.” —Suella Jones, Warren Member
If you’ve got a story to share with us, please email us communications@warren.church.
Learn More: warrenbaptist.org/pray-for-every-state
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