Why Unity?  

There are many references in scripture about the importance of unity in the body of Christ. Some passages describe the blessing of this unity: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). Other passages give us word pictures of this unity: “In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5).

Perhaps the most compelling passage for unity is found in the prayer of Jesus that all who believe would be one: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21).

Simply put, unity is emphasized in scripture as a characteristic of the Church, Christ’s Body, and in the specific teaching of Jesus.

Why Prayer?

There are many things that churches could and should do together, but often our different traditions, doctrines and worship emphases keep us from meeting, working and worshiping together. There is also the reality that various church fellowships are called to work in areas that may be very different from each other; some churches may be called and have a passion for social justice; others may be primarily called to personal evangelism and discipleship, etc.

However, we are all called to pray. Jesus expects that we will pray when he gives us the Lord’s Prayer saying, “When you pray, say …” (Luke 11:2-4). Paul tells the church in Thessalonians to “pray continually” (I Thessalonians 5:17).

We believe that corporate prayer is a central practice in the Christian faith to which we are all called and that we can learn to do together.

Why Now?

On one hand, any time is a good time for the body of Christ to pray together. However, there are specific reasons why we feel now is a particularly compelling time for unified prayer.

Throughout history, there have been difficult times in society when God’s people have been especially aware of the need for corporate prayer. These are usually times of war, violence, economic difficulty, sickness, or famine. They have also included times when the surrounding culture seemed to be drifting very far from the ways of God. Although our city is not experiencing any of these factors to a devastating degree, elements of many of these are currently present in our community.

• Local government and school budget crisis: There is a predicted 27.4 million budget deficit for 2010 in the city of Grand Rapids and West Michigan public school funding cuts are at $104 million dollars.

• Economic difficulty: Michigan has 14.1% unemployment rates, 14.4% poverty rates, and Grand Rapids has between 700 and 800 homeless, of which 36% are children.

• Violence and Crime: Including murder, abortion, assault, rape, gang activity, domestic abuse, sexual exploitation of children and adults, human trafficking, drug usage and addiction, and more (See January-June 2009 GRPD Report).

• Racial Divisions: Kent County's ethnic diversity is a strength, but the various groups often remain separated. This separation extends to the church where most congregations are predominately one ethnicity or another.

• People without God: 35% of Kent County (212,000 people) do not attend a worship service on a regular basis and likely do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

• Brokenness in the Church: The Body of Christ longs to be pure and spotless, to fight against injustice and darkness in our world, but oftentimes instead of functioning as a Body, the Church operates in disunity.

This list is not exhaustive, each of us could add several more areas of need. We believe that the Lord desires for his children to pray into these areas just as he told his people living in the city of Babylon to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” and to “pray to the Lord for it” (Jeremiah 29:7). In the last few years, many congregations and leaders have been sensing this same calling and have been praying that the Body of Christ would be empowered to join together for the sake of the city and surrounding region. These prayers have begun to be answered in many small ways, and we believe that now is the time for a larger expression of the unity we have in Christ. The needs are great but we believe that God will begin to work in powerful ways as we together function in unity through prayer.

Would you join with the body of Christ to pray for our city and region? Would you be willing to be part of a divine answer to Jesus’ prayer, that all those who believe would be one?

If so, we ask you to join together to help plan and pray as we discover God’s desire to transform and revive our community.