A QUIETLY BURNING FIRE

​A QUIETLY BURNING FIRE

The COVID-19 pandemic has eliminated most visible signs of life at Bethel. In-person worship now consists of the 10-15 people who are in the sanctuary to make remote worship possible for everyone else. Many offices are empty because staff are working from home, and there is little foot traffic in the church building. But beneath Bethel’s surface, a fire is quietly burning. It is the fire of prayer.

Both of our midweek prayer groups have seen a marked increase in attendance during the pandemic. During some nights in December, our Monday evening (Zoom) prayer group hosted over 20 people. The Wednesday morning group now gathers about that number of people regularly. (Consider that, for many years, there were only 6-8 people praying on Wednesday mornings, and the Monday group didn’t even exist until two years ago.)

Our Healing Prayer ministry’s impact has become Canada-wide because they have been called upon numerous times to pray, by Zoom, for people in other provinces. Our intercessors continue to faithfully pray (off site) during worship services, and plans are already underway for this year’s 24-7 prayer week.

Part of our Dream for Bethel is to be a vibrant church of prayer. By the grace of God, and against all expectations, God is using this COVID crisis to nurture this dream into reality.

While prayer is valuable in and of itself, it is also a sign that something more is happening. God is growing and deepening us as a church—drawing us closer to him. A growing passion for prayer can be like a ground fire that burns beneath the forest surface for years and then suddenly erupts with furious force. This is because prayer can be a prelude to a powerful move of God’s Spirit.

Why don’t you join this growing symphony of prayer? Let COVID-19 be a blessing in disguise that takes you deeper into the arms of your heavenly father.
​–Pastor Tom 

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