I once heard Mark Labberton, President of Fuller Seminary, say that ministry is “beyond us.” How true! As Christ followers, we are utterly dependent upon his help and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in all things. It is in that spirit, that our elders and pastoral staff have sensed a call for us to pray “beyond the norm” in this time of our church transition. We want to understand the will of God for us individually and as a congregation, and so this transition time is a great opportunity for us to be praying in unity.
In fact, our founding pastor, Dr. Henry Newell once said that the “First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood was born of prayer” “ Today, in our mission statement, we’ve said “we desire to be a praying and worshipping community in the city.” I want to invite us to live into being this praying community in two specific ways.
First, I want to invite you to pray every Tuesday morning at some point over the life and ministry of our church. Tuesdays are the day when our church staff/pastoral staff meets at 10am and we’d love to know we are being lifted up by your prayers. Pray for our staff, our elders, and transitional pastor search. Pray for yourself, that you would understand how God wants to use you in the life and ministry of our church in this season.
Secondly, I want to invite you to pray and fast every fourth Tuesday of the month. This is the day our elders meet each month. Your fast on Tuesdays, up until dinner time, could involve food or not. You might choose to disconnect from media during your lunch break, or somehow disrupt your normal routine to make space to connect with God. Make space to listen for his will for your life and for the ministry of our church. You may even want to join with a friend in some way. I’ve always found the buddy system to be helpful in these things!
I am thankful for those of you who have reached out already and told me you are praying! Let’s grow in Christ together through this practice of prayer and fasting. We don’t need to do it “perfectly”. That’s why we call it “practice.” I look forward to hearing stories of how God is meeting us through this invitation to practice prayer and fasting on Tuesdays. Thank you for joining with us!
Pastor Joel
Associate Pastor