The Iowa-Missouri Conference recently launched a new prayer initiative called Rise Up. For a full week each month, members, churches and schools throughout the conference are asked to join together in lifting up a designated area of focus in prayer.
The idea for this monthly call to prayer came about during a meeting between Sunnydale Academy principal Gary Russell, conference education superintendent Joe Allison, conference prayer coordinator Gail Coridan, and conference ministerial director Lee Rochholz. Russell asked for help in engaging members to actively pray for conference schools, and as the discussion developed it became clear that other areas of ministry could also greatly benefit from an intentional, focused prayer effort.
“We have many prayer warriors in Iowa-Missouri,” said Rochholz, who believes this focused prayer effort will have a measurable impact. “The closer we get to the second coming, the more important it will be for God’s people to be praying for wisdom as we continue to serve in troubling times.” He added that he also hopes that praying together across the conference will have a unifying effect on members. “There are a lot of issues that threaten to tear us apart, from views on politics, to COVID, race and more,” he said. “But when we, as God’s people, in spite of our differences, pray together for a common good, God can bind our hearts together.”
Since the discussion started with a request to pray for our schools, it seemed only fitting to launch Rise Up in September with education being the first prayer focus (Sept. 6-12). A week earlier, announcements were published on the conference website and in the conference newsletter, and bulletin inserts and posters were sent out listing specific requests—a process that will repeat each month.
By the time this is in print, October’s call to prayer, for pastors and their families (Oct. 4-10), will have taken place. November’s focus (Nov. 1-7) will be conference leaders and departmental directors, and December’s (Dec. 6-12) will be on next year’s evangelistic efforts.
“I am so grateful our conference is coming out of these last several months of struggle with a battle cry and an anthem of faith, ‘Rise Up, O Church of God,’” said Coridan, referencing the hymn that inspired the name for the prayer initiative. A group of Sunnydale youth have recorded a rendition of the hymn with which members, churches and schools may sing along each month during the call to prayer.
“We were thwarted in March from completing our circuit of Town Hall Meetings, our churches and schools had to close last spring, and many of our summer and fall events were either canceled or moved online,” Coridan continued. “But we praise the Lord for this: The spirit of our movement has not been quenched, and the joy of helping people prepare to meet their God has not been canceled. Mission continues and the calls to united prayer are on the rise! Every difficulty is a call to prayer. Every tragedy is crying out, Let the voice of prayer be heard! It is our part to press together in prayer and be used of God in the way He chooses. Thank you for joining us in that effort.”
For more information on Rise Up, visit imsda.org/riseup.
