Day 6 of "27-Day Prayer & Fasting Journey" with Rev. Sharon Lowans

Greetings in the name of Christ.

My name is Rev. Sharon Lowans, I am pastor of Butler’s Chapel Church and I am the Presiding Elder of the Maryland-West Virginia district in the Northeast Conference of the Global Methodist Church. Welcome to Day 6 of 27 Days of Prayer as we prepare for our Annual Conference gathering on May 8-10 in Cortland, NY.

The six churches of the Maryland-West Virginia district are located in both the western part of the state of Maryland and in the East Panhandle of West Virginia. What I love about our district, beyond the beauty of the landscape all across western Maryland and in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia with the mountains and valleys that have quaint small towns and rural communities, are the local church leaders and the wonderful people that make up our congregations and who are faithfully answering the call through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, to multiply disciples of Jesus Christ throughout our communities who flourish in scriptural holiness as we worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. It has been exciting to see God leading in each of our churches and to see answers to prayers so many times. Praise the Lord! Although we are located at the most southern tip of the Northeast Conference, we are enthusiastic about being a part of this vast and diverse conference and for being “in connection” with so many others around the world through this holiness movement called the Global Methodist Church.

Our churches are Butler’s Chapel Church of Martinsburg, West Virginia; Davis Memorial Methodist Church, of Cumberland, Maryland; Faith and Friends Global Methodist Church of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Mt. Zion Orleans Community Church, of Great Cacapon, West Virginia; New Covenant Methodist Church, of Cumberland, Maryland and Parkhead Union Church of Big Pool, Maryland. Pray for us today, that we would faithfully live into our shared mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to spread scriptural holiness across the globe.

We, in the Maryland-West Virginia district, are eager to see many of you at Annual Conference in May. We encourage you to use these days of preparation to hear God’s Word and pray with us as we prepare to fan the flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in us all.

Here is today’s focus Scripture passage from Mark 11:20-25:

Hear now the Word of the Lord:

20  In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.  21  Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22  “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  23  “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.  24  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Today’s Prayer Focus

Jesus looked for fruit on a fruitless tree. Finding none, he declared that none would ever eat fruit from that tree again. And the tree withered. Center your prayers this day on the fruit Christ wishes the Global Methodist Church to bear. Pray for increased vitality in the churches already in the Northeast Annual Conference. Pray for church planters to be lifted up so that many hundreds, even thousands of new churches will be started in our region. Pray that all our churches would bear fruit and would spread scriptural holiness through this land. “Believe that you have received it,” Jesus said, “and it will be yours.”

Today’s Suggested Prayer

O Lord, Creator of heaven and earth,
your divine plan for us was a Garden in which to dwell,
a place filled with trees of every kind,
each bearing fruit, good for food.
Yet we turned away from your Word,
and listened to words not of your Spirit.
In many corners of creation,
your church now ceases to bear fruit.
In your mercy, cultivate again in us
a hunger for the fruit of your Spirit.
Lift up church planters in the Northeast,
so that many more congregations may sprout and grow.
Use the Global Methodist Church
to spread scriptural holiness through this land,
so that all may yearn to dwell in the Garden of your grace.
We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

You can find this prayer, and all the other prayers of the 27 Days, on the Conference website, northeastgmc.org.

May the Lord richly bless your faithful prayers. Amen.