Salvation Army USA Prays... and Prays... and Prays!

Published: March 17th, 2007

If you’ve read the stories on our website at all since summer 2006, you know that the Salvation Army Eastern Territory embarked on a year of 24-7 prayer in June.  Well, that’s just the beginning of what will potentially be the largest mobilization of prayer, for the longest time clocked, of any church, ministry, or network in the history of the United States!  (If you know this to be false, please fill us in – we’re just taking a guess here!)  From coast to coast, the Salvation Army is an army on their knees, praying for God to come with personal and corporate renewal, and to restore to them their original purpose as a people. 

Major Janet Munn, who has catalyzed and coordinated much of the Eastern Territory’s effort at a year of continual prayer, says she “judiciously avoids the word ‘ending’” when referring to the culmination of their year of prayer this June of ’07.  From June 8-10, they will celebrate their year of prayer in Hershey, PA, and they will continue receiving sign-ups after that point from SA groups wanting to pray 24-7.  Janet says that 150 prayer rooms have been established since the 24-7/SA Prayer effort kicked off last June, and she hopes that 200 groups will have prayed 24-7 by the time they celebrate this June.  Over the summer of 2006 alone, over 1000 kids and youth, at 11 different camps, encountered the presence of God in a 24-7 prayer room.  Each of these took their experience back to each of their congregations, and “it caught fire and it’s still burning”, Janet says, of the ignition of this crazy kind of prayer among Salvationists in the East.  “We’ve benefited tremendously from this risk of faith [in attempting this year of day and night prayer].”

On Monday, I sat in Long Beach, CA, at the Territorial Headquarters for the Salvation Army Western Territory, talking with Major Kelly Pontsler and her team about the year of 24-7 prayer the West will embark on in September ’07.  They have over 300 corps, divisions, and other groups situated throughout the Western USA, and the invitation will go out to each of them to take their place in the bigger picture of what God’s doing: “The Spirit of God is calling the global Church to pray – so let’s join in what He’s doing,” Janet encourages the SA West team.  As if that isn’t enough, not less than two weeks ago, I also heard from the SA Southern Territory about their plans for a year of 24-7 prayer to start this June! 

I sat at this conference table, as this enthusiastic group from the Western Territory talked about the potential of this year of prayer and all of the practical dimensions to calling people to this.  It was a surreal picture: I don’t know if anything can give one the feeling of being unwittingly caught up in the power and movement of God quite like being witness to hundreds of congregations, young and old, with people of many races and ethnicities, from the East to the West coast, calling out to the Lord to bring His Kingdom and to do His will - in, among, and through them!  This hints at what God is inviting the Salvation Army USA into, and as their brothers and sisters, we rejoice with them and celebrate their stories!  Kelly concludes our meeting by offering, “If we accept the challenge to 60 minutes of prayer, what might He do?”  Indeed.  What might He do?

 Photo for title image taken by Duane Romanell and used under Creative Commons Copyright 2.0.

Wendy Andrews is a Wisconsin native who migrated south to Kansas City in 2005. She worked with 24-7 Prayer USA for five years, helping to build the U.S. team and resource base as well as connecting university students through the Campus America initiative. Now, in addition to being part of the Kansas City Boiler Room's core leadership team, she's turned a good bit of her focus to encouraging the fires of prayer across Asia, where she spends nearly a third of her time each year. As a matter of priority, Wendy spends regular time resting, running, drinking PG Tips, cooking large vegetable-full meals for friends and laughing.

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