GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP)–Crossover is only a few weeks away, but Southern Baptists still have time to join in prayer initiatives for this year’s evangelistic outreach.
Prayer opportunities for Crossover and the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting include prayerwalking and a prayer room at the Greensboro Coliseum.
“We must depend on the Lord to do His work,” said Chris Schofield, senior consultant for prayer evangelism strategies at the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. “It’s not about our gifts or talents, though He does use them, but it’s about His Spirit and His power. Sharing the Gospel is spiritual work and it demands spiritual power.”
Block parties, street evangelism and door-to-door witnessing are among the Crossover Triad activities slated June 9-10 in Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem, prior to the Southern Baptist Convention’s June 13-14 annual meeting in Greensboro.
“We need to bathe, undergird and permeate everything we’re about with prayer,” Schofield said. Prayerwalking, he noted, is “in-motion prayer. It’s praying on-site with insight.”
Prayerwalkers will be assigned to Crossover sites where evangelistic efforts are planned.
Schofield encourages prayerwalking teams to pray in three ways. First, teams should pray according to what they know about the community and the people. Then, they should pray according to what they see on site. Finally, the teams need to pray as the Holy Spirit leads.
“People should be prepared to share the Gospel,” Schofield said. “Be aware of divine encounters.”
Schofield knows how life-changing prayer walks can be. During a prayerwalk earlier this year in Greensboro, two people accepted Jesus and, in November, during a prayerwalk before the state convention’s annual meeting in Winston-Salem, Schofield met a worker at the coliseum there and prayed with him to accept Jesus.
An on-site prayer room will be open at the Greensboro Coliseum beginning Sunday, June 11, at 6 p.m. The room will then be open June 12-14 from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Volunteers will pray for the annual meeting and for opportunities to follow up with people who accept Christ during Crossover.
Other prayer stations will be set up throughout the Greensboro Coliseum, offering “an interactive prayer journey,” Schofield said.
Messengers to the annual meeting will receive a prayer guide in their messenger packets.
The success of any event depends on prayer, Schofield said. “Prayer is the key to unleashing God’s power,” he said.
To join a prayerwalk, volunteer for the prayer room or become a prayer partner, register online at www.crossovertriad.org.
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