ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)–North American Mission Board President Bob Reccord has asked Southern Baptist churches to join in prayer for NAMB staff members during an agency retreat Sept. 9-11.
“We will virtually close down the agency for three days to worship the Lord, seek his direction for this agency and prepare spiritually for what lies ahead,” Reccord said. “We simply must have the dedicated prayer support of Southern Baptists during these crucial days.”
Reccord, who was elected president of the new missions agency in June, said NAMB’s main switchboards in Alpharetta, Ga., and Fort Worth, Texas, will be staffed during the retreat; however, department and office phones will be answered by voice mail. Callers will be able to leave messages for staff who will return calls at a later time.
“We’re trusting that Southern Baptists will understand and support us as we get before God and really focus on grounding the vision in him,” Reccord explained.
Reccord will be assisted in leading the retreat by Henry Blackaby, NAMB’s special assistant to the president for prayer and spiritual awakening, and John Avant, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Ga., along with NAMB’s executive leadership team.
The retreat, which Reccord characterized as an “advance rather than a retreat,” will be held simultaneously in NAMB’s suburban Atlanta offices as well as its Media Technology Center in Fort Worth. Electronic conferencing capabilities will allow the two locations to share some of the worship and prayer time together.
“Each of us will be conducting a spiritual inventory of our lives, taking stock of where we are with the Lord,” Reccord said. “And we will spend significant time praying for our churches, associations and state conventions, as well as every missionary, trustee and staff member by name. I believe God will honor our spending time with him rather than around a conference table.”
