On October 2, 2017, our family was struck by tragedy when my husband’s only brother was murdered – shot and killed in his own driveway while heading out to work. In the days that followed, the Lord clearly called us to share our story and our hope with others. It started with my mother-in-law sharing at his funeral. From there, my mother-in-law, niece, and I have been walking through every door the Lord has opened to us to offer His hope to others.
Sensing that our call was not just to a particular church or denomination, but rather to the entire community, we sought the Lord about where to go and how to start. One by one, invitations came from various churches across racial and denominational boundaries. In the first five months following my brother-in-law’s death, we have spoken in about ten churches in the community, representing six different denominations. The churches have varied in size from a dozen or so members up to several hundred members. One service was even translated into Spanish as we shared in English!
What do we share at these churches?
Our message, through music, testimonies, and God’s Word, is one of unshaken hope. Our hope is in Jesus. He is not shaken by anything, including murder, and if our hope is in Him, then we too are unshaken by these things. We seek to encourage Believers and to invite unbelievers to enjoy this same hope we have in Jesus.
Another reason we are speaking to churches is to rally them to pray. Our families need prayer, our churches need prayer, our communities need prayer, our nation needs prayer, and our world needs prayer. So, we are reminding them of the importance of prayer in the Believer’s life, and the powerful impact it can have on our families, churches, communities, nation, and world! Effective, biblical prayer makes a difference!
Calling Christians to pray is only one aspect of our ministry.
We also want to equip them to pray effective, biblical prayers. To that end, we have held some “educational” events which, through the power of God’s Word and His Spirit, have the potential to transform lives: Prayer Conferences and Bible Studies.
The Prayer Conference is a free 2-hour workshop, designed to provide instruction from God’s Word about prayer, and to offer an opportunity for Christians to pray together. If you’d like to attend one of these, consider asking your church to be a host. Just provide seats with table space (if possible) and light refreshments (e.g., coffee, water, cookies). We provide all workshop materials, and they are available for review by your pastor in advance.
For a more in-depth study on prayer, we offer a 6-week, no-homework Bible study to inspire and equip students to pray effectively and in accordance with God’s Word. Each class is 90 minutes long and all materials are provided. The host church is asked to provide seats with table space, and water/coffee (optional).
To put all that we’re learning about prayer into practice, we also held a Community Prayer Vigil. At this “floating” event, attendees were invited to drop in and pray as long as they wanted. Optional prayer guides were provided in English and Spanish to aid in praying for our communities, nation, and world.
As a ministry, we have been sharing our stories and calling churches to pray. We have provided opportunities for Christians to learn to pray more effectively and then come together and pray. The Lord has called us to serve all Believers, and we are so grateful to Him for opening doors for us to go into these different churches.
Regardless of denomination, what we all have in common is a love for Jesus and His Word, and a commitment to use His Word as a tool to get to know Him better. As we renew our minds through the study of His Word, He shows us where we need to yield and submit to Him. This process of prayerfully studying, learning, and submitting leads to transformed lives. The ultimate goal is to become more and more like Christ – that’s His plan for each Believer according to Romans 8:29. Just imagine what our families, churches, communities, and world will look like when God’s people get serious about knowing Him and then live according to His Word! Our aim is to live that way and help others do the same!
What a joy and blessing it has been to share our story with others! Though it began with a death, it has resulted in a living ministry. The Lord is bringing good from what was meant for evil. We have been so blessed to study His Word and pray together with new friends in Christ over these past five months, and we hope to see you at other events this spring!
- Bible studies, starting the week of April 9, 2018 (days/times to be announced soon – check our Events Page)
- Pre-National Day of Prayer Rally, Sunday, April 29, 2018, 6 pm, South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church
- National Day of Prayer Rally, Thursday, May 3, 2018, 7 pm, Southern Vance High School
The Lord has called us to cross over denominational lines as we go, and He is also calling people to join us from across denominational lines at the events we are holding! Our first prayer conference had about thirty attendees, from five different churches and two different denominations! We recently completed our first 6-week Bible study about prayer, and we had a total of 28 attendees from six different churches and three different denominations! At our first Community Prayer Vigil, we had representatives from four different churches and three different denominations!
What is the Lord calling you to do?
Answer His Call! Remember: “He who called you is faithful; He will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Unshaken Hope Ministries is living proof of this promise.