DAWN Fridayfax 2002 #44

Zimbabwe

Prayer for the building company

"A building company in Zimbabwe wanted to build a bridge over a river for a new road to a platinum mine, but was so delayed by mysterious accidents and strange events that they decided to call on the local village chief," reports prayer leader Langton Gatsi. The chief, also an animist priest, decided that the local spirits, obviously annoyed, needed to be pacified by particular rituals. The accidents continued after the rituals, though. Finally, the company turned to pastor Gatsi, asking for help. He agreed, but first visited the village chief who had performed the rituals, warning him that only Jesus Christ, the almighty God, could pacify the spirits, and that his village would no longer be safe if he continued to contact demonic powers. The chief recognised the truth of Gatsi's words, fell to his knees and decided to follow Jesus Christ, along with his whole village. Since then, four more villages have joined the chief and opened themselves to the Gospel.
Source: Langton Gatsi, Zimbabwe

USA

Sniper discovered through prayer

"The Christian truck driver who discovered the Washington sniper's car in a parking lot in Maryland had prayed with fifty other truck drivers for the sniper's arrest shortly beforehand," reports the AP news agency. The prayer meeting took place only 25 miles away from the place of the arrest. 61-year-old Ron Lantz from Ludlow, Kentucky, has been a truck driver for 35 years, and will soon retire. "If I receive the US$500,000 reward for discovering the murderer, I will share it with the victims' families. I thank God that I was in the right place at the right time and was able to help. I know that God answers prayer," he said in newspaper reports.
Source: AP

UK

Boiler Room's birthday

The Boiler Room, a modern monastery set up by young Christians, celebrates its first anniversary, according to the 24-7 Prayer Movement. 24-7 was started three years ago by Pete Greig; the movement's web site registers over 1 million hits each month. The Boiler Room, in Reading, has been a place of almost permanent prayer for the past year. 150 people attended the recent anniversary celebrations; many were not Christians, but recognised the Boiler Room as a 'place where God is'. One girl passing by first thought it was an 'illegal rave party'. Christians from 25 churches meet regularly there for prayer in various forms, and 15 youths came to Christ there in the past year.
Source: Andy 'The Abbot' Freeman, the Boiler Room's 'abbot'

USA

House churches in Las Vegas

"I recently met a wonderful group of young people in their twenties who plant house churches in Las Vegas," reports Mike Steele, Dawn Coordinator for North America. In the midst of 'Sin City', they gather barkeepers, card players and hotel staff for meetings in their houses. Many were searching for people who would accept them, needing healing for their hurts, and came to the meetings even though they did not know Jesus. In a short time, 15 house churches were planted, and one of the Christians planted another 6 in only three weeks. The young movement's aim: "to plant a church within walking distance of every person in Las Vegas".

Churches grow out of 'life-changing small groups'

In 1998, another church planting movement started in Los Angeles, training mainly young Christians in a programme called 'Greenhouse'. The concept, developed by Neil Cole and Paul Kaak, is simple: multiply 'life transformation groups'. Every week, three people meet who read thirty chapters of the Bible each week, confess their sins to each other and pray for a friend to join them. When the fourth person joins the group, it divides, and each pair prays for a third person to join them. In the first year, six house churches were started, 18 in the second year, 50 in the third, and this year, 110 have started so far, which will probably reach 150 by the end of the year, according to the report.
Source: Mike Steele, Dawn Ministries, 5575 N. Union Blvd, Colorado Springs CO 80918, USA.

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