Bishops Call the Church to Pray for Peace

A battle cry is ringing out — can you hear it? The bishops of the Free Methodist Church are calling our people to pray for world peace. Here's how the call came about, and what you can do to join the battle:

In early December at their annual retreat, the four North American Free Methodist bishops spent part of their time together discussing, reflecting and praying about several items not on the agenda — war and peace among them.

As part of their preparations and meetings, the bishops (individually and collectively) studied the Bible's 1 John and The Missional Leader (by Alan Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk, Jossey-Bass 2006).

Bishop Richard Snyder brought a very preliminary draft of "A Call to Battle Through Prayer," a document that quickly resonated in the heart of each bishop because, as Bishop David Kendall says, "This is a situation that eludes resolution and is a matter of critical concern for North Americans and others around the world. Many are grieving over war's tremendous human losses — both those that have come already and those that lie ahead.

"The most important things are accomplished, not by human wisdom or might, but by God's wisdom and God's power. It's important to remember that our struggle is not against flesh and blood [Ephesians 6:12].

"That is why we are calling the church to pray — earnestly, fervently, persistently — for God's divine intervention in bringing peace to our world, the Middle East, and Iraq in particular."

Here is that call ...