Begin Praying Now!
by Jim Elzerman

A little less than a year from now, Free Methodists from across the United States and around the world will gather in Seattle, WA for General Conference 2003. For eight days they will meet at Seattle Pacific University to worship God, fellowship with one another, study and conduct the business of the Free Methodist Church.The theme for the conference comes from John 1:14 which is paraphrased in The Message as "the Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood."

It is not too soon to begin praying for this important event in the life of our church. There is business to conduct, to be sure, but this is much more than just a business meeting. General Conference is about kingdom business — God's business — and has an eternal dimension. As our bishops have issued the call for the Free Methodist Church to become a movement once again, we need to pray that the Holy Spirit will descend upon GC 2003 as He did on the day of Pentecost and empower our leaders with wisdom and strength to fulfill His mission in our day.

Here are some specific requests that you can begin praying for:

• Pray for the Steering Committee as they continue their work in preparing for delegates and guests in Seattle. There are a lot of details to attend to when hosting a conference of this size. Members of the committee include:
  Bob McDowell - GC 2003 Coordinator
  Lenora Spears - Assistant to the Coordinator
  Carol Bartlett - Secretary, Board of Administration
  Hank Bode - Chairman, Board of Administration
  Art Brown - Exec. Dir., Free Methodist World Missions
  Lucia Delamarter - Senior Pastor, Everett (WA) FMC
  Joe James - Bishop (central area)
  Gene Keene - Budget & Finance Committee Chair, Board of Administration
  Gary Kilgore - Exec. Dir., Administration and Finance
  Alberto Quintanilla - Senior Pastor, Camino de Gracia CPP, Downey (CA) FMC
  Matt Whitehead - Supt. Pacific Northwest Conference
• Pray for our bishops as they continue to cast the vision for the Free Methodist Church. Pray especially for Bishop Joe James as he serves on the Steering Committee and for Bishop Les Krober as he convenes the various study commissions.
• Pray for the delegates as they begin work on resolutions to be presented to the conference. Delegates and reserve delegates in each of the annual conferences have already been elected and begun to meet. Much work needs to be done in the months leading up to General Conference.
• Pray for Doug and Margie Newton as they will be coordinating prayer for the conference.
• Pray for the finances needed for transportation to the conference, as well as the cost of lodging and meals for those attending.
• Pray for yourself and ask God if He would have you attend.

For more information, check out the site for General Conference 2003. Be sure to check back often, as new material will be added to the site as it becomes available.