After many months of planning, the Mission Twin Cities team (of which we are a part) facilitated a night of repentance and prayer called "The Invitation" on Pentecost Sunday, May 19th, at the Metrodome. The night was focused on praying about four issues that we see as some of the strongholds of the Church in the Twin Cities:

1. Racial/ethnic divisions
2. Doctrinal/denominational divisions
3. Divorce/breakdown of the family in Christian homes
4. The lack of impact on society by the Church.

We approached these issues, not with answers or solutions, but with real desperation, echoing the prayer of Jehoshophat in saying, "We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You!" For those who attended, it was a very powerful time. We've heard many reports from people who were moved to the core, and felt God calling them to real sacrifice in order to see change happen in our city. One woman felt God speaking to her about putting her engagement ring, which she loved, in the offering plate. Another man said he has felt like a different person since that night, and that He feels God putting on him a much greater burden for the city.

Another wonderful gift that night was the offering. A corporate sponsor had agreed to match what came in after expenses, and the offering came to $56,000! That money, after paying off the $26,000.00 of expenses spent on the event, will go into the new Kingdom Oil Foundation which is led by Jay Bennett and Richard Coleman. This foundation was created to provide funding for the many ministries in the Twin Cities who need resources (you can find out about Kingdom Oil at www.kingdomoil.org).

But even the gathering itself reminded us of our need. George Otis Jr., who made the Transformations I and II videos, was our guest that night. His words hit home when he said, "For 60 days after 9/11, our nation and the Church were different. But after those 60 days, we've gone back to the way we were before." The collective urgency that inspired 24,000 people to gather at the Metrodome with only five days notice after the 9/11 bombing to cry out to God for protection and help no longer exists. There simply is not the same felt need to come together as the whole Church to repent and seek God for change. And the alarming truth is that we should feel urgent, we should feel alarmed, and we should seek for change. Nothing is different regarding our denominationalism, our spirit of competition, or our ethnic divides. The divorce rate among Christians is still higher than that of non-Christians. The impact of the Church on society is still sadly lacking, and often negative. And one of the most ironic things about the U.S. since 9/11 is that large numbers of people are converting to Islam! The reason that many have given for this choice is because of the negative things they see in the Christian Church! This should grieve us, alarm us and break our hearts! Pray with us that a tragedy much worse than 9/11 will not be necessary to wake us from our complacency. May our hearts be stirred with love and passion for our nation as the Old Testament prophets were for Israel!

We called on God at the Invitation for His intervention. We really don't know what to do. But our eyes are on the Lord God, and we know that He hears our prayers. We are expectant about what God will do in response...

Click here to view pictures from the event!