Facilitated
by: Sam Tillery, Harry Skandera and Jeff Gillman
(Sam Tillery)
We have a small gathering here tonight, but we know
that where two or three are gathered in His name, He
is there. Right here in Julliard Park is where the city
kids festival is going to be held on August 27th and
we want to pray into that along with some other things
and Harry is going to give us some direction.
I am going to skip the introduction as to what City
Reach Prayer is, I think that you all know what it is
all about by now. This is significant in that the City
Kid’s Festival seems to be moving as God has unfolded
things to another annual event that the city begins
to experience a church that is alive.
The church, the United Church. In a way, this was birthed
out of a response to the gay rights parade that was
last year. We felt that in stead of slamming or talking
about what is not good, we would host an event like
a City Kid’s Festival. It started out as a parade
and then ended up here at the park, ministering to the
children, of course it unites the church as it labors
together, blesses the children and promotes family.
So, we want to continue to do that. Whether people fully
get it or not is in the spiritual realm, God knows what
we are endeavoring to do.
This year we partnered in addition with the Redwood
Gospel Mission’s back to school event where back
packs and school supplies are given to children who
are in need. We are expecting any where from 1 to 2
thousand children and then you add their families to
that and this park is going to be filled.
We want to begin to possess the land with the presence
of God’s love and purposes. Prayer is key to accomplishing
what we want to physically see here in just a few weeks,
so we don’t take it lightly. We want to walk through
the park, break up into different groups and pray into
the issues that relate to children, families. Harry
will kind of be getting into that, but I want to give
you the real sense that this is not just an event. We,
coming together as individual churches sometimes tends
to be an event, but this is a movement.
This is a prayer movement and a movement of the body
of Christ to come together as one in the answer to the
prayer of Christ. There are so many ways that God has
been responding to the prayers that we have been praying
into and He has all along. But we’Ave. been at
this with City Reach Prayer for five years and the pastor’s
have been gathering to pray for 16 + years.
We are seeing things happening in the city, in civil
government and with the churches within the community
that has never happened before. Let me connect the dots
on a few things for you: Do you remember back a few
years ago that it was so hard for churches to get permits
to build, it was a struggle and a hassle (it still is
if you go down there to get permits.
It’s a process and part of that is just normal
in the bureaucracy), but specifically as we began to
pray... I don’t know if you remember when Redwood
Covenant got their permit, there was a series of churches
over a short amount of time, about a year, began to
be able to build where they had reached a wall.
God had opened those doors and there is a favor that
seems to be happening, whereas before it was the opposite.
Another answer to prayer just happened last week as
we got a call from the new Superintendent of the Santa
Rosa Parks and Recreation department, she’s been
in office for just a number of weeks, well you know
how in the scriptures Paul writes of hearing about the
faith of another church or another fellow disciple.
Well the Superintendent had heard of the churches working
together in the issues of gangs, spring clean and things
of this nature and wanted to hear first hand. She contacted
us and Adam Peacock and myself went down and met with
her.
She has a connection with her responsibilities, I don’t
know why the city does it this way, but with law enforcement
with the gang issues, and so she was asking our advice
of what we thought were the needs and that is an answer
to prayer!
When the city is coming to you, because they are hearing
for our love for one another and we’re His disciples.
It is so much easier when that happens. When people
ask us for the reason for the hope that is within us,
something is happening in the spiritual realm, so our
gathering together, whether it’s immediately shows
things or not, is having an impact in the spiritual
water table within our communities.
In talking with her, we shared some things that had
been going and different issues, and I asked if she
would be willing to come to a Wednesday morning and
have us as pastors pray for her and the specific needs
that she sees as she starts into her new position, and
she said yes.
That hasn’t actually happened yet, because we
just met with her last week, but that is refreshing,
isn't it?
That is an answer to prayer. Then I asked her, I said
that I have a video on cities that have seen transformation
and crime decreased and I said that I think that it
could give her a good perspective on how we could partner
together. Because we need to know the things that you
are concerned about, so that we as churches can unite
and pray about them very specifically, because cities
are changing and I’d like to show that to you.
I said, “would you be willing to sit down with
me and see what other cities are doing”, and she
said that she would love to. She doesn't necessarily
know what she is in for with these Transformation videos,
but there is an openness to these things. I am wanting
to encourage you that what we are doing here has great
significance.
Harry is going to give us some direction as far as
praying into the city and what is going to be taking
place here at this park. I wanted to remind you that
you are ambassadors and delegates from your churches.
Whether your churches have purposely delegated you to
come here or not. Some of you may be coming here, because
you understand it’s value, but your church system
hasn’t caught it yet.
Well you are an ambassador to tell them the stories
of what is happening to stir their faith and excitement.
Another area that God has opened up to us is, you know
we’ve been praying that God would give us a way
of communicating the message in a significant way, and
so we asked that God would give to us the media.
That He would open doors, because typically Christianity
has been easily 20 to 30 years behind in a lot of things
that happen, especially in the area of media, because
we say that it costs too much and how could we compete
with the quality.
Well, channel 50 began a few weeks back contacting
churches stating that they want to put together some
programming and we’d like to help you buy some
time and you could promote your churches, your church.
Foothills was one of the churches that they came to
and I said, “Just a minute here. We are a united
church, so I don’t think any church should be
promoting themselves, but promoting the body of Christ.
So will you stop contacting everybody and let me contact
them and let’s as a united force do this”.
Well they responded and said yes.
So the Pastor’s Prayer and Ministry Alliance
is now negotiating to work with Channel 50 and the media
(which is really just a launching pad) to begin ongoing
programming on Channel 50.
Our vision is beyond what ABC and NBC and such stations,
in mobilizing the body of Christ to communicate the
story of what God is doing, so there is a program that
is being developed right now called, “A show of
Faith”, which will depict and show what God is
doing in bringing the body together.
We will show case the various ministries in cooperation
and individually, so basically promotion happens for
the local churches, but in the context of what pleases
the heart of God in that we are one.
We are in the stages that we need prayer for God’s
wisdom and direction to put together a Christian production
team to decrease the costs. We are looking with Channel
50 that we will own the programs. Which means that we
will determine it’s content and can be sold to
other networks the kinds of things that we will produce.
So hence the camera you see here, we are moving to
a different level of documenting what God is doing.
So that not just cable and not just Christians, but
our market is the community.
That the community sees and hears what is happening
in a positive way. The foundation for City Kid’s
Festival is this meeting here, that we are gathering
to pray.
I may throughout the course of this evening pull you
aside and ask you a few questions as I film you and
it may or may not be used, but just to warn you ahead
of time.
So, I just wanted to give you a broad view of the exciting
things going on. I know that exciting things have been
going on for some time. But they seem to be accelerating
and it’s because folks like yourself have been
faithful to pray.
Now that we will be moving into much more functional
things, it gets a little bit more challenging. It is
easy to pray together, now as we go and purposely lock
arms together and spend dollars together and strategize
together, we’ve never been here before, so we’re
going to have to trust the Lord as He brings it together.
(Prayer time)
(Harry Skandera)
To direct our prayer tonight and to remember our focus,
I want you to think about one key phrase. There is a
contemporary phrase around in our society today and
you see it on the media, movies and the T.V. and it’s
the question, “Who’s your daddy”?
A lot of times it is meant to be derogatory, but you
know, that question needs to be answered here in Santa
Rosa. Who’s our daddy, who’s your daddy,
because your talking to your daddy tonight. Your talking
to the Father on behalf of the children of the city.
Your going to Him. You have influence!
If we took up a collection with this little group right
here, we wouldn’t have enough to do very much,
but we don’t need money. We need to use our influence
with our Father and that’s what we have to give,
that’s our purpose here tonight.
Jeff Gillman is going to share briefly about the Kid’s
Fest that is going to be here on the Aug 27th. There
is going to be all kinds of activities, gifts, kind
things, games and all of that, but if we don’t
get across, “Who’s your daddy”, it
will just be an activity. It will be exhausting, it
will be just more things for kids, more entertainment
for kids, but that is not the point.
The point is, “Who’s your daddy”?
You know who your daddy is, but do those two thousand
kids? Not very many of them. Not very many people in
this town do. But you do and it’s on that basis
and on that confession that you have authority tonight
to come before Him and ask Him to bless the children
of this city.
Maybe there is some specific ways to pray into this?
OK. I’m going to ask Jeff now to share what’s
going to be happening, as you listen to that, think
about how to answer that question, “Who’s
your daddy”? We are going to ask the Lord to show
up and make His presence known, not because we are going
to go quote a bunch of Bible verses (although that will
happen), not because we are going to do some fun activity,
but that the presence of the Lord is felt here in a
very tangible way for those children.
(Jeff Gillman)
We are going to be utilizing the whole park. There
will be a tent over there for a puppet show, so that
will be filled with puppeteers, etc... We will have
a 20 by 40 foot tent housing about 20 volunteers at
a time sharing the Gospel one on one.
Well actually more like one on five with the children
and all 2,000 children who come will go through that
Gospel tent and receive the gospel beads bracelet.
If your not familiar with that it is the wordless book
and it’s a way of sharing the gospel through the
colors of the beads. Then, throughout this section here,
we are going to have 4 food venues and at least 15 activity
and game booths. We are collecting thousands of stuffed
animals. We are going to do prizes, etc.
At the far end we will have a stage and chairs for
a music venue and we are going to have 5 different gospel
bands that have a variety of different styles of music,
everything from Latin to rap.
There will be an area by the Church of One Tree
, where we will have free hair cuts and we’ve
got a number of volunteers that will be cutting hundreds
of heads of hair getting these kids ready for school.
Then of course there will be our backpack distribution
area where we will be giving away backpacks filled with
school supplies to 2,000 children as well. Everything
will be in both English and Spanish.
All together there will be probably at least 200 volunteers
here throughout the day, not including the bands, so
that is awesome. The puppet show will be sharing about
Jesus, the Gospel tent will be sharing about Jesus,
the Gospel music will be sharing about Jesus, so we’ve
got 3 venues where we will be telling people about their
daddy.
(Prayer teams now break up and walk around
each area that was mentioned and begin to pray into
the areas mentioned.)
(Harry Skandera)
We know that God is going to show up in us. All of
us that are here that day, His Holy Spirit is in every
believer. But we know that according to scripture that
there are sometimes when God’s presence is manifest
in a powerful way in a public situation that is beyond
just all of what happens in the individual believers;
tongues of fire. People who have never accepted the
Lord hearing the message in their own language, things
like that on the day of Pentecost. Things happen where
His presence is manifest and that is what we are looking
for. For God to feel invited to do that which He would
wish on that day.
(Prayer)
(Harry Skandera)
We are going to pray over the “ Church of one
Tree”, and listen to the Lord. Some of the time
we may just be listening, but we want to pray that as
that project is released to us that God’s will
would be manifest through it in our city. It’s
time for things that are beyond what we can do with
our own hands to begin to happen, so we’re going
to go walk over by it and pray.
The town takes a certain amount of pride in it. One
reason why they are asking us is that they don’t
have the money to fix it, transport it, etc. That’s
why we are here to pray. That’s what we love,
things that are actually beyond what we can physically
do, because we need the Lord.
What it signifies again is favor of the city, that
they would throw us a problem that they can’t
solve, but God can. That’s really the point. Not
that we have more elbow grease or more political clout
or anything else, but that He’s our God who will
transform a building and a city and that is how we want
to focus our prayers as we pray around this building.
This is one church building built of one tree and there
is a lot of symbolism in that and we serve a God that
uses symbols. We pray that God would release from His
endless storehouse the funds that we, the church, need
to restore this Church of One Tree to the heart of our
city. That our heavenly Father would provide us with
the workers, volunteers, materials and funds that we
would need to make the restoration of this church a
reality.
We can even praise God in advance for what He will
do. Only God could have come up with the creativity
to have the city come to the Church of Sonoma County
to come together for this project of restoring this
“Church of One Tree”. How symbolic that
would be for the United Body of Christ in Sonoma County
to come together to restore the first church in Santa
Rosa, built of one tree! Amazing.
(Prayer)
(Harry Skandera)
Many of you have been faithful for months and years
to come and pray at City Reach and we are not only encouraged,
but thankful for your faithfulness. This next year as
we come into the fall, I believe that it is going to
be a year that the Lord is going to begin to connect
the dots.
We’ve prayed into this thing, we’ve prayed
into that thing, but the dots are going to begin to
be connected, the lines are going to be drawn in a way
that it will take shape and your reward is that you
will see the lines.
You will see the lines first. A lot of people will
begin to be drawn again, because there will be compelling
reasons to come, but you will begin to see it take shape
and that is your blessing. I pray that you will see
it that way and that as you pray, I encourage you to
look for the dots that will be connected. Because there
are going to be clear lines, one thing to another.
Why the Lord has had us do this thing and not that
thing, its His timing all along, so we continue to encourage
you in your prayer. Again, look for the manifest presence
of the Lord, not just among ourselves, but in even unbelievers.
They may not be able to describe it, but you’ll
know what they are talking about even when they don’t.
Amen, Thank you for coming.
(Sam Tillery)
Next time City Reach Prayer will be at the Santa Rosa
Nazarene Church. Please pray for me, because I will
be in Italy at that time.
Special Thanks to Christelle Eddy
who transcribed this document.
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