BRYANT, Ark. – On August 30 and 31 more than 175 pastors and staff members from Arkansas Baptist churches across the state gathered at Indian Springs Baptist Church in Bryant to join in united worship and prayer.
“I want to thank the Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) for putting this on every year,” Ricky Burke, pastor at First Baptist Melbourne said. “This prayer gathering is one of the highlights of my year. It’s always refreshing, and I always leave revived. I’m always reminded of what is important, and I am encouraged. It reminds me what God is calling me to do and it equips me to carry that out.”
This was the ABSC’s 8th Annual Statewide Prayer Gathering. Pastors from across the state were selected and asked to speak on different components focused on the Book of Acts before leading into a time of reflection and prayer.
Burke, and others, noted that the number of gatherings they’ve missed have been few. Many enjoy its time of fellowship and say it is a time to refocus on God’s calling.
“This was very powerful, impactive, for me,” Steven Arnold, pastor at Grace Temple Church in Little Rock said. “First of all, it was a lot of confirmation about what God has called me to do in this next decade, and then it gave me a lot of revelation on a personal basis for my family and my children and things I need to speak into their lives. It rekindled a fire to do what God has called me to do. It just fired me up to say, ‘Okay I’ve got to be about my Father’s business.’”
The theme of “Spirit-filled,” taken from the book of Acts, will be carried over into the 21 Days of Prayer emphasis coming in January. You can sign up here to receive daily email prayer reminders beginning January 3.