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Read Jim's Article About Paah-ho-ammi
As you will know from reading the newsletter, the Record-Searchlight, and hearing
our broadcasts, we are about to launch Phase II of Paah-ho-ammi – Cry Alas My
People – for Shasta County. This year the biggest change is that we have
an even dozen county churches committed to participating as a Body with the Gathered
Body – including some of the powerhouse congregations of our region –
where in 2004 we had none. But this makes it even more important that those of you
who are so led sign on as a member of an individual team for daily prayer. Many of you
are already doing that when announcements are made in your churches. However, not
all of the churches have agreed to participate – and you may have missed when
it was announced in your house of worship for one reason or another. This invitation is
sent in order to close that gap.
If you wish to be a team member, just hit your reply button and write in the word crime, economy, or public health at the top before sending your reply. (If you don’t wish to participate – or have signed up in your church – please do not reply.) The crime team will pray for a reduction in what police call Part I crimes and suicides. The economy team will pray for new and measurable indicators of prosperity and a decline in the unemployment rate. The public health team will pray for a reduction in traffic fatalities and cancer admissions to the hospital. These are the indicators that we are currently able to document in terms of what God does. All of the teams will again pray for protection of young people from sudden death – there have been several such deaths in the past couple of months (after a quiet year) that have necessitated a renewed effort in this area.
Your team leaders will be given your contact info and they (and I) will be sending you invites to a monthly team meeting and suggested scriptures and prayer points that you may wish to use in your daily prayers for Paah-ho-ammi. However – none of these are required of you. We also hope you will attend the opening and closing worship services at Simpson University – at 7:00 PM in Modular Room 82 on Wednesday, February 1, and in LaBaume Rudat Room 204 on May 4. However, attendance at these services are not required. The only commitment you make is to pray each day – wherever and however the Lord leads you – for the topics assigned your team and for protection of youth. We want to make your participation as simple and as enjoyable as possible.
The scope of Paah-ho-ammi is limited at this moment to Shasta County. We look forward to the day when other NorCal counties will launch similar projects – as Nevada County paved the way for us, so we would pave that road for others with gladness. For those of you who live in counties other than Shasta please pray with us each day, but we ask only those who are resident in Shasta County to actually sign onto a team at this time.
In 2004 the Lord blessed this prayer project beyond our wildest imaginings. The best part was that it was available – and enjoyed – by people from all streams of the Body of Christ. No one denomination or tradition could claim we “did it their way” and God got all of the glory. We look for even more spectacular results this time and we bless God that the public agencies who helped us before so much are even more enthusiastic this time. We are especially thankful to those congregations – again from all streams of the Church – who have made a commitment to this project. For those who have agreed to be team leaders – Skip and Penny Tyler for Crime; Tom and Cindy Lau for Economy; Sharre Littrell and Lloyd Golleher for Public Health – we have no words to express our thanks – and for God who loves us so much we have no limit to our praise.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. James A. Wilson
Diana R. Wilson
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