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TTP and P4T join for Prayer Conference
On Saturday 31 July, Lara Akinola's "Pray4Thurrock" and Transformation Thurrock Prayer came together for an afternoon prayer 'conference'.
Transformation Thurrock Prayer had been due to take place a week before, on 24 July, but it was decided to join with Lara's event as an 'act of unity'. Lara, who is an evangelist with her own ministry  called 'Liberty Ministries', had decided to hold this event instead of her previously suggested 'crusade' after it became apparent that there wasn't enough time to get such a large event together. Not only this, but Lara has recently taken up a 6-month contract in Human Resources in Middlesborough!
The 'Thurrock Prayer Conference' was hosted by the Gates of Praise International Centre (GOPIC) in Curzon Drive, Grays. The event opened with prayer from Olu Falase and then moved into a time of worship with Lara and her two daughters (right).
This was followed by a session of prayer led by Dennis Brockhurst of North Stifford Family Church and DB Ministires (below right, with his wife Celia). This was for 'the political leaders in Thurrock', covering those in civic leadership and those working for the council, climaxing with prayer for Christians in office and their divine advancement.
 This was followed by a session led by Sam Olumoyegin (left), pastor at Dayspring Chapel who meet in St Cedd's Church Hall along Crammavill Street in Stifford Clays. This session was focused on praying for the 'Christian leaders in Thurrock'. Sam was prayed passionately for greater revelation to come to the borough's church leaders which would cascade down into their congregations.
The third session was led by Gbenga Ayeni - one of the pastors at GOPIC - who prayed for the 'family unit and youths in Thurrock'. Prayers were said for the roles of fathers and then mothers, and also for the young people in the borough who are listless and without a future. There was also prayer to break down hostility to the gospel.
There then followed a time of communion led by Akin Loasun, senior pastor at GOPIC, in which the twelve or so people gathered for the conference ate the bread and drank the wine together.
After this, Tim Harrold of Transformation Thurrock led a brief time of prayer for 'unity of Christian leaders in Thurrock'. He mentioned Jesus' prayer for 'complete unity' and his 'new commandment [to]  love one another', pointing out that the principle behind these things was that through our unity and love the world awakens to the reality of God and Christ - it's a spiritual principle. In the meantime, our divisions only serve to inadvertently permit the enemy to continue in his blinding of the world to spiritual truths. So Longfellow's couplet in his epic poem Hiawatha is worthy of attention: 'All your strength is in your union, all your danger is in discord'. We MUST 'maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace'.
Finally, Lara led a session of prayer for 'revival in Thurrock', emphasising Christians' divine creativity in bringing solutions to difficult societal problems in the community.
The meeting closed with a song ministration.
Afterwards, Lara said, "I was very happy with the meeting. I know it's the beginning of great things for us in Thurrock."
Lara Akinola currently lives in Pitsea and attends a church in Beckton. Pray4Thurrock comes from a calling from God to pray for this area, and Liberty Ministries to evangelise the borough. She works in HR currently in Middlesborough and has had experience of putting on large outdoor Christian mission events in south London. She has three children.
Lara is a friend of Transformation Thurrock and we are endeavouring to work together on projects without replication of ministries and events.
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Tim Harrold, 01/08/2010 |
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