Big prayer rally to seek move of God

By JOHN FORTMEYER
CNNW publisher
   PORTLAND — Can God move in the Rose City today the way He did a century ago?
   Christian business leaders and key churches in the Portland area are setting aside a special time and place for up to 2,500 people to pray that it happens.   

  Inspired, in part, by the famed Spring 1905 revival that caused hundreds of Portland businesses to close at midday for prayer, a group of local leaders don’t want 2005 to conclude without remembering that significant move of God in the city. They want to use that piece of Portland history as an opportunity to come together in prayer for God’s present and future blessing of the city.
   The gathering is tentatively scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8 in the ballroom of the Oregon Convention Center.
  “The general theme is that we are setting aside time to call on God through worship, repentance and prayer and asking Him to visit us again,” said Craig Smith, owner of a Vancouver, Wash., flooring company and a longtime member of Portland’s City Bible Church.
   Smith’s interest in prayer for local revival began about 20 years ago when he began to sense “that God wanted to bring business people and community leaders to help heal our city.” That interest intensified in 1997 when international speaker Cindy Jacobs delivered a prophetic word at his church that Portland would experience a fresh revival.
   But it wasn’t until this year that Smith felt the timing was right to pursue a prayer meeting to seek revival. He mentioned the idea to a young enterpreneur’s group. A member of that group pointed out to Smith a front-page story in last May’s Christian News Northwest about the 100th anniversary of the 1905 revival. Since then, he and others have taken the idea of the citywide prayer gathering to Christian business and ministry leaders, and the excitement has been building quickly, he said: “It feels like this has real momentum.”

     Some of the largest churches in the Portland metro area have already given their endorsement, according to Smith. In addition to City Bible, they are Portland Foursquare, East Hill Foursquare, New Hope Community Church, Good Shepherd Community Church, Beaverton Four-square, Portland Christian Center and Mount Olivet Baptist. “As one of the senior pastors of the city said, ‘This is not only a good idea, this is a God idea,” said Smith.
   Smith envisions the event drawing church and business leaders “or people who have a heart for revival in the city, or people who feel they are going to be in some kind of leadership position.”
   He said the event would focus on “remembrance, repenting and requesting,” and would likely include worship, a brief video, prayers by local leaders representing education, media, business and government; and some small group prayers as well.
   Smith said the event also would focus on young people who are thinking of going into business or leadership locally. “This is about touching that next generation,” he said.
   Smith said event organizers seek 200 business leaders to formally ‘sign on board” with plans for the event. Those interested should phone Becca Spinnett at 503-810-7606.
   Joining Smith on the event steering committee are John Bradley, president of IDAK Group, Inc., and director of Pinnacle Forum; David Chown of Chown Hardware; Jim Hargis of the Business with a Purpose ministry at City Bible; Larry Gadbaugh, chief executive officer of Pregnancy Resource Cen-ters of Greater Portland; Jim White, local accountant and member of Christ at Work; Paul Fruin, Western U.S. field director for Christ at Work; Steve Spinnett of Business with a Purpose; Jim Steinfeld of Sunset Presbyterian Church in Beaverton; Steve Cramer of Pinnacle Forum, and Dennis Fuqua, director of International Renewal Ministries.
   The unprecedented spiritual fervor that hit Portland, Denver, Colo. and other locales in the United States in 1905 can be traced to the historic Wales revival that year and also to the Azusa Street revival in California, for which a centennial is being marked next April. Historians say revival fires spread through Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, North America, Australia, Africa, Brazil, Mexico and Chile.
   Smith’s interest in revival locally also runs in his family. He says his uncle, Dr. Thomas Wyatt, was a key figure in another local move of God -- the “Wings of Healing Revival” of 1948 in Portland.
   For more on the Nov. 8 event, contact Fuqua at 503-517-1975 or by e-mail at dennis@prayersummits.net.