“After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven!” Revelation 4:1a (ESV)
As we step into a new year, 2021 will be gone, but the spoils from it will come forth throughout 2022. What has been planted will bring forth a harvest. Today a door is standing open for us. A new thing is upon us. Don’t think for a moment that 2022 will just be more of 2021. Though He has been hidden, He has been busy, and we’re about to step through the door that He has opened for us. Ask God to stir your hope and faith as you step through the door into 2022. May you have eyes to behold what He is about to do! Your prayer really does matter!!!
Here are some ways you can join up and pray with others and for others in this new year….
24 Hour Prayer Watch
Friday, December 31 to Saturday, January 1 / 6am to 6am
Phoenix Community – 660 W Broad, Athens 30601
As 2021 finally ends, 2022 will start with a jolt! We’re believing God is about to do much awesomeness in our city, our nation and across the globe! Many new prayer initiatives will be launched! Phoenix is providing a great opportunity for praying people from across Athens to come and help us transition into the new year! Use the link below to sign up for one or more 1 hour slot. Let’s cry out for this city to step into revival!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040e4aa9a82ba3fe3-phoenix1
Student Pastors Prayer
Thursday, January 6 / 9 to 10am
Watkinsville First Baptist Church – 1610 Simonton Bridge Rd., Watkinsville 30677
This is our monthly prayer gathering for Athens Student Pastors. We come together on the first Thursday of each month to pray for each other, the young people and the student ministries impacting them. We will begin praying together for TheMix22!
If you’re not a student pastor, please take this opportunity to pray for the students at your church to be saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, gripped with who they are in Christ and sent out with a passion to reach their campus. Pray for the student leaders and pastors to be stirred and taken deeper in Christ, as they can only take the students where they have been or going. Pray that volunteer student leaders would step up and be prepared for the coming harvest of young people in our city! Pray for a powerful prayer movement to rise up among the young people across our city!!! Pray that each campus would become a hub of revival fire!
Campus Leadership Unity Prayer
Thursday, January 6 / 3 to 4:30pm
UGA Wesley Prayer Chapel
This is a great way to start the new school year with the various campus ministry leadership teams coming together in unity to cry out for God to move upon the 10’s of thousands of students on the UGA campus.
New Year New Heart
Saturday, January 8 / 9am to 4:30pm
Living Hope – 2150 Lexington Road, Athens 30605
This is Athens College of Ministry’s annual prayer conference and provides a great context to be equipped and encouraged in your prayer life! For more info on or to register for this amazing prayer seminar please go to https://acmin.edu/new-year-new-heart/
Pastors Prayer
Wednesday, January 12 / 9 to 10am
Athens Church – 10 Huntington Road, Athens 30606
This is our monthly Senior Pastors Prayer gathering. Pastors from across Athens come together to pray for and with each other! If you’re a Senior Pastor, please come and pray with the other senior pastors from across Athens! These are deep and powerful times as we share, walk and pray in transparency together!
If you’re not a senior pastor, then please use this as an opportunity to join us from wherever you are in praying for the pastors of our city, starting with your own!
Pray that God would give them supernatural stamina, divine insights and wisdom from above, along with extraordinary creativity and Holy Spirit boldness, as they lead their congregations through this challenging, unprecedented, and hostile season. Ask God to show them how to prepare for revival and reformation. Ask God to empower them to lead well, and for each church to be an instrument of life. Pray that God would protect, even expand the kingdom unity among pastors in our city.
Prayer Walk
Saturday, January 15 / CANCELED!
Groups Pastors Prayer
Wednesday, January 19 / 9:30 to 10:30am
Grace Fellowship – 1120 Malcom Bridge Road, Bogart 30622
This is our monthly opportunity for those who lead Groups and Discipleship Ministries in the Athens area. We come together to share and pray with and for each other. Please join us in praying for those who lead Groups Ministries across Athens, starting with the ones in your church. In this season, people are desperate for authentic community and groups provide it! Groups are playing an increasingly important role in discipling our city!
Pray that God would continue to lead the Groups Pastors in our city to create more new and effective ways to stay connected and to connect new people. Pray that God would grant them wisdom and creativity. Pray for the groups’ leaders to lead their groups well. Pray that God would raise up more group leaders in this hour. Ask God to gently remove those who should not be leading groups any more. Ask God to protect and expand this vital ministry in our city. Ask God to release an anticipation for revival in each group. And ask Him for heaven to come down upon every group that meets in Jesus’ powerful Name in Athens! Ask Him to release powerful, faithful filled prayer in these groups!
Executive Pastors Prayer
Thursday, January 20 / 9 to 10am
Beech Haven Church – 2390 W. Broad Street, Athens 30606
This is our monthly opportunity for those who “run” churches in Athens to come together to share and pray with and for each other. These hidden warriors make huge decisions in a climate they have never been before. The nature of their role is one that their job list is never finished.
Please pray for the executive / administrative pastor (or those who do that role) in your church and the others who carry this load in the churches across our city. This includes those who handle the finances, the bookkeeping, the operations of the physical facilities, etc. They need wisdom, creativity, boldness and faith. This is a very important ministry at such a crucial hour as this! Pray that God would give them supernatural joy and grace as they keep the systems operating and create new ones for Kingdom growth in Athens. Pray for unity between them and their senior pastor. Pray that God would increase His presence and favor on their lives and homes. Pray that God would give them all they need as the Church emerges in this new day.
Campus Ministries Directors Prayer
Thursday, January 20 / 3 to 4:15pm
UGA Wesley – 1196 S Lumpkin Street, Athens 30605
This great prayer opportunity is every other Thursday, starting January 20. Please pray for these Campus Ministry Directors and College Pastors who come together to cry out with one voice for each other and the students at UGA.
Altar of Fire
Thursday, January 20 / 7 to 9pm
St James UMC – 111 West Lake Drive, Athens 30605
Each month we set aside time to lay ourselves before God in total surrender. We are the fuel crying out for God to pour out His fire upon us! Every one of these are unique and awesome. Please join us in this night of worship, prayer and surrender, if you want to meet God as a consuming fire!
Prayer for the Middle East
Friday, January 21 / noon to 1pm
Zoom – 5627251680
Passcode – 007
This is the monthly gathering of a group of passionate prayer warriors who come together to pray for Israel and the nations in the Middle East. This is such a vital time to be standing with Israel! You are most welcome to join in. Even if you can’t be there in person via Zoom, please take time during the day to pray with them from wherever you may be. There is much power in agreeing prayer!
Intercessors Community
Monday, January 24 / 7 to 9pm
APN Prayer Center
This is our monthly gathering for intercessors from around Athens to converge, to hear what God has been saying to each of us, and get a sense of where we are heading as we press through this hour. These are powerful times as the watchmen link together and stand in our positions, in unity, across our city!
Night of Glory
Sunday, January 30 / 6 to 8pm
The Classic Center (Athena)
This is our first of four such combined churches worship gatherings this year. A handful of churches are coming together to gaze on the Glory of God and invite the Holy Spirit to come move among us! We plan to have prayer at 5, with worship starting at 6pm. Whether your church is facilitating this amazing night in God’s glory or not, you are welcome to join us!
ONGOING & INSPIRATIONAL…
Athens House of Prayer
Monday through Friday / 8am to 3pm
Phoenix Community – 660 W Broad, Athens 30601
This month we are softly launching the Athens House of Prayer. Over the coming weeks and months, we will begin shaping the model, training leaders and expanding slots. Feel free to come and join with other praying people from across our city, all in the context of worship! Our goal is to ultimately see intercessory worship covering our city non-stop!
938 Gathering
Wednesdays / 7 to 8am
SWAT Ministries office – 1095 Baxter Street, Athens 30605
This weekly prayer time is facilitated by SendAthens. The focus is to prayer for the nations as Matthew 9:38 instructs us “Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” This is open to all churches and ages. If you’re able, please come participate in crying out for the nations! For more info please call or text Bri at 706-201-9351.
Praise Parade on Pulaski
Wednesdays / 10am to noon
Downtown – corner of Broad and Pulaski
This weekly time is simply coming together to praise, worship, pray, shout and share the Gospel with folks passing by. For more info please call or text Brigette at 770-380-9068.
Pastors “Contending for Revival” Prayer Gathering
Thursdays, January 6, 13*, 20 & 27* / 10:30 to 11:30am
The Light – 174 Henderson Ext, Athens 30605
Senior Pastors from around Athens are encouraged to join us every week to contend in prayer together for revival in our city, state and nation. Every week is amazing, filled with intensity and a strong sense of God’s presence. The second and fourth Thursday is open for all pastors, key leaders in churches and intercessors to join us as well (*). Join us if you’re able and please be praying for your pastors and congregation to catch the fire of the Holy Spirit, and to prepare for the revival that is breaking forth right here in our city! Pray specifically, that your pastor would be able to join us if he isn’t already a part of this vital and strategic prayer time together!
Campus Ministers Prayer
Every other Thursday, starts January 20 / 3 to 4:15pm
UGA Wesley
The directors of various campus ministries come together every other Thursday to pray for and with each other for the thousands of students who don’t know Jesus yet, as well as for those students who do know Jesus and are reaching out.
Give Him 15
Monday through Friday
Everywhere
These are daily prayer thoughts by Dutch Sheets. If you are not already seeing the daily videos or reading the daily post, I would highly recommend it. This will continue till it’s over! Get the GiveHim15 App at the App store or go to https://www.givehim15.com/. You can also get the written post most days on the APN Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1423907481169281
Georgia Prayer Line
Wednesdays / 7:45am
Dial 425-436-6325 – when prompted enter access code 423231#
Please try to log in at 7:40am to announce your city and county. If you miss the live call you can still hear it by dialing 425-436-6309 (same access code).
Athens Daily Prayer Texts
Ongoing
All across Athens area
Daily Prayer Texts are a quick way to focus prayer across our city. These are delivered to cell phones across Athens and beyond every day at 8am (ET). They are also posted each day at noon on the APN Facebook page. If you would like to receive these DPT’s on your phone, please text @athenspray to 81010. This is an amazingly simple and awesome way to start your day and to stand in unified focused prayer with others from across our city, for our city!
COMING…
TheMix22 Prayer Watch
Friday & Saturday, February 25-26
Athens Church
Please be praying for this vital opportunity for Middle and High School students to converge for a weekend around the word, worship and godly friends! We will be providing a prayer covering again. At this point we are not sure if we’ll go 36 hours or just Friday night and/or all day Saturday. It will depend on how many people sign up for the hourly slots and how many prayer assistants are available. Be sure to mark your calendar now and be praying about what part you are to play in this pivotal weekend.
MORE & UP TO DATE STUFF…
Every day we post something on the APN Facebook page. Usually it is more than once. These posts include prayer opportunities, prayer points, prayer inspirations and the Daily Prayer Text. It is definitely worth checking daily to help stay connected with what God is doing and to see how other people are praying in our city!
Stepping through together!
Steve
