Springfield | Every story of faith begins somewhere.
In a children’s Sunday School class where a where a silver-haired teacher recites stories from God’s word. On a summer camp cabin porch on a balmy afternoon. Or during a late-night dorm-room conversation after a campus worship service.
No matter how the stories begin, they all something in common: someone was praying. Someone was praying for God’s word to land on receptive ears. For their grandchild to open his heart to the gospel. For God to show Himself to be real during a season of doubt.
As Illinois Baptists prepare for the September 13-20 Week of Prayer for State Missions, churches are invited to unite around a common purpose through Faith Forward, the new emphasis for the annual Mission Illinois Offering.
The Week of Prayer highlights a renewed focus on Next Generation ministries that are reaching and discipling children, students, and college-aged young adults through Illinois Baptist churches, camps, events, and campus ministries.
“What would Illinois be like if each new generation of young people were transformed by Jesus Christ?” asks IBSA Executive Director Scott Foshie.
That question stands at the heart of Faith Forward. It’s also the motivation behind a week dedicated to praying for the kids, college students, ministry leaders, volunteers, camps, and churches serving on the front lines of Next Generation gospel ministry across our state.
During each of the eight days, Illinois Baptists are encouraged to pray for specific areas where God is already working. Each ministry is supported in full or in part by the Mission Illinois Offering.
But the Faith Forward emphasis is not focused only on success of existing Next Generation ministries, it looks to generations yet to come.
Where will tomorrow’s pastors, missionaries, worship leaders, deacons, Sunday School teachers, and faithful church members come from?
Many are sitting in children’s classes, student ministries, and college campuses right now. Devoted prayer today is necessary for thriving churches tomorrow. Baptist historian J. Edwin Orr wrote, “History is silent about revivals that did not begin with prayer.”
This is the heart behind the Mission Illinois Week of Prayer. It is about asking God to transform a generation and then use that generation to reach the next.
For Illinois Baptists, the week serves as a reminder that every gospel conversation, every student camp, every campus ministry gathering, and every faithful volunteer is part of something larger than a single moment. They all play an important part in carrying the faith forward.
Churches received prayer guides for distribution in July, and the August 1 issue of the Illinois Baptist newspaper also published eight days of guided prayer.
Daily prayer prompts and other resources for the September 13-20 Mission Illinois Offering and Week of Prayer are available at MissionIllinois.org, or by following Illinois Baptists on Facebook or Instagram.