Submitted by philip on Fri, 10/17/2014 – 10:38
Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd will be among the denominational leaders on the schedule for an upcoming prayer gathering Oct. 30 at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS – Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd will be among the denominational leaders on the schedule for an upcoming prayer gathering later this month at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Scheduled for Oct. 30, the Prayer Summit for Spiritual Awakening will begin at 11 am during the seminary’s regularly scheduled service at Leavell Chapel. During that time, Floyd will lead the students, faculty and others in attendance in a focused time of prayer for revival and spiritual awakening.
Following the chapel service, everyone will be invited to join Floyd and other Louisiana Baptist leaders in the River City Café from noon to 1:30 pm for a free lunch and additional focused time of prayer. Louisiana Baptist Convention President Steve Horn; Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and former SBC president; and NOBTS President Chuck Kelley will also participate in this portion of the prayer gathering.
The chapel service will be streamed live on the seminary website while the prayer time at the River City Café will not. There is no charge for either event, though registering for the complimentary lunch is requested on behalf of the President’s office.
Visit http://www.nobts.edu/Publications/PrayerSummit2014html to watch the chapel service as well as to register for the lunch.
“I am excited to be at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary on October 30th,” said Floyd, pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, in a written statement to the Baptist Message. “When I became the president of the SBC I offered to come to each of our six SBC seminaries and host a prayer gathering for students, leaders and pastors.
“New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary graciously invited me to come host the prayer gathering in a luncheon format as well as preach in Chapel on that Thursday,” he continued. “The Lord has been doing great things during these gatherings and I am looking forward to what God has planned for us in New Orleans. I hope many will join us on this day.”
The prayer gathering is the fourth such event to take place in Louisiana this year.
On June 24, 77 pastors and laypeople gathered at First Baptist Lafayette to pray for spiritual awakening, the nation, revival in churches, Louisiana College, NOBTS students and more. Throughout the day, which was called by Horn, those in attendance worshiped through a few songs led by the First Bossier praise team and enjoyed fellowship but primarily prayed individually, with one another in pairs, around tables and out loud with the entire group in attendance.
Then on Sept. 11, 40 pastors from the state came together at First Baptist Bossier City to pray for similar topics. And on Oct. 22, pastors and laypeople planned to gather at Tall Timbers Conference Center in Woodworth for a focused day of prayer.
The four prayer gatherings this year in Louisiana mirror a larger effort for a focus on prayer by Southern Baptist leaders this year.
Floyd has called upon Southern Baptists to hold days of prayer throughout the country. He has urged as many people as possible to come to next year’s SBC Annual Meeting in Columbus, Ohio, and believes another Great Awakening could come in his lifetime.
Before he became SBC president, Floyd organized prayer meetings in Dallas from Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2013, and Atlanta from Jan. 13-14 of this year, with both gatherings drawing pastors from throughout the US.
When Floyd took office, he encouraged all six seminaries to choose a date to hold a prayer gathering. This is the date New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary has selected.
Horn said he is anticipating gathering with pastors and laymen on campus.
“New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary asked me to be a part of it, so it’s my incredible privilege to join my alma mater and be with Ronnie and Fred,” Horn said. “It goes back to my initial experience with Ronnie Floyd in Dallas last fall. I left that meeting with such a huge burden to see those kinds of things happen. I’ve been very excited to see it happen and be a part of it. That’s quite a thrill.”
Luter said that he is excited about gathering with other believers to pray for spiritual awakening and revival in the United States. Many more prayer gatherings have taken place across the nation since.
“I am looking forward to joining our SBC President Ronnie Floyd along with some local pastors as well as professors and students of NOBTS at the Prayer Summit on October 30th,” Luter said. “I am convinced that prayer is critical to the spiritual health of our cities, states, and nation.”