NY CityFest Update

Celebrating God's Work!

Dear Treasured West Coast Prayer Partners,

My husband Scott and I just returned from NYC. We had the privilege to witness and experience several of the amazing events that God has been knitting together through His faithful servants. The GOOD NEWS rang out repeatedly through words and acts of service.

I hope that you have been greatly encouraged by the pictures, videos and updates emailed from the Luis Palau Association. Perhaps you even participated through the Live Webcam.What a wonderful opportunity.

Everything seemed perfect… from the thousands in attendance, the perfect weather, the powerful messages of Good News, the talented musicians, and the heavenly worship… so RIGHT, so PERFECT, just as God would intend. Hallelujah! And we know that all this came together through great opposition, granted favor, diligent work and the grace of God. Many months were spent asking and imagining, and indeed God has done MORE (Ephesians 3:20).

It is a beautiful thing to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).

THANK YOU for your key part of prayer throughout these months of preparation. Luis and team repeatedly gave thanks for you, praying women on the National Women’s Prayer Team. Your prayers provided great strength and wisdom and helped prepare the way for the GOOD NEWS. Thousands have already been reached and the message will continue across the world.

Thank you also for your specific prayers for the people, churches and events hosted on Long Island; the Explore God Campaign, Hope Day Long Island, and CityFest Long Island.

Please continue to thank God for all He accomplished and pray for the new seeds of faith received in 1000’s of lives. Pray also for continued unity and building up of the churches, refreshment for Luis, his family and all of the team and their families.

I thank God for you and your partnership. It was wonderful knowing that faithful servants were praying in California, Nevada and Hawaii. May you sense His pleasure as you serve His purposes in our generation. Continue on in Him dear ones!

God bless you,

Valerie Hanson

West Coast Regional Prayer Leader

I have included some links to video recaps in case you would like to view them:

April Update

Dear Beautiful Prayer Warriors,

Thank you for investing your powerful prayers into the lives and works of our brothers and sisters on the front lines in New York and the lost that God is drawing to himself.

There are many Praises and Prayers for the work that is being done for the overall campaign in NYC and to each borough.  Thank you for seeking God for the whole LPA team, the flock they are influencing and Long Island as our special West Coast point of specific prayers.

Praise Points:
•    We thank God for the 455 Latino Pastors who retreated on Long Island April 10-11.  Pray for the refreshment, challenges and vision that was shared that weekend.
•    Praise God for the luncheon that took place on April 17th for Hispanic & Anglo pastors as they unite to work on Pre-Festival events: outreach & service.

Prayer Points:
Overarching Prayer for collaboration and UNITY.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  
Romans 15:5

•    Saturday, June 6th 
Hope Day NY – about 13 locations.  Pray the details come together.

•    Thursday, June 11th 
PreFestival in Eisenhower Park with Hispanics and Anglos – pray for unity.

•     Continue to pray for LPA’s presence in on Long Island in the days ahead and for Satan’s strong holds to be defeated.

As you lift up these events and all the leaders, committees, servants, lost-who-could-be reached in prayer, please allow the Spirit to lead you to imagine according to God’s character, heart and promises the work He could do among the people and churches of Long Island.  Thank you for ‘imagining’ and ‘asking’ on behalf of Long Island.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  
Ephesians 3:20-21
    Continued prayer for our Long Island Leaders:
    Tom Mueller, Long Island Church Relations Director
    Robert Bambino, Long Island Church Relations Coordinator
    Long Island Pastors and leaders – those who have joined effort with LPA and those who have yet to commit (Pastor Kelly, McMillan, Milazzo, Tomlinson, more…)
    Long Island intercessors who live in Long Island and have been praying for their region long before we came along to encourage and support.

As quoted by one of our Long Island Leaders, “Time is getting short – as you know.  Prayer is so appreciated.”

Thank you faithful West Coast Prayer Team.  You matter!  We will have much to celebrate this side of heaven and into eternity.  This prayer work, especially as these key-gospel-sharing-opportunities are drawing near, is so critical.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, fuel your prayers with great passion and anticipation, bless you and your families and bring great revival to Long Island, NYC, our nation and the world….all for His due glory.

God Bless, 

Valerie Hanson
West Regional Prayer Coordinator

March Update

Keep Tom Mueller in your prayers this month. See below for more prayer requests.

From coast to coast, thank you for standing in the gap for Long Island and interceding on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Christ and those on their way to knowing Him.

Praise Points:
We thank God for a great finish to the unified series of Explore God.  24 churches partnered together to make it happen.  Please pray that these seeds of truth fell on good soil in the lives of all that participated, that these seeds would germinate to understanding and produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown (Matthew 13:23)

Prayer Points

• Hope Day-June 6th: Please pray for continued vision, partnering and unity among the churches.  
• Pray for logistics, that the Lord of the harvest would send out workers in to this harvest field; calling, equipping and empowering each person for their unique work of service.
• Pray for Leadership over the various service projects of Hope Day.
• Pray for servants to be drawn to take their part.
• For the Lord to continue to open the eyes of the saints, move them to compassion for the lost and care for their brothers and sisters in Long Island.  (John 4:35) that they would seek the Lord and draw on His Spirit that so powerfully works in us.  (Colossians 1:29)
• Continued prayer for our Long Island Leaders: Tom Mueller, Long Island Church Relations Director, Robert Bambino, Long Island Church Relations Coordinator, Long Island Pastors and leaders – those who have joined effort with LPA and those who have yet to commit (Pastor Kelly, McMillan, Milazzo, Tomlinson, more…), Long Island intercessors who live in Long Island and have been praying for their region long before we came along to encourage and support.

Thank you for your powerful and effective prayers for Long Island and the NYC areas.  Much work is underway!  Thank you for offering your lives as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God and your devotion to prayer.  Your prayers help!  “Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”  (2 Corinthians 1:11)

Valerie Hanson
Regional Prayer Coordinator for the West

February Update

Greetings West Coast Prayer Partners, 
Thank you for your devotion to prayer.  Our Lord hears and is answering through responsive hearts in Long Island, the surrounding regions and a team hard at work on the ground.

Praise Points

• Explore God Sermon Series is going very well.  25 churches are offering this series. 400 people from the “Explore God” churches got together for an evening of celebration and worship ~ unity! 
• Hope Day NY ~ June 6th. "The ReviveLI Group” has embraced this initiative and the collaboration is growing. This event will reach out to families by meeting their basic needs; free groceries, medical & dental screenings, job fairs, haircuts, games and activities for children, etc.

Prayer Points

• Explore God Sermon Series. Pray specifically for these critical next two weeks that many would hear the Word and surrender to Christ, the congregants continue to be equipped to better share the Gospel and welcome seekers & new believers into their fellowship, and for the Holy Spirit to continue to lead them in power, effectiveness and unity.
• Hope Day NY ~ June 6th. For God to continue to give vision and direction for Hope Day NY and all the preparations that need to be underway.  (Leaders, Team, Service avenues…). Excitement and strength for the work and love ahead.  
• Hispanic and Anglo church collaboration. This team is planning to have an August event to bring thousands of multi-ethnic churches together at Eisenhower Park. Three weeks ago they came together to pray for Nassau county and had the county exec and other government officials there. Please pray for the planning and people this event could reach.
• CityServe. Pray that more churches get on board in their own way.
• Pray for our Long Island Leaders: Tom Mueller, Long Island Church Relations Director. Robert Bambino, Long Island Church Relations Coordinator. Long Island Pastors and leaders – those who have joined effort with LPA and those who have yet to commit. Long Island intercessors who live in Long Island and have been praying for their region long before we came along to encourage and support.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭2-4‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Thank you for standing in the gap with your labor of love in prayer.
Valerie Hanson
West Regional Prayer Coordinator

January Update

Dear Treasured Prayers,

Happy New Year!  This is a pivotal time to thank you and Our Lord for the prayers and work done in 2014 paving the way for all He has in store to impact lives in 2015.  
“…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  James 5:16

I am personally so thankful for the prayers that moved me to receive eternal life:  to personally know the Only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.  (John 17:3)  That gives me great passion, purpose and hope for the lives we pray for in Long Island.  Oh to imagine, a region where the Kingdom is coming and His will is being done in Long Island as it is in heaven.  Lord, hear our prayers!

Please pray for:
•    The Explore God Series 
Underway beginning January 2015.  Over 20 churches have partnered and embarked on this Evangelistic Series/Campaign.  Praise God!  This is a collaborative effort to evangelize the community by providing answers to tough questions for unbelievers.  Please pray that many would come, hear and receive these life-transforming truths.  Pray for the seekers, pastors, church members and all who get to participate in this opportunity.

•    Hope Day New York ~ June 6th
Bethlehem A.G. church is leading this effort with Convoy of Hope.  To date, all of the above churches are partnering in this effort.   The goal is to reach out to children and families by meeting some of their most basic needs.  More than 35,000 pounds of free groceries will be distributed along with medical and dental screenings, job fairs, haircuts, games and activities for children, live entertainment, and it is all FREE.  

•    Pray for more churches to catch the vision of CityServe
Collaborative efforts serving the region in the areas of Justice, Mercy and Education.

•    Pray for God’s plans for Long Island
That God would continue to share His plans specific & unique for Long Island and raise up the leaders and committee members to plan, prepare and perform the work.  (e.g. mini festivals, luncheons, school assemblies, etc…)

•    Pray for our Long Island Leaders:
◦    LPA’s Tom Mueller, Long Island Church Relations Director
Tom is Church Director over 3 Regions, big job.  He recently relocated his family to Westchester County as he serves in this role.
◦    LPA’s Robert Bambino, Long Island Church Relations Coordinator
Bob is a Long Island resident and businessman working alongside Tom Mueller.
◦    Long Island Pastors and leaders – those who have joined effort with LPA and those who have yet to commit
◦    Long Island intercessors who live in Long Island and have been praying for their region long before we came along to encourage and support.

I thank God for each of you and your powerful prayers.  Thank you for your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  (1 Thes 1:3)  Now to Him who is able to immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  (Eph 3:20-21)

God bless you,  
Valerie Hanson
West Regional Prayer Coordinator

December Update

Dear Treasured West Coast Praying Women,

Thank you for your offering of powerful and effective prayers on behalf of those living in Long Island.  The culture and needs of this region are newer to many of us and I thank you for your patience in learning specifics. I know we are eager to “know” what God is up to.  Thank you for your persistence as we pray to our God who knows all and holds all power. Who has His plan and His love, which we are seeking to be poured out on the lives in Long Island. As the festival and associated ministry activities become more defined we will receive more specifics to pray for.  And for those very reasons, our current prayers are so critical to lay the foundation and lift up all those who are preparing the way to those we seek to reach. 

Our Regional focus for Long Island covers the Nassau & Suffolk Counties, with a greater work being done in Nassau County due to its much nearer proximity to “the city.” Long Island is LONG. There are approximately 2.6 million residents in these two counties. We do pray for and welcome whatever invitation and overflow can reach Suffolk County. In fact, pray for meetings that are occurring between Bob Bambino, LPA Church Relations Coordinator for Long Island and key pastors from both counties.

Below is a list of overarching and current requests:

• Pray for the Community Transformation of Long Island through the sharing of the gospel and all the works of equipping and service.
• Prayer for Larger Christian Organizations and Denominational groups to open up their arms and work together in unity!  Many organizations over time root down with a denominational identity and this can create silos of service.  Pray that these walls/boundary lines would dissolve and allow the Church Body to continue growing and serving together.  Pray for the meetings that Bob Bambino and Tom Mueller are facilitating with these different leaders (favor, shared vision from the Lord).  Pray that these organizations would corroborate more and more.

Main CityServe efforts for Long Island (so far): 

•    “Explore God” evangelistic series.  Many churches are partnering together in an effort to reach out to unbelievers. This is the strongest unified effort happening in the region! This series will be offered to their communities beginning in January leading up to Easter. Pray for many to invite, attend, be saved & mature. Pray for more churches to participate.

•    Convoy of Hope outreaches. “Hope Day New York is a Long Island specific effort occurring in May through June. Pray for 20+ locations to offer mini festivals or block parties, reaching out to their neighborhoods.  Please pray for the planning around this opportunity. 

•    Unified Youth Outreach and possible school assemblies. There is talk about Long Island partnering with the Hispanic community towards these efforts.  Please pray for the vision, leadership and details… and of course those who could be reached through these opportunities.

•    Pray for God to continue to open doors to recruit, share vision and knit His works throughout the Long Island Churches. 

•    Pray for our Long Island Leaders:  LPA’s Tom Mueller, Long Island Church Relations Director, LPA’s Robert Bambino, Long Island Church Relations Coordinator, Long Island Pastors and leaders – those who have joined effort with LPA and those who have yet to commit, and Long Island intercessors, who live in Long Island and have been praying for their region long before we came along to encourage and support. Our Regional Team prays monthly with the NYC Intercessors team, of which these Long Island ladies are a key part.  As you can imagine, they need our prayers of protection and strength to continue their service (Jane, Sue and team).

•    Pray for God to continue to open doors to recruit, share vision and knit His works throughout the Long Island Churches. 

•       Festival Site Location: As this relates to Long Island, God’s will be done. Typically activities hosted in Manhattan (perhaps the festival) do not catch much attention of those living in Long Island. This could change through the Festival campaign. The location of the festival site could impact the involvement/attendance of those living in Long Island. Flushing Meadows would tend to draw the attention of Long Islanders more.

Thanking God for you as you pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Eph. 6:18). This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God (2 Cor 9:12).

Thank you for your partnership and prayers.  They matter!

Blessings, 
Valerie Hanson, West Regional Prayer Coordinator
Praying for Long Island

November Update

Dear praying sisters (& brothers),

Thank you very much for investing your prayers during this critical season of planning and preparation for NY CityServe & CityFest. Thank you for specifically embracing through prayer the inhabitants of Long Island. We are in a key season to ask the Lord for unity, strategy, boldness, equipping, protection and vision.

Thank you for making request, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for everyone (1 Tim 2:1), including those living & working in Long Island.

November Long Island Prayer Items:
•    Convoy of Hope: we are currently working on encouraging churches to partner together in a Convoy effort for next summer.  The leadership for this effort are hoping for 25 churches to partner.  We need prayer for more partners to join. 
•    Churches around the region are partnering together on a sermon series called “Explore God” (7 weeks).  This is an evangelistic effort to reach neighbors through unifying together.  Pray for more churches to get the vision and for evangelism to increase.
•    A greater measure of unity and participation with churches in the area around the CityServe and Festival opportunities.
•    For leadership around NY CityServe to be strengthened and for more leaders to answer the call to step up.

October Update

Pray for:

• A greater measure of unity and participation with churches in the area.
• For leadership around CityServe to be strengthened and for more leaders to answer the call to step up.
• There is planning around a unified service project with 15 or more potential churches with Convoy of Hope. Pray churches get behind the vision of serving.
• Pray over the follow-up process of churches that came to the launch and want to engage. Pray that their leaders will not only be inspired for NY CityServe but also for NY CityFest next summer.

September Update

Dear Prayer Warriors,

It is my prayer that you have had a wonderful summer filled with rest, refreshment, and time with family. It’s been a busy season for the Palau team, with festivals in both Alaska and Jamaica. We’ve also been building our prayer team, and are so grateful you have joined us! God is amazing and He is at work in and through us! As we pray, our faith grows.  

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

As we pray and grow in faith this autumn, let's keep NY CityServe & CityFest in our prayers, and watch as God moves mountains!

PRAISE

Nearly 5,000 people came together for a youth outreach in Long Island on August 20. Praise and worship events have taken place over the last 4 years, but this was the first time the Gospel was proclaimed and people were asked to make a decision for Christ. Trained counselors were hardworking, and full of faith and wisdom as they prayed with those who made decisions for Christ. We rejoice in these new lives changed for eternity!

PRAY

September 23

The official NY CityServe launch is taking place at Calvary Baptist the morning of September 23rd.  Lord willing, we are praying for a full house with a minimum of 600 churches, pastors, and leaders in attendance. The first local fundraising event is also taking place that evening.  Please pray for all tables to be hosted and filled with the right business leaders and also for a great response.

LPA Staff

• Favor for the Palau team and church relations team as we mobilize people for NY CityServe.
• LPA staff who have moved to NYC.
• Three strong candidates for admin positions.
• For strong communication between our Latin and English speaking teams.
• Protection for every member of the team working on this campaign.
• Wisdom for Luis and all those taking part in preparing for the outreach events.

Local NYC

• Venue location(s) and dates.
• For churches not yet engaged to come on board. 
• Every ministry in NYC to be aware of and engaged in NY CityServe and CityFest.

NWPT News

Invite your family and friends to join the NWPT and keep fanning the flame! We’d love to see 1,000 team members praying for NYC by the September 23rd launch. We are grateful for each and every member to date! Encourage your friends and family to join. Every new member will receive a FREE prayer journal. 

MONTHLY PRAYER CALL

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our next monthly national prayer call taking place the second Tuesday of every month. These times have been really special and inspiring. We hope you can join us!

September 9th | 1PM Pacific, 3PM Central, 4PM Eastern

To access the call: call (712) 432-1212, enter Mtg ID: 931-416-121#

CONNECT WITH NWPT

Follow the National Women's Prayer Team on Facebook and Twitter for spiritual encouragement, prayer requests, and devotionals. Follow NY CityServe & CityFest for the latest campaign updates on Facebook and Twitter.