Scripture for January: “What more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?” Isaiah 5:4
Quotation for January: “[A] large percentage of “millennials”—people born between 1980 and 2000—don’t consider religion important in their lives. A new book, The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation, says only 13 percent of people in this age category consider any form of spirituality to be meaningful. . . . This must become a ministry priority for America’s churches.” Lee Grady
Director’s Message: In America there are now more “millennials” than “baby boomers” (those born between 1945 and 1965). But do you have more “millennials” than “baby boomers” in your church? If you do, your church is bucking the trend. We have to go back over two hundred years to find a generation less influenced by church and biblical principles than the “millennials.” For the vast majority of them we have become irrelevant. Perhaps this is why only 15% of 18 to 25 year olds are married, and why 93% of unmarried young adults who describe themselves as “in a relationship” also report that they are sexually active. I share this not to discourage us, but rather spark us to action. “Millennials” may be “wild grapes” but they are the harvest field set before us. It is our calling to “thrust in the sickle and reap”—our responsibility to reach out to them with the love and truth of the Gospel. In the coming year, would you join with all of us in praying specifically that the burden for this generation will grow across our conference, and for the Lord to give our pastors and other ministry leaders creative ideas for engaging them? If we are to see “Kingdom Expansion” in 2011, reaching the “millennials” must be at the top of our priorities and in the forefront of our prayers. I believe that the Holy Spirit is poised ready to show us what we can do differently in our vineyards in order to bring in a bountiful harvest of “good grapes.”
Daily Prayer Emphases for January:
MONDAY – Pray for ideas for reaching and discipling the burgeoning “Millennial Generation.”
TUESDAY – Pray for the unemployed & underemployed in your community; pray for new jobs with good benefits to come to your town; pray for innovative business ideas to take root where you live.
WEDNESDAY – Pray for the Lord to lead and empower our Cornerstone Conference officials as they lead us in “Kingdom Expansion” during 2011.
THURSDAY – Pray for each local church to have lively & impactful Women’s and Men’s Ministries.
FRIDAY – Pray for the drug-addicted and for the victims of domestic abuse in your community; pray for children all around your church who live in danger because of their parents’ lifestyles.
SATURDAY – Pray that President Obama and the members of the 112th Congress will prove to be friends of Israel and friends of the innocent.
SUNDAY – Pray for an agonizing awareness of sin to overshadow our communities—especially on the young adults and teens.
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