(As you begin your prayer time, read Nehemiah Chapter 1 and reflect upon Nehemiah’s prayer for his people and for the need to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. As you pray claim the promise of Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know.”)

 Gracious and ever-Loving God, we come before You with deep thanksgiving and praise for the beauty of Your creation, for our redemption through Your Son, our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, and for Your blessed Holy Spirit, who guides, comforts, and enables us to live for You.

 We are mindful that “as high as the heavens are above the earth,” so high are your thoughts and holy nature above ours.  Thus we come before you mindful of our need to confess our failures and sins, (which we now do).  Receiving your forgiveness and grace, we petition you for the good of the United Methodist Church, her governing bodies, bishops, ministers, and lay people.  We need Your guidance to continue to serve You well and in Your Spirit.

 General Petitions 

1. May God’s perfect will be done at General Conference, 2004 and at the five Jurisdictional Conferences.
    
2. That God will raise up an army of intercessors, who will call out to God on behalf of the United Methodist Church and its witness in the world.
    
3. That the Holy Spirit move mightily in the hearts and minds of those who attend.
    
4. That those elected as Bishops for the UM Church will be godly and holy men and women, who will uphold the doctrinal standard of the church and be faithful to support the propagation of the Christian Gospel through all aspects of mission and ministry.  That God will guide the placement of these bishops. (Twenty bishops will be elected this quadrennium at Jurisdictional Conferences.)
    
5. That those selected to the Judicial Council will be faithful to uphold The Book of Discipline, our Wesleyan heritage, and above all, Scriptural Christianity. (Five openings are to be filled.)
    
6. For godly wisdom, discernment, and perseverance for delegates and alternates as they read through the massive amounts of materials they receive prior to GC 2004.
    
7. For renewal groups as they make final plans: That God will guide them to be proactive and Christ-honoring in all they plan and do.

      8.   For godly direction, safety, and protection for all who attend.


Specific Petitions:

 1.   For guidance for the team of people who will be going to GC 2004 including, Good News/RENEW,  The Confessing Movement,  Transforming Congregations, UMAction/IRD,  Lifewatch and others.

2.   For truth to come forth against the negative tactics (such as United Methodism  @  Risk: A Wake Up Call, along with numerous articles by bishops and other church leaders) that have been used to discredit renewal groups.  That God would reduce the effect of such approaches of misunderstanding.

 3.  That God will enable the voices of delegates from the Central Conferences to be heard as they bear witness to the truth and to faithful discipleship.  

 4.   That the United Methodist Church will welcome and support ministries to former and current homosexuals, ministries that help them step out of that enslaving life-style.

 5.   That the United Methodist Church will come to regard abortion as a sin against God and the unborn.  That we will seek to uphold the rights of babies in utero.

 6.   That any proposals and amendments to the Discipline that could bring harm to the Biblical foundations of our faith be soundly defeated.

 7.   That special interest groups that seek to sway delegates toward ungodly petitions be of no effect.

8.   That any monies allotted be specifically channeled into the furtherance of gospel living.  That petitions for money for un-Christian projects be defeated.

 9.   Pray for these events and those speaking at them listed below, before and during the times listed: May God guide and strengthen their words, voices, action, and responses to questions.

Dates:

General Conference Dates: April 26- May7 

Jurisdictional Conferences: -July 14-17

            Northeastern                - Syracuse, NY
            Southeastern                 - Lake Junaluska, NC
            Western                       - San Jose, CA
            North Central               - Davenport, IA
            South Central               - Corpus Cristi, TX

General Conference Events:

            Monday, April 26, Women’s Division will host new women delegate orientation .from 1:00-4:00 p.m. 

            Monday, April 26, Good News will host an orientation meeting in the afternoon.

             Tuesday, April 27, Good News will host another orientation meeting in the morning. 

            Tuesday, April 27, RENEW/Good News will host a delegate luncheon covering the petitions sent to General Conference by the Women’s Division and by RENEW. Janice Crouse, Faye Short and Judy Graham will speak at this luncheon. 

Wednesday, April 28, Good News will host daily delegate breakfasts beginning on Wednesday and running through Friday, May 7.

 Thursday, April 29, Good News will host a luncheon for Jurisdictional Delegates.

 Friday, April 30, UMAction/IRD will host a religious liberty luncheon.

 Monday, May 3, UMAction/IRD will host a luncheon about homosexuality with guest speaker Robert Gagnon.

 There are 63 U.S. conferences with a total of 800 delegates
            The Central Conference has 184 delegates.
            Concordat Churches have 10 delegates.
            The total number of General Conference delegates in 994.

 To become a part of the General Conference
                             related prayer effort,  go to
                            http://www.gcprayerministry.org.