The American Pastors Network  is encouraging pastors and congregations around the country to participate in a National Day of Prayer event in their community and come together to pray on May 7 for the country in a time of turmoil. 

“The prayers of Christians have been critical throughout the history of our nation, and they continue to be so today,” said APN president Sam Rohrer, who is also president of the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastors.net), “It is so important that pastors encourage their congregations to pray for America, and the National Day of Prayer on May 7 is a time when Christians can come together in agreement and humbly repent of our sins, both individual and national, and petition God for his mercy and guidance for our nation. Find an event in your community, join the faithful in your neighborhood, and lift up our nation to God, that we would return to the biblical and constitutional principles on which our great country was founded.” 

To find a National Day of Prayer event in your community, visit http://nationaldayofprayer.org/event-finder/, where events can be searched by zip code or city. The National Day of Prayer is sponsored by the National Day of Prayer Task Force.

For the 2015 Day of Prayer observance, the theme is “Lord, Hear Our Cry,” centering on I Kings 8:28: “Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.”

“God has promised to listen to a people who come to him in humility and repentance,” Rohrer continued. “Our nation—including many who claim the title ‘Christian’—has arrogantly turned its back on God and on his word, and unless we humble ourselves before the Lord and reject our sinful ways, we will experience the judgement of God, which has already begun in America. Prayer is not a means to get God on our side; prayer is a means to align ourselves with God’s purposes, plans and will. We are running out of time in America to do this before God will remove his hand of blessing from our nation.”

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation, according to the National Day of Prayer web site. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The National Day of Prayer Task Force communicates the need for personal repentance and prayer, creates Day of Prayer materials and resources, and mobilizes the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and their families.

The American Pastors Network, the largest national network dedicated to equipping pastors to be a voice for truth in the public square, is launching a new one-hour, live daily radio program called “Stand in the Gap Today,” which will debut on several stations throughout Pennsylvania on Monday, April 13. To listen LIVE, please tune in to 1180AM WFYL in the Philadelphia area, or listen online from 12:00 Noon-1:00pm at: www.1180wfyl.com.

“Stand in the Gap Today” joins the lineup of existing APN radio programming—all of which focus on addressing the cultural and moral issues of our time from a constitutional and biblical perspective.

“We are looking forward to this new live, interactive program that will help Christians become informed about news, current events and moral issues that affect Americans everywhere,” said APN President Sam Rohrer, who will also co-host the program. “Especially today, there is never a shortage of topics surrounding how our daily faith and Biblical worldview relate to culture. When we can look at these issues through a biblical and constitutional lens, we can have the wisdom to consider these issues in a way that will enable us to better impact our culture for Christ rather than be an idle bystander in life. ”

“Stand in the Gap Today” will air daily from noon to 1 p.m. ET on multiple stations in Pennsylvania and will be available via satellite across the U.S.

Other APN radio programs include the daily one-minute radio feature, “Stand in the Gap,” which airs on more than 40 stations, as well as the one-hour Sunday program, “Stand in the Gap Weekend,” which features a sermon from a pastor within the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastors.net), followed by commentary by Rohrer and others. “Stand in the Gap Weekend” airs on 140 stations through American Family Radio.

Hosting “Stand in the Gap Today” along with Rohrer will be Gary Dull, APN board member and Executive Director and Vice President of PPN, and Dave Kistler, President of the North Carolina Pastors Network (NCPN, www.ncpastors.net). Rohrer, Dull and Kistler will discuss events of the day, as well as welcome guests to the program.

More than 500 pastors, church leaders and laypeople came together for the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastors.net) conference, “U-Turn: A Roadmap for Renewal,” on Thursday at Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster, Pa.—an event that answered questions about society, culture and leadership, with a focus on how cultural trends can be strategically impacted with the truths of God’s Word.

“At PPN’s ‘U-Turn’ conference, we were blessed to be able to communicate a coherent message to pastors and church leaders that was uplifting, inspirational, God-honoring and relevant, and have a real conversation about the most important issues of our day,” said PPN President Sam Rohrer, who also serves as President of the American Pastors Network (APN,www.AmericanPastorsNetwork.net). “We were also honored and humbled to hear many positive comments about the speakers, presentations and value of the conference. We commend all of our speakers who provided their unique perspectives on ‘standing in the gap for truth’ along with effective ways all of us can spiritually renew our nation. And we pray that the resulting fruit from all that the Lord did in the hearts and lives of those who attended will be lasting and will lead to cultural renewal in our nation.”

The powerful one-day conference, titled “U-Turn: A Roadmap for Renewal—A Conversation with Pastors on Society, Culture and Leadership,” united some of the top Christian speakers, along with pastors, leaders and laypeople so they could be inspired and committed to apply biblical principles in all matters of life, ultimately to “stand in the gap for truth.”

Conference headliners George Barna and David Barton were particular hits with the crowd.

Barna, who spoke on “The Necessity of Engagement: A Statistical Perspective,” founded The Barna Group, a leading research firm focused on faith and culture, in 1984 and sold it in 2009. Since then, he has continued to be involved in political research and strategy. He is the author or co-author of more than 50 books, including various best sellers and award-winning volumes such as “Growing True Disciples,” “Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions,” “Revolution,” “Revolutionary Parenting,” “ Pagan Christianity?,” “The Frog in the Kettle” and “The Power of Vision.” Barna has served as a pastor and has taught at several universities and seminaries.

Barton, who addressed the topic of “When Pastors Stand for Truth: A Historical Perspective,” heads WallBuilders, a national pro-family organization that presents America’s forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on America’s moral, religious and constitutional heritage. He is the author of numerous best-selling books, with the subjects drawn largely from his massive library-museum of tens of thousands of original writings, documents and artifacts from early America. He also addresses well over 400 groups each year. His exhaustive research has rendered him an expert in historical and constitutional issues.

Together, Barna and Barton shared critical components of “A Roadmap for the Future: Where Do We Go From Here?” The two have also teamed up to author a book that focuses on some of the same issues as the conference. Their work, “U-Turn: Restoring America to the Strength of Its Roots,” looks at what has happened to America since the country turned away from God and addresses how we can turn our nation around. The book was available at the conference at a 20 percent discount.

The impressive lineup of speakers and their topics also included:

• Paul Blair of Reclaiming America for Christ on “The Pastor’s Impact:  A Biblical Perspective”
• “How Can We Effect Change?”: A panel discussion with Rohrer, Barna, Barton and Blair
• “A Ministry Perspective”: A panel discussion moderated by Dr. Gary Dull, PPN Executive Director, which included Ralph Drollinger of Capitol Ministries; Jeff Mateer of the Liberty Institute; Sandy Rios of American Family Association and American Family Radio; and Pastor Joe Green of Antioch Assembly
• Gov. Mike Huckabee, Former Governor of Arkansas and former Fox News commentator, who offered a special video message to attendees
• Sammy Tippit of Sammy Tippit Ministries on “Light That Shatters the Dark”
• Pilot, author and pastor Steve Scheibner on “Living On Borrowed Time: A Pilot’s Story From 9/11/01”

Those not on the Lancaster Bible College campus were able to watch the conference via live streaming.

APN has recently received a $30,000 matching donation for all contributions made for this and future U-Turn events. Donations and sponsorships up to $30,000 will be matched, resulting in $60,000 to the American Pastors Network. Those interested may call APN at 610-901-3607.

Pennsylvania Pastors Network encourages pastors to bring together biblical and constitutional principles in their sermons and provides resources to pastors throughout the state. For more information on PPN, visit www.papastors.net or call 610.901.3607.

 

God has blessed us with a donor who will match every donation for the U-Turn America Series of U-Turn events, U-Turn projects and the American Pastors Network radio programs focused on turning America back to biblical truth through faith leaders who are courageous enough to stand in the gap for Truth.

Donations and Sponsorships up to $30,000 will be matched resulting in $60,000 to the American Pastors Network!  

U-Turn America donations will:

• Fund U-Turn events across the nation in all 50 states
• Provide American Pastors Network the ability to speak across the nation through media interviews, churches, and other speaking engagements

• Allow for radio expansion across America to reach 100,000 pastors (50 states with 2,000 pastors each) through broadcasting of the APN radio programs “Stand in the Gap Today,” “Stand in the Gap Weekend” and “Stand in the Gap Minute” to apply the Truth of Scripture to every aspect of life, including family, civil government, and the Church.

Click here to make your matching donation gift today!

For more information, call Pennsylvania Pastors Network at (610) 901-3607.