THE countdown is on, with the first day of Boundless – The Whole World Redeeming (The Salvation Army's 150th anniversary celebration and international congress) now less than a year away! To launch the official countdown the Army's international leaders – General André Cox and Commissioner Silvia Cox (World President of Women's Ministries) – hosted a prayer breakfast at International Headquarters (IHQ) on 1 July, attended by IHQ officers and staff together with guests from the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland.
The prayer breakfast served two purposes. Donations from those attending went towards the Mind the Gap fundraising programme to bring delegates from the developing world to London next July, and it was also the official launch of the international prayer wave, Boundless – The Whole World Praying. The concept is simple but significant – territories and commands around the world will share in 24/7 prayer daily from 1 July 2014 through to the last day of the congress on 5 July 2015.
In his address, the General encouraged attendees to 'take time to listen to what God is saying'. Referring to Boundless 2015, he stated: 'God is calling the Army back to London to speak to us, to energise and renew us and we must come to listen.' Following the General's challenging words, Stephanie Chagas of the Centre for Spiritual Life Development led a time of consecrated prayer.
Boundless – The Whole World Praying commenced at IHQ, where staff and officers will engage in round-the-clock prayer for four days. During office hours the International Chapel, outside the General's office, will be the heart of the prayer focus, with prayer stations and beautiful graphics enhancing the already-striking room. After IHQ the 'wave' moves on to the New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory. All territories and commands around the Army world have been invited to participate in Boundless – The Whole World Praying, with the goal being to bathe The Salvation Army – and particularly next year's international congress – in prayer.
The prayer initiative is being managed by the congress team at IHQ in conjunction with the Centre for Spiritual Life Development (CSLD), which has worked tirelessly to develop prayer resources for territories and commands around the world. For more information, and to see a calendar which shows where the prayer wave has reached, visit the CSLD website at sar.my/boundlessprayer.
Report by Major John Murray
IHQ Communications Secretary
