Prayer Works! will be a theme of the Mission Genesee Valley
coalition of churches, other Christian organizations and individuals 6 p.m. to
8 p.m. event at Knights Creek Church, 2987 Knights Creek Road (County Road 9),
Scio. A time of fellowship and
refreshments will follow.
Short videos also will be presented on the impact of prayer
and community transformation and revival in other U.S. locations.
Rev. Carl Kemp, church pastor, says that members of the
congregation started a year and a half ago joining in prayer from 6:30 a.m. to
7:30 a.m. every weekday for individual, family, church, other churches,
community, county, state, national, and world concerns.
Soon thereafter, he said, the church started to see God
moving both within the church and the broader community, leading to a multitude
of happenings that continue to evolve.
Not only has the church seen significant overall growth in
the past several months, he said, but its efforts in the community have been
able to be enhanced, both as a congregation and with other churches.
The pastor said "it is nothing we have done, other than
to be obedient to what God has put on our hearts as a church."
Opportunities have included participation in development of
the new Hope Center community outreach, establishing in less than a week a
Celebrate Recovery support ministry at the church and becoming part of Celebrate
Recovery Inside at Allegany County Jail, starting to develop a parallel
Celebrate Recovery component for teens struggling with life issues, and
re-starting a dormant youth and young adults group that has been growing
steadily.
The church also received a Venezuelan music team, which led
to community music outreach, joining with another church for a free summer
children's music camp, free weekly child music lessons including participation
by several children with special needs, potential development of a children and
youth choir and orchestra on a broader community or county-wide basis, and
more.
These activities, in turn, have led to free Sunday community
dinners, a First Friday of the month Community Night for all ages that
alternates between a coffee house or movie night, special community meals, and
other activities that include focuses on those struggling or feeling alone.
Pastor Kemp said the church is being blessed by its emphasis
on prayer and how to use its resources for God's purposes, of which the church
is a part, rather than focusing on the church and its programs.
"God is connecting each one of these pieces in
different ways," he said, "blessing us by being a blessing to
others.
Journey to Transformation prayer gatherings for host sites,
communities and other concerns also will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. during
the month, including March 8 at the Hope Center, 4194 Bolivar Road - Suite 5,
Wellsville; March 15 at First Trinity Lutheran Church, 470 North Main Street,
Wellsville; and March 29 at Alfred Almond Bible Church, 6751 State Route 21,
Almond.
In addition to these gatherings and Knights Creek weekday
prayer, community sessions also are held from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesdays at
Belfast Free Methodist Church, 11 Chestnut Street, and 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Saturdays at the Powerhouse Youth Center, 23 West Main Street, Fillmore.
