It may be an initiative from the World Church headquarters, but this is really an idea I can buy into.  How about starting the New Year with 10 days of prayer?  What difference could that make to me - to my family, my neighbours, my community?  What difference could it make to my church?  I pray intentional prayers for my neighbours.  That is a challenge as when I pray for them I then feel more of a sense of responsibility for them.   What do you want to pray for?  What initiatives is your church taking?  Just place a comment on this posting to let me know.  We will share those comments in our office prayer time at the start of the day.  Prayer requests will also be prayed for in our Adventist Discovery Centre where each day at noon a 'basket of prayer' is held before the Lord.

I'm excited to see how God is going to work with each of us and help us to make a difference in 2012. 

You can find out more about Global Rain by visiting http://www.adventistinfo.org.uk/globalrain/.

God bless and a happy and blessed New Year.

Ian.

There is nothing that excites me more than mission and evangelism. I've recently been travelling around the British Isles and at every location, whether with ministers, elders or church members they are starting to recognize that the main trust of my conversation is going to be, "what is happening at grass-roots level?" While I am overseeing the Adventist church across the British Isles, I fully recognize that it is at local church level where the real impact is made. That is why I challenge every local congregation to "take seriously its reason for being". The aim of every board and business meeting should be "how do we reach the lost?"

Do you have ideas and suggestions? Have you tried anything that seems to be working. I'd be delighted to hear from you.