When Brothers Dwell in Unity
A Song of Ascents. Of David. Psalm 133
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
The New England Alliance is one of the prayer initiatives I am involved with. I began praying with these leaders over a decade ago. It is a “New England wide relational network of believers and church leaders laboring for authentic unity and encouraging sustainable movements of prayer in order to see long-term revival and awakening in the New England Church. “In Jesus, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” (Eph. 2:22)” It has been a blessing to see it morph and grow both deeper and broader.
The photo is of forty Christian leaders (I’m behind the camera taking the photo) in worship and prayer. (Yes there is a baby in the middle!) We currently meet three times a year to worship, pray and strategize how to continue to strengthen ties across denominational and ministry lines. The Weather this winter moved our dates and brought our numbers down to 40 from six states instead of the more normal 50 from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. As it was I had to wipe two inches of snow off my car this Wednesday afternoon before I could drive over 90 minutes home in slush. It was worth it for the encouragement, watching God work in and through our unity.
It is a privilege to worship and pray with these leaders. Jonathan Friz of Wisdom Way helps spearhead this. There are nearly as many denominations or ministries as people. We have Anglican, Hispanic, Congregational, independent, houses of prayer and more. And this time we met at the Southern Baptist New England headquarters.
The Alliance Statement of Faith is simple:
This time one of the topics we talked and prayed about was how to educate each other about what each does and how best to refer to each other if needs arise. For example, the issue of human trafficking came up. Besides prayer, a friend was there who works in that area through the ministry of the Emmanuel Gospel Center. It was fun to watch the Holy Spirit weave the conversation though several people, “piggy backing” one on the other. Through prayer and conversation the consensus is we need to begin to establish an Internet-based network that we can all access as a resource. Something like this exists already for the immediate Boston area, but it is too much for one person to undertake. So, each geographical area will begin to build their own networks that can be linked to the others. Truly multifaceted!
Through these meetings and the initiatives spawned by those present, we enjoy watching God move in New England. It is a breath of fresh air to see beyond the local setting. The relationships and prayer I have with these leaders is a regional example of our North Shore Pastors Prayer. I will save that for another time….
