New England Solemn Assembly in Plymouth, MA September 25, 010: Return-Rediscover-Reclaim God's purposes for America
The Glory of God in New England
August 8, 2010
Dear New England Believer:
For years our hearts have been stirred by the stories of New England Awakenings that have influenced the nations of the earth. Our imaginations have been captured by the legacy of awakeners, theologians, missionaries, and evangelists that called New England home.
In recent years, God has spoken to many of us and confirmed His word that He is planning to pour out His Spirit on our land yet again. Like Simeon, whose eyes grew dim watching and praying for the promised Messiah, there are those standing among us who God has told, “Your eyes will see what I have promised you.” At the same time, young ones moving in the Spirit of John the Baptist are rising up beside them, sounding the trumpet and calling the Church into the fulfillment of God’s promises and our legacy.
As Proverbs says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” At times, we have hoped falsely in quick fixes or man-made solutions, only to see the promised outpouring pass us by. It is easy to become cynical, when year after year we have heard of, “revival, awakening, outpouring …” yet we have not seen the fulfillment. Callousness threatens to deaden our hopes. Yet, the promise from God remains, and God cannot lie.
It is our conviction that we are in season similar to that of the book of Joel. In the book of Joel, we find great promise and great hope concerning the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Yet, it all hinges upon the response of the people of God. The prophet Joel addresses the people after they have experienced the judgment of the locust devouring their crops. He urges them to discern what the Lord is doing in their midst and respond appropriately to the Lord, lest in His desire to get their attention, He come with even greater judgment.
As a nation and as the Church, we are experiencing measures of the judgment of God. Yet, we are largely unaware and unconcerned. Moral deterioration of every kind afflicts not only the world, but also the Church. We hear on every side of wars, slavery, every kind of immorality, economic instability, ecological disasters, a breakdown of the family among rich and poor alike, and laws and policies that take no thought of God. In essence, our nation is saying to God: "Depart from us, we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways" (Job: 21:14).
As a people, we should be greatly alarmed and concerned over the rapidly deteriorating moral condition of our nation. The signs of God’s judgment are upon us, but instead we are pacified by an abundance of self-gratification. We, largely, are a people at ease during times of unrighteousness.
As the present times of shaking increases, the wisdom of man, apart from acknowledgment and reliance on God, will be exposed as utter foolishness. Joel gives the biblical prescription during times of crisis ... to gather together in fasting and prayer to repent and to cry out for mercy.
In response to the Holy Spirit’s stirring, we will gather on September 25th in Plymouth MA, and we are inviting you to join us at the location of the first Pilgrim settlement where they implemented their covenant with God and one another.
Just as God has a dream, a purpose, a calling for each one of our lives, we believe He had a purpose in the founding of America. Our nation was intended by God to be a “city on a hill”, a place where the light of the gospel can shine to the ends of the earth, a joyful experiment in the simplicity of devotion to Christ. We’re returning to Plymouth in fasting and prayer to rediscover and reclaim this legacy and renew our covenant with God.
In preparation for this holy day, we are inviting believers everywhere to 10 days of fasting and prayer from September 8-18th in their own churches and homes. The goal of this time of preparation is to draw closer to the Lord, turn away from corporate and personal sin in our communities and in our nation and prepare our hearts for the Solemn Assembly.
Yours in Christ,
Josiah Armstrong, Youthstorm, Windham NH
Gabrielle Beam, New Beginning Community Church, Darien CT
Ronald Bernier, Master Builder Christian Church, Fall River MA
Rich Brink, Eastgate Apostolic Center, Oakland ME
John Brownlee, Beulah Baptist Church, Chicopee MA
Dick Carter, New Hope Fellowship, Compton NH
C. Andrew Chrysler, God's Little Brown Church, Alburgh VT
Linda Clark, New England Apostolic Prayer Network, Boston MA
Tom Clark, Dennis Church of the Nazarene, South Dennis, MA
Edmund de la Cour, First Baptist Church, Pocasset MA
Mary E. Dow, Richmond Corner Baptist Church, Richmond ME
Neil Eaton, New Hope Chapel, Plymouth MA
John Eckhardt, Stauron University, Topsham ME
John and Jane Fillmore, Zion Christian Fellowship, Londonderry NH
Juan Francisco, Door of Refuge Church, Providence RI
Jonathan Friz, New England Alliance, Georgetown MA
Michael Gantt, Agape Christian Fellowship, Brattleboro VT
Dick Germaine, Barnabas Ministries, Hopkinton MA
Brandt Gillespie, Pray TV, Salem MA
Tom Griffith, River of Life Church, Boston MA
Russ Hewett, Abundant Life Church, Bangor ME
Wilson Hickham, Biddeford ME
David R. Hill, Abundant Grace, Brighton MA
Justin Howard, Imago Dei Anglican Church, University of ME at Orono
Neil Hubacker, the harbor: a community of faith, Beverly MA
Bruce James, Baptist Convention of New England, Marlborough MA
Paul Jehle, New Testament Church, Plymouth MA
Victor Khokhlan, King of the Nations House of Prayer, Somerville MA
Dick Kiernan, Alpha New England, Manchester NH
Elijah Kim, The Vitality Project, Boston MA
Brian and Ana Lahoue, The Awakening, Harvard Square, Cambridge MA
Bryan and Natalie Larson, Greater Salem Vineyard, Salem NH
Nick Manha, Household of Faith, Amherst NH
Jeff Marks, New England Concerts of Prayer, Beverly MA
Rick McKinniss, Wellspring Church, Kensington CT
Donna Milham, Judah's Roar, Gloucester MA
Kris Mineau, Massachusetts Family Institute, Woburn MA
Roberto Miranda, Congregación León de Judá, Boston MA
Raffoul Najem, Community Christian Fellowship, Lowell MA
Nancy Nichols, Transformation Ministries, Presque Isle ME
David Otis, First Light Church, Chatham, MA
Christ Otto, 333 House of Prayer, Boston MA
Sergio Perez, Harvest Ministries, S Weymouth MA
Edson Porto, Joshua Project, Wellesley MA
Mamdouh Riad, The Glory of God on Cape Cod, Dennis MA
David Rosen, Gathering Nations New England, Essex Junction VT
Stephen Russell, New Life Christian Center, Dennisport, MA
Arthur Savage, Chichester United Methodist Church, Chicester NH
Larry Shaw, His Gathering Place, Rumford ME
Robert Shepitka, Northeast House of Prayer, Latham NY
Colleen Sherman, Sweet Savor Ministries, Holden MA
Al and Diane Shimer, Lowell Lundstrom Ministries, Topsfield MA
Frank Siciliano, Park Ave Church of God, Portland ME
Brian Simmons, Apostolic Resource Center, West Haven CT
Todd and Joy Skeirik, Gateway Christian Fellowship, West Haven CT
Paul Sontag, Light of the World Christian Church, Milford NH
Fumio Taku, Rock of Zion Ministries, West Roxbury MA
Bethany Temple, Justice House of Prayer Boston, Cambridge MA
Gail Thomas, Institute for Hebraic-Christian Studies, Woburn MA
Keith Tolley, Vision New England, Dover NH
Keven Vachon, The Bridge Church Midcoast Maine, Dresden ME
Bob and Rose Weiner, Weiner Ministries International, Gainesville FL
Kit Weiss, Fellowship of Faith, Newport RI
Steven and Karen Williams, Crown Fellowship, Waltham MA
Colon Wright, Emmanuel Assembly of God, Onset, MA
Marlene Yeo, Somebody Cares New England, Haverhill MA