I am Heather Severance, a firm believer that the people you surround yourself with leave their mark on your life for the good or for the bad. Now, living in a very small and rural community and being naturally introverted does not make the best recipe for social and spiritual growth. But, God.
I have to admit that when the transition to GMC was taking place, my heart was very heavy. Not that I didn’t agree with the changes, but I worried the church wouldn’t remember its first love, Christ. I have seen congregations and pastors get so set on an agenda that church becomes a club of like-minded, social agenda-driven people. So when my pastor at the time, Mark Britton, asked the congregation for prayer team nominees, and I was nominated, I was hesitant, but it also felt like the right way to see what was behind the curtain. Another aspect also nagged me. What is a prayer team?! Am I even qualified?
I lead the local youth group and seek Jesus daily in my life through devotions, readings, and podcasts. But do I pray? The honest answer would be - not nearly as much as I should. The first meeting of the Conference Prayer Team was humbling and inspiring. Wow, did Christina Sung and the team really know how to pray and OUT LOUD! This Scandinavian, growing up Lutheran in a small town (less than 100 people) in North Dakota, did NOT know how to do this. The very real and tangible power of Jesus and prayer were so prevalent in the meeting, I knew deep down the GMC would be on the right track if we prayed fervently like we do every month. I also knew I wanted to grow in my prayer life personally and behold the absolute miracle of praying for others in the same way we do for the GMC.
I continue to grow in my prayer life, being inspired by the team every month. I hope to be more vocal in prayer, more open with others, and praying out loud with them so we become prayer warriors for each other and become an entire nation of praying churches. As a youth leader, I know our youth need our love, acceptance, guidance, attention, encouragement, and many more things, but most of all, they need our PRAYERS. So, I humbly ask and challenge you to commit to praying for our Youth in and outside the church, near and far, who are the leaders of today and the future for Christ. Let us pray that our Youth may have knowledge and an intimate relationship with God; know their worth is Jesus, and trust and confidence in Him, not the wisdom of this world, not give in to the pressure of the world but stand firm in the word of God living holy and righteous, be healthy emotionally, physical and spiritually in Him and find protection, blessing, and strength in the triune God, and more. My prayer is that our churches, districts, and Conferences grow in prayer team members and that we can be so interwoven in prayer and given divine strength that the gospel is heard exponentially.
– Heather Severance
Please contact the Prayer Team if you want to get involved!
