Churches all around the globe experienced sudden shifts in ministry last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges the Asian/Pacific churches experienced, their pastors and members were led by the Holy Spirit to move forward with sharing the good news of Jesus with their communities and beyond. One such story comes from Greater Seattle Filipino American Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Eleven years ago, the Seattle Fil-Am Church started an evening phone prayer time, five days a week. Members have experienced many answers to prayers, including a member’s miraculous healing from stage 4 nasal cancer. The average attendance last year was between six and 10 callers.
As 2020 progressed, the Seattle Fil-Am pastor and prayer ministry team felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to invest more in prayer. The church family joined the 24/7 United Prayer movement using Zoom videoconferencing as a prayer call platform.
During the first few days, about 15 members attended. In about four months, the ministry grew to its current average of 30 to 35 callers, with the highest count greater than 40. A number of these calls are families of three or four members. These add up to an average total of between 45 and 50 or more people every night of the week.
The prayer facilitators and PowerPoint techs include children as young as 8 years old. The youngest prayer warrior is a 3-year-old. Samuel General, a 10-year-old baptized in November, serves as a PowerPoint tech and prayer facilitator.
Participating church members are experiencing a spiritual revival and testifying to God’s faithfulness and goodness through the blessings of this ministry. A few of these testimonies are posted on the church website, seattleadventists.com/ministries/united-prayer-ministry.
Through its community outreach team, the church has also experienced the Lord’s providence by allowing it to serve the needs of the community in West Seattle through food drive on a monthly basis. Outreach leader Julie Espinosa says, “I am so grateful to God for providing us all these thousands of pounds of food through community networks.” The community outreach team also provided special meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas and met additional practical needs in their community.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted the ways churches traditionally minister, but the Holy Spirit will always have and empower a people who will fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, even in the midst of crisis.
