Taking Prayer to the Streets, Haitian Baptists Struggles Amid Kidnappings & Singing in Church

If you happen to pass by the Faith Tabernacle in Chicago, you might have an opportunity to pray with Phillip Griffin. The longtime Sunday School teacher had an idea and others joined him. Griffin has been leading a group of believers to hit the streets to offer to pray with their neighbors.

Griffin and others from the church set up at a busy intersection near their church building offering to pray with passersby. He says sometimes people stop but they pray from folks even if they don’t.

Chicago’s southeast side, like the rest of the city, has experienced a wave of crime and violence in recent years which has set some nerves on edge.

He says he wants the community to know the church is there for them.
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Pastor Samson Doreliens ministers “right in the middle of the violence in Port Au Prince,” the site of the July 27th kidnapping of an American nurse and her daughter who remain missing.

The 600 active congregants of the Evangelical Baptist Mission of South Haiti (MEBSH) Church of Cote Plage are torn by the gang violence that has overtaken the city,

“Some are drawn closer to God because they believe it is God only who can do something to take the pain away,” he said of the congregation. “Others are discouraged, questioning why God is letting all kinds of things happen to the country: violence, natural disasters, etc.

Churches have reduced the frequency of worship services and Bible study and have cancelled evening events. Community outreach continues only with the risk of pastors being kidnapped or shot, Voltaire said, but many remain hopeful.
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Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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When you sing in church…do you realize you may be accomplishing more than you know? In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox says that when we sing in church, believers are:

Speaking to God. You are lifting praise to your Creator with your voice.

Speaking to yourself. Music has an amazing ability to help us memorize key truths. Science has shown that we remember music almost more than anything else.

Speaking to other believers in the room. When you sing you are speaking words of truth in their hearts and in doing so, you are joining the worldwide body of Christ in worship on Sunday.

You speak to the world. When we scrape ourselves out of bed, rustle up the kids, and gather with our brothers and sisters in the Lord to worship, the world hears us. We are declaring with our whole selves and with our best ability that Christ, not the lesser gods, is Lord of the Universe.