“Our finishing the year together, and starting the new year together, speaks into our commitment to a shared bond of love for the rest of the year.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Six ministries have united to celebrate New Year’s Eve in prayer, worship, and fellowship. While the group hosted the Cross Over Prayer Vigil several times before COVID, they say they are gaining momentum.

“The tradition of cross over prayer vigils, to usher in the new year, is new to North America, but very common in sub-Saharan Africa and South America,” explains Pastor Joseph Kiirya of River Jordan Ministries. “It is an alternative to secular events and celebrations. The service is meaningful in our context, because it is a clear sense of dependence on God for us to be in a place of worship as the last thing we do in the year and first thing we do in the coming year.”

The event starts at 9:30 p.m., at Living Praise Ministries, on Cleopatra Drive. After worship, prayer, and prophetic ministry, the service ends with everyone sharing communion together before having a meal and fellowship.

“The tradition is important and meaningful because this is the call of believers to come together as one,” says Isaac Gimba of Meeting Point Ministry. “By our unity, we are known as Jesus disciples. It tells of our love toward one another. We have been kept isolated for two years, but our spirit of unity was never kept apart.”

The service helps people connect with God as the year comes to a close, he adds, and to prepare their hearts for the coming year. The collaboration and cross-pollination of ministries also means participants strengthen relationships with the broader Church, and have the chance for to be encouraged by the ministries’ collective leadership.

“We hope to increase to two dozen ministries in the next five years or so.” Photo courtesy of River Jordan Ministries.

“[The Cross Over Prayer Vigil] is important to me personally, because I believe that the strength of the immigrant church is in our unity, in our commitment to being each other’s keepers,” Kiirya states. “I think our finishing the year together, and starting the new year together, speaks into our commitment to a shared bond of love for the rest of the year.”

Cross over services before the pandemic averaged around 250 participants, but organizers expect around 400 this year, and have announced they will be moving to a bigger venue in future years. This year, they also decided to hold three days of prayer and fasting leading up to the New Year’s Eve service.

“It is such a delight, in spite of the two years’ disruption, for us to get together again,” says Kiirya. “We are also excited to see our youth who have grown in ministry stepping up to participate in the service.”

Yet the group aspires to an even bigger vision as a show of unity to the city.

“We hope to increase to two dozen ministries in the next five years or so,” Kiirya says.

“Our heart’s prayer is to have all denominations come together in one service, and usher ourselves into the new year in the Lord,” Gimba adds, “as one Body committing the Church, our loved ones, and Canada, to God.”