“I hope this will bring us closer together as we intercede in issues that affect us all.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Pray Ottawa is calling churches to mark this Sunday, September 13, as a citywide day of prayer. The event is called “Pathways to Victory”, in reference to the various ways people have been affected and the city’s need for God’s intervention in all those areas.

“The response has been tremendous,” says Robert Greaves, who first proposed the idea. “God has brought our city this far. We need to continue leaning on the Lord. We are encouraging each church to embrace this day of prayerful intercession.”

Greaves and the Pray Ottawa team hope churches across the national capital will dedicate a few minutes or even their whole service to pray for God’s protection and intervention amid the pandemic. The Pathways to Victory website includes graphics and a short video clip which churches are welcome to use.

“If churches are really engaged, it would be awesome to prayer walk the streets later that day, going to key places like schools and senior homes,” says Sarah Jackson, Pray Ottawa’s lead.

Among the suggested prayer points are safety for seniors, in hospitals and shelters, and as schools open, as well as for those facing fear, depression, addiction, or dealing with the loss of a loved one.

“We’ve had a chance to experience that our community can be shaken, but God is not and neither are His ways.”

Walking through the loss of a congregation member is what initially inspired Greaves with the idea. As pastor of the Ottawa Adventist Church, he found comfort by seeking ways to support the congregation and community.

“It was a sad time for our church family; a lonely time to have a death in one’s family, due to the restrictions.” Greaves says he wanted to “encourage and compel the residents of our city to stay faithful and focussed as we continued on a pathway to recovery.”

He shared his idea for unified prayer with members of his church and the vision expanded from there. While it clearly was not possible to have a mass prayer gathering, Greaves hopes churches will embrace the need to still pray in one mind and one accord.

“This is probably the first ‘calamity’ we’ve faced in our generation,” Jackson says. “We’ve had a chance to experience that our community can be shaken, but God is not and neither are His ways. [Through this call to prayer] we also want to give God thanks for the 112,000 recovered cases in Canada. We have been protected from a lot of tragedy.”

Greaves adds, “I hope this will bring us closer together and highlight that we are stronger together, as we intercede in issues that affect us all. I hope it will create greater dialogue, and foster strong relationships.”

The timing of the call to prayer is also significant. The team highlights the concerns about a second wave and more restrictions as students return to classes and the community tries to return to normal.

“A call to prayer like this encourages us to see that the larger body we belong to is earnest in faith and love,” Jackson states. “This day of prayer is a clear and simple call to unite our voices to God. Our hope is that God will hear our prayers and do wonders.”