It took us quite awhile to realize that our attempts at evangelism needed to be tied in with our unique vision and calling to intercessory prayer.  The technique that the Holy Spirit led our Rector to see is very simple, something that any member of any age ( who can talk in complete sentences ) can master.  You simply ask a person, "What is it I can pray for you about?", or some basic variation.  1) You aren't going to be able to ask that question without getting to know someone first, or at least be in a situation where you are hearing some other person share out loud their immediate needs.  2) You make every effort to pray with that person right then, which not only takes care of the problem of remembering it later, but also allows that person themselves to be "touched" by the immediacy of the prayer, 3) You put your faith into gear, exercise it, and 4) You become the minister, 5) You now have the built-in opportunity to provide information to whatever response they might share, such as an invitation to go to church with you, the opportunity to share your faith in Christ which is the foundation of answered prayer, the opportunity for more prayer, the opportunity to invite persons to your small group bible study or prayer group.    Expectantly, this will lead to conversion, renewal of faith, and / or re-entry into Christian fellowship.

In order to help facilitate some accountability, and to provide a helpful tool to remember the prayer, the person, and the need to followup at least once (with the simply question, "How'd that prayer work out?"), a postcard is handed out every Sunday  that explains the process of prayer evangelism, and a date blank, in which is written that Sunday's date.   On the reverse of the card are seven lines for the seven days of the week.  The goal is to ask at least one person each day, six days a week, how you can pray for them, with a simple reminder check-box for a one-week-later followup.

The card is a new addition to this evangelism focus (the fall of 2007), hoping to motivate members of the congregation to actually do prayer evangelism.  We should be able to measure the card's effectiveness for member participation, and prayer responses, starting in January of 2008. 

These are our big current intercessory projects.  We invite you to join us, having accepted the call to "stand inbetween" in prayer.

PROXY PRAYER:

 FOR KATRINA :  On the last Sunday in September, 2005, as part of our parish festival we sang the Evening Prayer office, heard our Bishop preach on the Mission of the Church, and then prayed "by proxy" for as many of the communities as we could identify affected by Hurricane Katrina, and then Rita right after it.  It was a good and holy evening in prayer.  Testimonies the next Sunday told us that a number of our specific prayers were answered.  We will never know the total effect of our intercessions, but we know that God answers prayers, and that we were in fulfillment of God's call to us be an intercessory parish.  Many of those involved in the Proxy Prayer evening are still interceding for the community they stood in for.   The Hurricane link takes you to some photos and further description.

REDUCE TEENAGE PREGNANCIES:

The Basis:  We have been praying for over 6 years now that by God's sovereign power, and through the continued attention of education and local programs, the numbers of unwanted teenage pregnancies will be reduced.  The national average has been going down during that time. Tulare County has now come down  statistically to #3 in the state for these pregnancies and resulting out-of-wedlock births.   That's good; but we want it to be last.  Repeated attempts by various government and educational agencies have failed to reverse the problem.  The only thing that has consistently worked around the nation, and even around the world, is the education of abstinence as a choice.  We initially attempted to recruit 1000 people from all over Tulare County who would be willing to pray daily, but only recruited about 5% of that number outside of our parish, which goes to show the extent of the difficulty in raising awareness and finding solutions.  Through God, however, all things are possible in Jesus Christ.
      Give us a call at the office at 686-8048, and we'll send you the explanatory brochure, and the commitment card we hope you'll fill out.  And then, GO!, and spread the word.
Young LIves:   As of 2006, the Vestry has been investing in the local Young Lives ministry, which is a ministry of Young Life.   This is basically a Mentor Mom program for teens who are pregnant or have already given birth.   One of our members is now on their board of directors.   We encourage our women members to consider being a Mentor Mom.
 
TULARE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT:


Each of the 30 members of the Tulare Fire Department have a volunteer daily intercessor from St. John's, praying for their safety, protection, and healthy family life.  They are also prayed for daily in Morning Prayer, and in our Sunday liturgies.



TULARE CITY COUNCIL and ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF


Each of the 5 members of the Tulare City Council, and all of the Department Heads of the City of Tulare including the City Manager have a volunteer daily intercessor from St. John's, praying for the wisdom and discernment to make good and healthy decisions for the benefit of our city.  They are also prayed for daily in Morning Prayer, and in our Sunday liturgies.

  Call the office, 686-8048, for more info.