The 2023 Dunamis Fellowship International (DFI) meeting was a truly remarkable occasion. We commissioned the PRMI Prayer House at the Community of the Cross. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully among us in some significant Kairos moments. And we witnessed ministry being multiplied in leadership and programs.
We are so grateful to the Lord for all that He has done for us, and for all that He is doing through us!
The past few years have been challenging globally because of the pandemic, civil unrest, and war. We are in a time comparable to the 1930s when powerful demonic strongholds based on anti-God, totalitarian ideologies are relentlessly on the rise and threatening oppression of the Church and a global catastrophe.
Individually we have been through times of personal loss, and medical challenges, and personally walking through times of testing and refinement. This painful refining fire has included PRMI as a ministry and movement.
During the DFI meeting the Holy Spirit ministered deeply to some of that personal and corporate grief during one poignant Kairos moment, and we experienced him as Comforter and Healer.
From the wonderful way the Lord worked at the DFI, we are moving into a new Kairos season with fresh opportunities, renewed unity of purpose, and some exciting developments as we prepare for the next great move of the Holy Spirit!
Mission Outreach
One significant area of change is in Mission Outreach. PRMI is not an evangelistic agency, and when we speak of ‘Mission Outreach’ this refers to our particular call to ignite fresh outpourings of the Holy Spirit in new locations.
As one expression of this, we are retooling and refocusing the Ignite! program. Rather than being just an introduction for the Dunamis Project, it will focus on igniting outpourings of the Holy Spirit in congregations.
Allen and Debbie Kemp are stepping into the leadership of this important program. They already have a team of people ready to partner with them in this ministry. Of course, once the Holy Spirit falls upon a congregation then there will be the need for follow-up and growth as disciples of Jesus Christ cooperating with the Holy Spirit.
This is where the Dunamis Project and all our other programs will play a vital role. We are also expanding Dunamis Basics, (formerly Congregational Dunamis Video Course) which has been developed by James Kearny, providing a means for small groups and churches to learn more about the Holy Spirit’s work.
We plan for Upward Challenge to take place in person at the Community of the Cross July 23-28, 2023 to create the context for youth to be filled with the Holy Spirit and discover the supernatural dimension of faith in Jesus Christ.
Many people from all over the world are being equipped to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and rediscover their faith in Jesus through PRMI events.
Ministry Multipliers
Another highly significant development is the changes we are making to our structures and language to focus on truly being Ministry Multipliers. We are not just looking to replace individuals in fixed roles. Instead, we are trying to find ways to expand and increase what we do and who is doing it.
We are seeing this in the way that Mary Ellen Conners has been helping others step into distinctive leadership roles for intercession and for prayer ministry, as well as in creating new opportunities and rhythms of prayer.
The newly commissioned PRMI Prayer House will become a hub for some of this vital work of prayer. The multiplication of people equipped as prayer ministers has happened because of the Advanced Course and Intermediate Course on Healing and Deliverance.
We witnessed ministry multiplication in the way that some key leadership at the DFI meeting was expressed with wisdom and grace by younger adults.
We are also witnessing the fruit of growing maturity and experience in leadership for our regional expressions, as we have a growing number of people reaching a stage in life where they have the flexibility, finances, and a lifetime of experience which can now become a huge resource for ministry and leadership in the coming years. People are being equipped and deployed into ministry, and these diverse kinds of growth are exciting developments!
We also realize that we need to have an organizational structure that is not rigid, but one which can flex and flow when the Holy Spirit moves among us.
PRMI’s distinctive God- given mission is to create venues in which the Holy Spirit is poured out and people are equipped to cooperate with him as witnesses to Jesus Christ. We do this by preparing the altar, igniting the fire, and then sustaining the flame.
Although spending time working on structures might not sound very exciting, we know that these are integral parts of altar-building and fire-igniting. When the right support and oversight are in place, these have a truly enabling effect by creating the context for fruitful ministry and programs in PRMI.
Preparing for the Next Great Awakening
R.A. Torrey taught that the basis of all revival is people getting together and praying persistently until God pours out His Holy Spirit. That is an absolute key, and it is why our Next Great Awakening (NGA) Catalyzers group is critical for what the Lord is doing, sharing what we see the Lord doing and praying together for an outpouring of His Spirit.
The NGA Venture is led by Brad Long and Martin Boardman (pictured below) who are seen casting the vision of this initiative at the DFI 2023 Annual Gathering. The work of prayer has always been the vanguard.
This year we are introducing a new Advanced Course which deals with Strategic Intercession and Spiritual Warfare. This course will build on the foundational teaching from Dunamis Projects #3 (The Power of Prayer) and #5 (Spiritual Warfare and Kingdom Advancement).
It is designed to equip people to play a vital role in strategic intercessory prayer, praying “Thy Kingdom Come” in all areas of the Church and society to prepare for our part in advancing the Kingdom of God, transforming both Church and society.
By My Spirit vs Power and Might
God has really spoken to me (Brad Long) using the image of the Eastern Continental Divide. This is the watershed place where water falling on the east side will flow east to the Atlantic Ocean and water falling on the west side flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
Sometimes that dividing point is very obvious, but in other places, it is really hard to see where the divide actually is. I saw this sign with my friend Steve Aceto as we were walking on the ridge above our homes which marks the Eastern Continental Divide.
Except for the sign, there is no indication at all that this is the dividing point. This is like the divide between the two approaches of “power and might” and “by my Spirit.” Sometimes it is very subtle where the division lies, but ultimately they lead in very different directions.
PRMI is committed to working “by my Spirit” and avoiding the temptation to operate by human “power or might.”
One example of this is when we were building the PRMI Prayer House. We chose not to borrow money. Instead, we only had the work done at times when the funds were available. That was a major test for us and forced us back into urgent prayers for provision.
Our goal is that Jesus will build the fellowship, programs, and facilities at the Community of the Cross, and the only way we can do that is “by His Spirit!”
By God’s grace, we will continue to walk on the right side of that Continental Divide throughout 2023, flowing with the Holy Spirit!
Upward Challenge 2023
After a three-year break when the global pandemic was a catalyst for the innovative online Upward Challenge: Global Edition, we are relaunching the Upward Challenge camp for youth at the Community of the Cross, July 23-28, 2023.
Victoria Geurink will be directing the event this year, together with a leadership team, and shares some of her vision for this reboot as follows:
My heart is that these students will be able to walk away with hope after some really hard years, walking in intimacy with Jesus Christ. Camps like Upward Challenge can be a major turning point in their lives, a highlight in their faith journey, and that’s my heart for them.
I first got involved through Family Camp, where I heard about Upward Challenge, and took part in my first one a few years later at Camp Geneva, Michigan. Last year I was part of the leadership team for the Global Edition and enjoyed it a lot, especially the fellowship of being part of the team.
This was a great event, but there were some missing pieces, especially being together in fellowship and being onsite and actually meeting in small groups rather than trying to do it all exclusively online.
Later last year the Lord kept nudging me about directing the next year’s camp. He was asking me: “Are you willing to step up into this position? I’m calling you into it!” I kept wrestling with wanting someone to ask me, but during Exousia He told me: “You need to say something.” So, I offered, and it seemed like I’m the right person for this year.
At the moment I’m praying for the right team to help make this happen, because I know I’m not meant to do it all on my own. For me the challenge is getting started, creating this new camp, working on content, seeing what God is going to do, and having faith that students will actually show up!
And I want to figure out how to make this a model that can be transferable and sustainable so it’s not just here at the Community of the Cross.
Would you be willing to be part of a team praying for Victoria, her team, and Upward Challenge 2023? Contact Victoria at victoria@prmi.org for more information and visit www.prmi.org/events to register.
A Special Note from Cindy Strickler
The DFI was an amazing time of fellowship, worship and inspiration. I hope you have enjoyed reading some of the highlights and themes that the Lord has given us for ministry in 2023. I wanted to share feedback from one participant.
She wrote this in response to the question,
“Did God do something in you or through you at this event?”
She said, “Absolutely! Refilled my joy, renewed me for ministry. Last year was a rough year of grief, loneliness, discouragement in ministry. My long- term vision/perspective was returned as you shared PRMI’s timelines and history.”
It was a healing and renewing time for many, including those of us in leadership.
Please keep the work of PRMI in prayer as we move through 2023. The only way we can do that is “by His Spirit!” By God’s grace, we will continue to walk on the right side of that Continental Divide throughout 2023, flowing with the Holy Spirit!
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