The Dunamis Fellowship Alaska held its annual meeting on February 6, 2016 at the Alliance Bible Church in Anchorage, AK. Our annual meeting is typically a time of celebration and thanksgiving which includes testimonies, prayer, and worship. In the months of planning for this year’s annual meeting, the DFAK Leadership Team was surprised to receive guidance that this meeting was to be a “Solemn Assembly.” Rather than a celebratory event, this would be a weighty time for serious business.
I opened my Bible to examine the significance of a “solemn assembly.” In short, the distinguishing feature that makes an ordinary gathering a “solemn assembly” is that God is the One Who designates the time for Him to do business with His people.
We felt that God intended to dispense new, or improved, gifts; to call people into new assignments; or to “ramp up” the assignments they already had. The Leadership Team had high expectations for the day.
Indeed, we recognized that God’s increased call upon the members of the leadership team was evident as we got closer to the time of the meeting. Judy Cook is the Director of DFAK and has been out of state for several months. She was involved via Skype in the prayer and planning sessions for this meeting, but would be unable to attend the Solemn Assembly. In the director’s absence, Judy Holland led the meeting along with Terri Miller and Susan Lundgren. Kersten Harnley, who has provided worship leadership twice for Upward Challenge, served us beautifully in worship. It was a prime opportunity to include her in the larger Dunamis community. All four of us were stepping into new levels of responsibility for this meeting.
As the date of the meeting drew near, I received strategy for the order of the meeting and clear direction about the ministry time. I spoke with both Terri and Susan to share the guidance I was getting and to discuss their roles for the Solemn Assembly. I wanted both of them to assist with discerning the Spirit’s leading throughout the day, and I felt the three of us were to provide ministry as the means by which God would “do business” with each participant. I strongly believed that I was directed to pray in tongues over each person. Susan often gets interpretation when I pray in tongues, and Terri often receives prophetic words. It seemed that God would use these gifts as a three-fold cord to move in power at the annual meeting.
Despite their personal doubts about being fit for that type of ministry, they trusted my discernment and stepped into the role God had designated for each of them. In this way, God started by “doing business” with the leadership and then, through us, “did business” with the rest of our community. Our willingness to take the risk of obedience was confirmed by God moving in power and revelation during the ministry time of the Solemn Assembly.
I spoke very briefly about the significance of this being a Solemn Assembly – a designated time of coming before the Lord to receive His direction, deployment and equipping. Participants were encouraged to open their hearts to the Lord, and to come for ministry as they felt led. When people came for ministry, the ministry team did not ask them what God had been showing them, or how they wanted us to pray. Instead, this was God’s appointment, and He had particular business to conduct with each one without needing their input. At least 2/3 of the participants confirmed the words and prayers at the moment of ministry or during the debrief at the end. There were additional prayer times scattered through the next week in which God furthered His agenda in our community. It certainly appeared that God “did business” with His people.
The task before us as leaders is to be alert for how these individual adjustments, assignments, and gifts affect us as a community. We need to recognize how God is equipping this community for new assignments, and how He wants to deploy this ministry based on the work He did among us at the Solemn Assembly.
It was such a joy to move in freedom with Him, to explore new dimensions of His work and gifting, and to see Him multiply the “loaves and fishes” that we brought to Him.
In His hands, the humblest offerings are filled with grace to meet the need of the moment. What a wonderful Savior! Glory and honor to our Mighty King! He is so worthy–so Worthy of Praise! Glory! Glory! Glory!
