Bristol parish becomes part of Nigerian Church

Trinity Episcopal Church in Bristol, one of the "Connecticut Six," has become part of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. This is truly a momentous story:

Trinity Episcopal Church in Bristol, as of Sunday, became part of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, said Trinity's rector, the Rev. Donald Helmandollar. The convocation is a self-described mission of the Nigerian church serving Episcopalians who hold traditional beliefs.

"We have remained with the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church has demonstrated, continues to demonstrate, that they are walking apart from the communion," Helmandollar said.
Trinity and five other parishes had sued Connecticut Bishop Andrew Smith in 2005 seeking several million dollars in damages. They say he violated their civil and property rights after they tried to break away from his authority because he supported the election of Gene Robinson, bishop of New Hampshire. A federal judge dismissed the case last year and the parishes are appealing.

Some parishes in Virginia have aligned themselves with the Nigerian church.

The Episcopal Church has splintered since the 2003 consecration of Robinson. The denomination has adopted a general acceptance of gays.

Helmandollar said the congregation voted nearly unanimously to make the move because its members see the Episcopal Church abandoning "the orthodox tenets" of Christian belief.

So says the AP, but you have to love the ridiculous headline: "After schism, Connecticut church becomes ally of Nigerian sect." Given that there are probably more Anglicans in Nigeria nowadays than in Merry Olde England itself, I'm not sure whether to chalk up that kind of thing to ignorance of religion, ignorance of the facts on the ground, or patronizing. There's also the sneer factor of putting the phrase "the orthodox tenets" in quotes.

And they say the mainstream media doesn't "get" religion!

Bristol native under police guard in Turkey

Please pray for this brother, a Bristol, Conn. native and Christian worker, as he and his family attempt to move out of the nation of Turkey for their own safety. In the wake of anti-Christian persecution and murders, all Christians in the Middle East need our support and prayers.

Have those intolerant Christians finally met their match?

There are few people more frightening in our society than the intolerant Christians. As we all know, Christians (especially those benighted souls who actually read and believe the Bible) are a font of all sorts of societal ills. Their intolerant and bigoted ways have oppressed millions of freedom-seekers throughout the centuries. And if we're not careful, their insistence on biblical morality could bring our society back to those dark days of a couple of years ago, before there were even civil unions.

Is there any force more destructive to personal rights than these Christians?

I hate to scare our readership, but apparently our media has learned that there are other religions in the world capable of inflicting harm on people - and they do it using their religion as justification!

One particular religion has been making news in some country called Malaysia, where a woman who had converted to Christianity (?) could not have this decision legally recognized by the government. Leaving aside for the moment the question of why a country would even require that a person's religion be legally recognized, this seems rather intolerant. Even Time magazine seemed a bit troubled by this.

It also seems from the news that people who follow this other religion have special cities where no one other than believers is allowed to go under pain of arrest. (Not even Jerry Falwell could have pulled that one off!)

I'm a little confused because I would expect our media and our leaders to be alarmed at this kind of intolerance. They are probably just too busy worrying about the intolerant Christians and will probably tackle this other group later. Hopefully this other group doesn't have any harmful intentions towards Western countries.

First the Christians and now these people, whoever they are.

What's the world coming to?

Rally for Marriage brings out 300 to Hartford

Yesterday's Rally for Marriage brought out an estimated 300 people - on a Wednesday morning no less, according to the Family Institute of Connecticut. We give thanks for the representation from our elected representatives, which, according to the FIC, included Rep. Marilyn Guiliano (R - Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Westbrook), Al Adinolfi (R - Cheshire, Hamden, Wallingford), Vincent Candelora (R - East Haven, North Branford, Wallingford), Bruce Morris (D - Norwalk) and T.R. Rowe (R - Trumbull).

Channel 8 has some reporting here, and there's an AP story here which quotes FIC's Brian Brown on the need for a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage. Many media outlets seem to have ignored this story altogether.

Fairfield megachurch halts plans to move to Easton

Black Rock Congregational Church is staying put in Fairfield for now, according to the Connecticut Post:

Tim Kanuch, the church's consultant for ministry expansion, said Thursday that after months of study the 100-acre property at Routes 136 and 59, where the church had considered building a new sanctuary, was found to be unsuitable.

"It's not one thing. It's a lot of things," Kanuch said, when asked if early opposition in Easton to the plan was a reason to drop the proposal.

"We didn't even get to that point. We didn't even file a zoning application to see what kind of opposition there would be," Kanuch said.

Three hundred members of the congregation voted last November in favor of buying Huntley Stone's 100 acres. Now, the church is likely to consider options for expansion in surrounding communities, including Bridgeport, Trumbull and Monroe, Kanuch said.

"The congregation was disappointed, but our ministry is growing and this site would not have been good for us," Kanuch said.

Read more here. We wish Black Rock well as they continue to search.

New Churches Added to the Connecticut Church Map

We're happy to announce that the following churches have been added to the Connecticut Church Map:

Hartford: Crossroads Outreach Ministries (meets at The Open Hearth)

Marlborough: Fellowship Community Church

If you'd like to add a church, please write us at info@prayct.org!

Saying goodbye to Connecticut

Sure, we have the McMansions. (We have the real kind, too.) Sure we have political candidates of all stripes visiting us to collect some green - four big names have hit Greenwich in the several weeks alone. We have upstate money and downstate money, too.

What we don't have is young people sticking around to join the party. They can't afford to.

Astronomical house prices may be good for longtime property owners, but it's discouraging the state's 25- to 34-year-olds, according to a new study that says 10 percent of that age group is moving out of state.

In fact, Connecticut leads the nation in the portion of its young-adult population that has decamped the state, searching for a more affordable life, said the study's author, Bruce Bluestone, director of the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University. Bluestone said that more housing stock, especially affordable homes for young families, is a key to the state's future. (Emphasis added.)

"The high price of housing is indeed a significant factor in the decline in employment and population in Connecticut," Bluestone said. "An increase in housing supply could actually 'inoculate' Connecticut homeowners against the possibility of a long-term precipitous decline in housing values." During an extended presentation in the Legislative Office Building on Monday, aimed at increasing legislative support for a bill that would give towns and cities a flexible and more affordable way to create housing units, Bluestone joined lawmakers, young adults, housing experts and economists in warning about potentially dire economic consequences.

So says the Connecticut Post, no right-wing alarmists they. In their rush to wreck other aspects of our life, what is the Legislature doing about such an appalling statistic? It looks like there is an affordable housing program in the works, but will it be enough?

This young gentleman tells us why he is getting out of here as fast as he can:

....My highest-paying job after graduating from Southern Connecticut State University was - I kid you not - as a pizza deliveryman. With tips, I made $15 an hour. Not bad, but that's not what I went to school to become.

That stint ended when I found work at a university library. As someone who had worked as a library assistant in college, I thought my job was safe and that eventually I could apply for a better job within the university. Less than a month after going to work, however, my supervisor pulled me aside and told me that the job was not for me.

It was a hard winter for me. To pay the bills, I worked part time for a media research company. However, at 20 hours a week, I couldn't even afford to pay my car insurance. In March, I thought things were finally picking up. I had an interview with a manufacturing company that wanted a technical writer. At last my hard work and perseverance had paid off. But it was not to be. During the interview, the supervisor told me that many in the company believed that my purpose at the company was to train workers overseas. I shook his hand and walked out the door.

But the nail in the coffin isn't Connecticut's present - it's the future. Connecticut is stagnant in several key categories. We rank 49th out of 50th in job growth and per capita federal spending. We rank behind Alabama in tax funds appropriated for operating expenses for colleges and universities, for student aid and for state higher-education agencies, according the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University.

What's worse, our elected officials are rewarded, rather than castigated, for exacerbating the problem. While neighboring states New York and New Jersey have passed property tax reform to ease the tax burden on middle-class families, Connecticut has done no such thing. While Massachusetts has become the first state in the union to have universal health insurance, Connecticut also has done no such thing.

OK, he's a little confused, not realizing that universal health insurance would probably bankrupt us completely, but he's got it - it's taxes.

Don Pesci of Connecticut Commentary lays it all out for us as he explains, memorably, "...Why Florida Is A Boom Town and Connecticut A Wreck":

The city of Hartford is forced to go begging for a reprive from the legislature because a) the city itself has not minded its spending, b) revaluation has enriched the government of Hartford while impoverishing its people, c) the city now finds it must reverse an earlier prudent decision to eliminate a tax that is punishing to businesses because people simply cannot afford the hike in taxes.

The good news is – they can always more to Florida, where the weather is fine, the taxes are low and business is booming.

Oh yes; I almost forgot -- in Florida sprawl is pretty. Naples itself has sprawled and sprawled and sprawled; it keeps getting bigger and better all the time. This satisfies the town fathers, state politicians and those who depend on the large increase in tax revenue produced by the influx of nutmeggers fleeing south. The more people there are, the more tax revenue there is. And businesses follow. Businesses do not lobby legislatures in an attempt to pursuade graspng politicians to favor them over the vox populi. Between the two, there is an amiable truce; what is good for one is good for the other.

Here in the Land Of Steady Bad Habits, taxing is a zero sum game, and the fittest will survive -- or move to Florida, where everyone is happy, tanned and carefree.

Well said. At the rates things are going, taxes and spiraling home prices will soon expel everyone who can be expelled.

Will Mrs. Rell and the Legislature address taxes, especially in light of our surpluses?

Will we at least get our 25 cents a gallon gas tax down? Or will we only get more calls for investigations of the high gas prices?

Church helps prostitutes start over

Walnut Hill Church in Bethel is helping prostitutes in Bangladesh:

"When you look at the example of Jesus," said the Rev. Clive Calver, the church's senior pastor. "He always gave people the chance of a new life."

The girls and women work in a village called Banisanta, on the banks of the Mongla River in Bangladesh. They range from age 13 to their early 30s, says Mark Munshi, a native Bangladeshi who heads the Christian Service Society. Many of them are 15, 16, 17 years old. Most don't want to be there, he said. "The women want to get out." Munshi said extreme poverty, or in some cases force, brought them and keep them in Banisanta.

Read it all here.

Major rally for marriage scheduled for this Wednesday

From the Family Institute of Connecticut comes this notice:

On Wednesday, May 23rd at 10:00 a.m. the Family Institute of Connecticut will hold a second Rally for Marriage and Lobby Day on the east grounds of the state capitol in Hartford. After the Rally all of those interested will make their way over to room 1B of the Legislative Office Building where we will receive packets of pro-family information. From there we will go to meet with our individual legislators to ask them to vote against same-sex "marriage" whenever it comes up again--and to vote for a referendum to let the people decide.

Anti-family activists already plan to bring back the defeated same-sex "marriage" bill at their earliest opportunity. And several of Connecticut's Supreme Court Justices have hinted that they might be willing to impose same-sex "marriage" by judicial fiat.

At the Rally FIC will discuss a mechanism in our state constitution that provides our best opportunity to let the people decide the future of marriage. But it to make happen, we will need your support.

We need your help to get the word out about our May 23rd Rally to your churches, friends and families. We especially need the help of homeschoolers who were central in making the previous rally so successful. The next fight to protect marriage begins on May 23rd!

Please call your state representative and state senator and make an appointment to meet with them on May 23rd. House Democrats can be reached at 800-842-8267 and House Republicans can be reached at 800-842-1423. Senate Democrats can be reached at 800-842-1420 and Senate Republicans can be reached at 860-240-8800.

Directions to the Legislative Office Building (LOB)
(The Legislative Office Building is located at 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford.)

Traveling on I-84 East - Take Exit 48, Capitol Avenue, get into the right lane of the exit ramp. At the end of the exit ramp turn right onto Capitol Avenue. Take the first right past the Legislative Office Building, proceed to the back of the garage and take a right to enter the garage using the left hand lane.

Traveling on I-84 West - Take Exit 48, towards Asylum Street, go straight onto Spring Street. Turn right onto Asylum Avenue, stay straight onto Farmington Avenue. Turn left at the YWCA (will be diagonally to your left in front of you) onto Broad Street, proceed through two stop lights, immediately after the Armory building take the first left into the driveway and then another left at the end of the driveway. Follow this road around the garage to the back and take a right to enter the garage using the left hand lane.

Traveling on I-91 North or South - Take Exit 29A, Capitol Ave., stay over to the far left. You will come to Pulaski Circle, travel halfway around and take a right onto Elm St. Go to the end of Elm St., you are now facing the Capitol Building. Take a left onto Trinity St. At the first traffic light take a right onto Capitol Ave. Go past the Capitol building and the I-84 entrance ramp, all on your right. Take the first right past the Legislative Office Building, proceed to the back of the garage and take a right to enter the garage using the left hand lane.

Parking Instructions - Parking is extremely limited. Allow yourself extra time to park.

• Limited public parking is available on level one of the Legislative Office Building.
• Across the street from the Legislative Office Building, and across Capitol Ave. is Hungerford Street. There is street parking in this entire neighborhood, free of charge.
• When all else fails, on Oak Street (diagonally across to the left from the Legislative Office Building) off of Capitol Ave., there is a public parking garage in the CT Education association Building (CEA building - across from CT Supreme Court Library). This garage costs money, but will save you the time and aggravation of having to park.
• There is also parking available on the street next to the parking garage.

Christian Events in Connecticut This Week

The following events are coming up this week... for more details please visit the Connecticut Christian Events Calendar!

Monday, May 21
Litchfield County Regional Prayer Meeting (Torrington)

Wednesday, May 23
Intercessory Prayer (Colchester)

Thursday, May 24
Prayer in the Park (Hartford)

Saturday, May 26
Solid Rock Cafe Christian Coffeehouse (North Haven)

Sunday, May 27 - The Global Day of Prayer
The 1000 Lives Tour (Stamford)

New Churches Added to the Connecticut Church Map

We're happy to announce that the following churches have been added to the Connecticut Church Map:

Milford: Grace Baptist Church

North Haven: Evangelical Baptist Church

If you'd like to add a church, please write us at info@prayct.org!

I know what Thomas Hooker would do!

Thomas Hooker and Company give thanks upon reaching the Connecticut River. As far as we can tell, there was no discussion of the virtues of homosexual marriage that day.

For those who don't remember their philosophy and logic classes, Princeton's WordNet dictionary defines sophistry as "a deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone."

There's no better example of this sort of thing than Hartford Courant writer Susan Campbell, who wonders what Connecticut Puritan Thomas Hooker would think about homosexual marriage.

Hmmm, that's really a tough one! Could be fodder for a graduate thesis.

Ms. Campbell has advice for the pro-family citizens of Connecticut:

Going to the Christian scriptures on this, as opponents seem so wont to do, doesn't work. If you're quoting Jesus on homosexuality, you're making it up. Jesus was silent on the topic.

Attention, Hartford Courant: the New Testament is not a collection of the "Sayings of Jesus."

The New Testament is a collection of 27 books, none of which was authored by Jesus. The New Testament books, mostly authored by Jesus' apostles, condemn homosexuality in strong terms and, by the way, we learn in 1 Corinthians, chapter 6 that some Christians used to be homosexuals before coming to faith in Christ. It seems that Jesus Christ has the power to free people from homosexual desires, or so the New Testament writers seem to have thought!

Jesus Himself, being Jewish, was raised in an environment where the Law of Moses (the Torah) forbid homosexuality on pain of death.

There was therefore no reason for Jesus to give sweeping discourses on the desirability of homosexual "marriage." All Jews and Christians who have the least shred of interest in following the sacred texts of their religions of course accept as a given that God is opposed to the practice of homosexuality.

As for Thomas Hooker, people should read what he had to say instead of suggesting that he might have lacked guidance on the matter. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which Susan Campbell calls "a progressive piece of writing" and which Hooker helped to author, suggests that society should be ordered according to Christian teaching and morality.

For as much as it hath pleased Almighty God by the wise disposition of his divine providence so to order and dispose of things that we the Inhabitants and Residents of Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield are now cohabiting and dwelling in and upon the River of Connectecotte and the lands thereunto adjoining; and well knowing where a people are gathered together the word of God requires that to maintain the peace and union of such a people there should be an orderly and decent Government established according to God, to order and dispose of the affairs of the people at all seasons as occasion shall require; do therefore associate and conjoin ourselves to be as one Public State or Commonwealth; and do for ourselves and our successors and such as shall be adjoined to us at any time hereafter, enter into Combination and Confederation together, to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus which we now profess, as also, the discipline of the Churches, which according to the truth of the said Gospel is now practiced amongst us; as also in our civil affairs to be guided and governed according to such Laws, Rules, Orders and Decrees as shall be made, ordered, and decreed as followeth:

How very interesting! It seems that early Connecticut residents believed their government was formed in order to maintain the liberty and purity of the Gospel.

But, one may ask, on what basis did these Colonial Progressives make decisions and laws? It seems that in Hooker's world the Governor and Magistrates had

"the power to administer justice according to the Laws here established, and for want thereof, according to the Rule of the Word of God..."

In other words, if there was no law applicable to a given situation, the Word of God would tell them what to do. (Attention Courant - that would be the Bible!)

And so, finally, we know what Thomas Hooker would think about two men getting married. He would think the same thing about it that everyone in the Judeo-Christian tradition has always thought about it: it's wrong.

Please stop saying that we can't tell what Christianity teaches about this, or worse, that it teaches that "gay marriage" is OK.

What's in a headline?

As I was scanning the news this morning, I noticed this irony: right after the headline which said, "Falwell's Death Draws Mixed Editorials" was another one stating, "Gay Episcopal bishop to enter civil union with partner."

While Evangelicals would say that Jerry Falwell's church and university ministries have done much to advance the Kingdom of God, it's clear that his societal mission was a failure. When I was a younger man and there was a lot of noise about the Moral Majority, no one could have imagined that 25 years later there would be "gay weddings." (Not to mention gay bishops.)

Even our recent pro-life and pro-family victories (for which, lest I be misunderstood, we give thanks) are not victories in the true sense - they were holding actions in which some holes in the dike have been plugged.

Although there are hopeful signs in many places, for the most part the moral tide is still working against traditional Christian morality. Within the past one or two years a new and vociferous atheism has taken the field. Other powerful opponents such as militant Islam are vying for supremacy through political intimidation and skillful use of the language of rights and discrimination.

Let's continue to work and pray for the salvation of men and women and the transformation of society. I'm hopeful because I believe Christians have seen the limits of what political action per se can do in our nation.

Call for 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting for America

From the ministries of Francis Frangipane and Lou Engle comes this call to fasting and prayer for our nation. We urge you to read and act!



Lou Engle is a radical man of God, a man committed to seeing America transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Lou and Pastor Frangipane are good friends, and Francis serves as an advisor to Lou's ministry. Lou's message about prayer and fasting during this time is significant and appropriate. Francis also encourages Christians to individually hear from the Lord as they seek how the Lord would have them fast, that it would be with vision, grace and sacrifice, without opening the door to legalism. Pastor Francis will be participating with Lou Engle July 7, 2007 at The Call Nashville.


40 Days for 40 Years
Lou Engle

There are moments in history when a door for massive change opens, and great revolutions for good or evil spring up in the vacuum created by these openings. In these divine moments, key men and women and even entire generations risk everything to become the hinge of history, the pivotal point that determines which way the door will swing.

The rebellious generation of the 60’s seized its moment, and history crashed into the deep abyss of drug addiction, sexual immorality, hatred for authority, and a rejection of the law of God. 1967 was a culminating and defining moment in that rebellion. In 1967, 100,000 young people, aged 15 to 25, flocked to San Francisco to experience the hippie movement. This mass convergence was sparked by the hit song, "San Francisco" (Wear a Flower in your Hair). Once there, they experimented with LSD, pot, casual sex and Eastern mysticism in what became known as the “Summer of Love.”

When these newly recruited Flower Children returned home at the end of the summer, they brought with them new styles and ideas, flooding the cities of the US and Europe with a message that opposed authority and scorned conservative morals. This counterculture rebellion was fueled by music and art, and it rapidly shifted global culture.

For 40 years we have been falling headlong into a black moral morass in America and all through the West. We are reaping the waves of destruction in every sector of our post-Christian society. Can America survive another 40 years? We are declaring NO! A thousand times NO! Unless a massive spiritual shift occurs at this moment, our children will live under an antichrist system and Godless enculturation that will bring about the demise of America, as we know it.

But God has a prescription for such a massive shift, and it is revealed in the power of the great transitional 40-day fast. God in His sovereign control over the parade of history delivered the Israelites out of Egypt. Longing to release a moral code that would give foundations for righteousness, for time and eternity, God summoned Moses to a 40-day fast on Mount Sinai. In that fast all of history changed, and the law of God was delivered from heaven to earth. If America is going to return to God, it must recover that law again as its foundation for truth.

Elijah, at the height of Jezebel’s cultic dominion over Israel, fasted 40 days, broke the spell of Jezebel off of his own life and received a mandate to anoint the next generation. That fast unleashed a movement that toppled Jezebel’s regime of hell, which perpetrated the destruction of family, the killing of innocent children, the silencing of the voice of God’s people and the widespread culture of sexual immorality. The fruit of that fast culminated in the utter destruction of Baal worship in Israel.

Also, in the fullness of time, the glorious gospel era was born when Jesus fasted 40 days, and those who sat in darkness saw a great light. Clearly the 40-day fast is heaven’s great transitional prescription, moving nations from failure to fulfillment of promise. Is it any surprise that when Jesus was to enter into His great sacrifice where death would be swallowed up in victory, Elijah and Moses appear with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration? All three of them were together as the 40-day fasters. They presided over the great transitions of history.

When the Israelites were poised to move into the Promise Land, spies were sent out for 40 days. When they returned carrying an evil report, a whole generation was infected with unbelief, and they turned their backs on the Promise Land. God’s sentence on that generation was, “And your sons shall be wanderers in the wilderness for 40 years and bear the brunt of your infidelity until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land 40 days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely 40 years, and you shall know my rejection” (Numbers 14:33-34). It was 40 years of judgment for 40 days failure.

Conversely, the great prophet Ezekiel received a 40-day prayer assignment for a 40-year failure of Judah’s iniquity. “Lie again on your right side, then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah, 40 days I have laid on you a day for each year” (Ezekiel 4:6). It was clearly 40 days prayer for 40 years of failure.

When Jesus fasted 40 days and was tempted of the devil, He quoted from the book of Deuteronomy saying, “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” And again, “You shall not tempt the Lord thy God” and again, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you worship.” Jesus, in His victory over Satan, was quoting the book of Deuteronomy, the portion of Scripture delivered by Moses to the generation who failed in the desert. Jesus in His 40-day fast was clearly identifying with that passage of Scripture and that generation that came out of Egypt. As an intercessor, in His 40-day fast He was fulfilling what a generation had failed in for 40 years.

Forty years are up! Could the church of America in a 40-day fast deliver a nation out of a 40-year curse? We have scriptural precedent to believe for such a turning! Therefore, we are trumpeting a call to 40 days of fasting--like Moses, like Elijah, like Ezekiel, and like Jesus. We must bear the iniquity in 40 days of fasting and intercession for the past 40 years of divorcing God in America, embracing a culture of sexual immorality, hedonism, materialism, abortion, and the rejection of Christ in the public place. But we are also calling for 40 days of fasting and prayer for the greatest outbreak of kingdom power in signs and wonders, and a spiritual awakening in America that will collide with this present darkness and topple its cultural dominion over our people. Thousands went on 40-day fasts in 1946, and in 1947 the great healing revivals broke out. In 1948 the latter rain outpourings began. Bill Bright and Billy Graham’s ministries were born at the same time, and Israel became a nation. Could it be that the 40-day fast preceded this explosion of power by the Spirit? After Jesus’ 40-day fast, the Scripture says He returned in the power of the Spirit. Yes, the promise of Joel 2 is that after the fast, "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh."

Forty years ago, in 1967, the Jesus Movement broke out--a youth revival starting on the streets that swept across the country, exploding in college campuses and coffee houses. People were being saved everywhere. Now, 40 years later, we are crying, do it again God, way beyond the Jesus movement!

In 1967, in a war and obviously by the supernatural hand of God, Jerusalem was taken and once again brought under the control of the state of Israel. This was a monumental signpost in the shifting of eras. The dispensation of the times of the Gentiles was now beginning to shift to the times when Jerusalem will become the last days focus for God’s activity in the earth. For 40 days we are joining Israel in a 40-day fast, crying out to God that they would see their Messiah and begin to receive their greatest spiritual awakening since the days of the Apostles.

Brothers and sisters, moments like these come only once in a lifetime. To miss such a moment could be to miss the purpose of God for a generation. The generation that refused to cross over the Jordan did not know that they had only one day to make the decision, and missing that day meant 40 years in the desert.

Even now we are receiving reports that other countries are calling 40-day fasts. Could we, like Jesus, be in a global 40-day season of fasting to see a global outbreak of light when great darkness is covering the earth? Beginning the evening of May 28, we are calling two generations to 40 days of fasting and prayer culminating on 7-7-07, the perfection of time, in a massive national gathering of fasting, intercession, repentance and worship, declaring we want to remarry the Lord. We want to cross over into the promise land of national revival. We want to break this 40-year curse. May thousands seek God in water, juice and Daniel fasts from May 28 through 7-7-07, The Call Nashville.

What would happen in America if for 40 days we sealed the electronic cultural sewer that flows nightly into our living rooms and spent our strength seeking the Lord? What if tens of thousands of fathers and mothers across our nation fasted for 40 days repenting and cleansing themselves of inward toleration of sexual immorality, pornography, addiction to food and entertainment, and materialism? What if they prayed daily for their spiritual and physical children to see them converted to Christ and freed from rebellion, addictions, depression, and suicide? What if the young generation fasted for 40 days to be cleansed from lust, media addiction, and rebellion toward their parents, believing that a double portion of the Holy Spirit would come upon there lives?

Moses fasted 40 days and mentored a spiritual son named Joshua, which means "the Lord saves." Elijah fasted 40 days and threw his mantle on a double portion son, Elisha, which means "the Lord saves." And John the Baptist fasted in the desert and prepared the way for a double portion son named Jesus, which means "the Lord saves." Jesus fasted 40 days and unleashed the apostolic glory of the eternal Son of God into the earth. What If we are preparing a generation for the greatest day of salvation in history? And, what if tens of thousands of both generations fast together and gather on 7-7-07 for The Call Nashville in LP Field to cry out to God in a Joel 2 moment for a great national returning to the Lord?

The parade of history has brought us into a profound generational landmark, and a great vacuum has opened again. If the church does not seize this moment, Muslims will! Antichrist rage will! Sexual perversion will! Anarchy will! But now is the time for key men and women, even an entire generation to risk everything to become the hinge of history, the pivotal point which determines which way the door will swing in America and in the nations of the earth. It's 40 Days or 40 Years! Seize the Day!

We will be launching this fast with a worldwide simulcast on God TV on May 26. For all information on the 40-day fast and The Call Nashville please visit www.fastandpray.com and www.thecall.com.

(Republication courtesy Ministries of Francis Frangipane.)

Christian Events in Connecticut This Week

We've been unable to post so we apologize for this coming to you late. The following events are coming up this week... for more details please visit the Connecticut Christian Events Calendar!

Thursday, May 17
Prayer in the Park (Hartford)

Friday, May 18
The Breaking Point Women's Conference (Southbury)
Arise Spring Regional Gathering (Groton)
Sozo Cafe Friday Night Jam (Hamden)

Saturday, May 19
The Breaking Point Women's Conference (Southbury)
Christian Coffeehouse (Danbury)

Sunday, May 20
The Breaking Point Women's Conference (Southbury)

Pray for the Connecticut Supreme Court

The State's highest Court takes up this morning the matter of whether there is a constitutional right of homosexual couples to marry rather than merely enter into civil unions. Arguments begin at 10:00 AM.

Please pray for the preservation of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, lest the unthinkable become the norm.

Tremendous victory for pro-family forces in Connecticut

The Hartford Courant is reporting that leading Democrats do not intend to seek a vote on same-sex marriage this term, citing the likely lack of votes:

"A significant number of legislators have told us that they are currently in favor of same-sex marriage personally, but feel the state will be ready for it in another year or two. With time, these are the people that will create a majority," [Representative Mike] Lawlor said in a press release issued Friday. "This doesn't surprise me because we've been seeing the same trends happening in the general public, too, with more people gradually coming out in support for same-sex marriage. When it passes, I hope it is a strong bipartisan vote as was the case with civil unions in 2005."

While we give thanks for this, we must remain vigilant in prayer. We ask you to continue to pray as the Connecticut Supreme Court will hear oral argument on Monday in a case seeking the validation of same-sex marriage.

"Prayer in the Park" begins tonight

Prayer In The Park is meeting once again in Hartford's Bushnell Park. Join Capital Area intercessors as they lift Hartford up before the Lord in prayer. Prayer in the Park runs every Thursday night from 6:00pm until sunset, all summer.

This year's dates are from May 10 to September 14.

Location: Bushnell Park, at the bandshell in front of the State Capitol Building.

Be sure to bring a lawn chair!

Vision New England President to speak on evangelism that works

Rev. David Midwood, President of Vision New England, will be speaking on Saturday, May 12 from 9:00am to 12:00 noon at the Advent Christian Church, 217 New Harwinton Road, in Torrington.

In this meeting Rev. Midwood will

A. Share the results of an extensive study on evangelism that works in New England.
B. Explain how Vision New England intends to help local churches mobilize for evangelism.
C. Address the issue of breaking church growth barriers.

This is a great opportunity for clergy, lay people & church evangelism committees interested in building the Kingdom and the local church. Registration is free but please do RSVP at ron4sqch@worldnet.att.net if interested. Light refreshments will be served.

Christian Events in Connecticut This Week

The following events are coming up this week... for more details please visit the Connecticut Christian Events Calendar!

Wednesday, May 9:
Intercessory Prayer (Colchester)
Fairfield County Pastors' Luncheon (TBD)

Thursday, May 10:
Regional Prayer Meeting (New Haven)
Living Free in Christ Seminar with Neil Anderson (West Haven)

Friday, May 11:
Living Free in Christ Seminar with Neil Anderson (West Haven)

Saturday, May 12:
Living Free in Christ Seminar with Neil Anderson (West Haven)
Statewide Intercessors Gathering (Kensington)
David Midwood (Torrington)
House of Grace Community Coffeehouse (Milford)

What is happening to the bees?

I've resisted talking about this because one shouldn't jump on every blogging bandwagon, but scientists are growing alarmed about a drop in the number of honeybees. This isn't National Enquirer-type stuff, but something to frighten the folks at CNN:

Honeybees do not just make honey; they pollinate more than 90 of the tastiest flowering crops the country has.

Among them: apples, nuts, avocados, soybeans, asparagus, broccoli, celery, squash and cucumbers. And lots of the really sweet and tart stuff, too, including citrus fruit, peaches, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and other melons.

In fact, about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Even cattle, which feed on alfalfa, depend on bees. So if the collapse worsens, Americans could end up being "stuck with grains and water," said Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for USDA's bee and pollination program.

"This is the biggest general threat to our food supply," Hackett said.

While not all scientists foresee a food crisis, noting that large-scale bee die-offs have happened before, this one seems particularly baffling and alarming.

U.S. beekeepers in the past few months have lost one-quarter of their colonies -- or about five times the normal winter losses -- because of what scientists have dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder.

Not much in the way of colony collapse yet in Connecticut, according to the Courant. And perhaps this was inevitable: some Christians are connecting this to end-time prophecies of famine in the Book of Revelation.

Something to pray about...

National Day of Prayer a great success

Although one town which I won't mention by name reportedly refused to let attendees use any municipal electricity, on the whole it seemed that public officials were glad to join Connecticut residents in asking God's blessing on our State and nation yesterday during the National Day of Prayer.

I heard Danbury's Mayor Boughton on the radio this morning speaking of the virtues of the NDOP. This was a blessing.

Literally scores of Connecticut towns and cities held observances:

This report from todays' Norwich Bulletin:

Tom Girard, 44, of Voluntown attended for the first time.

"We desperately need prayer. Without prayer, we cannot create a relationship with our lord, Jesus Christ," said Girard, a computer technician at Connecticut College.

Barb Young, 57, Les Young's wife, said she comes every year.

"It's important to gather publicly and pray for our nation's leaders and for all our governments," Young said.

In the city of Groton, Mayor Dennis Popp said the lawn of the City Municipal Building is made available to churches on National Day of Prayer.

"They have used our front lawn for many years. If needed, we have a small tent they can use," Popp said. "This year, six churches were represented. It began at noon and lasted an hour. I was able to attend for 20 minutes or so."

The Plainfield Area Churches' Ecumenical Ministry put on its sixth annual National Day of Prayer breakfast at Plainfield Congregational Church.

About 35 to 40 people attended, according to First Selectman Kevin Cunningham.

"Different ministers from the Plainfield area were there. The people gathered and talked on this day of reflection," Cunningham said. "This was a nice way to communicate with the community."

And in Middletown, the Press reported:

Mayor Sebastian N. Giuliano declared Thursday Day of Prayer in the city of Middletown. A ceremony, titled "America, Unite in Prayer," was held in front of City Hall around the flagpole that afternoon.

"In the city of Middletown and that this day signifies that prayer is as important to our nation today as it was in the beginning," the proclamation read.

Let's work together to make NDOP grow year by year!

Connecticut towns fight the SOBs!

I admit that's probably not a headline you'd expect to see here on an average day... but read on!

People in the Hartford area are constantly being exposed to those billboards - you know the ones. The ones you shouldn't be looking at...

Unfortunately, Connecticut moms are having to become experts at diverting their little ones' attention to what's on the other side of the road. Now Channel 30 (NBC) is reporting on the trouble faced by the good people at Bethany Covenant Church in Berlin.

We need to continue to pray and work against SOBs - that's the cute new name being given to "sexually oriented businesses."

We're happy that recently Attorney General Blumenthal received approval from a Federal Court to intervene as a friend of the Court in the Town of Berlin's fight against the company called VIP:

Very Intimate Pleasures, a sexually oriented chain store that Berlin officials are fighting to keep out of the town, objected Blumenthal's request.

"The court recognizes the ramifications this single case has beyond Berlin's borders for the entire state," Blumenthal said. "The state will be at Berlin's side in court -- protecting the right of every city and town in Connecticut to protect citizens from sexually oriented businesses.

The town has filed two lawsuits against VIP in federal court, hoping to keep it from opening a store on the Berlin Turnpike.

In November, the town's zoning board rejected VIP's plan to open a store and, more recently, town officials issued a cease-and-desist order against it after a VIP sign was placed outside the building into which it planned to locate....

"These businesses are proliferating across our state -- adult book and video stores, massage parlors and facilities featuring live nude entertainment -- opening shop on our Main Streets and near homes," Blumenthal said.

The New Britain Herald gives additional background:

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal joined Mayor Adam Salina and citizens of Berlin on Monday in the battle of municipalities to uphold their right to regulate sexually oriented businesses within their borders....

The attorney general thanked the people of Berlin for standing up and speaking out against "a statewide problem," the proliferation of sexually oriented businesses.

"What Berlin has done, and quite rightly, is restrict those stores and set limits on them," Blumenthal said. "The state is siding with Berlin. This fight goes way beyond Berlin's boundaries; it encompasses every town and municipality in the state. We will continue to fight at Berlin's side."

Under its Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance, Berlin prohibits such stores from operating within 250 feet from any residentially zoned land, as VIP is proposing. Blumenthal called the case significant because it threatens not only Berlin, but also towns and cities throughout the state that have enacted similar ordinances involving sexually oriented businesses. These municipalities include Ansonia, Branford, Bristol, Cromwell, Ellington, Enfield, Fairfield, Griswold, Hartford, Mansfield, Meriden, Rocky Hill, Seymour, Southington, South Windsor, West Hartford and Wethersfield.

Courts across the nation, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have upheld ordinances regulating sexually oriented businesses based on evidence of their adverse secondary effects. The attorney general said the harms of sexually oriented businesses are well documented. "(They) show increased crime, especially sex-related crime, reduced property values, the deterioration of neighboring businesses and a lower quality of life for residents in the surrounding area," he said.

Continue to pray for the Attorney General and the Town of Berlin as they fight for the rights of towns and cities to maintain a decent quality of life and shield their children from unwanted influences. If you have a chance, drop Mr. Blumenthal a note and tell him you appreciate these kinds of efforts.

Stamford man pleads guilty to tampering with juice

A Stamford man has pled guilty to tampering with grape juice by mixing it with dishwashing detergent - an act which ended up sickening some 40 people at Calvary Baptist Church in Darien who were taking Communion. According to Channel 8,

Court records show that 44 people, half of them senior citizens, reported burning sensations in their throat, vomiting and nausea after drinking the juice.

Prayer for our Nation, 2007

This is the 2007 Prayer for our Nation, written by Dr. Charles Swindoll, the 2007 National Day of Prayer Honorary Chairman:

Almighty God, we pause to reflect on Your character as we seek wisdom for such a time as this.

In these unsafe days, You remain all-powerful and able to protect;

In these uncertain times, You remain all-knowing, leading us aright;

In the unprecedented events we're facing, You remain absolutely sovereign.

Our times are in Your hands.

Therefore, our dependence on You, is total, not partial . . .

our need for Your forgiveness is constant . . .

our gratitude for Your grace is profound. . . our love for You is deep.

We ask that You guard and guide our President and all who serve the people of these United States. May uncompromising integrity mark their lives.

We also ask that You unite us as truly "one nation, under God." May genuine humility return to our ranks.

And may that blend of integrity and humility heal our land.

In our Lord's name we pray, Amen.

Photo by JimmyOK

Find a National Day of Prayer event near you!

Here's a commercial from Coach Tony Dungy about prayer and the National Day of Prayer which is coming up tomorrow.

Find Connecticut events here!

Governor Rell's National Day of Prayer Proclamation

I haven't been able to find the Governor's proclamation on the State website, but here it is from the National Day of Prayer site. It reads:

By Her Excellency M. Jodi Rell, Governor: an Official Statement

Whereas, May 3, 2007 marks the 56th annual observance of the National Day of Prayer, and the theme of this year's nationwide celebration is "America, Unite in Prayer;" and,

Whereas, in 1988 legislation was unanimously ratified by both houses of Congress, and signed by President Ronald Reagan, stating that the National Day of Prayer was to be observed on the first Thursday of every May; and,

Whereas, it is fitting that we should give thanks for the freedom and prosperity enjoyed by this State and our Nation and to pray for continued guidance and comfort, which has graciously been bestowed upon this Nation since its inception; and,

Whereas, as caring citizens of this great State, we recognize prayer to be both powerful and peaceful; now

Therefore, I, M. Jodi Rell, Governor of the State of Connecticut, do hereby proclaim May 3, 2007 as the

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

in the State of Connecticut, and urge all citizens to observe this day in ways appropriate to its importance and significance.

s/s M. Jodi Rell
Governor

We thank the Governor for issuing this proclamation and may God bless our State tomorrow and always.

The DaVinci Code is nonsense - mysterious carvings are probably musical notes

Mysterious church carvings in that spooky church in Rosslyn, Scotland? They must reveal the secret truth about the children of Jesus and Mary Magdalene! Or perhaps a medieval Scottish UFO crash!

Ummm, no... turns out it's probably just musical notes, actually. The wire services are buzzing today with the news that mysterious carvings in Rosslyn Chapel are actually musical notation. Britain's Sunday Mail says:

Music teacher Thomas Mitchell, 75, strived for 27 years before he and pianist son Stuart, 41, deciphered symbols in the chapel which featured in the Da Vinci Code book and film....

Thomas, of Edinburgh, said: "The music is the result of years of painstaking research, recreating secret notes hidden for almost 600 years in carvings on the arches within the chapel itself.

"We believe this is the Holy Grail of music and, unlike the Da Vinci Code, it is absolutely factual...."

Using skills learned as an RAF code-breaker during the Korean War and his lifetime knowledge of classical music, he finally realised they depicted the vibrations of musical notes. He said: "It was a Eureka moment to end all Eureka moments.

"Many angels were carrying musical instruments and some were even grouped as if they were a choir.

"But one angel gave me the biggest problem. He was carrying something and at first I thought it was musical instrument which had been lost in the mists of time.

"It was only when I realised that he was carrying a musical stave, the blueprint for all musical composition, that I knew I was looking at a secretly coded piece of music.

"By recreating the patterns on each of the carved cubes, with Stuart's help, we unlocked the notes to find a haunting piece of music had been hidden in the arches for centuries.

"For the choral sections, we've used the words from the hymns to St John the Baptist taken from Matthew in the Old Testament which is fitting because the chapel itself is dedicated to St Matthew."

Stuart, a classical composer and pianist, used computers to decipher the carvings' secret music.

He has named the mediaeval music the Rosslyn Motet.

He said: "I also used authentic mediaeval instruments to recreate the music exactly and it truly is a masterpiece.

You can hear a snippet of the music here. Interesting stuff, and quite haunting actually (mp3 file about 45 seconds long).

To me, the discovery of music hidden for many centuries is more interesting than the Da Vinci Code because the Da Vinci Code is fictional and this is quite possibly very real.

Internet Evangelism Day

I dropped the ball on this one even though I had every good intention of talking about it. Internet Evangelism Day was this past Sunday and although it's still not on many folks' radar, the concept seems to be taking off.

Be ready for next year or just pick up useful hints on how to make your church website more evangelistic and less "churchy" all year around by visiting Gospelcom's Internet Evangelism homepage.

Anyone who hasn't yet appreciated the potential of this medium to reach those who need a relationship with God needs to re-think a lot of things. All Christian webmasters and bloggers know, or should know, that their product is read by all sorts of people in all sorts of places. I can't explain why our humble blog, which mostly focuses on Connecticut, is well-read in Australia and New Zealand relative to our total numbers, nor why we've picked up a reader or two in Kansas. But it shows the power of the Web for good as well as for ill.

One suggestion for our friends at Gospelcom: they need to call it something other than IE Day. There is a famous product in the computer world which I used to use and which is often referred to as "IE." They're up to IE7 at the moment. :)