Couple have vision to see churches pray
by John Syratt

With a burning vision to see people join together in prayer in their city, business owners David and Heather Peddie founded Calgary’s City Wide Prayer Rally (CWPR). The quarterly prayer gatherings started in April, 2003. On Friday, October 17, believers from many denominations will gather to pray at St. Michael’s Catholic Community Church on the corner of Bow Trail and 45 Street SW for the 20th City Wide Prayer Rally in Calgary.

"We’re in constant contact with approximately 185 intercessors praying for this ministry," said David. "We’ve seen an increase in the spiritual climate in our city and it’s not by chance but by prayer. I think it’s time that prayer is front and centre in our churches and there’s a desperate need for prayer in our nation."

"We believe God’s heart is for the churches to be unified and in turn take home that unity to their local church and have weekly congregational prayer meetings," added Heather.

David and Heather Peddie have a passion
to see every church start a weekly prayer group.

The Peddies are excited at seeing more and more churches coming together for prayer. CWPR is one of the few regular ongoing prayer gatherings of its kind in Canada and according to the feedback they are receiving from many Christian leaders in Calgary, there is a greater hunger for prayer across the city.

"When we started this in 2002 to 2003, we were holding a prayer meeting in a room on the lower level of the Hospitality Inn," David recalled. "It was there we felt it could be much broader in its scope and we held our first City Wide Prayer Rally at First Baptist Church."

"Even though it’s been five and a half years, God has kept that fire burning," noted Heather. "We’ve had affirmations from so many people telling us to stay the course. We’re excited about what God is doing and will do. We pray, but we’ve also got to believe that God will do it!"

The Peddies have not walked alone in this prayer ministry; they are quick to point out that many local Christian leaders have laid the groundwork for corporate prayer in Calgary. "Pastor John Tiebe and Pastor John Hutchinson have been such an encouragement," said Heather. "They’ve come alongside us and given their all. For years now, John Hutchinson has been going up to Nose Hill with his arms outstretched praying over this city."

The CWPR has teamed up with the international prayer ministry, Global Day of Prayer (GDOP) and are looking forward to participating in the annual multi-nation prayer gathering in May 2009. A month prior to the GDOP event, the Peddies are bringing in author Daniel Henderson of Strategic Renewal to lead the CWPR on Friday, April 17 and present a city-wide all-day prayer seminar the next day at First Alliance Church.

Henderson, who wrote Fresh Encounters, spends most of his time encouraging churches to establish their own prayer ministries and has led large prayer rallies with up to 20,000 people gathering to pray at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in Brooklyn, NY.

"We’ve given away over 300 of his books to pastors and leaders in this city," reported Heather. "It’s all prayer based."
 "We’re excited to see Daniel come in," David said. "It’ll be a great two-day event. David’s book is an instrument, a manual to make prayer the centre piece of a church’s ministry."

"God wants us to be one," said Heather. "If our congregations all come together to pray one night a week and you have thousands of people praying into all those needs, the floodgates of heaven will be opened and the blessings of God will be poured out – our city would be transformed."

For more info visit www.calgaryprayerrally.ca.