More On Effective Church Action

Town turns to prayer to fight pornography
Courtesy of OneNewsNow

An adult entertainment facility in Lavonia, Georgia, has shut its doors, and opponents believe it was due to the power of prayer.

Café Risqué opened six years ago, and the city lost several lawsuits to try to close it or force it to move from its location along the nearby interstate highway. The business was deemed an embarrassment to the city, but residents turned to prayer in order to shut the place down.

Larry Finger is senior pastor at First Baptist Church. "We prayed and hoped and trusted that the Lord would help us, and then eventually a situation came up where the property owner was prepared to sell, and using a third party, the city had someone buy the property," he details. "Then the city bought the property from them and closed the establishment."

Out of all the approaches to try to shut down the business, the only one that worked was prayer, says Finger. "It was a scourge on our community and we knew it, but we had come to the point where we thought we were almost hopeless outside God's miraculous help -- and we finally got the victory, and a great one it has been," says a joyful Finger.

The senior pastor is hopeful other towns with a similar problem -- perhaps that are ill-equipped to deal with the situation -- will not forget about prayer. He notes that Lavonians prayed for six years before there was a solution.

What?! You mean prayer actually WORKS?

Did you notice how long it took?

Have you ever quit before 6 years was finished?

I think that I probably added a couple prayers to theirs without knowing it on trips to Atlanta and Florida. I'm glad that place is gone... just like I'm glad Dockside Dolls in Mebane is gone. I credit prayer with that one too.

It is really amazing what the Church could accomplish if we would simply BELIEVE what the Bible says and act on that belief.

Here Is A Good Example Of What Church Is Supposed To Be

From an article on the Presidential Prayer Team website...

Leadership can be lonely. When you're the mayor, people who talk to you very often want something from you. That's why Portland, Oregon, Mayor Tom Potter was so surprised when one citizen - a prominent international figure - asked what he and his network of local leaders and activists could do for the mayor and the city.

"In all my years of public service," says Potter, "I rarely have people ask what they can do for me - and for our city. My answer, of course, was immediate - please help us solve the problem of homelessness."

The outcome two years later has been substantial. Over 25,000 volunteers have mobilized to tackle not only the area's homelessness but also medical needs, hunger, poverty, school cleanup and more. Their "Season of Service" (www.portlandcityfest.com/season_of_service) includes a dizzying array of projects to connect needy people with those who can help.

Luis Palau (www.portlandcityfest.com/luis_palau), the international Christian speaker who approached Potter, and his team have helped organize local churches to volunteer for the public good. Partnering with government and business leaders, the church coalition is producing impressive results.

Read more...

This is what I am talking about! The church being the hands, feet, and mouth of God here on earth. VERY COOL.