You are in church and hungry. Very hungry. The pastor preaches a good sermon about mission service and the needs of the unreached. The sermon was a little long. When you head into the fellowship hall for potluck, you are famished and hope to see—and you are not disappointed—Haystacks!
All the fixins’ are there: beans, onions, Fritos, black olives, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, shredded cheese, chips, and even some of that funky vegan pimento cheese. You can hardly wait to dig in, but something from the sermon continues to repeat in your mind.
The pastor told the story of five students from Williams College in Massachusetts who, in the summer of 1806, were walking to prayer meeting. A sudden thunderstorm arose, and the students hastened to take refuge under a haystack. These young men were committed to Jesus and the advancement of His kingdom in this world. The storm’s intensity was matched by the earnestness of the prayers offered there amidst the grain.
This storm of intercession came to be known as the “Haystack Prayer Meeting.” As a result of this one prayer meeting came the formation of the first foreign mission agency in the U.S.A. and the establishment of the American Bible Society. That missionary agency has sent out over 5,000 missionaries during its history, and the Bible Society has distributed over 6.9 billion Bibles and other literature since its founding. It all started from one prayer meeting of five dedicated young men inside a haystack!
You are hungry. Very hungry. Hungry for more than just what is on the table at potluck. You are hungry for an encounter with Jesus like these young people experienced two centuries ago. You want to experience another haystack prayer meeting in your life so that you (and some of your friends) will take the everlasting gospel and the Advent message to the unreached.
Please contact us to help you answer your call and satisfy your hunger. We will meet you in the Haystack!
