22 Nov 2024, 12:47Adina Lupu | SM Communications
Scotland’s Three Nights of Prayer for Young Ladies
From broken altars to a restored relationship with God—discover how the ‘Back to the Altar’ initiative is guiding young ladies on their faith journey.
Building on the Scottish Mission's strategic approach to enhancing interdepartmental partnerships, the Women's and Prayer Ministries Sponsors organised three nights of prayer for young ladies, held from November 13th to 15th. This event consisted of three Zoom sessions featuring Bible study, reflections, and prayer, all aimed at fostering a more meaningful and personal relationship with God.
Attendees ranged from young ladies to those young at heart, with participants joining from Scotland, England, and Nigeria. The event introduced the Back to the Altar initiative, a global campaign launched by the Seventh-day Adventist Church to encourage members to embrace daily personal worship. The initiative highlights the importance of dedicating quality time each day to prayer, Bible study, and reflection. Its goal is to promote spiritual growth and renewal by fostering a deeper and more consistent connection with God, both individually and within church communities.
The first session focused on the life of Elijah, who boldly stood before King Ahab, confident in the presence of the living God (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah's obedience to God's word resulted in both personal provision and success in his ministry (1 Kings 17:2-6). Reflecting on Elijah's mission to restore the broken altar of the Lord (1 Kings 18:30), the group acknowledged that the altar was broken because the people had turned to idol worship and abandoned true devotion to God.
The second session featured a survey from the study booklet The Way Back to the Altar, which helped participants identify broken altars in their own lives. The study also introduced seven Bible-based principles for rebuilding these altars. The group learned that a disciple of Jesus is one who daily: responds with a “Yes!” to Jesus’s call to “Follow Me” (Matt 4:18-19), leaves everything behind (Matt 4:20), lives in obedience to His Word and is set free by it (John 8:31-32), loves others (John 13:35), abides in Jesus and bears much fruit (John 15:7-8, Galatians 5:22-23), denies self, takes up their cross, and follows Jesus’ example (Matt 16:24), makes disciples of Jesus (Matt 28:18-20), and is filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, 8).
The final session explored the first of the seven principles from The Way Back to the Altar—"Come to Jesus as you are." Participants reflected on the powerful truth that Jesus accepts us with all our flaws, sins, and brokenness, offering forgiveness, healing, and restoration. While guilt and shame may hinder us from approaching Him, opening our hearts to Jesus allows Him to enter and rebuild our relationship with Him (Rev 3:20).
Jonelle, joining from England, shared her positive experience, describing the meetings as "fantastic." She reflected on the insightful discussions about God's messages in the Bible and the valuable lessons drawn from its scriptures and stories. "It was such a huge blessing to be part of these meetings. I can’t wait to join more like this!" she commented.
Laura Kazuwa, from Scotland, shared that the prayer meetings had a profound impact on her, prompting her to reflect on her "broken altars" and consider practical steps to rebuild them, ultimately strengthening her relationship with Jesus in the process.
Cedrene Botha, the Women’s Ministries Co-sponsor and event organiser, reflected on the initiative, sharing that Lamentations 3:22-23 came to mind: "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." She described the event as a powerful experience, noting that, leading up to it, she couldn’t have imagined what God was about to do. Each morning, the group prayed together, surrendering the prayer nights to God. Cedrene expressed how blessed she was to meet young ladies from across Scotland, as well as new friends from North England and as far as Nigeria. She found the intergenerational discussions during the break-out rooms, and later in the main group, to be both "refreshing and insightful," as they were joined by mothers and grandmothers from various local churches. Reflecting on the event, she emphasised the importance of discovering the "true condition of our hearts" and how each participant can "daily come back to Jesus and live the life of a Disciple," a journey now undertaken by everyone involved.
Echoing similar sentiments, Beverley Anderson, the Prayer Ministries Co-sponsor and event organiser, described the "Back to the Altar" prayer meetings for young ladies as a "true blessing." She shared how listening to their personal stories about their relationships with Jesus was both "heartwarming and encouraging." Reflecting on the story of Elijah inspired the participants and motivated them to embrace their calling as "modern-day Elijahs." Beverley highlighted that affirming the young ladies could "come to Jesus just as they were" was a "beautiful and uplifting moment" for all involved.
As the event concluded, participants were given further study materials, empowering them to continue deepening their relationship with God.
To learn more about the 'Back to the Altar' initiative and explore additional resources, visit https://www.backtothealtar.org/
For further inspiration, please visit https://www.backtothealtar.org/archives/resource/god-still-lives-ebook
From broken altars to a restored relationship with God—discover how the ‘Back to the Altar’ initiative is guiding young ladies on their faith journey.
Building on the Scottish Mission's strategic approach to enhancing interdepartmental partnerships, the Women's and Prayer Ministries Sponsors organised three nights of prayer for young ladies, held from November 13th to 15th. This event consisted of three Zoom sessions featuring Bible study, reflections, and prayer, all aimed at fostering a more meaningful and personal relationship with God.
Attendees ranged from young ladies to those young at heart, with participants joining from Scotland, England, and Nigeria. The event introduced the Back to the Altar initiative, a global campaign launched by the Seventh-day Adventist Church to encourage members to embrace daily personal worship. The initiative highlights the importance of dedicating quality time each day to prayer, Bible study, and reflection. Its goal is to promote spiritual growth and renewal by fostering a deeper and more consistent connection with God, both individually and within church communities.
The first session focused on the life of Elijah, who boldly stood before King Ahab, confident in the presence of the living God (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah's obedience to God's word resulted in both personal provision and success in his ministry (1 Kings 17:2-6). Reflecting on Elijah's mission to restore the broken altar of the Lord (1 Kings 18:30), the group acknowledged that the altar was broken because the people had turned to idol worship and abandoned true devotion to God.
The second session featured a survey from the study booklet The Way Back to the Altar, which helped participants identify broken altars in their own lives. The study also introduced seven Bible-based principles for rebuilding these altars. The group learned that a disciple of Jesus is one who daily: responds with a “Yes!” to Jesus’s call to “Follow Me” (Matt 4:18-19), leaves everything behind (Matt 4:20), lives in obedience to His Word and is set free by it (John 8:31-32), loves others (John 13:35), abides in Jesus and bears much fruit (John 15:7-8, Galatians 5:22-23), denies self, takes up their cross, and follows Jesus’ example (Matt 16:24), makes disciples of Jesus (Matt 28:18-20), and is filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, 8).
The final session explored the first of the seven principles from The Way Back to the Altar—"Come to Jesus as you are." Participants reflected on the powerful truth that Jesus accepts us with all our flaws, sins, and brokenness, offering forgiveness, healing, and restoration. While guilt and shame may hinder us from approaching Him, opening our hearts to Jesus allows Him to enter and rebuild our relationship with Him (Rev 3:20).
Jonelle, joining from England, shared her positive experience, describing the meetings as "fantastic." She reflected on the insightful discussions about God's messages in the Bible and the valuable lessons drawn from its scriptures and stories. "It was such a huge blessing to be part of these meetings. I can’t wait to join more like this!" she commented.
Laura Kazuwa, from Scotland, shared that the prayer meetings had a profound impact on her, prompting her to reflect on her "broken altars" and consider practical steps to rebuild them, ultimately strengthening her relationship with Jesus in the process.
Cedrene Botha, the Women’s Ministries Co-sponsor and event organiser, reflected on the initiative, sharing that Lamentations 3:22-23 came to mind: "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." She described the event as a powerful experience, noting that, leading up to it, she couldn’t have imagined what God was about to do. Each morning, the group prayed together, surrendering the prayer nights to God. Cedrene expressed how blessed she was to meet young ladies from across Scotland, as well as new friends from North England and as far as Nigeria. She found the intergenerational discussions during the break-out rooms, and later in the main group, to be both "refreshing and insightful," as they were joined by mothers and grandmothers from various local churches. Reflecting on the event, she emphasised the importance of discovering the "true condition of our hearts" and how each participant can "daily come back to Jesus and live the life of a Disciple," a journey now undertaken by everyone involved.
Echoing similar sentiments, Beverley Anderson, the Prayer Ministries Co-sponsor and event organiser, described the "Back to the Altar" prayer meetings for young ladies as a "true blessing." She shared how listening to their personal stories about their relationships with Jesus was both "heartwarming and encouraging." Reflecting on the story of Elijah inspired the participants and motivated them to embrace their calling as "modern-day Elijahs." Beverley highlighted that affirming the young ladies could "come to Jesus just as they were" was a "beautiful and uplifting moment" for all involved.
As the event concluded, participants were given further study materials, empowering them to continue deepening their relationship with God.
To learn more about the 'Back to the Altar' initiative and explore additional resources, visit https://www.backtothealtar.org/
For further inspiration, please visit https://www.backtothealtar.org/archives/resource/god-still-lives-ebook
