ReignDown USA will be “a continuous flow from worship to Scripture reading to personal prayer,” according to the group’s Web site. “There will be no speakers—just an opportunity to spend time with our Heavenly Father. This is what He has called us to do … together.”


The beginning
With support from President Bush and Christian leaders across the country, ReignDown USA began as a humble vision from a self-proclaimed stay-at-home-mom.

In July 2005, Shawn-Marie Cole had a vision of the people of America coming together at the nation’s capital to repent and worship—bringing Christ back to the center of their lives.

Going to the Lord for direction and discernment, Cole saw confirmation for this event in a series of seemingly miraculous happenings. Included in these events was a private visit with the president in which he gave his full support of this vision.

Another such occurrence was a personal phone call from Michael W. Smith agreeing to be the worship leader for the event.

These events—among many others—gave Cole the verification she needed to make ReignDown USA a reality.

With a simple mission to “humbly seek God’s presence and ask for His forgiveness so that He will reign down and restore our relationship with Him and with one another,” ReignDown is gaining momentum.

So far 36 states have agreed to participate, along with international support and participation coming from such countries as the Philippines, New Zealand, Pakistan, Haiti and South Africa.


Local event
Blowing the trumpet of support in Minnesota is Prayer Transformation Ministries. Formed under the name Midwest Concerts of Prayer in 1993, PTM renamed itself in 2000 to reflect the shifting emphasis of its ministry.

“We exist to provide Christ-centered awareness, training and equipping for personal and societal transformation,” said Steve Loopstra, executive director of PTM.

Among the services PTM offers are year-long daily prayer guides, daily radio spots, training seminars, consulting services, prayer summits and much more.

“We want to strengthen prayer in local churches and make people aware of the place of prayer in revival and transformation,” Loopstra explained.

Each year the leaders of PTM meet and pray for direction for the ministry.

The last few years they have felt the Lord leading them to focus on the power of prayer and repentance, keeping the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14 in mind: “…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

With this focus in mind, it was a logical step for PTM to support the vision of ReignDown USA.

“[ReignDown] is a natural fit with what we have been teaching for a long time; our messages are the same,” Loopstra said, referencing ReignDown’s use of 2 Chronicles 7:14 as their foundational verse as well. “This event is to give voice to [our messages] corporately—to acknowledge and celebrate a commitment to live out repentant lifestyles. This is our heart at PTM.”

Though April 26 is the date for the national coming-together, hopes are that this gathering will spark a movement of prayer and repentance.

“This is not a just an event—this is a call to a lifestyle of repentance before God, one another, and the world in which we live,” Loopstra said. “Our hope is that God would really touch the hearts of people and that we would come together and respond to it.”

With this vision before them, PTM is encouraging churches, pastors and all Christians to be involved in ReignDown, whether deciding to host or attend a ReignDown gathering on April 26.

“If churches or members catch this vision, we urge them to reach out to other churches in the community,” Loopstra said, adding that a Participation Guide can be downloaded from the PTM Web site (see action box).

“Just please let us know so we can post it on our site so others in the area can participate too,” he said.

Local churches already hosting ReignDown events are Lake Geneva Christian Center in Alexandria, North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills, and Hosanna Lutheran Church in Lakeville.

“We’re anticipating what God wants to do and can do,” Loopstra said. “If you look, historically, at what God has done in response to the repentant prayers of his people, there is reason to hope for what can happen.”


ACTION POINT:
Log onto www.reigndownusa.com and www.prayertransformation.com for more information on the event and how you can get involved.