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[Back to index of November articles] Revival will offer spiritual renewal By Dana Wilkie "Seek the welfare of any city to which I have carried you off, and pray to the Lord for it; on its welfare, your welfare will depend." - Jeremiah 29:7 Bishop John Bryson Chane used that Bible verse recently to explain the inspiration for a two-night November revival that he and other church leaders are organizing at Washington National Cathedral. The "Word to the City" revival will begin at 7 p.m. on the evenings of Nov. 15 and 16, and will include opening devotions, gospel music, preaching, Scripture readings and closing prayers. Sponsored by the diocese and the cathedral, the revival is open to all parishes in the diocese and to churches of other denominations across the city. "We have a deep concern for urban ministry and that includes being connected to the city," said the Rt. Rev. Barbara Harris, assisting bishop for the diocese and one of the revival's organizers. "This is a small part of an overall effort of the diocese and the cathedral to forge some links with the city of Washington. It is our hope that people will leave with some renewed determination to work for the good of the city and all its inhabitants." Preaching at the revival will be the Rev. James Forbes Jr., who is senior minister of New York City's Riverside Church, and who is considered one of the most inspiring preachers in the country. "I think we are facing some new challenges in our time - social inequities, environmental degradation, the widening gap between the haves and the have nots, the loss of confidence in the national purpose," Forbes said in an interview from his New York home. "Spiritual renewal is essential to have us in a position where we can actually bear the kind of witness that can make a difference." In an invitation to area churches, Bishop Chane wrote that the verse from the Book of Jeremiah "strikes us as a timely reminder of the need to restate a commitment to the life of the city." "Each night, we will… go where the Holy Spirit will lead us, empowered by the preaching of Dr. Forbes, one of the great preachers of our time," Chane wrote. "Who would ever believe we would be gathering for a revival at the cathedral?" Bishop Harris organized similar revivals at the cathedral in Boston for the Diocese of Massachusetts, "and they were overwhelmingly received," Bishop Chane wrote in his invitation to the National Cathedral event. The title of Forbes' Tuesday night speech is "God's Response to Gideon's Question." "If God is with us, then why is all of this befalling us?" Forbes said, paraphrasing Gideon's query. "At this particular time - when our nation has to decide whether or not it will seek to spread democracy largely through military means or through the lifting up of the ideals of democracy - you need to stop, see if you can get your vision clear and see if you can renew your commitment and dedication. "Even people who believe in God often relegate God to the margins of life and rely upon more material and social sources of power and influence." The title of Forbes' Wednesday night sermon is, "God's Concern for Our Satisfaction." If listeners take anything from these remarks, Forbes said, he hopes they will note that "God desires us to have fulfilled and fruitful lives, and that he actually wants us to be satisfied with the meaning of our lives." "I would like for participants to believe that within our faith, there are resources to help us cope with the problems we encounter in these perilous times," Forbes said. "I would want them to know that religion - contrary to some people's understanding - is not always about negativity, or God condemning or judging." Among those leading the revival's devotions, readings, prayers and music will be: the Rev. Susan Newman, senior advisor for religious affairs for Mayor Anthony A. Williams; the Rev. Frank Tucker, pastor of First Baptist Church of Randolph Street; the Union of Black Episcopalians gospel choir; Bishop Chane; and the Very Rev. Dean Samuel Lloyd of the National Cathedral. [Back to index of November articles]
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