Christians worldwide to pray for Jerusalem

Known as the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, the annual event is the brainchild of Rev. Robert Stearns of New York, who launched it in 2002.

By MICHAEL FREUND
Southern steps in Jerusalem 311 (photo credit: Wayne Stiles)
Southern steps in Jerusalem 311
(photo credit: Wayne Stiles)
Millions of Christians in 175 countries will join together on Sunday to pray for the well-being of Jerusalem, in what organizers say is “the largest Israel-focused prayer event in history.”
Known as the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, the annual event is the brainchild of Rev. Robert Stearns of New York, who launched it in 2002. Co-chaired by prominent Christian leader Dr. Jack Hayford of California, it has steadily grown in size and now includes more than 300,000 participating churches on five continents.
At its heart is a gathering on Sunday afternoon at the Haas Promenade overlooking the capital’s Old City, where those in attendance will pray for “true peace to come to Jerusalem and to all of Israel.”
The event will be broadcast live on G-d TV, an international Christian television station.
“Christians are uniting around the world, and we are coming together here in Jerusalem to declare that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, loves Jerusalem, and that He has set his Name on this city,” Stearns told The Jerusalem Post.
“When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are praying for all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Jew, Arab, Christian, Muslim, and those of other or no faith. We are praying in obedience to the Bible, not from any other agenda,” he said.
MK Gila Gamliel, deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office for the advancement of young people, students and women, is slated to attend the event, which is being held in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality, the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, and the Foreign and Tourism ministries.
Local Christian organizations, such as Bridges for Peace, the International Christian Embassy- Jerusalem and Christian Friends of Israel, are also taking part.
“A new breed of Christian is arising in the earth,” Stearns said, “one that loves Jerusalem, loves Israel, and loves the Jewish people. We are saying that the sins of the past will not be repeated on our watch.”