The Charltons

Conferences and conferences

May 27, 2015 - UPDATED JUNE 4TH

Springtime!

What a glorious time!

It has been a minute since our last update... so this is a long time coming, for sure. 
 

Our Spring in review (and first) newsletter just went out. If you didn't get one, send Mike an e-mail (mike.charlton@theprayerfurnace.org) and we will be more than happy to send one!

 

Of all of the ways the Prayer Furnace ministers to the region and state one is through various gatherings that happen throughout the year. In October the Prayer Furnace hosted the Marketplace Christianity Conference with Bob Hartley and Bob Fraser, prominent prophetic leaders in the prayer movement. The conference was a gathering for entrepreneurs, business people, professionals, and civic leaders to be equipped by seasoned leaders unto a lifestyle of prayer and communion with God in the midst of a busy career - connecting Holy Spirit encounters to everyday workplace experience, learning to steward resources and influence, in humility and wisdom to see heaven invade earth. Unfortunately, three weeks before the start of the conference the ministry leadership was very suddenly and unexpectedly without their events coordinator, so I (Mike) was asked to take over direction of this conference. I did, and everything went really well!

So well, in fact, that the leadership asked if I would direct their next, bigger event in December: the Israel, Islam, and the Harvest Conference with Joel Richardson, a NY Times Bestseller and authority on the Middle East. This event was all about cultivating a better understanding about Israel and Islam through biblical teaching about the Jewish people and Israel's future, knowing how to pray for Israel and the Muslim peoples, strategic insight into the missions movement in the Middle East, and prophetic perspectives on current events.

Like before, this event went so well that the leadership asked me if I would consider taking on this role in a more permanent capacity, which included directing an even bigger event: the annual Awaken the Dawn Conference. I agreed, and to give some context to the breadth of what I had accepted, the first conference I directed was a little over two days long with approximately 250 people in attendance, the second conference was three days long with approximately 300 people in attendance, and Awaken the Dawn (“ATD” for short) annually sees between 1500-2000 attendees come out for five days of worship, teaching, and prayer with our ministry. ATD has four primary focuses that guide the conference every year:

 

1) Awaken the Dawn is a prayer gathering. We gather around the presence of God and contend in prayer for our nation and all of the nations to turn to the Lord.

2) Awaken the Dawn is a family gathering. Our goal is to build on relationships and John 17:21 unity, and for generations and diverse “streams” of ministry to come together.

3) Awaken the Dawn is a justice gathering. We seek to preach the simple gospel with miracles and address some of the pressing issues of our time.

4) Awaken the Dawn is a training gathering. We desire to train revivalists, prophets, musicians, and evangelists, and during the conference we hear from fathers and mothers in the faith.

 

We hosted 19 national and international leaders and guests (including Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, Will Hart, and Andy Byrd) for 24 hours of total time spent in teaching and worship over the 5 days of the conference. It was no light undertaking, and there were times when I wondered if I had really made a good decision in assuming the role of events coordinator. But in truth it has been an amazing experience that I have enjoyed very much, and I am very glad that I was asked to take on this position. Especially impactful during ATD was the “Ferguson Response” event we held on the first day. It was a Holy Spirit-led, multi-racial response to the wound of racism in America and a call to reconciliation and revival in our nation. The Prayer Furnace website has this and all of the sessions from the conference recorded and archived for anyone to view, and we really encourage you to check them out! You can click HERE to check out those videos!

 

 

Be on the lookout for more posts! They're coming soon!

 

Love and Blessings!
Mike, Melody, William, Keegan, and Evlyn