I didn't need to pray about it. A true move of the Holy Spirit.
I’ll never forget receiving the invitation from Brian Goodall, Director of CityPsalms, to participate in leading worship for what would become my first J17 Prayer Summit experience.
Invitation
When I received the invitation, I didn’t even need to pray about it. A city wide gathering of Pastors and leaders willing to set aside a day devoted to prayer for the needs of our city; prayer for the broken and lost; and prayer for unity among the body of Christ? My heart shouted a resounding yes! I quickly became a huge fan of the mission behind J17.
The first year I participated, the Prayer Summit was hosted at Skyline Country Club, and although I had been there many times before, I couldn’t have anticipated what would take place there that day. A true move of the Holy Spirit. Healed relationships that were torn apart over the years between Pastors, humility and repentance for sin in our city, and unity among the brethren like I’ve never experienced before.
What a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven!
That day in November 2021 marked an important trajectory change in my prayer life. I felt a deep conviction that it was not only important, but crucial as a leader in my community, to set aside a day of prayer each year to seek the Lord together with my brothers and sisters in Christ. If we, as Pastors and leaders of our city, are not praying for our city, who is?
Worship Unites Churches
This past year, CityPsalms and J17 invited seven worship leaders from seven different churches in Tucson to lead worship as one team at the Summit, and again I was blown away by the picture of completion the Lord gave me. What a demonstration of the Church operating in complete unity and full authority with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I sensed the Lord’s great pleasure as a bunch of worship leaders who had never played or sang with one another before, came together as one voice to honor the Lord and each other. A true act of worship. The Holy Spirit really did something special within our group.
Looking out from the stage and seeing hands raised, hearts open, some in tears, some in postures of great expectation, you could just see and sense the Spirit moving. It was beautiful. Even the prayer time was well organized, and surprisingly, the day went by quickly. I found myself oblivious to time in a few of the prayer sessions. We were all just pressing in and holding ground, seeking the Lord with fervence and humility.
I look forward to the Prayer Summit every year, and eagerly expect great things to come from it. The time spent together in prayer never disappoints. God speaks, His Spirit moves, and His people walk away changed with renewed hope and peace.
If you are a Pastor or leader, you are warmly welcome to join us on November 19th from 9:00am to 3:00pm, as we come together in alignment with the Lord, to seek Him, hear from Him, and worship Him. I believe you will be greatly blessed by this investment of your time.
Joyfully in Christ,
Andrea Chamberlin
Andrea Chamberlin serves as Worship Director at Calvary Tucson and is a long-time partner of CityPsalms. Whether she's leading worship, writing music, or speaking, unity in the body of Christ has always been at the center of her heart. Andrea is the mother of three incredible kids — ages 20, 18, and 14. When she's not serving the local church, you'll likely find her outdoors or on a new adventure traveling the world.
