After the "Line in the Sand" prayer gatherings that took place on November 11 in previous years, this year, Korean church leaders will be leading a gathering to pray for the nation called "Heal Our Land" on November 29 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
"The year ahead of us is a hugely significant one," says Reverend Ezra Kang, the president of Jesus Awakening Movement for America (JAMA), one of the co-hosting organizations. "Presidential elections will be taking place next year, and we are in dire need of God-fearing leaders in our nation. The next President will influence the course of our nation for the next four to eight years, and how much religious freedom there will be for churches, Christian schools, and Christians in business."
Thousands have attended the two "Line in the Sand" prayer meetings that took place in 2011 and 2014, and at first glance, many of the aspects of "Heal Our Land" seem similar. Many of the same individuals and organizations that hosted "Line in the Sand" are organizing "Heal Our Land," including the Korean Christian Council in America (KCCA), Jesus Awakening Movement for America (JAMA), the Council of Korean Churches in Orange County (CKCOC), David Andrade, and Michael Petro. This year's prayer gathering will also be focusing on praying for various social and spiritual issues affecting the nation, and church leaders of the many different ethnic groups that live in the country will be invited to lead prayers.
However, unlike the previous "Line in the Sand" prayer meetings, which were mainly hosted by David Andrade and Michael Petro, this year's "Heal Our Land" is hosted and funded by Korean church leaders. Also unlike previous "Line in the Sand" gatherings, which lasted from the early afternoon to late evening, this year's "Heal Our Land" will last four hours from 4:30 to 8:30 PM. Instead of having bilingual translation as needed depending on which ethnic church leaders were leading the prayers as in previous years, this year, the entire prayer meeting will be held bilingually in Korean and English, and translation devices for different languages will be provided.
"This year, we wanted all of the ethnic groups that live in this country to pray all together during the same time," said Reverend Ki-Hong Han, former president of KCCA. Previously, church leaders of specific ethnic groups led specific time frames of prayer over the course of the day.
Details on how and when the leaders of various ethnic groups will be leading prayers are still to be determined, organizers say.
Organizers are also inviting churches to join in a 40-day fasting chain in the days leading up to the prayer gathering.
