Dear friends,

            God is good!!!  The circumstances around us may not always verify it, BUT God is good!!!  In addition, this good God has promised the nations to His Son (Psalms 2:8).  Our State is part of one of those nations.  He desires to touch our State.   There are a number of issues that we want to be praying about.

            Yesterday, we came back from Staten Island, NY.  As we entered Pennsylvania, we saw our state advertising motto: “Pennsylvania, the State of Independence.”  Of course there are some real benefits to this.  It was in Philadelphia that the US declared its independence.  As believers, we want to be independent from the control of the enemy and any bondage that may be in our life.  However, when it comes to believers, individual congregations and denominational and apostolic networks independence is not so good.  It is so important that we come together in unity so that we can seek and serve the Lord together in every way that we can.

            We must pray that God will help us to come together in love and acceptance in spike of the fact that we are different.  We must pray that God will help us to appreciate the differences that  exist between us and to realize that the differences are actually good in that we can touch a broader base of people  and  that our differing gifts will make a  larger  whole.

            The Lord desires very much to have the yeast of the gospel penetrate every strata of our society.  Let us pray that God will raise up Spirit-filled leaders in government, education, healthcare, criminal justice, entertainment, media and the church who will bring such change that the Lord’s Kingdom will invade each area and fulfill its intended purpose.

            Paul tells us that God has given apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry.  According to the passage this process of ministering to the Body, who then minister to one another leads to believers reaching the stature of the fullness of Christ and leads to the Body of Christ supplying to each other all that is needed.  This kind of mature, covenant-keeping Body will penetrate the darkness and establish the Kingdom of God. Let us pray for (not attach) those whom God has placed in leadership over us.

            As all of us know, we will elect a governor this year.  This is a matter for prayer because the governor has an impact upon that climate of the State by setting the legislative agenda.  Therefore, let us pray for God’s choice to serve in this office and others throughout our state.

            Many in our society would like to redefine marriage and/or allow for legal domestic covenants be made for those outside the traditional/Biblical definition.  A redefinition will have an impact upon our society in many ways.  It will mean a further deterioration of the family which is in trouble in our state.  It will mean a change in our schools because what is taught about family will change even more.  It will also mean a change in our heath care and costs.  There are legislators and organizations seeking to legally define marriage as between one man and one woman.  Let us pray that this type of legislation will pass in our state and others. 

We should be encouraged by the recent changes of climate in various states over issues relating to abortion.  Let us continue to pray about both the abortion and family issues.  Let us also pray that ministries will emerge which will help mothers care for their children when they decide to keep them and when it is no longer legal to abort them. 

            Even though the vast majority of school boards have voted not to take money from slot machines, companies continue to spend huge amounts of money making applications to host casinos.  We must band together with communities like Gettysburg and Bethlehem, who are seeking to keep casinos out of their regions.  We do not need the influences and devastation brought to families and territories by gambling.

            On a positive note, a major world wide Buddhist/New Age event had been planned by leaders for the northeastern part of the State in 2007.  The event has been moved to India (I am not happy about this because we have been ministering regularly in India recently and they do not need any setbacks.  Recently nearly 1 Million people received Christ in India because of a Billy Graham TV special and cooperation from 61, 000 congregations.  The conversion rate has eclipsed the birth rate.  So pray for India).  However, it is an answer to pray concerning our State.  Kerry and I will be part of a meeting next week to continue to mobilize intercessors to continue to pray for this region and that God will overturn the influence of the New Age Institute.

            Please remember the Harp and Bowl training coming up April 28-29 in Reading.  Contact Chad Eberly at

Kerry and I will be in Croatia and Slovenia April 11-24 doing prayer trainings and Prayer Strikes.  May God bless you.

If the churches in your region would like to host a regional prayer event in the Summer or Fall, contact us at john@kquestministries.org or call 717-968-0766.  Please note that this will be the only email up and running starting April 1.

John (writing for Kerry and  myself)

It seems to me that the battle lines are being drawn like never before.  We have recently seen two conservative judges elected to the nation’s highest court and states are introducing bills concerning abortion and defining marriage as between one man and one woman so  that these cases will be heard in the Supreme Court, with the thought of overturning abortion law and establishing traditional family values.

On another front, Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code*, which asserts that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene, in a union which produced children and present day descendants, starring Tom Hanks will come out in May. On NBC’s Dateline, a gentleman is espousing that Jesus hung on the cross but did not really die (The old Passover Plot concept.) In our own state, the battle lines are drawn in many locations concerning whether casinos will be built in those locations. This comes at a time when the church has unified for prayer in unprecedented ways positioning the church for the greatest revival in decades.

            We must be girded with our battle armor.  I am not talking about getting up in the morning and speaking my way through each piece like I am putting on cloths, but I am talking about appropriating every weapon that the Lord has provided for us.  The promise that Paul gave is that if we put on the full armor of God that we would stand “having done all.”   This means that as we do the will of God, we will engage the enemy.  If we appropriate what the Lord has provided for us, we will get to the end of the battle as a soldier with sword in the air enjoying victory  (See and study Ephesians 6:10-13).

            In addition, we face a very important election in 2006.  Pennsylvania will elect a governor and we will elect a new House of Representatives.  The impact will be great. It is truly an exciting time to be alive.  We have the potential to effect change which will help to usher in the Kingdom of God.

            Christians are also drawing lines in the sand.  I recently met with a group from northeastern Pennsylvania, southeastern New York and northwestern New Jersey.  They are beginning to meet to see what these three regions can do to usher the Kingdom into their region.  The event that brought these believers together was a world wide convergence, sponsored by the Himilayan Institute in Honesdale, PA.   The convergence will not take place in the US, but the group decided to meet in order to find ways to march together as an army of intercessors and  leaders  in that region.  Many of the leaders who attended participate in regional prayer efforts in their respective states.

            This week, the PA Strategic Prayer Network will call together regional prayer leaders from 10 regions of the State to network and find ways to work together and increase our prayer efforts in the State of Pennsylvania. Let us pray that God will do an amazing job in knitting hearts and giving strategies either at the meeting or through the continuing relationships that develop.

            God has provided a very special way for us to engage in prayer regionally.  On Global Day of Prayer, June 4, 2006, upwards of 200 million people in locations around the world will gather in prayer events in their cities to pray for their region, their nation and the world.   On a recent trip to India, a friend told me that they are planning for 100,000 people to gather for the GDoP event in Mumbai.  If there is not a GDoP planned near you, I encourage you to plan an event in your town. It is best if this is a joint effort of multiple churches and denominations so that it becomes a means of facilitating the unifying of the Body of Christ. I also encourage you to register at www.globaldayofprayer.com.  Leaders in Harrisburg, Lancaster and York are meeting to look at joint meeting in that region. I am also away of at least one GDoP scheduled for the Philly area.  If you let me know about your event, I will be glad to publicize it in the PA Prayer Alert. 

            I also want to mention that GDoP is more than a one day event.  The goal is to have 10 days of prayer leading up to the event and then outreach after the time of prayer.  (You can certainly do the event without the others but these increase the impact greatly.  See the web sight for details.)

1.      Pray that God would unify His church in each of the regions of our state.

2.      Pray that God would develop a powerful network of prayer networks in the State.

3.      Pray for the election of our governor and congress persons.

4.      Pray that God will raise up multiple regional houses of prayer throughout the State.

5.      Pray for the Unrelenting Prayer Seminar April 28-29. (See details below.)

6.      Pray for your pastor and the pastors in your region.

1.      The Unrelenting Prayer Seminar, sponsored jointly by The Reading House of Prayer and the PA Strategic Prayer Network will be held at the Reading House of Prayer April 28-29.  Find details at www.rhop.net.

2.      The PA Strategic Prayer Network desires to engage in regional prayer events throughout the State in 2006. All you need to do is extend  an invitation at john@kquestministries.org or 717-968-0766, provide a place to have the meeting, provide a worship team from your  region (either from one local church or  a regional  group), and provide a love offering or  honorarium for the speakers and  prayer leaders.  The goal is to lead up to a state wide event in 2007.

May God bless you,

John

* A few years ago, a pastor recommended that I read the DaVinci Code in order to understand something of what we are battling in our day.  I am not necessarily saying that you should read it.  However, let me make a few observations.  First, it is extremely well written.  Dan Brown is a good writer.  Secondly, there is a tremendous amount of spiritual power manifesting as the book is read. I felt the need to engage is spiritual warfare in order to combat the lies of the enemy and the confusion that comes as one reads.  I personally believe the enemy is using the book to cause confusion and to cause doubt.  Reports are coming in telling of many people who have been confused by what they read.  The movie will touch many more lives.  I recommend that your churches be prepared.  Josh McDowell has written a book designed to be evangelistic, but addresses the flaws in the DaVinci Code and gives evidence to counteract.  You can get info on JOSH.ORG on packets that you can use to counteract this movie.  A pastor friend of mine is preaching on the subject and using it for an outreach.