Southern Gospel News SGNScoops Digital

Prayer Gathering Event Exceeds Expectation

For Immediate Release – Acts 413 Ministries held their first prayer gathering event in Philadelphia on Friday, August 20 and exceeded all their expectations.  Nearly 3000 church leaders, staff and members attended the event, featuring speaker Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle.   Jim Maxim, founder of Acts 413 and author of the new Whitaker House book, Face to Face with God, says the response shows the intense hunger the church has for prayer.
“We had pastors and leaders from every denomination in attendance,” says Maxim.  “We had to open up an extra room at the convention center to accommodate the people.  It shows us that God’s shepherds are hungry for revival and to pray for, and with, one another.”
Acts 413 Ministries was formed by Maxim to “serve God’s servants” through prayer and discreet ministerial support.  Maxim, a successful businessman in the automotive industry, has felt a burden for many years to offer help to church pastors and their staffs.  Recent statistics on pastors are alarming: 
57% of pastors would leave the pastorate if they had somewhere else to go or some other vocation they could do; 
70% don’t have any close friends; 
80% believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively; 
90% work more than 50 hours a week;
1,500 pastors leave ministry each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.
Maxim believes the church body must become involved in lifting up church leadership, regardless of denomination.
“We are hoping that Christians across the world will join together and pray specifically for their leadership at least one day per week.  Our first prayer gathering was proof that our church leaders are looking for an undergirding of prayer so we are encouraging that people pray for their local church pastors and staffs every Tuesday.”
Acts 413 will offer a Public Service Announcement to radio stations leading up to Pastor Appreciation Month in October.  They will also be offering a free Prayer Strategies guide to help churches quickly engage their members.  The guide gives specific instruction on how to formulate prayer groups for every ministry within the local church body.
Acts 413 is partnering with business sponsors to distribute Maxim’s new book Face to Face with God through the Teen Challenge organization as well as other ministries around the world.  Maxim will be guest speaker for pastors and church leaders in Cuba in October. In addition to Acts 413 Ministries, Maxim serves on the boards of various ministries including People for People and World Impact and is the chair of The Hope Center, an inner-city crisis pregnancy center. Maxim also works with various mission organizations in Africa, ministering to both pastors and children.
Face to Face with God is Maxim’s true-life story of being restored and redeemed from addiction, self-destruction and rebellion. Laying in critical condition in the hospital, Maxim was confronted by the personal demons that plagued his life and then found himself face-to-face with Jesus.  “I wrote this book for people like the old me who may feel like ‘lost causes,’” Maxim says. “I’ am living proof God answers prayer, and that absolutely no one is beyond His reach.” 
For more information, visit www.Acts413.net.