The Great Canadian Pray & Sing

Over 2,000 years ago, the Holy Spirit arrived at Pentecost. Since that day, followers of Christ have been working to keep in step with the Spirit as He works his way in the world around us.

As members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, we are fellow travelers of the road of faith. Each of us is trying to figure out what it means to keep in step with the Spirit —to listen, to follow, and to learn where God is calling us. We do this individually, but we also do this as congregations, classes, and as a denomination.

From May 24 to 26, nearly 200 Canadians, representing over half of the CRC churches in Canada, will gather in Edmonton, Alberta to listen to the Spirit together and discern where the Spirit is leading us as a Christian Reformed Church. Will you pray for them?

Participants for this Canadian National Gathering are coming from across Canada. If someone from your congregation will be there, will you specifically uphold them in prayer over the course of the weekend? Will you ask the Spirit to reveal his purposes for the church to them, and that they would have discernment and wisdom as they participate in the weekend’s activities?

Even if you don’t have a congregation member participating at this event, we’d still love for every CRC person in Canada to support the Gathering with their prayers and to join in unity on May 26.  

With this in mind, we are asking every Canadian CRC to participate in “The Great Canadian Pray & Sing.” This can involve any (or all!) of the following activities:

• Including the Canadian National Gathering at some point during your congregational prayer
• Using the responsive reading below as part of your worship service
• Showing the video (see below) that was shot over the past year at Christian Reformed Churches across Canada, as part of your service
• Singing “I Am Not My Own” as a congregation, noting that CRCs across the country will be doing the same thing that morning (you can find lyrics and sheet music below)
• Taking an offering for the “I Am Not My Own” tour. Funds collected from this offering should be sent to the CRCNA offices marked "I Am Not My Own" and will be distributed this way:  
  • 45% will go to World Renew's efforts in Nigeria, supporting our global brothers and sisters by supporting Trauma healing and funding food security which brings a matching grant from the Canadian Food Grains Bank.  
  • 10% will go to "I Am Not My Own" ministries—a ministry focused on teaching worship ministry to be on the ground and impacting lives. Its goal is to unite the Ecumenical Body of Christ, reminding us that worship involves every square inch of God's kingdom.
  • 45% will be shared among Canadian ministries of the CRCNA and Diaconal Ministries Canada. These ministries, such as the Centre for Public Dialogue and Indigenous Ministries, ensure that CRCs across the country are engaged in our communities, engaged with our government and engaged in a Christ-centered future.  

We look forward to the Canadian National Gathering weekend and to discovering what God has in store for the Christian Reformed Church in Canada. Thank you for joining us in this journey.