Dianne Burnett: Welcome to Across the Globe, the podcast, the official podcast of the Global Methodist Church, a space to unify, inform, and tell the story of God's work through the Global Methodist Church as we make disciples of Jesus Christ who spread scriptural holiness across the globe. I'm Diane Burnett, the Executive Director of Communications for the Global Methodist Church, and I am so glad that you are joining us today. And before we dive in, Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with others who want to stay connected to what God is doing through the GMC around the world. And today I am so excited to be joined by Laura Ballinger and Susan Ennis from the GMC Prayer Network. Prayer has been such a foundational piece of the Global Memphis Church from the very beginning. And today we'll be talking to them a little bit about that ministry, the work of the prayer network. How God is using it to connect believers across the globe, and an exciting opportunity for us, the entire church, the Global Methodist Church, to come together to participate in 40 days of prayer leading up to General Conference and General Conference as a whole. And so, Laura and Susan, thank you both for joining us today. I'm so excited to have this conversation with you. So before we jump in though. Let's share with the audience a little bit about you. So Laura, let's start with you. Would you start by just introducing yourself, sharing a little bit about who you are, your background, maybe your local church, and how you became involved with the prayer network? Laura Ballinger: Thank you. And hi, Diane, and hi all. It's so good to be here with you all today. And I just ⁓ really wanting to say a quick thank you before we launch in. We are so blessed, Diane, by your team and by how you all support and encourage us and just even this broadcast. We just appreciate you and thank you so much. So so my name is Laura Ballinger, and I am privileged and blessed to serve as the chair. Dianne Burnett: You're so welcome. Laura Ballinger: of the executive team of the prayer network of the Global Methodist Church. And so I get to be in the presence of the Lord, you know, you know, and share and be with him and invite him to into all of our gatherings into all that we do and say. And so that's I feel like I have the best job in in the whole world. But so that's just Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. And and what annual conference are you part of, Laura? Laura Ballinger: Well actually today I'm here at our annual conference and I'm part of the Great Lakes Annual Conference. Dianne Burnett: And great. And then what is your role within that annual conference, besides just the prayer network? Laura Ballinger: Well yes, actually ⁓ as of The end of this conference, I am just going to be ⁓ mentoring, continuing to support the efforts of someone that we just multiplied into leadership. I've been working with her for a year, serving alongside her, and she and I together have been the co-chairs of the annual conference, but also of the prayer network of the Great Lakes Annual Conference. So trying to practice what I preach and just multiply leaders and always be mindful to multiply yourself, maybe even out of a job, depending on what the good Lord says and does. So I think that that is what we are doing now. Right now I am still co-chair, but transitioning out of that ⁓ role in the Great Lakes and just being able to focus more full time on the global network. It's it's becoming, it's growing exponentially as you know, as we speak. Amen. So hoping to focus more on that. Susan Innes: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: And what a great problem to have, right? Amen. Susan Innes: That's great. Amen. Dianne Burnett: And Susan, what about you? We'd love to to know about you. So just the same, tell us a little about yourself, your local church, and how the Lord led you to this ministry. Susan Innes: Well, hi, ⁓ Diane, and thank you ⁓ for having us as well. ⁓ and good good morning all or wherever you are in the world. We always start so many of our meetings with good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, because they are global and it's a good thing. My name is Susan Innes. ⁓ I am the vice chair of the executive team for the Global Methodist Church's Prayer Network. I am based in Wichita, Kansas, therefore I'm a part of the Heartland Annual Conference. Laura Ballinger: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: Right. Susan Innes: And I just I do kind of prayer at all levels. I help in my local church with that prayer team. I help at our annual conferences. We also hold prayer workshops throughout our conference that I assist with and then of course just supporting Laura and all of our annual conference leaders for the prayer network is quite a large chunk of what I do. Dianne Burnett: Well, it it is a large chunk, but you know, I think we can all just say thank you because prayer is such a huge part of our day-to-day and such a need, right? ⁓ for our global network. And so, please do not, you know, make that minimize at all the work that you guys do because it is such a huge impactful work that we need, truly. And so one of the things that I Susan Innes: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: love about the prayer network and then I have really just enjoyed getting to know more about the prayer network in my time here with the Global Methodist Church is that it is really built around a solid group of faithful people just answering God's call to pray across our network. And so I just would love let's let people know what is the prayer network? What does that look like? How does that work? and so maybe Laura, if you could start by just telling us What is the main purpose of the GMC prayer network? Laura Ballinger: I love that question and and thank you for your affirmation of our team. We do, I I feel so blessed to serve with our executive team that comprises five of us that started off as the steering committee in the early days when Keith Boyette pulled us together and commissioned us to really steer the direction of prayer in the Global Methodist Church, but also to invite us to task us with the Good work of inviting conference superintendents. We didn't call them then that back in those days, but leaders of emerging conferences. And there were just a there weren't very many conferences at the time officially, anyway. So we've been blessed to serve in building relationships and with the prayer leaders that the conference superintendents or the regional leaders of regions of conference. Conferences, they ⁓ select prayerfully someone who would lead the charge in their conference. And so we invite them onto a leadership team with us. We meet with them monthly and we encourage, edify, equip, pray, certainly, with all of our leaders that are really around the globe. And we help to cast the vision that the Lord Jesus has for his church. And that is, we believe that it is his vision. And we're trying to implement that and just live into it. And it's basically from the scripture, Isaiah, ⁓ that he he gets his Jesus reiterates the scripture from Isaiah that says, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. that is the scripture, ⁓ and so that we can become houses of ⁓ so re-emphasized that in the Testament, of course. So that that's been our goal is to invite through the network ⁓ conference prayer leaders ⁓ to come alongside them ⁓ and them serve their regions in making ⁓ that that is. cast that all churches would become houses of prayer to God's great glory. And so that's one huge aspect of what we do. The other kinds of things that we do, we we try to encourage and equip and support the conference leaders as they pray over their forming regions. And so that they are offering prayer support for the formation of their of their annual conferences. And then actually even plan their organizing their own annual conferences and what that looks like. And so many, many, many of the leaders of the regions serve to organize the prayer effort during their annual conferences. And actually, that's what brings me here today to the Great Lakes Annual Conference because I've been a part of that from the formation and the foundation. And so it's a great joy to be able to serve my own annual conference in that way. And then another part of what we do, ⁓ we we help to resource and we help to equip leaders in their regions. We are blessed to have Dr. To Harry Tachel, who has he's a prolific author and he has written so many good books. Dr. Steve Siemens, he's written so many good resources, and we get to serve alongside him. And so, and as well as Leo Park, Dr. Leo Park, and then Susan and I comprise that original team that has now become the executive team of the prayer network. So those are the main things we do. We also do a prayer initiative. Susan Innes: Mm-hmm. Laura Ballinger: whenever the bishops need us to help assist them in some of their prayer initiatives. And in fact currently we're working on one right now. In fact we're in round two of that. And Susan has been our primary manager of that project. So Susan maybe you'd like to share a little bit about that, Diane, unless you have another Dianne Burnett: Yeah, no, absolutely. Susan, tell us a little bit. You know, we as a comms team, we are made aware of what those requests are every week so that we can invite the general church to join us in those prayer initiatives that's we put out every Saturday. And then we also have a spot on the website for people to just refer back to us. And so you are the person behind the scenes help making that connection between the bishops and and our general church and the prayer network. So why don't you just share a little bit with everyone about that? Susan Innes: Sure. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha. The first part about that is it's such a privilege. ⁓ I never thought I'd receive emails in Spanish and Russian and, you know, Portuguese and French and there's you know, it's so very global. It it makes you understand that connection beyond our cultures, that we wanna be connected to what the Holy Spirit is doing as a global unit, you know, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ as a global church. ⁓ So this began ⁓ about a year and a half ago. It was actually Bishop Carolyn Moore who started reaching out on her own and she thought, you know, she would get pray requests from one annual conference every week. So the bishops could pray specifically for that annual conference during their Wednesday meetings. that became ⁓ a lot for her to do and so she called on us as the executive team, said, Hey, can you keep carrying this on? and So I just put out a call about 10 days before we need the request to each annual conference asking for anything specific that they can share. We do ask them for confidential ones that we of course pass on just to the assembly of bishops and then ones that we can share with the rest of the world to be praying together. And so those just come in then a few days later I hang on to him, get him to the bishops at the right time, and then send out the plea to the next annual. conference. ⁓ It's always been amazing to see what God is doing with that and that we get to start again. We thought we would finish in October of last year. And as we've added more churches and more emerging conferences and TCATs, we've been able to reach out to them. And so the second round actually only began here at the beginning of April. ⁓ So you know God is growing us and doing amazing things and we feel strongly that prayer is a foundation for all of that. Not just to keep us connected but to affirm what God is doing among us and through us. And so it it's just a great privilege to be able to do that. Laura Ballinger: And and Diane, if I could just add one other huge output of energy and time that the network spends is helping with the general conference. And I've been blessed to serve on the con both the convening and now the s this annual conference in Africa. And so we we are really blessed to be a part of that and that organizational effort to equip and Dianne Burnett: Yep. Laura Ballinger: organize ⁓ the prayer that has really been in effect for a year and your team has helped us do that so much, Diane. And so I'm so very grateful for that through the prayer guides and just different ways that we are getting the word out that people can be praying and we're still involved in that. And I won't go into I won't go into much detail of all of the ways that we are ⁓ implementing that organization of prayer efforts. ⁓ Susan Innes: Thank you. Laura Ballinger: I'll I'll let you pull that out of me at at the proper time. I just wanted to give the overview, the bird's eye view. Dianne Burnett: Yes, no. Thank you for that. Thank you for and absolutely like we I want to definitely spend some time talking about general conference and just the way that prayer has will help guide and steward us leading up and all the work. But before we get there, there were a couple of things in this part that just like the word growth kept coming up. And so I would just love to hear how has the prayer network grown Susan Innes: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: Since the launch in May 2022 to where we are now, what growth has really it experienced? Could you share a little bit with that? Laura Ballinger: Well we s we started, I'll start and then Susan, you may want to fill in the blanks. ⁓ so many things to say. Honestly, we started, I think that first gathering, we had like thirteen people on our invite list of who would be from the prayer leaders over the different conferences. And we just thought, wow, this is amazing. You know, it was mostly it was mostly United States people at that point. And then we just began to see God's growth in different parts. Susan Innes: Yeah. Ha Laura Ballinger: Of the world through the Global Methodist Church, and we began inviting as the church grew more and more of the conference leaders, prayer leaders, into our team and into our encouragement times. And so it's been, I'd say, the greatest most visible ⁓ way to describe that is just that we are. seeing such the growth of the international church and it has been such a privilege and an honor. So we started off almost all English. We didn't need Wordly as our software program that helped to translate. But then as we grew and we see that we've become so multicultural, it is such a pleasure, like Susan was saying, to be actually receiving emails in other languages and having people pray in their own native tongues and have software Susan Innes: Mm-hmm. Laura Ballinger: to be able to capture that at times. Most of our speakers and our excuse me of our prayers do speak in English, but some do not. And so it's just been ⁓ just watching how God is growing us and expanding us and how much honestly we have to learn about prayer from our international brothers and sisters. It's humbling. Because they have brought that to the table in a beautiful and glorious way and we're learning from them and I am so grateful for that. It's the international connection I would say that has changed mostly about yeah, who we are. Yes. Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Yep. Across the globe, for sure. Susan, do you have anything to add to that? Susan Innes: Okay. I I would just agree it's so good that ⁓ we realize just how global the Global Methodist Church is when you come on one of our prayer zooms, our monthly prayer zooms, and to see people interacting and rejoicing with one another and sometimes what didn't work though somewhere else is gonna work in another part of the world, ⁓ so they can share things and encourage one another and it it's just such a blessing to be a part of. Dianne Burnett: Yeah, I I love that so much. ⁓ are there any particular now you've got my brain going, but are there any just particular stories and are just moments that you might be able to share of ways that you've just really seen God work through this ministry? Laura Ballinger: I what comes to my mind is just some of the prayer requests that we've received from our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world and how, well, for instance, ⁓ Nigeria, they have been under so much persecution. And to be able to pray with them and to be able to get that word out through the network and know that they are being prayed for. And the I guess the gratitude that they've expressed back to us, and Susan's received the same, I'm sure. Through the bishop's initiative, but just to hear their immense gratitude that they know that they have brothers and sisters across the globe praying for them. And they're, you know, really in harm's way, you know, sometimes as Christians, when we live in different parts of the world. So that has been something that's been particularly meaningful to me in terms of you know how our individuals affected, our people, especially now. I Nigeria have been so very grateful. Dianne Burnett: Susan, did you have anything to add? Susan Innes: We just also find that people are looking forward to the monthly meeting because they have something they want to share, they have something they want prayed over. We can also share personal things at the ends of our meeting. We keep folks behind who maybe have something going on that they need personal prayer for. And so that just helps connect us even more. We're looking forward to general conference because we know we get to see some of these people face to face. And so it just develops that relationship really well. Laura Ballinger: Yes. Dianne Burnett: So before we get to general conference, I have one more question then. So if someone, let's say someone here in my area, I'm in the West Plains annual conference, and maybe just someone ⁓ here wants to get plugged into the prayer network. Or maybe it was like, hey, I'm listening to this today, and I would just love to be maybe covered in prayer or just to be plugged in a little bit more of what the work of the prayer network, how can they do that? Susan Innes: Yeah. Laura Ballinger: I definitely wanna address this and Susan you add to, okay, you know, and pardon me, I don't mean to go first every time, but Susan Innes: Yeah. You're good. We're good. Laura Ballinger: But really it's it's a network. It is truly a network. So really the best place to start is at the grassroots in their local church. So part of what we cast vision for again is that every church would become a house of prayer. So we have prayer leaders. We hope to have prayer leaders in every global Methodist church. And they can be on they can serve on that prayer team in their local church. They can also be praying for their conference. Through just different ways that we we have the network structured so that when these local churches, the more organized they get and the further into the vision of the network that they get, they're able to be a part of a district level prayer ministry. They're able to then maybe be on their conference level prayer ministry. And so our district leaders are people who were faithful in their own churches, and then we invite invite them on to our leadership team to be in the in the on the conference level and then we all pray we can pray together in those ways. So there are many ways that they could get involved but I would say initially to start in their own local churches and then there's always opportunities for them to be invited into some of these other groups that also meet and pray. Lots of prayer going on in these different this Susan Innes: Yeah. Laura Ballinger: this level of ⁓ we try to use the Jethro principle where we've organized so that we meet with the leaders, the leaders meet with their leaders and then on down into the the local churches where they're meeting and praying for their local churches. Susan? Susan Innes: Yeah. ⁓ I agree a hundred percent. Just start where you are, talk to your pastor. ⁓ is there a prayer group at the church? Is that something you might be interested in being a part of at our annual conference levels? We've equipped people with resources on how to start a prayer room, how to be a part of a prayer initiative in your own church. ⁓ there's so many ways that we can encourage you and support you and offer things that again if something doesn't work for you right where you're at, come back to us, you know, come back to your annual conference prayer leaders. Okay, if this didn't work, what should I try now? And just know that God wants prayer in every church. This is something He loves to communicate with us. For far too long, we made it feel like it was just the pastors who were supposed to be praying. And this is not a clergy movement. This is an all-in movement. This is a great place for laity to be connected to the rest of the church. And so, you know, wherever you are, ⁓ get a hold of your conference superintendent or your presiding elder and say, Hey, who are my annual conference prayer leaders? Who can I be in touch with to get this? kind of support and we'll we'll all work together. You know, it can all come together then so we're connected and praying for one another and just offering tools with you know these ⁓ gentlemen like Dr. Terry Tickle and Dr. Steve Siemens you have just a fountain of resources to get a hold of. ⁓ learning how to build a house of prayer in your church, learning how to hold a concert of prayer in your church, learning how to ⁓ get a hold of other churches in your area. There's no reason why you can't kind of jump ahead of your annual conference prayer leaders and say, hey, this is my district. How do we do this? So Laura Ballinger: Amen. So true. Dianne Burnett: Yeah. Susan Innes: Just just go for it. Just start it. Don't think that you have to have the right words or the right credentials or the right whatever. ⁓ prayer is open to you and God wants to hear from you, so don't hesitate is what I would say. Yeah. Dianne Burnett: I love that. You listen to that voice and you just go for it. I love it. So, speaking of, we have heard general conference. ⁓ it's come up. We are obviously really excited to be on the continent of Africa and can't wait to be with all of you again in person. And so, as we prepare for general conference, Laura said, you know, she's already mentioned she gets to serve and help on that commission and really just speak to making sure that prayer is ⁓ continues to be a huge part of that. But there's also some work leading up to that, and so Laura Ballinger: Thank you. Susan Innes: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: As we look ahead to 2026 General Conference, why is prayer especially important during this season of the life of our church? Laura Ballinger: Well because it's the the formation of our church, ⁓ Susan, did you wanna start with that? Did you wanna share why is prayer? Susan Innes: Yeah, that's a great question. ⁓ we have to remember that prayer is great at being our offensive weapon against anything that would come against us while we try and gather. And it's also our greatest defensive weapon. when we were at the convening general conference, we noticed that Whenever we got bogged down with something, if we stopped to pray, it was like the Holy Spirit could come in and release that that blockage, whatever it might be, whether it was cultural or just some people getting set in their own mindset and we need to reapply ourselves to what God's will was for that that vote or that discussion, whatever it might be. And prayer really helped things to flow because we invited the Holy Spirit in. And so we want that again, right? We we saw that what happened at our convening general conference can be so different from what we've ever experienced before. And we realized that prayer had a huge part to play in that. Because it helps reset your emotions, reset your mindset, ⁓ change your focus back to the Lord. And so we are so for prayer and we encourage it so strongly because we've seen just what amazing things can come out of a a prayerful life. Laura Ballinger: Yes. And and if I could add to all good, amen to Susan. I I it's just all so important. But it's that foundational piece that Keith and Walter wanted. They that was the vision that they had for the prayer network, that it would be in our early stages foundational, and that everything we did would be bathed in prayer, saturated with prayer, and really dependent on the Holy Spirit to lead us. Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Susan Innes: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Laura Ballinger: And to guide us. I mean, you know this is a Holy Spirit drive led church because it would not be growing exponentially like it is. This is God. And the fuel is prayer. The fuel we have to pray in this fuel. And that's how God moves his church forward. We've seen those movements throughout church history. And prayer has got to be a part of the very foundation and DNA of who we are, as Methodists, especially. Susan Innes: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Susan Innes: Yes. Laura Ballinger: You know, look at what John Wesley did, and we are now on the coattails of what he did, and God is moving and we are blessed. Our job we feel as the prayer network is to pray so that God can be released into the world of people who need Jesus. And we're so grateful that ⁓ we get to be a part of what he's doing through prayer all over the globe. But yes, foundational and that was what we were to be doing is getting all of our annual conferences to be praying and that's what we're doing with the general conferences as well. And so that we are form forming ⁓ based on what God wants his church to look like. So it's got to be breathed in prayer. We've got to find what does he want to do? This is your church, Lord. And to not invite him into that process seems ridiculous if you think about it. It's his church. Susan Innes: Yes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Dianne Burnett: Amen. Laura Ballinger: And we have to just open up the doors, Lord, open up the floodgates. You're invited. You are welcome. Welcome. That is what the concert of prayer is all about. And I am so blessed to be in a part of a church that says we want to start our general conference in worship. Not only that, we want to start it with a concert of prayer. And the symbolism of that is just to invite His presence into all we do and say and to honor. Susan Innes: Exactly. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Laura Ballinger: Honor him. He is the reason why we are convening. He is the reason why we are gathering. He is the reason that we do business in the church. We want his business to be about his business. So it all it's all a part of what we want to be doing and being about in the Global Methodist Church is inviting him to lead his church. And we do that through prayer. So that's that's Susan Innes: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: Right. So you mentioned yeah, so you mentioned that concert of prayer at General Conference. That was one of the most beautiful things to be part of in twenty twenty-four and Costa Rica, it was beautiful. And I can't wait to see how the Lord's gonna show up again. And so before we talk about leading up to, I think since we're there, let's go ahead and mention it. So what else does prayer look like at General Conference? So we're gonna get us kicked off with that concert of prayer, but Susan Innes: Yeah. Yeah. Laura Ballinger: Yeah. Susan Innes: Awesome. Laura Ballinger: Thank you. Dianne Burnett: What other initiatives will be there with us in Johannesburg to ensure that we've got the prayer where we need it during general conference? Laura Ballinger: Absolutely. ⁓ so for the last year, and you're very aware of this, Diane, this part for the last year we have been creating Susan Innes: Yeah. Laura Ballinger: Prayer guides that would help people all across the globe be able to pray with knowledge and wisdom and insight as to what are these the specific prayers and ways that we can be praying to undergird and support the efforts of General Conference. So that's been happening all along. You can find all those guides at the Beauty of Holiness on the website that Diane has created and administrated. And so that's one really good way that people can be involved. And then in mid-July, we're going to have a 40 days of prayer and we say could include fasting. So please do go ahead. Dianne Burnett: And actually, not to interrupt Laura, but we are actually, it won't be mid-July. It will be the day that this episode, so you are hearing this episode today. Welcome. We have something for you. It is a gift and it is a 40-day prayer guide for a general conference. So Laura, let's tell them what they all won today. Susan Innes: Yeah. ⁓ that's right. Yes. Yeah. Laura Ballinger: Amen. Susan Innes: Ha ha yay Laura Ballinger: I love it. That's wonderful. So we have this 40 day guide that we have ⁓ put together. We have our prayer committee that's been in the background for gosh, Susan, what is it? It's been over a year. Our committee has been meeting and praying and planning and coordinating. And ⁓ one of our members, ⁓ her name is Dana, and you you've met Dana. She she ⁓ has kind of spearheaded the project of getting to all of our conference ⁓ superintendents and especially Susan Innes: Mm-hmm. Laura Ballinger: Our prayer leaders and asking them to contribute to for one day of these 40-day guides. So we have a great representation from across the globe of just different people who are contributing to this 40 days of prayer and which could include fasting. So you are you can find those on the Beauty of Holiness website as well. And then leading right into that, after that 40 days, on August 24th begins the 14-day journey. journey that will help us to continue to stay focused and praying in concert, so to speak, or in unison for the purposes of the Global Methodist Church and specifically for the for the general conference. And Susan spearheaded that project. It was our 14 member committee who each day we get to contribute to that guide. ⁓ And then we also have, and I'll come back and let you share on that a little bit, I I also want to make people aware that if they're not able To be at the annual conf, excuse me, the general conference, that they can still participate in an electronic prayer vigil that our brother Leo is going to be spearheading. So all of us have very been very involved in trying to have different components that we are presenting before the general conference and leading up to the general conference. And then do you want me to talk about what's actually available during the conference? What are the ways that we'll be praying? Dianne Burnett: Absolutely, absolutely. Laura Ballinger: Okay, okay. Before I launch into that, Susan, did you want to say anything about the fourteen day prayer guide? Susan Innes: Yeah. Just that it is going to cover travel. You'll notice it covers travel and kind of set up and the reason we do this is so that as as the momentum of the forty days of prayer has built, we can continue to lead into that, but also because preparing the way ⁓ for everything to start with that concert of prayer is so important. And so we just invite anyone who would like to join us in that to get a hold of that guide on the beautyofholiness dot org. It it's we don't want to stop praying at that point. We we want to continue to lean in and let the Holy Spirit build in that space so that all who ⁓ arrive and get settled in can just as as Lord mentioned before, be bathed in prayer. It it's so very specific and so needed for the delegations and and for anyone who's volunteering, it'll be long days, a lot of work, and the more Holy Spirit energy literally that we can build up ⁓ helps us to lean in and carry through and get the work done and and keep that focus on the Lord as we've said as well. ⁓ so that we don't kind of lose any momentum. ⁓ y it's you we want to stay in that movement of what the Holy Spirit is doing. So that's why we've gone from 40 days right into 14. But please stick with us because your your prayers are so needed at at all this time, during the whole time. Laura Ballinger: Any momentum. Right. Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Yeah, and I wanted to add in, you know, earlier I asked like how could somebody get connected? Well, and something that we are helping form to make this prayer network accessible to everyone is we are starting a private Facebook group, which will be ⁓ the link to that will be included when we send out this prayer guide and publicize, but we are going to be sharing those prompts daily in that group to say, hey, Laura Ballinger: Amen. Susan Innes: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: Join us in praying this prompt today. And so that we have literally our church members that can all around the growth, like we said, across the globe, that can join in these prayer efforts no matter where you are, no matter if you're the room in Johannesburg, whether you're in your living room in Lubbock, Texas, you are able to join us in praying with that. And so Susan Innes: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: ⁓ I think you guys have done a great job of teeing that up right about how important. And I think now everyone listening to this is like, I'm pumped. Get me on board. And so this is just another opportunity for ⁓ you to just join us. And then we're hoping to just continue to grow that network from there. But ⁓ yeah, we I I'm all I'm now an honorary member of the prayer network, okay? Cause I'm like, we are just so excited to have you all join us for prayer. ⁓ because we just know how beautiful Laura Ballinger: Yeah. Susan Innes: Join us. Mm. Yeah. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. Laura Ballinger: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: the Lord works through the act of prayer. And so yes. So just be looking for that link as well. And we'll just continue to share so that you can join that ⁓ and join in with us. Laura Ballinger: And Diane, would you mind if I also talked a little bit about the ways at the actual conference that they can get involved? So you've heard about how you can be involved through leading up to and during at the actual conference, and there's ways, like I said, the electronic vigil as well. But Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Go for it. Yeah. Laura Ballinger: Once we actually get there, feet on the ground, so you'll participate through the concert of prayer, and that will probably be live streamed. So you could certainly be a part of it through that. And then also we're going to have a prayer room that is a spot where it we've we've designated it and set it apart to be a sacred space where you can connect with the Lord and you can encounter his presence personally. And so we would invite you if You are able to be there in Johannesburg. We would love to have you come to the prayer room and seek his face and be there and be present with him and get a fresh touch. And in fact, we are offering each day, we'll have several opportunities for you all to enter into a kind of what we call consecration prayer, where we will invite you to. Put aside all of your cares or anything that might be blocking your relationship with the Lord. May it be just distraction or heaviness or who knows, spiritual warfare. We don't know. Whatever we come with that day, we can come to the prayer times through a time of consecration prayer. We invite really anyone there, but particularly anyone who is leading from the platform, leading in any way. We invite you to be a part of that consecration prayer time so that. That you can be filled up to overflowing with the Holy Spirit and be operating out of the fullness of what He has for us. And so that's another way that you can be involved. ⁓ we also have a couple of Prayer teams that will be on site. One of them is the altar prayer ministry team, and those will be people who are you'll be they'll be clearly identifiable through sashes, I believe is the way we landed on how people will know who they are, and it will say prayer team on their sash. And so if you feel led, especially after a worship service, that you want to be in your response that you want to be prayed for or with, we have trained and equipped. prayer ministers to help you with that. And then we'll have an on-site prayer team that will be prayer walking. They will be praying throughout the conference. We'll have teams of of these 24-ish, depending on who all is able to get there, that number keeps changing. But basically about 24 people will be on site to be praying, to bathe it in prayer throughout the entire conference. So We'll always have a prayer presence there ⁓ during the actual conference. So those are some of the ways that you can participate in prayer once we're actually there in Johannesburg. And I hope that people will want to be involved e even from home. And but especially once you get there, please be a part of some of these experiences that we have been working on and planning and organizing. We want you to do that. Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. ⁓ so we've you know talked about leading into that and we've talked about ways that people can get involved. And so I would just I'm gonna ask you both to just give your one-line invitation to the general church to join us to participate in this time of prayer for our church and leading up to general conference and at general conference. So what would be your one line invitation to everyone? Laura Ballinger: Susan, do you want to go first or do you want me to? Okay. Susan Innes: I can go first. Prayer crosses all cultures, all languages, all barriers. So please join us because it unifies us greater than anything. Laura Ballinger: And I would just add to that that we get we get the extreme privilege of being in the presence of God. Who would not want to be in the presence of God? Once you've experienced him, there's no looking back. There's no turning back in my mind. So just to be in his presence and bring Susan Innes: Amen. Laura Ballinger: The people's request before him, what a privilege, what an honor. And it came at such a great price through the blood of Jesus Christ. Think about that. But we have access to God the Father through Jesus Christ in prayer. And we want to, we want to just really take advantage in a good way of that opportunity that He offers us and to bring the hurts of the world and his heart to the hurts of the world. There's just so many, so much to be said, and I can't say it in a minute, but there's my best shot. Susan Innes: It's so good. Dianne Burnett: Right. Well, I mean, I I will say, you know, Laura, Susan, I have not been around you as as much as I have with Laura and just with the work of General Conference and whatnot, but I can feel it from you as well, Susan. I see it in your emails and I feel it when I'm with Laura. The passion, if you're not excited for prayer after you spend time with these ladies and these members of the network, I've got big questions because it is, I mean Susan Innes: Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Dianne Burnett: Hello, it just to me is just that great reminder of just the Lord picking the right people for the right spot to help lead his efforts and his initiatives and to be the hands and feet of him. And so thank you both for the work that you do and just the encouragement and leadership that you have led to this point and will continue to do so with the prayer network. I'm excited to see how it just continues to grow. I'm excited to see how prayer just continues to work and not only the life of our church, but at general conference and and all the things. And so just thank you both. Thank you so much just for ⁓ that work. I know there's even times Laura just randomly texts and is like, how can I pray for you? And those moments are so huge because it's always at the perfect time. So thank you so much. And I Susan Innes: Amen. Amen. Thank you. Laura Ballinger: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: also want to give you both this opportunity to answer the question that we have had the privilege of asking all of our guests that come on because as a global Methodist church we want to remain rooted in our local church. And so I would just love to hear from each of you. You know, we have heard how the Lord is working big in the prayer network, but I want to hear this is your time to give a shout out to your local church. And where are you seeing the Lord work right now in your local church or Susan Innes: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: ministry that's just bringing you joy or encouraging your faith. And so Susan, I'll start with you. Give us your local sh your local church a shout out. Susan Innes: So I have ⁓ the blessing to attend Asbury Church in Wichita, Kansas. We actually had a new pastor come on board this February and that's created a lot of new movement and and that's a good thing, you know, not that anything in the past was ever bad or n you know, wasn't going well. But whenever you have a new perspective and a new vision come in, then there's also things going on that just ⁓ change things up a little bit. ⁓ so often in our churches we can think that there's only one way to do things. And so it's been refreshing to hear that, ⁓ no, we can try something different and try something new and see God work in that as well. So that has been really exciting for us. Laura Ballinger: So I've been at my church now for just a little over a year. This we're we're we're serving a new church ⁓ for us. And when I got there, there was some prayer that was happening, and I'm so very grateful for that. We she our prayer leader was we had a prayer point person, just like we try to do in our conference. We have a prayer leader in every local church. ⁓ we haven't quite got a hundred percent, but we're working on it. We have a huge lion's share of our churches that have a prayer leader in our conference. Conference. So when I got there, there was already some prayer in place. But I think what one of the components that I wanted to see them grow in was the actual gathering together to pray weekly, to be praying for the ministries of the church. Because ⁓ we can send out prayer requests and we do that, and that's important. But to actually gather to pray, that's where the power is in my mind. That core. Corporate prayer is a ⁓ missing piece in a lot of churches. And so we are really trying to get back to that foundational prayer meeting in a church. And then the other thing is we've we ⁓ we did a ⁓ we've done a few things that have been new. ⁓ just last month We had one of our prayer team members ask me if he could actually start a prayer partners at the altar after the worship services. Hallelujah. Am I gonna be for that? You better believe it. So we equipped ⁓ several of our prayer people, and they are we now have a prayer ministry at the conclusion of our service, and so people come forward and ask for prayer. We've also seen some miraculous answers to prayer. We have been which have very Dianne Burnett: Hm, right? Susan Innes: Yeah, yeah. Laura Ballinger: very much encouraged our people. We've seen a few diagnoses in in our local church that have just completely wowed us. Susan Innes: quick? one of the things we always say at our prayer workshops that I think is valuable for any local church as well is that prayer shouldn't be a ministry of the church. ⁓ should be what drives all the ministries of the church. ⁓ you want to have a prayer foundation for everything your church is doing, and that's ⁓ what we're looking forward to here across the heartland. It's starting to build and gain momentum and ⁓ a joy to see. ⁓ Dianne Burnett: Yeah, for sure. Well, I would be, I think it would be a missed opportunity if I didn't have you guys pray for us before we close. But before we do, I just want to take a moment to remind all of those listening, you can find those prayer guides at beauty of holiness twenty twenty-six dot org. ⁓ you can also look for that on the Global Methodist Church social, especially our Facebook page. We will also be emailing this out and across the globe with also links to that. Group for that online or that social ⁓ prayer network that we are launching. But again, we just extend that invitation to all of you to just join Laura and Susan and the whole prayer network ⁓ and just prayer for our church and for a general conference. And again, you can find that guide or any of the guides at beauty of holiness 2026.org. And we actually, those are not just in English, we have those in our official languages of the Global Methodist Church because We definitely want all of our brothers and sisters across the globe to join us in this initiative. And so, ⁓ but before we close, ⁓ would you ladies, and I don't know how you guys want to tag team this, I'm not going to, I want you how the Holy Spirit wants to lead you, but would you please just have a prayer and just pray for us today? ⁓ and then I'll close this out. Susan Innes: Two. Laura Ballinger: If I keep it short, can we both pray? I'd love to pray and I'll bet Susan would too. We'll keep it short. Okay. Okay. Sounds great. Susan Innes: Yeah. It yeah. If you wanna start Laura, I'll go after. That's great. Dianne Burnett: I would love that. Laura Ballinger: Well, Father God, we are so blessed to be a part of what you are doing and to be about your business, Lord. And we're just thrilled that you would call us into your presence, that you would equip us, that you would bless us, and that you would call to mind those things that are near and dear to your heart, and that is lost people. And so, Lord, I thank you for the mission and the vision of the Global Methodist Church and that we get to be a part of calling on you to pour yourself out. Lord Jesus, rein down. Rain down through your Holy Spirit. Be a part of everything that we do and say. This is your church. Have your way, Lord. Your will be done in our lives. And ⁓ as it is in heaven. And I said I'd be short, Susan. Susan Innes: And and Father God, I just ⁓ agree with what Laura has prayed and add to that that we are so thankful for a leadership who want us to keep our eyes on you ⁓ and is so encouraging to the the prayer teams. ⁓ our assembly of bishops, our connectional council, ⁓ Reverend Mike Schaefer, and and everyone who works with him, and of course our comms team who makes sure the words get out. We are so, so thankful for them, Lord. And so we pray a specific outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Global Methodist Church leadership right now, that they would continue to be guided, have wisdom and discernment. ⁓ Laura Ballinger: Amen. Yes. Susan Innes: and and receive that love of Christ that can be then poured out on all of our churches. That the love of Christ would bind our hearts together, the peace of Christ would take away any division, anything that makes us feel like we can't connect with each other. ⁓ Laura Ballinger: Yes. Susan Innes: Lord, we need you. We need you because this doesn't work without you. And so we lift our leadership up to you and ask for them to just know how to lead us well so we can follow in the footsteps that you have, the vision that you have for our church and for our general conference. And so we surrender that to you in prayer, but also just with a great amount of humility and a great amount of thanks and praise that you would want to participate or would that you would allow us to participate with you in what you are already doing. And so open our eyes to do that, Lord, we ask in Jesus' mighty name. Dianne Burnett: Amen. And I'm gonna actually add a little prayer onto that. And I'm gonna just say, Lord, I'm gonna say, Lord, I just want on behalf of the Global Methodist Church to just lift up Laura and Susan and the entire prayer network and Dr. Siemens and all of that group, Lord, that just put so much effort and time into ensuring that prayer just remains a foundational piece for our movement. Lord, we just know that sometimes those days could could feel hard or heavy. Laura Ballinger: Amy at God, yay. Susan Innes: Yeah, yes. Yes. Dianne Burnett: ⁓ and that we just pray that you just provide them restoration and just tenacity and the strength to just keep going and leading the charge ⁓ for your work and the prayers that are so needed to just continue to grow and just extend our faithfulness ⁓ of the Global Methodist Church. Lord, we are so grateful for their hearts and their words and their ⁓ wisdom. And we just ask that you just continue to empower them with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. So, Susan, ⁓ thank you both. Thank you for joining us today on this episode of Across the Globe. And thank you to all of those that tuned in today. And I hope that all of you just feel ⁓ just a little more, I would say, inspired of how. Laura Ballinger: Amen. Thank you, Diane. Susan Innes: Amen. Thank you so much. Amen. Dianne Burnett: the prayer network is just continuing to work behind the scenes and not just our church but general conference and so thank you ladies for all that you do ⁓ and all of you listeners just make sure that if you were encouraged by this episode ⁓ and any of our episodes to just just just hit subscribe leave a review share this episode ⁓ you can find across the globe anywhere that you listen to your podcast and so ⁓ we're just excited that all of you have Tuned in for this conversation and hope you tune in next time of just more stories of how the God is moving through the Global Methodist Church as we worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. So thank you all and see you next time. Laura Ballinger: Thank you, Diane. God bless you, sister. Susan Innes: Thank you.