Brothers and Sisters who have partnered in prayer with the IPC, It has been a great joy and adventure to be on the same journey with you these 19 years since the IPC’s formation in December, 2001. Thanks for your loving, sweet fellowship in the Lord as members of His eternal family and all that you have done to extend the international prayer movement around the world as partners in IPC.

I have been planning to step aside as chairman for a couple of years now but have wanted to make sure the IPC is in good hands for the future. Jason Hubbard and Andy Page have proven to be very capable and committed colleagues, who have faithfully demonstrated their abilities and provided good leadership along with our executive team. Also, Jason is in the process of forming a non-profit foundation to fund the IPC, so that will be a good step forward to make sure this ministry is well funded for the future. If you would like to provide financial support, it will be effectively used to continue building up the prayer movement around the world.

I will therefore be stepping aside as chairman at the end of this month to focus on other ministries and both family and personal pursuits.

I am essentially an old missionary whom the Lord began to show the power of prayer and the amazing things He can do if we practice “the ministry of availability” to Him.  Starting as a mission activist who gave lip service to the importance of personal and united prayer, I was arrested by God during a personal retreat 30 years ago. As if with a megaphone in my heart, He told me to “get out of His way” and that if I took Him as my “Senior Partner”, I would see His wonders. I must testify that His word has come true in a multitude of wondrous ways as I have been privileged with others to watch Him over and over again do truly extraordinary things. Usually, they have happened when His people come together in special initiatives characterized by desperate humility -- to seek His face, often in the midst of hopeless situations of war or other intractable situations in which horrible wickedness is having its way in their nations. As God promised Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14, our prayer facilitation teams have witnessed His staggering breakthroughs in ending wars, bringing about reconciliation among ministry and political leaders, and igniting spiritual revival that has brought about significant healing of their lands. 

Such astonishing socio-political and spiritual breakthroughs were all His doing since our ministry teams and I felt so much like dependent children, often echoing an overwhelmed King Jehoshaphat in praying: “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” Those experiences, much of them before the IPC was formed in 2001, were what convinced those of us who formed the IPC that the Lord wanted to bring about a global network of prayer ministries and networks that would multiply the practice of this kind of transformational prayer. Since that time, with the help of those on our leadership team, both present and past members, as well as that of many thousands of other ministry leaders and intercessors, we have seen that happen through His grace and for His glory. 

Here are just some of the many things that have come about through our joint efforts with the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit:

1. IPC launch in South Africa in Nov. 2002- almost 300 prayer ministry and network leaders from every region of the world came together to connect and further develop the international prayer movement.
2. Prayer summits held and networks formed in virtually every region of the world (some still continuing strongly to this day).
3. National prayer initiatives in countries experiencing civil wars or other serious threats with remarkable breakthroughs in many.
4. Three international prayer initiatives at the United Nations with hundreds of prayer leaders and praying children along with ambassadors, praying for the U.N., its humanitarian development goals as well as other global issues.
5. Children in Prayer international network formed and three global CiP consultations held.
6. IPC Connections, our monthly prayer journal, published to inform and connect the world prayer movement.
7. International prayer alerts to focus prayer on urgent and needy international and national situations.
8. The World Prayer Assembly (2012) conducted by the IPC and the Indonesian prayer movement leaders connected several million within Indonesia and internationally in united prayer. The WPA theme, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14), continues to be felt in various follow-on initiatives made possible by that much anointed and blessed event.
9. Go 2020- the IPC helped coordinate and lead the prayer mobilization that connected hundreds of thousands (both online and offline) during those World Prayer Together calls. Many prayer leaders in every region of the world played a crucial role. This world evangelism initiative which is still ongoing has so far reportedly involved an estimated 50 million believers taking the Gospel to more than 600 million, with over 9 million who have accepted Christ. (Please see the report at Go2020.world)
10. We continue to connect the international prayer movement with the Go Decade (continuation of Go 2020) and other international mission/evangelism efforts towards the goal of reaching every Unreached People Group and every person with the Gospel by 2030. (Please check out www.godecade.world to find out how you can get involved.)

Thanks be to God for all the wonders we in the IPC have been able to have a part in, pooling our meagre efforts (loaves and fish) with many, many other brothers and sisters that the Master has multiplied exceedingly!

The strength of the IPC has been its close and loving relationships, much like a family which indeed we are as members of Jesus’ Body, with Him as our Head and CEO, who gives us one heart and mind as we seek Him together. Let’s pray that the IPC itself, indeed the whole prayer movement, will continue to function that way.  May the best be yet to come! Certainly, “He is able to far more abundantly than all we can ask or imagine” Eph. 3:20.

As long as the Lord gives life and breath, may we all be involved in a “ministry of availability” to serve as He leads.

Personally, I would still like to be one of His watchmen on the wall, trying to discern what God is doing and saying as well as what the dark realm is up to at this crucial time in world history.

Among other things, I will continue to help with the Go Decade prayer and mission effort for a while longer and possibly share articles or prayer concerns in Connections from time to time.

May our gracious Lord guide, encourage, and bless each of you in your lives and ministries and may His best be yet to come for each of you!

Yours in Christ,
John

John D Robb – Chairman
International Prayer Connect