Gathering under the theme “Transformation Africa”, Christians from every part of Africa will tear down their dividing ethnic and denominational walls, and join together in prayer in more than 1,100 stadiums this Sunday 2nd May.

The Transformation coordinator David Spangenverg explained that the initiative was the vision of a Christian businessman in South Africa, who first urged a day of repentance and prayer in Cape Town in the wake of serious crimes and social problems in Africa.

The coverage of the prayer drive is very wide across the entire African continent. The African continent consists of 53 African countries and five surrounding islands. All 58 are on board for this year’s day of prayer, which includes the so-called 10/40 window, where it won’t go to stadiums, but instead go to cell-groups or house-groups. Compared to last year when only 136 prayer stadiums had been set up, the number this year has grown amazingly under God's will and has exceeded 1,100 so far.

“There are 52 towns and cities in Egypt alone that will participate, just to give you an idea of the north side of the continent, and it’s amazing what God is busy doing. The figures that we’re getting in are well over 25 million that will pray on the ground, inter-denominational, intercultural all at the same time.” Spangenverg said.

Despite of the logistical and communication challenges of organising this nationwide event, Spangenverg believes that people joined this event in response to God’s calling.

Spangenverg explained, “God has his ways and people contacted us to say they heard about this, they had the same vision from God, they had the same bible verse II Chronicles 7:14, saying that ‘If we humble ourselves, then God will heal our land.’”

Truly, the Bible verse II Chronicles 7:14 is the theme of “Transformation Africa”.

When asked what their greatest prayer need was, he replied, “Our prayer is that church leaders will come into unity. The biggest frustration that all the towns and cities in Africa have is that there is a huge gap between denominational Christian churches. The second prayer need is for people around the world to pray that God will touch Africa on the 2nd of May and heal and change our continent.”

This vast national Christian event in Africa has a 3- year history. In the past three years, God has answered their earnest prayer in many miracles.
From 1999 to 2001 there were about 22 bombs that exploded in Cape Town, and since they started praying, there have been no explosions or even bomb threats. Moreover, the crime rate in some of the eastern parts of Cape Town have come down between 45-55%. From last year, the most serious problem in Africa, namely poverty, AIDS and gender issue are being tackled one by one as people hold their hands together and pray.

There are signs of reconciliation between Christian denominations. Many testify that church leaders in the smaller communities come together for the first time to form a fraternal, and they don’t think just between the four walls of their churches anymore.

As the Bible says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” The coordinators instruct the people to pray specifically for seven giants that they have identified for Africa. The prayer will be based on the Lord’s Prayer, putting the Kingdom of God as the very first priority. During a fixed time, people all over Africa will pray with specific prayer topics, raising a canopy of prayer across the continent, asking God to heal the African continent.

Africans around the world will be joining the event, the coordinator received requests from New Zealand, Australia, Russia, UK, Argentina. The whole event will be broadcast live on radio and TV across the globe. It will be broadcast on local TV station SABC2 and SABC Africa, from 2-3:30pm, on GOD TV throughout the world from 2-3:30pm. In the recent UCB (a UK based Christian Radio) International conference, 220 radio stations said they would broadcast the prayers live from 3-3:15pm.