A global prayer initiative will be observed by over 200 million Christians from nearly 175 nations on Pentecost. The event, known as "The Global Day of Prayer" (GDOP) will take place on Pentecost Sunday 15th May.

Even though the origin of this prayer initiative - which was started five years ago by an American Christian - was small, now it has developed greatly and formed partnership with many major organisations in each continents, such as the International Prayer Council (IPC), Transformation Africa, United Christian Broadcasting (UBC) Africa, Global AIDS Prayer as well as World Vision International.

The mission of the prayer initiative is based on the Book of Acts in which the birth of the early Christian Church in the city of Jerusalem was recorded, where followers of Jesus gathered and prayed. Then, on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was sent down and gave birth to the Church.

In the same way, GDOP aims to spark a spiritual renewal and to reveal God's glory on earth by mobilising millions of Christians in every nation to pray with one voice to ask God to bless the nations of the earth.

The gravitational centre of the GDOP is in South Africa with a passion to make Africa a light of the world by prayers. In 2001, 45,000 African Christians from all denominations gathered at the first stage in Cape Town, South Africa in a Day of Repentance and Prayer. Since then, it is being held annually and has inspired African Christian leaders to form another major prayer event - Transformation Africa.

In 2004, GDOP achieved its aim to draw the participation of all the 56 nations in Africa which involved more than 22 million people. It was described as a day that has undoubtedly changed the face of Africa forever.

At the October 2004 International Prayer Committee (IPC) meeting in Thailand, seventy prayer leaders from each of the major regions of the world, met to consult and plan for the GDOP. As God has worked in a wonderful way across Africa through the GDOP, all leaders are longing to see this transforming power to be spread through the whole world. They therefore reaffirmed the commitment to continue the GDOP each year until 2010, in order to build momentum and fill the earth.

This plan was announced and promoted to nearly 1700 international leaders gathered for the Lausanne Conference on World Evangelisation meeting nearby.

The GDOP initiative is divided into three phases. The first phase will be the ten days before Pentecost Sunday, the period between the ascension of Jesus and the descent of His Holy Spirit, believers will be organising ways to pray together night and day beginning Friday 6th May through to the end of Pentecost Sunday, 15th May 2005.

Young people will pray all night into the tenth day in what is called "The Whole Night for the Whole World" (www.wholenight.org). The second phase, on Pentecost Sunday, May 15, Christians will gather in stadiums and other public venues. Participants will cross racial, denominational, and economic lines in order to pray together, including "A Prayer For the World" that will be prayed in unison at every observance around the world.

Finally the third phase is the 90 days following Pentecost, and will see those who prayed together collaborating to "bless the city" in which they live. It is called "90 Days of Blessing."

For further information, please refer to www.globaldayofprayer.com.