By Bob Allen
The All-Africa Baptist Fellowship has set aside Sunday, Oct. 12, to focus prayer on the Ebola outbreak, which to date has claimed more than 3,000 lives across West Africa.
The prayer focus, endorsed by leaders of American Baptist Churches USA and the North American Baptist Fellowship, aims to create awareness of the deadly Ebola virus and ask God for divine intervention to stop epidemics raging in some countries, prevent their spread to others, “sanctify” medications given to patients to speed up healing and to protect the lives of health workers and other care givers.
“I invite every American Baptist congregation to join our brothers and sisters in Christ of Africa in prayer October 11 and 12 as they face the Ebola crisis,” said Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA. “Let us pray for victims and their families, for medical staff who selflessly continue to serve and for the church as pastors and members are called to minister in the midst of this outbreak.”
The call to prayer spans two days, because some NABF member bodies worship on Saturday.
The All-Africa Baptist Fellowship is one of the six regions of the Baptist World Alliance. It represents more than 10 million Baptists in Africa and more than 50 member bodies including conventions, unions, churches and institutions.