Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.  Joel 2:13

Dear Praying Friends,

Rev. P. Douglas Small, an ordained bishop in the Church of God (Cleveland, TN), serves as International Liaison for Prayer Ministries for that denomination. Among his several books on prayer is a manual on spiritual renewal, which includes a comprehensive guide to Solemn Assembly, with history and quotes from leaders in many denominations.

What is the Solemn Assembly? It is a corporate time given to soul-searching and self-examination. Though all services should involve those components, the Solemn Assembly is expressly for that purpose. It is a time of repentance and confession, not simply for individual sin, but for corporate sin. Corporate sin can only be confessed and repented of when the corporate body comes together to ask God for forgiveness. Fasting is required. Contrition of heart is expected. Genuine humility before God is essential.

The Solemn Assembly is also a time for the church to act in its priestly role toward the world in which it confesses for the cities and the nations' sins against God which could invite his wrath and judgment. As the church stands in the gap for its cities, God sends revival and visits the unrighteous on behalf of the righteous... (see Spiritual Renewal Manual, SR_section1.pdf of 8).

We are called to pray for our own sins, those of our fellow countrymen and our leaders (see Is 59: all, esp. v 16; Dan 9:3-29; Heb 3:12-13). The Call2Fall is a step along the way toward the kind of heart rending, repentance-filled, Biblical change-producing Solemn Assembly we need in America. It is an important step for American believers and our churches. Just 12 days remain until Sunday, July 3^rd. Please help us to enlist as many believers and churches as we can to unite in prayer on our knees that day.

D-Day for Marriage in New York -- The bill advanced by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to legalize same-sex marriage, boiled down to a single vote last Friday, by some reports, a lone Senate Republican. So it was not sent to the floor for a vote. Private negotiations have continued between Republican Senate leader Dean Skelos and Governor Cuomo; supposedly the bill has been amended to provide religious exemptions, adequate to satisfy hold-out Republican Senators. Skelos could call for a vote today. The Christian Post reports that Republican Senator Gregg Ball is the key swing vote, but that there are other fence-sitting Republicans: Mark Grisanti of Buffalo, Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie and Andrew Lanza of Long Island.

Democratic Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., a Pentecostal preacher from the Bronx who rallied the Hispanic church community in opposition to the measure, said Cuomo has exerted unprecedented pressure to persuade Republicans to approve the measure.

Reportedly Republicans are willing to support the measure if they can be satisfied that there are "adequate protections" for religious groups. But recent history demonstrates and FRC has long contended, that Religious Freedom and legalized same-sex marriage are wholly incompatible. Already in Washington, DC, Catholic Charities, just as in Massachusetts, has closed its adoption ministry, having been told they must place children in same-sex parent homes. Churches that rent their facilities for weddings are required to make them available for same-sex weddings -- and much more.

New York, the nation's third largest state, were it to become the 6^th state plus Washington, DC, to legalize same-sex marriage, could prove to be decisive in the culture war for America's soul.  Fourteen states have statutes defining marriage as between a man and woman and 31 have amended their constitutions to preserve traditional marriage. But with a President who refuses to enforce or defend the Defense of Marriage Act, and activist courts antagonistic toward Biblical marriage, as it has been practiced in every nation for 6000 years, marriage is on the line in America. But much more than marriage is on the line.

Marriage was God's first institution among mankind. Foreordained as the symbol of our Savior's relationship with His redeemed people, it is built into the fabric of nature. Men and women were fashioned by God for a holy, monogomous, covenantal union with one another and the reproduction and nurture of children. As parents they are responsible for governing, guiding and stewarding their homes, showing and training their children how to love; modelling and teaching clean living, faith in God, moral values, hard work, thrift, care for others, generosity, etc., all the things that make for strong, healthy individuals in the larger human society. Parents teach their chilren how to be good citizens and advocates for a just, God-honoring nation. Such homes are essential for the renewal and survival of our nation.

Former New York Giants wide receiver, David Tyree, who has emerged as a celebrity spokesman for traditional marriage, says God may have given him the ability to make his stunning, one-handed catch to help the Giants win the Super Bowl in 2007 so he would have a platform to oppose same-sex marriage today, and that he would trade his catch to block same-sex marriage. Yesterday, Tyree, a Christian who speaks from the heart, delivered 63,000 signed petitions to NY Senate Republicans from constituents. For publicly declaring that passage of this bill would "lead to anarchy," Tyree has taken a scolding from the liberal media. "I am not a political person," he says, "but gay marriage isn't a political issue... This not about right and left, but about right and wrong." (see Forbes Report, Tyree, Petitions, Trade, Media, Amended, Fence Sitters)

• Please pray for the fence-sitting Senators! Pray that there would be changes of mind among those who have planned to vote yes! Pray that as in numerous Scriptural accounts, when God's people were surrounded by enemies, out-numbered and helpless, God came through with miracles; routed the enemy, sometimes by strengthening his people to win the battle in a conventional way, sometimes by extraordinary miracles (Dt 28: all; 29:19-20; 1 Sam 17:40-51; 1 Chr 5:18-20; 2 Chr 13:14-16; 20:9-27; Ps 18:39; Is 59:12-19; Jas 1:5-8).
• God, intervene! Show yourself mighty on behalf of your people and your cause. Stop this bill and preserve Biblical marriage in New York State. In Jesus Name, Amen! (Gen 1:27-28; Ps 120; 121;144:5-8;  Is 59:12-19; Mt 19:5-6; Heb 13:4; Jude 7)

What is happening in New York and across the nation accentuates the need for God's churches and people to cry out to Him via initiatives like Call2Fall. I'm counting on you who support our labors with prayer to help us with a push during the final days prior to July 3rd. Thanks for your help and thanks for praying!