German Christians: ‘Pray for the G20 summit’

The G20 summit on July 7-8 will gather in Hamburg (Germany) the most influential political leaders in the world.

Meanwhile, several international groups (ranging from anarchists to ecologists) will travel to the region to condemn the policies of leaders invited to the the summit, including US President Donald Trump or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

About 20,000 police officers will work to control the demonstrations, which have been promoted under titles such as “G20 - welcome to hell” and “Shut down the logistics of capital.”

‘THE RESPONSIBILITY OF INTERCESSION’

“We need your urgent prayer support”, said Bernd Oettinghaus, leader of the ‘Round Table Prayer’ of the Lausanne Movement in Germany and member of the Evangelical Alliance Frankfurt.

“Roman 13 tells us that all kings and powers are installed by God, but in 1 Timothy 2 we as the body of Christ have the responsibility of intercession. Will we stand together as a world wide body of Christ, while our political leaders meet together?”

Violence could affect “the streets, the infrastructures and trade structure in the biggest harbor of Europe”, Oettinghaus said. “We need your prayers to provide peace and covering over the health of police and protest participants.”

While German Christians commemorate the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, “we want to see God’s plans go out from Germany to the nations, and not the evil ones.”

PRAYER REQUESTS

These are some of the prayer requests shared by the "Together for Hamburg" network in relation to the G20 summit:

- Pray for wisdom during the discussions and clear decisions.

- Pray for resolutions which support peace and justice.

- Pray for support for multilateral cooperation and the turning away from isolation.

- Pray for leaders taking responsibility in the fight against hunger in the world, and a more human action towards refugees.

- Pray for the Christian police association which will support their colleagues in offering counceling.

- Pray for peaceful protests and for the control of violence on all sides.

Read more prayer requests in the prayer guide issued in English for the G20 summit. 

CHURCHES IN HAMBURG 

“The local churches from nearly all denominations and prayer movements of our nation try to work together and cover prayer in churches, in the streets and in the city”, Oettinghaus explained. 

During the G20 events, “five Houses of Prayer will be installed in Hamburg.” Christians will join these places to intercede during the day, “some will pray also throughout the night.”