21 Days of Fasting & Prayer

 

Sunday, January 13th - Saturday, February 2nd, 2019

As we begin this new year, we desire to make God our greatest priority and to grow our hearts to beat for justice as God’s heart does. Towards this end, we’re inviting our church community to engage in the spiritual disciplines of fasting and prayer. From Sunday, January 13th through Saturday, February 2nd our church family will be fasting and praying for 21 days. We are expecting to encounter God in profound ways during this season and believe that the prayers we pray will have a ripple effect throughout this year and well into the future of our church. 

During this season we're inviting and encouraging all of the Hope Astoria community to join together in:  

  • Fasting from Sunday, January 13th through Saturday, February 2nd
    Suggestions for fasting are below (please discern how you feel led).

  • Praying daily
    During our 21 day fast, we invite you to join in daily prayer to deepen your connection with God and to intercede for the needs of others. (recommended prayer resources are below)

  • Prayer and Worship Night on Sunday, January 20th from 5pm to 6:30pm
    Join us for a powerful night of worship and prayer at our Sunday location (36-14 35th Street, Queens, NY 11106).

  • Small Groups
    During the 21 Days, we encourage you to check out a small group to get to learn and pray together with others during this special season.


Additionally, we have some opportunities for you to engage in loving action through giving and/or serving:

  • Food Drive
    We’ll be collecting canned goods from Sunday Jan 20th through and including Sunday Feb 3rd for Hour Children. (more info below)


  • Don’t Walk By

    Help serve the homeless in partnership with the ministry Don't Walk By in Harlem on Saturday, February 23rd starting at 12:30pm in downtown Manhattan! (more info below)


  • Missional Communities

    You’re welcome to get involved in volunteering with Gen Hope youth basketball outreach and Do for One ministry to individuals with disabilities. (more info below)

FASTING

We believe that God wants to deepen our love for him and for our neighbor in 2018, but first our hearts must be softened in God’s presence. Biblically one of the greatest tools God uses to accomplish this is through the spiritual discipline of fasting. Seasons of fasting help us to eliminate the noise and distractions from our lives in order for us to seek God with greater intensity. God’s desire to restore the lives of the broken in our city come into greater focus in our hearts as the Spirit burdens our souls with God’s love for our world. Fasting also promotes renewed levels of gratitude and service towards others as we are reminded of the poor and hungry during our fast and are challenged to live out the Gospel for their benefit.

TYPES OF FASTS

Your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. Take time to pray and discern how God is leading you as well as a consult a physician if your health requires before you begin.

  • COMPLETE FAST - In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.

  • SELECTIVE FAST- This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food.

  • PARTIAL FAST - This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.

  • SOUL FAST - This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.

FASTING RESOURCES

DAILY PRAYER GUIDE

During our 21 day fast, we invite you to join in daily prayer to deepen your connection with God and to intercede for the needs of others.

PRAYER RESOURCES


WORSHIP AND PRAYER NIGHT  

Sunday, Jan 20th from 5-6:30pm

During our 21 days of fasting and prayer we are calling our entire church family to join us on Sunday, January 20th from 5 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. @ our Sunday morning location (36-14 35th Street, Queens, NY 11106) for a time of worship and prayer.  It’ll be a powerful time to gather in worship and intercession, and invite you to please prioritize this gathering!

Small Groups 

During our 21 days of fasting and prayer, our small groups will be gathering to learn and pray together.  All are welcome!  We encourage you to visit a group - please contact the hosts for details.  

List of groups: http://hopeastoria.org/small-groups

GIVE & SERVE

During this special season of prayer and fasting, we're providing opportunities to grow in your engagement with service and justice.  These opportunities are ways you can to begin to take loving action as you feel led:

  • Food Drive
    We’ll be collecting nonperishable food items for three Sundays (Jan 20th, Jan 27th, and Feb 3rd). All items will be donated to the wonderful local non-profit organization Hour Children. A collection bin will be available near our first floor entrance, and we especially welcome items such as: pasta, sauces, rice, canned green vegetables, canned soups, and cereals.

    Hour Children’s mission is to help incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children successfully rejoin the community, reunify with their families, and build healthy, independent, and secure lives. To accomplish this, Hour Children provides compassionate and comprehensive services and encourages all to live and interact with dignity and respect.

  • Don’t Walk By
    Help serve the homeless in partnership with the ministry Don't Walk By in Harlem on Saturday, February 23rd starting at 12:30pm in downtown Manhattan! We'll meet at NY Chinese Alliance Church, at 160 Eldridge Street, New York, NY and will be volunteering as subway engagement volunteers, tending to people in the subway stations over the course of the afternoon. There are limited slots available, so email Donal Cogdell at donal@hopechurchnyc.org to reserve your slot.

  • Missional Communities
    You’re welcome to get involved in volunteering with our missional communities which have ongoing events:

    • Generation Hope is a basketball outreach to youth that draws many underserved youth from our neighborhood. Contact Donal Cogdell at Donal@hopechurchnyc.org for more information.

    • Do for One is a non-profit whose mission is to bring dignity and hope to people with disabilities through the power of relationships. Contact Andrew Oliver at andrew@doforone.org for more information.