LOS ANGELES- As one of the two building blocks of the Mission and Prayer Retreat, Chinese evangelicals devoted themselves in prayers for world missions and spiritual revival.

Led by the Chinese Coordination Center of World Evangelization (CCCOWE) executive director designate Rev. Morley Lee and senior pastor of the Mandarin Baptist Church of Pasadena Rev. John Lee, some 100 Chinese Christians who have burden for world missions worshipped with hymns and prayed together in Saturday afternoon. Once again, Rev. Morley Lee reminded Christians of the core belief of the retreat- "Do missions without forgetting prayers; Pray without forgetting missions".

In small groups of two to three people from different churches or organizations, they prayed for the same goal to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth despite of their differences.

Participants prayed for missionaries -especially those under persecution -across the world. Rev John Lee said in the prayer, "We pray for the missionaries, as they are going to the mission fields, we understand that they are not going by themselves, but they represent us. We pray that they can also bring us there as we become their co-workers in prayers."

"By calling the missionaries’ names one by one, we believe You will surly protect each one of them. Whether there are storms and all kinds of dangers outside please help them not to be shaken for You are the one who never changes," Rev. Morley Lee added.

Later, participants prayed for God’s calling and spiritual revival within their hearts that may spread out to become a renewed mission force. They are encouraged to re-dedicate themselves before God for His will and purpose. Loudly they sung the song "Here I am," and in Hebrews, it is "Hi-Ne-Ni."

Rev. John Lee confessed in leading prayer, "We prayed that all people can become a mission person for God. We have not loved You enough, but You have given us too much. And we pray for all those who have not heard of the gospel."

At the very end of the prayer session, participants sung the song "The Fire of Revival" to highlight the aim of the gathering. The one-and-a-half hours of worship was finally concluded with a powerful prayer that pleaded for the spiritual revival taken place in Los Angeles 100 years ago:

"Lord, please first ignite the fire [of the Holy Spirit] in our hearts and let it spread to the surroundings. Let the fire of Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles 100 years ago burn again and come to this place today. God will never abandon us, You will surly save this country, revive this country. As You have ignited the fire in our hearts today, starting from us, we will go out and pass it on. Please protect all missionaries that they can spread Your name to the ends of the earth and glorify Your name."

It was the first time the Mission and Prayer Retreat that was co-organized by ten leading mission organizations based in Southern California, including USA Care Ministries International (CMI), Campus Evangelical Fellowship (CEF), Gospel Operation International for Chinese Christians, Chinese Coordination Center of World Evangelism (CCCOWE), Mission in China International (MICI), Global Life Enrichment Center, the Sowers international and others.

The retreat ran from March 9-11 at the Mandarin Baptist Church of Pasadena in Arcadia, Los Angeles.