HARRISBURG (BRN) – At the 2025 Accelerate Conference, Baptist Resource Network (BRN) Executive Director Dr. Barry Whitworth left Pennsylvania and South Jersey churches and pastors with one simple charge: Pray.
“This is not a critique — it’s a call. A call to return to the altar, to seek God not just with words, but also with desperation…this is a call to return — not to polished efforts, but to prayer,” urged Whitworth.
Whitworth noted that the conviction to return to a posture of prayer comes from an undeniable historical record of bold spiritual movements being born out of prayer.
Time and time again in Scripture, there is evidence of God’s people crying out to the Creator of all and Him answering in ways beyond the human imagination.
In Acts 4, prayer precedes the filling of the Holy Spirit, a moment of prayer so profound that “after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken” (Acts 4:31, ESV.)
Earlier in Scripture, in the Old Testament, the cries of Moses, Hannah, David, Job, Daniel and many other faithful saints reach the throne room of the Most High and are met with powerful movements that could only be sparked by the hand of God.
In more recent times, we see that the same is true. Among these historical spiritual awakenings in America is the Prayer Revival of 1857-1859. This increase of faith was not sparked by preaching, but by prayer as it quietly began with a noon prayer meeting led by Jeremiah Lanphier in New York City.
Soon this feeble gathering of praying saints spread nationwide and resulted in over one million people coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
“It’s a powerful reminder: when God’s people return to prayer, extraordinary things happen. Prayer is the spark. It’s the foundation of bold spiritual movement. When prayer leads, boldness follows,” said Whitworth.
In a moment of history where the next generation is waking up to the Gospel and seeking to see God move, BRN churches are urged to not remain on the sidelines.
“In a culture starved for truth, fractured by distrust, and poisoned by lies and hate, the Holy Spirit is awakening hearts — especially among Gen Z and older Gen Alpha — the Holy Spirit is stirring a relentless search for what is truly real and eternally lasting,” informed Whitworth.
He continued: “And unless the Church steps in with prayerful presence and prophetic clarity, the momentum of this stirring may fade. We must not miss this moment.”
In an effort to help churches, pastors, collegiate missionaries, church members and ministry leaders in Pennsylvania/South Jersey “return to the altar” the BRN has created a 52 Weeks of Prayer guide. Click here for a downloadable version.
Designed to lead readers through a year’s worth of prayers, starting in January 2026, the 52 Weeks of Prayer guide is penned by BRN leaders and PA/SJ pastors and ministry leaders. The tangible, easy-to-follow guide highlights some of the most needed prayer topics across the BRN’s two-state region. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer prompts and Scripture for lostness, disaster relief, next gen ministry, discipleship, evangelism, leadership and specific church needs.
The BRN’s hope in creating this resource is that it will spark a trend of prayer being our “next bold move” in Pennsylvania/South Jersey.
“Let’s beg the Holy Spirit to breathe a fresh wind into us, to ignite the fire of God through us, to awaken what has grown dormant around us, and to restore what has been lost among us,” charged Whitworth.
The 52 Weeks of Prayer guide is free for BRN churches and ministries, and multiple copies may be requested at once. Churches desiring this resource can access a digital version of it at brnunited.org/prayer or request a physical copy of the prayer guide by contacting the BRN Help Desk at [email protected].
