Awaken '25
Awaken ’25 is a church-wide weekend for all ages and stages, designed to inspire spiritual awakening, renewal, and rededication. Through worship, teaching, and shared meals in small groups, we’ll grow closer to God and each other. Speakers include the Rev. Ed Newton from Community Bible Church in San Antonio and bestselling author Shauna Niequist. Children and youth will have their own engaging program. Read below for more information and a schedule of events.
Contact
Schedule
Awakening: Friday, October 3
6:00-7:00 pm | Dinner in Groups
7:00-8:30 pm | Worship and Presentation by Pastor Ed Newton
Renewal: Saturday, October 4
8:30-9:15 am | Breakfast
9:15-9:30 am | Worship and Presentation by Pastor Ed Newton
10:15-10:45 am | Break
10:45-11:45 am | Presentation by Shauna Niequist
11:45 am-1:00 pm | Lunch in Groups
•Afternoon and evening off
Rededication: Sunday, October 5
10:00-11:30 am | One worship service in the Church with Shauna Niequist preaching
11:30 am-12:30 pm | Celebratory lunch
Prayer for the Weekend
Monday-Friday, 12:00 – 1:00 pm in the Chapel
with Jeanne McDowall to pray for Awaken ’25
Wednesday Prayer and Praise services in the Chapel
Sept 17, 6 – 7 pm
with Jeanne McDowall and Sarah & Nick Gividen
Shauna Niequist is an author known for her reflective works on faith, family, and everyday life. She’s authored several best-selling books, including Present Over Perfect and I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet. She is also a speaker and retreat leader. She and her husband, Aaron, live in New York City with their two sons.
Dr. Ed Newton is the lead pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, Texas, a 27,000-member multigenerational, multicultural congregation of disciple-makers who seek to initiate and celebrate life change in Jesus’ name. A pastor, speaker, and leader with an intentional burden to speak into the capital “C” church towards revival, leadership, evangelism, discipleship, missional living. He is also the author of several books. Dr. Newton holds multiple degrees. Dr. Newton, his wife Stephanie, and their four children have made their home in culturally vibrant San Antonio, where they seek to lead a generation of people to hear God’s voice and respond in obedience.
Jeanne McDowall is an anointed and dedicated itinerant minister of Jesus Christ and long-time friend of St. John the Divine. She ministers and travels nationally and internationally as the Lord leads, across denominational and cultural barriers, preaching, teaching and demonstrating the Gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit. Brought up as a Mormon, Jeanne had an awesome encounter with the Holy Spirit over 30 years ago and became a spirit-filled Christian. She has 4 children and 6 grandchildren. God’s word awakened her in the Holy Spirit, and her life since has been one of seeking and healing in the Lord, for herself and for others.
I am calling our congregation to a season of prayer for forty days. I am urging each of us to participate in this spiritual journey asking the Lord to awaken our hearts, minds, faith, courage, gratitude, compassion, humility, joy, purpose, and hope. In the Bible, God considered forty days a spiritually significant period of time in which transformation may happen. We see this pattern in the lives Noah, Moses, David and Elijah, as well as in Jesus and his disciples. We too want God to transform us as individuals and as a church.
Ed Newton says, “Prayer is not preparation for the work, it is the work!” Each day, starting August 24, we will read a verse of Scripture, say a brief prayer, and spend time reflecting in the Spirit.
Blessings,
The Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill, Rector
Download 40 Days of Prayer
