December 18, 2024
By Rev. Dr. Scott Field
The WCA is winding down “active operations” in just two weeks (December 31). But we have a boxful of “Christmas Special Editions” of the WCA Outlook before the end of the year. Our “special editions” re-trace the trajectory of this surprising movement of the Holy Spirit. The modest goal here is to recall where we have been, be introduced to some “unseen and unheard” voices of the movement, and receive the reflections from the three presidents over the eight years of the WCA mission. 
Just in time for Christmas…and the New Year, too.
You are probably familiar with the weekly WCA Outlook. You may have attended one of the WCA Global Gatherings. Perhaps you were a delegate to one of the annual WCA Global legislative Assemblies. And, of course, you may be well acquainted with a more local, regional chapter of the WCA.
You may not have been aware, however, of the “power behind the scenes”: The WCA International Intercessors Prayer Network. I asked Rev. Dale Shunk, team coordinator, to share some perspective on their vital ministry “behind the scenes” of the WCA mission.
“Thank you for showing up!”
A tribute to the
WCA IIPN Prayer Team
By Rev. Dale R. Shunk, Coordinator
“Do you remember Cal Ripken Jr.? Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr., nicknamed “the Iron Man”, is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played his entire 21-season career in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles. (Wikipedia) Cal Ripken surpassed Lou Gehrig who was known as “Iron Horse” who held the record of continuous games played at 2,130 that stood for 56 years. Ripken went on to set the record at 2,632 games. In an MLB Central TV interview Cal was asked about the mind-set of the current players. He said today’s players seem to only want to play the minimum amount of 145 games instead of the 162 for the year. Cal said, ‘There is an intangible value for being in the lineup and for being on the field and meeting the challenges of each and every day’.
“To all of our WCA Intercessors I say, thank you for showing up every month over the course of the last five years to stand in the gap and be what Rev. Leo Park called “The midwives of the WCA to help birth the Global Methodist Church.” Well done, good and faithful servants. Mt. 25: 21
“The WCA IIPN began when the Holy Spirit moved Rev. Carolyn Moore in July 2019 to bring together a team of intercessors to provide a spiritual weapon against the enemy as we developed the WCA and later the GMC. The number of intercessors continued to grow every month to a high of 115 currently.
“Rev. Leo Park was asked to be the first Coordinator who served until April 2022. I got a call from Carolyn in July 2022 and was asked to be the next Coordinator. I accepted and we have been faithfully praying on the third Monday of each month at 9:00 AM and again at 9:00 PM. Those times allowed for our African, European, and Filipino friends to join us during the daytime hours instead of 4:00 AM and some have done so. Jessica Ivanova from Bulgaria said that she believed in the power of prayer so much that she was eager to get up in the middle of the night to join the Zoom prayer group to share her testimony as my guest. Carolyn Moore, now Bishop Carolyn Moore, often reminded us of our purpose which was to pray for the heavens to open for every WCA or otherwise Holy Spirit seeking congregation.
“We may not have always known what good we were doing at the time, but the Holy Spirit moved in wonderful ways to bring beauty out of ashes. We witnessed the birth of the Global Methodist Church with over 5,000 churches now in the fold. We comforted many pastors and laity who were in distress just by our regular intercession not only on the third Monday of each month but through the continued daily prayer in local church Houses of Prayer and Conference wide prayer networks that we are a part of. We encouraged many churches through Prophetic Words shared online and passed on through the Recorded Zoom sessions every month. John LaRusch saw a vision of a house burning and falling all around him and people crying out for help and when he reached the outside wall, he saw a beautiful and peaceful paradise for him to step into. Amen! Dr. Pete Bellini gave a Prophetic Word of an earthquake of truth for all to know the truth in Jesus Christ and he saw a large door opening by an Angel to reveal the eternal truth of God our Father. Dr. Bellini encouraged us to seek the presence of God and seek a life of holiness now! Becky Wilder described the River Dream where the Holy Spirit revealed many United Methodist Church members crying out to us to help them find a way to leave the UMC and move into the river of the GMC movement. Our love and compassion for our former UMC friends should continue as we humbly seek to encourage them to walk in grace and truth. Karen Phillips shared a vision out of Ez. 40 that encouraged us to not resist the River of Life from the throne of God and just fully surrender to the waters and allow the River of Life to carry us where God wants us. Last August she wrote the WCA IIPN Prayer Guide on the theme of challenging us to be courageous “Watchmen.”
“To God be the glory! Now the WCA is winding down and if we do not already know it, change is ahead. Our prayer network will transition to local church Houses of Prayer and other avenues of service. If prayer is work …. then we have done it and will continue to do so until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks for showing up!
For the awakening,
Rev. Dale R. Shunk, WCA IIPN Coordinator
How about you?
As part of the WCA network perhaps you have been focused on matters of disaffiliation, congregational awareness of the “issues”, and conflict within the UMC. Maybe you’ve been wondering where and how your congregation, whether you have disaffiliated, have started new, or are “stuck” in the UMC, can be an effective, vibrant witness to and for the Lord Jesus.
Prayer is the heartbeat of renewal. You may be aware that GMC congregations can be found already in many countries, rural, urban, and suburban communities, various languages and ethnicities, too. GMC congregations come in all sizes and meet in all sorts of settings. But a signature, distinctive desired for all GMC congregations is to be a House of Prayer.
If that is an underdeveloped or undeveloped ministry within your congregation, you can find excellent information and resources here. . (Really, take a moment to click the link and see what is available through the Global Methodist Church). Use these to help fan the flames of an existing prayer network in your congregation or to ignite the fire with a few in your church community who have a heart to, as Rev. Shunk put it, “show up.”
We are all indebted to the WCA international Intercessors Network for the faithful and focused ministry to welcome the guidance and gifts of the Holy Spirit for the empowering of the WCA, and now GMC, mission. Thank you, Intercessors, and thank you, Dale for your leadership.
Yours in the Matchless Name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer!