What does Christian Advocacy Now look like in your church, your family, your life?
Prayer IS action! There are many groups and individuals doing lots of good things around the world to address the imbalances and injustices that occur daily. However, as Christians we believe we have another tool in our toolbox, which is vital to the efficacy and direction of our work. All our action is begun, ended, and guided through prayer.
Start a CAN group at your church, on your campus, in your community . . . It's as easy as 1, 2, 3 . . .
Okay, it may be one or two more steps than three, but starting a CAN group and helping it run is a very simple process. CAN groups really consist of any group of believers who commit to coming together regularly to learn about human rights situations around the world, prayer together about them, and write letters of encouragement and advocacy. All the materials you need can be found on this website, so go ahead and start one at your church, with your Bible study group, or your friends and neighbors. Here's how . . .
- Talk to your minister or your campus director of ministries, to let them know you would like to start a CAN group. Share our mission statement, our activities, our statement of faith.
- You can host it in your home or reserve a room at your church or on campus. Choose a date and time, and spread the word. Put it in the church bulletin and other church or campus publications, ask for an announcement in church, chapel, or classes that might have a related interest. You may want to individually invite friends and others you know—or propose it to your Bible study! Also, at your meetings, you may want to get the email addresses of those attending to send out email notifications of future meetings as well.
- Before your meeting, go to our monthly “prayer items” and “action items” on this site and print them out. Make photocopies for your meeting and/or have people share. Other materials you might need: plain paper, envelopes, pretty note cards, pens.
- At the meeting, give people time to read through the prayer items and instructions for the action items. After a bit, begin your time of prayer—allowing people to pray as they feel comfortable and led about the various items (but of course, not limited to those) and close the time when you feel it is appropriate (or ask others to open and/or close your time). After prayer, write your letters (each action has instructions, but see also our general “Guidelines for Letter-Writing” for things to be aware of and other helpful tips).
- Be sure to register your group on the CAN website! There's great encouragement in numbers joining together around the country and the globe. And as a CAN group, you will receive emails of special events and other resources, as well as be able to share your own ideas and activities on our Bulletin Board.