General Paul A. Rader has requested that all territories and commands remember in prayer the forthcoming International Leaders’ Conference to be held in Melbourne, Australia, in March this year, under the theme: “Open Road to the Future.”

Sunday, March 8, 1998, is the date for the prayer emphasis. This does not replace the annual “International Day of Prayer,” which will be held again this year on Whit Sunday, May 31.

In his message relating to the prayer emphasis, the General comments, “Much has occurred on the global scene…including the handover of Hong Kong to mainland China, and the imposition of the law affecting religious associations in Russia. Zaire has become Congo (Kinshasa) following a costly coup, and the fate of thousands of Rwandan refugees in eastern Congo is still unknown. Liberia has survived yet another devastating war and Congo (Brazzaville) is still in confusion, with thousands dead in the wake of the power struggle that has returned Sassou-Nguesso to power. The AIDS pandemic continues to decimate the populations of central Africa while sweeping about the globe with an estimated 30.6 million persons now infected with the HIV virus.”

He concludes, “I call upon Salvationists everywhere to join us in praying that God will presence himself among us to guide our thinking, reveal his mind, and move us to bold obedience…Thank you for sharing in the process and outcomes of this strategic meeting through prayer.”