The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.
Deuteronomy 1:6-7 (NIV)
On Thursday, 1 October 2026, as Nigeria celebrated 66 years of independence, the Senior Friends Christian Network embarked on a 7am to 7pm prayer flow. The life-changing event, christened as the “International Day of Prayer”, continued from the example set by the 2024 edition. This time, the event was themed, “Break Camp and Advance”.
For Senior Friends who had attended the ASF School of Ministry (SOM) on campus, the 12-hour flow would have brought back memories of the 7pm to 7am flow that usually precedes SOM graduation. But unlike SOM that had undergraduates who could devote the entire 12 hours to prayer, praise, and dissecting the scriptures, the Senior Friends’ reality is one of a diverse group spread across different time zones, with various work, family, and personal obligations.
In the rundown to the event, the Prayer Team, in liaison with SFCN Excos, had engaged Zonal Coordinators to have the 12 hours split into one-hour blocks, with each segment to be anchored by a specific zone or assigned group. This way, the entire body could pray for twelve hours without requiring everyone to be present for the entire duration. This was a prayer chain adapted to the realities of the times. Beyond the seven SFCN zones, the scheduling recognised the need to engage current students aka Citizens who would someday become Senior Friends. The special group of Senior Friends who belonged to the older generation that attended the fellowship when it was called Anglican Youth Fellowship was also recognised, alongside past presidents of the fellowship. Lastly, and very importantly, the role of the Board of Trustees in providing guidance for SFCN was recognised as the Trustees were scheduled to take the last watch of the day.
Across all the one-hour segments, the prayers reiterated the anchor scripture that it was time to let go of the entrapments of what has become the comfortable status and reach out for the life that God has prepared for us. But we are not “breaking camp” just for the sake of appearing to change our lives’ trajectories. Rather, we are obeying divine instruction by first understanding where we are in relation to where God wants us to be and committing ourselves to His guidance to take us through the journey, just as Abraham was safely guided from Ur to Canaan. And we can trust God wholeheartedly because we know that he has our best interest at heart and wants to see us flourishing in line with His will.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
In addition to prayer points aligned with the theme, Senior Friends and Citizens also put their faith together to pray for persons who had submitted individual prayer points. Staying confident that God who is able to do more than we can ask or think has asked us to boldly make our requests known to Him, we are rest assured that in our individual lives and collectively as a body in Christ, we have received answers to our prayers and the physical manifestation is a reality for us.
Until the next time we meet again for a sustained flow in the spirit, let us stay vibrant with our personal altars. And if you are struggling with prayer, ask God for grace. He is committed to helping every person to build a relationship with Him. Your local church is also available for support. And SFCN’s Prayer Team meets fortnightly on Saturdays at 6am Nigerian Time.
We pray that the blessings we have received continue to find expression in our lives.
Break camp and advance!
Jonah Ibiamagabara is the SFCN Public Relations Officer. He graduated in 2014 having served as the fellowship’s Technical Director and in several fellowship units including the Foundation School and School of Ministry. He now works as a project engineer within Nigeria’s energy industry.