An overflow crowd of more than 1,050 gathered to launch next year’s Regina Look Up Celebration with Will Graham on Nov. 14. And it was clear that God was answering prayer.
One pastor in Saskatchewan’s capital city has been asking God for 14 years to bring unity to the churches. He felt God’s leading that when “the churches come together in one room, something new will happen.”
Other believers had attended Franklin Graham’s Festival in Toronto in 2014—and they have been praying ever since that God would bring that same spirit of revival to their city.
Last Friday, these Christians were excited to see what they believe is a movement of God in their city.
Unity for God’s Glory
Nico Deschner, lead pastor at Celebration Church in Regina, is one of three pastors helping to lead the Celebration process. He’s been ministering in the city for 10 years and has a front row seat to watch as the churches have come together with one mission.
He shared that the city’s churches were once very united, but over time that disappeared. Just a couple of years ago, the tide began to turn. They now have 50 to 60 pastors who gather to fellowship, pray, and worship together regularly.
“I believe that the world needs to see the church operate differently than putting walls up between each other,” Deschner said. “The world desperately needs to see that we are not against each other, but we are actually for Jesus.”
Look Up to Heaven
Along with worship and prayer, the launch event at Living Hope Alliance Church featured a message from Will Graham based on the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000.
He shared that the disciples couldn’t see how five loaves and two fish could feed the multitude. The problem, according to Graham, was that the disciples were looking down at what was in their hands, rather than looking up to their Heavenly Father.
“We look down at our own hands, and we are limited in what we can do. But when we look to God, when we put our focus on Him, it changes everything,” said Graham.
“What did Jesus do? He took the loaves and fish and He looked up toward Heaven. He knew where the answer was. He knew where the power was, where the authority was. It was in Heaven.”
Graham continued, “In the weeks and the months to come, I want to encourage you to be looking up, looking toward Heaven—for God’s provision, God’s help, God’s answers to all these things. … And, my friends, He’ll deliver. God never, ever disappoints.”
Pray for Regina, Saskatchewan
Each of the more than 1,000 people at the launch event, including Pastor Deschner, can sense that God is at work in their city.
“One of the things we feel in prayer is that God is doing something significant here, and He’s bringing even different ministries together,” Deschner said.
“We cannot put our name on it,” he said. “It needs to be about the Lord, and we have to humble ourselves. It’s the Lord doing it and we’re just somehow participating in this. That’s amazing!”
The best way to support this outreach is to pray alongside the many believers in Regina who have been waiting on God’s answer for years.
“Pray that the good work God started, He will bring it to completion,” Deschner said. “I believe God is starting something all around our nation.”
Graham echoed that sentiment in his final words to the crowd at the launch event.
“What lies ahead is a tough road,” he said. “Let’s be praying that God will do something supernatural in this city that resonates so loud that everybody in this country has to pay attention to what He is doing in Regina.”
