Pathway Intercessors Ministry Reaches Out in Tough Times
Cleveland, TN—Church of God Publications recently formed a prayer network group called Pathway Intercessors. Under the leadership of Director of Pathway Press David Ray and Rev. Al Taylor, retired ministers call and pray with and encourage local church pastors. According to Ray, each Pathway Intercessor has been assigned a group 40-50 pastors to contact.
“While the ability to have correct contact numbers has been our biggest challenge, most of these retired ministers have been diligent and persistent in reaching out to the pastors on their call list to offer words of encouragement and a brief time of prayer,” Ray stated. “Many times, they have had to leave a message yet they continue to call until they reach the pastor.”
Ray went on to explain the process that once they have spoken to the pastor, they confirm his/her mailing address and Church of God Publications forwards a letter from Ray’s office along with a small gift expressing appreciation for taking the call. The gift is a copy of one of the new brochures Pathway has produced called Pastoral Care Series, a collection of 16 topics the local church is facing today. Many are on issues that have been written by the Church of God Doctrine and Polity committee. Others are on topics such as Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People, Heaven and the After Life, Dealing with Depression and Anxiety and Consecration and Sanctification. While the only purpose of the Pathway Intercessors is to provide encouragement and prayer, in the follow up letter pastors are offered the ability to purchase these Pastoral Care brochures from all 16 topics for their local church.
“We have received many replies and responses back from local pastors voicing their appreciation that someone would take the time to call and encourage them and have prayer with them,” Ray said. “Many felt the timing was ideal for this endeavor since we have been in the midst of the COVID-19 shutdown.”
One senior pastor recently sent an email to the ministry stating, “I just wanted to thank you for your leadership and your burden for our pastors and churches during this time. I was so blessed to receive a phone call from a retired minister who was part of the Pathway Intercessors. The call came at the right time. I so needed the prayer and encouragement that was given to me. I am so thankful to be part of such a great organization as the Church of God. I have always loved the church but my love and appreciation for the church has grown stronger during this crisis.”
“I just received the Pastoral Care Series brochures and stand that I ordered from Pathway Press,” the pastor continued. “These are going to be such a wonderful resource for me and our church. These brochures address some of the most important issues that the church needs clear guidance on right now. Thank you to Pathway Press for developing and publishing this great resource. Now more than ever our churches need clarity on what we believe and where we stand as a movement. Thank you for upholding and declaring our Doctrine in such turbulent and trying times. So thankful for the Church of God and Pathway Press working together on this to bring the message of truth in printed materials such as this to the local church in a time when people are so confused and disoriented by compromise.”
If pastors have not received a call from a Pathway Intercessor, it is probably due to the fact that Pathway does not have a correct telephone number for them. Any pastor that would like to be added to the list can share their contact information with Church of God Publications at www.pathwayintercessors.com and a member of the Pathway Intercessors’ team will contact them for prayer and encouragement.
