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PRAYER GUIDEATLANTA 2020 GOALS

FAMILY K EDUCATION K POVERTY K JUSTICE

www.UniteUs.org

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INTRODUCTION In 2008, Unite! churches developed the Atlanta 2020 Goals to

reflect a picture of what kingdom change in Atlanta by 2020 in

the areas of family, education, poverty, and justice could look

like. The Atlanta 2020 goals were developed to give focus to the

partnering as well as to join together with the public and private

sector in seeing Atlanta changed. These goals were not intended

to be comprehensive of all the issues in an Impact Area, but they

were identified as a key outcome measurement(s) in each area.

These goals are grounded in the spirit of Micah 6:8,

Jeremiah 29:7, and Matthew 5:16

Micah6:8“AndwhatdoestheLordrequire

ofyou?Toactjustlyandtolovemercyand

towalkhumblywithyourGod.”

Jeremiah29:7“SeekthewelfareofthecitywhereIhave

sentyouintoexile,andpraytotheLordonitsbehalf”

Matthew5:16“Letyourlightshinebeforemenin

suchawaythattheymayseeyourgoodworks,

andglorifyyourFatherwhoisinheaven.”

Metro Atlanta

Family Education Poverty Justice

GoalStrong

Marriages and Families

All students have

opportunity to graduate

Families living self

sufficiently

All children are safe

Measure

Reduce divorce rate

by 30%; decrease out

of wedlock birth rate by 50%

95% Graduation Rate & 3rd

Grade CRCT

Reduce by 50% the

number of students receiving free and reduced

lunch

No children in sex

slavery or exploitation

Metro Church

Initiatives

Ga. Family Council

Marriage Initiatives

Adopt a School

Homeless and Other Initiatives

Street Grace Initiatives

ATLANTA 2020 IMPACT AREAS

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This Prayer Guide can be used by groups, or it can also

be used independently as a guide to personal prayer.

Unite! was birthed in 2003 when several churches said in

conversation over lunch, “We are each doing some good things

in the community. What if we were to do them together?” It

is now a movement of approximately 150 churches in metro

Atlanta whose vision is churches partnering together for

community transformation. There are Leadership Teams

in different regions of the city and partnering takes place

in the areas of Family, Education, Poverty, and Justice.

These4areasareinterconnectedinmany

ways.GeorgiaFamilyCouncilreports:

Thelikelihoodthatastudentwillendupin

povertyis8%IFthatstudent…

Graduatesfromhighschool,Getsmarriedaftertheageof20

yearsold,andhaschildrenaftergettingmarried.But……

Ifthesethreefactorsdonotoccur,thenthelikelihooda

studentwillendupinpovertyjumpsfrom8%to80%.

PRAYER: WHY PRAY?IfyouabideinMe,andMywordsabideinyou,ask

whateveryouwish,anditshallbedoneforyou.By

thisisMyFatherglorified,thatyoubearmuchfruit,

andsoprovetobeMydisciples.John15:7-8

Ifmypeople,whoarecalledbymyname,willhumble

themselvesandprayandseekmyfaceandturnfrom

theirwickedways,thenIwillhearfromheaven,andIwill

forgivetheirsinandwillhealtheirland.2Chronicles7:14

• We pray because it empowers us to fulfill

our purpose to glorify God and accompany

Jesus in His making all things new.

• We pray because it gives us comfort to trust

in the One who can make a difference.

• We pray because God answers.

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Activity:

Take one apple and one orange. Cut each in half.

Arrange ½ apple with ½ orange and wrap together

as one. Share the remaining halves as a snack.

Prayer:

• Gracious Lord, ignite and redirect the desire for Your

glory by restoring passion and intimacy in marriages.

• Father, enlighten males and females of all ages to

marriage the way You intended it. Fill empty and broken

hearts where spouses fall short. Comfort Your people

with greater faith and dependence on Your love.

• Turn hearts to Your will, Father. Remind us

of Your grace and the greater sacrifice of

Christ. Enable us to forgive one another.

• Lord, may young people and married partners

become followers of Jesus such that their

dating and marriages become transformed.

Resources:

UniteUs.org/pages/Impact_Area_Family

FAMILY STRENGTHEN MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES

Target Goal: reduce the divorce rate by 30%

Forthisreasonamanwillleavehisfatherand

motherandbeunitedtohiswife,andthetwo

shallbecomeoneflesh.Ephesians5:31

ReligionthatGodourFatheracceptsaspureandfaultlessis

this:tolookafterorphansandwidowsintheirdistressandto

keeponeselffrombeingpollutedbytheworldJames1:27

Moving forward requires us to step back to basic math and

plain truth. The natural order of things states that 1+1=2.

The Bible calls us to a higher order of thinking where two

must become one. It simply means we need to reduce

each part so that ½+½=1. Marriage involves self-sacrifice,

compromise and faith in the One who showed us the way.

Think it’s too hard? Jesus sacrificed all of Himself.

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Activity:

Take a prayer walk around a school in your area.

Reflect on life without an education. How would that

affect family life, poverty levels and crime?

Prayer:

• Pray that You will connect students with needs to those

who can encourage and enlighten them to learn.

• School administrators – Raise up more

principals who are followers of Christ and bless

those in leadership with your wisdom.

• Teachers – Let your love flow through them and let

their light shine such that students give glory to You.

• Parents – encourage them to engage in

their child’s life and education.

Resources:

UniteUs.org/pages/Impact_Area_Education

EDUCATIONALL STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GRADUATE

Target Goal: increase the graduation rates and 3rd grade level competency to 95%.

Jesussaid,“Letthelittlechildrencometome,

anddonothinderthem,forthekingdomofheaven

belongstosuchasthese.”Matthew19:14

Trainachildinthewayheshouldgo,andwhenheisold

hewillnotturnfromit.Proverbs22:6

Imagine not being able to read the Bible. How would it hinder

your relationship with God? Studies indicate that students

who are not on “grade level” by 3rd grade are least likely

to graduate high school. All children need to learn to read,

write and manipulate numbers to communicate and function

in society. School should be a safe environment that fosters

the development of knowledge and skills including the

opportunity to apply the Word in everyday life situations.

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Activity:

Take 2 small cups. Fill one water (or dried beans); the

other leave empty. Make a scale using a ruler and pencil.

Place each cup on an end of the ruler, using the pencil

for support in the middle. Take water from the full cup and

gradually add to the empty cup until they balance.

Prayer:

• Increase the number of job opportunities

at a livable wage for those in poverty.

• Increase freedom from the security of possessions.

Enable those “in plenty” to seek balance and share with

those in need – time, talent, and treasure. Let us see that

it is better to teach and equip them than to do it for them.

• Enlighten the poor to find their portion in You. Lead them

to the water’s edge to Your love and grace. Meet their

needs physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

• May greater numbers of the “haves” and

“have nots” come to know You.

Resources:

UniteUs.org/pages/Impact_Area_Poverty

POVERTYFAMILIES LIVING SELF-SUFFICIENTLY

Target Goal: decrease the number of students receiving free and reduced lunch by 50%

Anddonotneglectdoinggoodandsharing,forwith

suchsacrificesGodispleased.Hebrews13:16

Isitnottoshareyourfoodwiththehungryandto

providethepoorwandererwithshelter-whenyou

seethenaked,toclothehim,andnottoturnaway

fromyourownfleshandblood.Isaiah58:7

There are so many in need. There are so many in plenty. God

is the Provider and Creator of the ends of the earth. We are

not called to give only on holidays. Each life has value and

purpose – whether in need or in plenty. We are called to be

friends with each other and to learn from one another – share,

equip and empower so that we can get and stay out of poverty.

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Activity:

Light a candle and pray with compassion for the victims,

with forgiveness for the perpetrators, and love for

the brokenhearted families torn by this industry.

Prayer:

• Raise up the Body of Christ in Atlanta

to free children from slavery.

• Let voices be heard around the world to raise

awareness about young victims of human trafficking.

Bless these efforts, connecting more victims and

volunteers to the resources available. Protect and

encourage Your armies in the fight for justice.

• Bring radical heart change for Christ to

the victims and the perpetrators.

• Convict buyers and sellers of their greed and

turn them from the worldly view of sex as just

another source of temporary satisfaction.

Resources:

UniteUs.org/pages/Impact_Area_Justice

JUSTICEALL CHILDREN ARE SAFE

Target Goal: no children in sex slavery or exploitation.

IsnotthisthekindoffastingIhavechosen:toloosenthe

chainsofinjusticeanduntiethecordsoftheyoke,toset

theoppressedfreeandbreakeveryyoke?Isaiah58:6

Jesusanswered,“Everyonewhodrinksthiswater

willbethirstyagain,butwhoeverdrinksthewater

Igivehimwillneverthirst.”John4:13

Atlanta ranks as one of the highest U.S. cities for child

sex trafficking. Children, averaging age 14, are lured or

taken to be sold as much as 10-15 times daily as a reusable

commodity that fills a “need” for a high profit. We live in

a self-centered world, a world lacking in compassion and

commitment with a blatant disregard for life, love and

respect. Failing to get involved allows it to continue.

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HOW TO GET MORE INVOLVED

• Find the ministries and organizations in your

area of Atlanta that work with those in need

and see how you can get involved.

• Go to your local public school and

find out ways to get involved.

• Go to www.uniteus.org to get your church

involved with Unite! and to see all the ways

that churches and others are partnering.

• For information on Initiatives in the Family Area,

go to UniteUs.org/pages/Impact_Area_Family

• In the Education Area, go to

UniteUs.org/pages/Impact_Area_Education

• In the Poverty Area, go to

UniteUs.org/pages/Impact_Area_Poverty

• In the Justice Area, go to

UniteUs.org/pages/Impact_Area_Justice

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UNITE! OVERVIEWVision:

Churches partnering together for community transformation.

Strategies:

➊ Kingdom Prayer

➋ Churches Partnering in 4 Impact Areas –

Family, Poverty, Justice, and Education

➌ Kingdom Impact through the Channels of

Cultural Influence – Education, Government,

Legal / Judicial, Healthcare, Business, Media,

Arts & Entertainment, and Non-Profits

Values:

➊ Dependence on God: We believe that only

God can change the hearts of people. We want

to create avenues for people to pray together

from various churches and to help facilitate a

prayer movement in our community and city.

➋ Local Church: We believe that the local

church is the primary vehicle for the expansion

of His Kingdom. We want to help connect

the people we minister to a local biblically

based church and a Unite! church.

➌ Holistic Ministry: We believe that there

is a Scriptural mandate to share the gospel as

well as to live out the gospel by meeting the

needs of those around us. Both word and deed

are means to the building of the Kingdom.

➍ Collaboration: We believe that the most

effective means of making a kingdom impact

in Atlanta is within the context of relationships

and partnerships between churches and with

organizations and the public and private sector.