Hundreds of Christians in Canada are expected to gather in St. Johns, Newfoundland, this Saturday to fast and pray for a nation they say original settlers claimed for God.

Feb. 19, 2009 — Hundreds, possibly thousands of Christians are gathering Saturday on the remote island province of Newfoundland in northeastern Canada to fast and pray for God to impact their nation “for righteousness’ sake.”

Organizers of TheCRY St. John’s, the final of five prayer rallies begun in 2008 and held in Edmonton, Ottawa, Iqaluit and Toronto, are urging Christians burdened to pray for their nation to come to Newfoundland. “Our desire is that people would not come because we have marketed big names or Christian celebrities, though we are not necessarily opposed to that in other settings,” TheCRY leaders said in a statement. “We want people to come to meet with one big name, Jesus Christ, and to cry out for this awesome nation that He loves and is asking for.”  

TheCRY is a grassroots prayer movement in Canada not unlike Lou Engle’s TheCall movement in the U.S. Both moves are known for attracting many youth and for featuring well-known bands and speakers not announced or advertised ahead of time.

“There are key times in every nation’s history when believers gather and declare, “Lord, we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you,” said Chris Jones, a prayer leader from 24-7 Prayer Canada.

Participants will pray inside the St. John’s Convention Centre this Saturday for a range of issues that include the economy, the harvest, the government, and church unity. Organizers said the city of St. John’s is where explorers first set foot centuries ago and among other things claimed Canada for God. They said St. John’s was named after John the Baptist and is therefore the perfect place to “prepare the way for the Lord.”

“Corporate, unified prayer and fasting are possibly the most powerful catalysts for national transformation,” said Wesley and Stacey Campbell, founders of the British Columbia–based Be A Hero ministry. “TheCRY St. John’s, the birthplace of our nation, [is the place] to intercede for the fullness of Canada’s destiny.”

Saturday’s event, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. E.S.T., will be broadcast and streamed live on GOD TV. Prayer leaders said the political and economic “shakings” Canada and the rest of the world are experiencing could encourage millions of viewers worldwide to join in praying Saturday via GOD TV.

Roughly 10,000 participated in each of the first two CRY events in 2002 and 2006, both of which were not broadcast by a global TV network.