Please Pray for Northampton, Mass.
Just north of where we live, about a 30-min. drive, is Northampton, Mass. This is a strategic city that we very much want to see God reach in new and publicly noticeable ways.
Northampton was where Jonathan Edwards was the pastor in the 1700s when revival broke out, leading to the First Great Awakening. Our personal connection is that Hawley and our children are related to the Edwards family. And now 300 years later, Northampton is a very, very different place—quite the opposite. The people on the streets there are clearly confused by contemporary ideologies, pagan/Satanic spiritualities, and drug use. There is a lot of visible depression. The people are burdened. And there is a large and boisterous homeless community that dominates the downtown, which is also home to Smith College.
Please pray in compassion for the people of Northampton! Matt usually goes there one day each week to pray with a small group of believers, prayer walk, and witness on the streets. We sense a need to do something bigger than what we’ve attempted so far in order to shake things up considerably and repossess the territory for Jesus. Northampton is the “Goliath” in our area that taunts us, but we’re trusting in God to conquer this giant. Please pray for this, and pray for Matt’s protection especially as he increasingly goes to Northampton and takes others with him. Pray also for Nathaniel and Stefan, two men who were recently receptive to the gospel on the streets in Northampton.
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.“ (Matthew 9:36)
