Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor acknowledges power of prayer

A historic Christian  prayer day at the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Stadium on October 22 last year had made a huge difference in the metro, said the Executive Mayor of NMB, Councillor Zanoxolo Wayile.

He said he would shortly be making a good news announcement that was an answer to prayer. He added that since the prayer day last year there had been a weekly prayer meeting in the City Hall: he was referring to a Tuesday morning prayer time with church leaders that has become a regular part of his schedule. On a lighter note, the Mayor said that there had even been better sports matches at the stadium since 8 000 Christians gathered there to pray for the city.

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“You are history makers,” Wayile said to the group of about 100 Christians who completed a prayer walk from the stadium to the Port Elizabeth City Hall on Saturday. At the end of the walk, church leaders presented Wayile with a plaque engraved with a declaration of blessing that was prayed over the city at the end of the October prayer day.

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Before the handover of the plaque on the City Hall steps, Reverend Zwelidumile Tom, the Rector of St Stevens Anglican Church in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, reminded those present that on October 22 Christians of the metro had gathered at the stadium to repent of all the sins of the city, to pray for unity in the church, business and goverment, to pray for the police and a decrease in crime, and to pray for eudcation in the metro and the Eastern Cape province.

“Today we continue in that spirit,” he said.

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Prophetic sign
Before the commemorative plaque was handed to Wayile, Pastor David van der Walt of Legacy Life Ministries, Port Elizabeth, led those present in pronouncing the declaration which he said the Mayor would receive as a prophetic sign of “what we believe that God is going to do in our city and through our leaders”.

The declaration reads: “We declare and we decree that Port Elizabeth and the surrounding area will never return back to a heart of iniquity. We uproot any stronghold that would hinder God’s purpose.

“We humble ourselves and repent so that our city may be healed. We believe we will see the transformation of every heart to turn to God. We believe that our promise of purpose has been given by God and cannot be stopped. We take our responsibility to reach out in love to every person that God has placed in our lives. We arise as the united body of Christ to be a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit as a witness. Nelson Mandela bay will never be the same in Jesus name.”

Van der Walt told the Mayor that the plaque included a photo of church leaders anointing him with oil at last year’s stadium prayer day as a preparation for service.

“We agree we will stand together with you as the body of Christ. We are lifting up your hands in the Spirit to do what God has called you to do,” he said.