Summer is a great time! It is a time to be with friends and family, try to relax a little bit and enjoy some sunshine. For the Furnace, the summer also represents a season of tweaking. We want this to be the best program possible, so every year we look into what needs to be added, subtracted or stay the same. Some summers bring about big change. For instance, last year we added the Furnace Prayer Room. Other summers bring about small tweaks here and there, but nothing major. This summer falls somewhere in the middle. We are certainly not overhauling the program, but we are making some minor changes that have pretty big impact.

That being said, I wanted to make sure that you all know what those changes are as we prepare to start the Fall Semester.

Prayer:
Prayer is the heart of what we do. It is the engine that keeps everything going. We will continue to have daily corporate prayer meetings where we gather together to encounter the Lord and contend for a Him to move in our generation. Here is a schedule for this year’s prayer meetings:

Monday 7-9pm │Tuesday 8-10am │Wednesday 9-11pm │Thursday 7-9pm│
Friday 10pm-12am │Saturday 7-9pm │Sunday 8-10pm Gathering

We have moved prayer meetings back in order to allow time after work or school to make it on time. Also, we have added a Morning Prayer meeting to accommodate schedules that are night heavy.
The goal is to go 24 hour in the prayer room this fall! This is a big goal and not without hurdles, but the time seems right. Let’s be in prayer to see this come to pass.

2 Year Curriculum/Reading schedule:
Since the Furnace began we have placed a premium on learning and growing in the Lord. One of the exciting changes that we are making for this year is the implementation of a Bible study curriculum for your two years in the Furnace. The plan is that over the course of two years in the Furnace each member will read through and discuss the entire New Testament. Rather than discussing outside books during our accountability times, we will discuss the Bible and implement that into our discussions.

However, since we still love and value good books that challenge us and aid in our walk with the Lord each Furnace member will be provided outside reading. We will be providing opportunity for these books to be discussed as well. These books will be given based on the semester. Our tentative book schedule looks like:

1st semester: Pursuit of God & New Testament Bible commentary
2nd semester: Only a Prayer Meeting & Red Moon Rising
3rd semester: Guys/Girls book & a Study Bible
4th semester: Cost of Discipleship & Entirety


Campus Groups:
All Furnace members will be placed on the leadership team of a DSM Campus Group. These groups support our vision to reach lost high school students by providing a home for them to meet fellow students from their high school and see leaders and peers who are seeking Jesus with their whole heart. In addition to reaching the lost, these Sunday night groups will act as a discipleship mechanism for believers to empower students to live out the Desperation Vow in their individual lives and call others to it. Our goal is to equip and empower these high school students to join or start a prayer meeting on their high school campus.

Gathering:
One final reminder is that the Furnace Gathering is going to be on Sunday nights from 8-10pm. This is to allow for Campus Group ministry, but not require more nights out a week. This is a mandatory meeting for all Furnace members.