"Do you want something to happen here? It seems like we ought to pray. It seems like we ought to get down and say, ‘I don't want to keep on being what I am. I need something from the outside.'"

With these words, Greg Budd encouraged members of the Mentone congregation to learn how to pray more effectively. Assisting him at the Mentone week of prayer Jan. 18 to 27 was his wife, Lesa.

The Budds are the prayer coordinators for the Wisconsin Conference. Former overseas missionaries, they host a weekly radio program on Three Angels Broadcasting Network called "Crossroads." Greg is also an author, having written the book God Knows Your Name.

At Friday evening vespers, the Budds told heartwarming stories of powerful answers to intercessory prayers. They told of individuals who had been led back to God as the result of the prayers of persistent and earnest loved ones.

In his Sabbath sermon, "How Long Until It Is Going to Rain?" Greg cited the hunger for truth that is happening outside the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, but called on church members first to be ready from within. "We have not yet learned how to treat each other; we have not yet learned to love the truth, not all of it," he said.

Sabbath afternoon Lesa spoke about prayer and revival. She described the effectiveness of prayer walking. This can take place inside the church, she said, with individuals praying for missing or troubled church members while sitting in the pews they occupied. It can also happen outside the church, with members walking through the community and praying for its residents.

On Sunday morning the church members held a prayer breakfast with their guests. During this time the Budds gave pointers on how to pray effective prayers as individuals, as families, and as a church. The meetings closed with the Budds encouraging the congregation to pray for and support their pastor, Larry Kirkpatrick Jr., his wife, Pam, and their children.

The meetings have had a positive response from church members as prayer chains and prayer partnerships formed afterwards. Members are also now looking forward to hosting a Revelation seminar and various other activities in the near future.

The Mentone meetings were held in response to the Southeastern California Conference's call for prayer and fasting to begin the new year.