Burn Shawnee

Author: Mindy Wood
Issue: 2008 March

In the midst of these tumultuous times, there are groups of people who are fighting for peace and wholeness on their knees. Transcending denominational barriers, these passionate people come together and pray for God to visit their city, nation and the world with His healing, saving grace.

Shawnee is just one city in which these non stop services of prayer and worship, known as the “Burn,” continue for a minimum of 24 to 48 hours at the beginning of each month. Twenty churches in Shawnee participate by hosting musicians and worship leaders who take two-hour shifts for the duration of the meeting. There are no sermons, teaching services or workshops, as this is a time offered for people to pray and “seek God’s presence” on behalf of the city while offering worship to God.

The Burn started four years ago with Sean Feucht in Tulsa where he attended ORU. Since its beginning, the vision of the Burn has spread to 35 cities worldwide. Since 2007, the Burn stretched to China, Indonesia, Uganda, Nepal, Israel, Turkey and the Philippines. Feucht was at Family of Faith for the February meeting to visit the Burn Shawnee.

Teams going into other countries establish the services with local churches, much the same way they do in the States, but Feucht says they also reach out to the people. “We do clinics during the day, bringing medicine, giving shots and blankets to the widows and orphans. We’re meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the people.”

While the people have responded whole-heartedly to their efforts, there is also great risk traveling to these foreign lands. In November, while Feucht was in Uganda, he experienced that danger firsthand after returning from the Burn meeting to a home where he was staying.

“As soon as we stepped in the door to my friend’s home they went to lock the front door and the barrel of an AK47 gun poked through the door with a bunch of men in bandanas and hats screaming for us to lay down with our faces and hands on the ground. It was complete chaos as they kept yelling and waving the gun and metal clubs, threatening to shoot and beat us if we didn’t get on the ground and take all of our money out. They yelled in broken English, ‘Don’t turn around and look at us or we’ll kill you.’

“I took out the last $60 I had to get to the airport and gave it to them while they strip-searched all of us. The main gunman said, ‘I think we should torture this white man and leave the rest of them…that would be good.’”

Feucht began to pray to God to preserve his life for his wife. His friends quickly joined in prayer. After telling the thieves that he was a missionary with nothing to be had, Feucht said they saw the Bibles and asked if they were Christians.

“They all answered simultaneously, ‘Yes, of course we are. We love Jesus.’ The minute they said that,” said Feutch, “the men left.”

Feutch reflected on the experience. “God is so faithful. I was amazed because the minute the men left, this entire family began to worship God and thank Him for divine protection. We even prayed for the men who robbed us.”

Feutch said all denominations are welcome to participate in the Burn. “It’s bringing unity to the city. If it becomes about one church’s deal then other churches won’t show up.”

“We can’t do this alone; we can’t reach people alone. We need to come together and see ourselves as one body, many expressions and many different ways of doing it. People are worth fighting for in Shawnee, worth praying for, and we believe that God does answer prayer.”

Pastor Feutch says it is worth staying up all night for. “It’s worth contending for in prayer, even in our small town.”

For more information or if you would like your church to participate, visit www.burn24-7.com or email Pastor Feutch at ypdave@gmail.com.

Shawnee Outlook