Dr. Richard M. Wright - Prayer Expedition at Epworth by the Sea

Als o by

Dr. Richard M. Wr ight

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PRAYER EXPEDITION
AT
EPWORTH
BY THE
SEA

Dr. Richard M. Wright

Copyright 2018 Dr. Richard M. Wright.

Interior Graphics/Art Credit: Richard M. Wright.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Holy Bible New International Version, copyrighted 1973, 1978, and 1984 by International Bible Society

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-2887-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2889-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2888-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018905990

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/31/2018

Dedication

T o Epworth by the Seas guests who come for spiritual growth and Christian education while relaxing among Gods beautiful creation on this sacred ground on Georgias coast.

May your prayer expedition and discovery be uplifting and fruitful as you draw closer to God and discern the divine plans for you! Gods richest blessings to you as you make this trek!

Contents

W hether it is your first visit or your hundredth to Epworth by the Sea, this guide to prayer will greatly enrich your experience of this unique setting. Out of his own personal journey of prayer at Epworth, Rich Wright has designed a resource that combines inspiring history, illuminating scripture, and intentional prayer.

Epworth already means so much to so many of us. It has shaped the lives of children, youth, and adults for generations. Now we have a fresh way to explore Epworth through the fourteen different stops on the prayer expedition outlined by Dr. Wright.

I thank Rich for his response to the nudging of the Holy Spirit in the direction of this guide to prayer. I have been blessed by it and encourage its use by all who wish to open themselves to spiritual refreshment and renewal at Epworth by the Sea.

Bishop R. Lawson Bryan

The South Georgia Annual Conference

The United Methodist Church

I acknowledge Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior! I am still amazed that God called me to be an ordained elder within The United Methodist Church. The last twenty-plus years of pastoral ministry have been a great journey!

I thank God for the wonderful weather on the days that I took the pictures for this book. The grounds are always spectacular. The grounds are even more beautiful in the spring and summer, when the azaleas and other flowers are in full bloom.

This project would never have gotten off of the ground if it had not been for Rev. Dr. Craig Rickard. While doing a book-signing event at the 2015 South Georgia Annual Conference, Craig and I talked about writing. He suggested that I embark on a book for spiritual growth that included Epworth by the Sea. What a great idea! Thanks, Craig, for the genesis that resulted in this prayer book.

Of course, without the majestic setting of Epworth by the Sea, this book would not exist. I am grateful for those who founded this great retreat center. I imagine that they believed great things would happen on this campus. There have been literally thousands of children and adults who have given their lives to Christ, have had their Christian faith nurtured, and continue to guide others toward a deeper relationship with God through Christ. I thank the many people who keep this center going by reaching out to many people and groups who visit this wonderful place each year.

I thank the Epworth by the Sea staff for their assistance in making this project a reality. I especially want to thank Joel Willis, the president and chief executive officer, and Rev. Wayne Racz, the director for spiritual formation, church relations, and development. The encouragement and assistance you provided were tremendous and contributed mightily to this project.

I want to thank each person who uses this book to guide their prayer journey around the campus of Epworth by the Sea. I pray that you will learn about the various prayer stops and that you will enjoy a deeper relationship with God through Christ as you use each stop as the means through which you can receive Gods grace on your spiritual journey.

Why This Book?

I am filled with excitement every time I come to St. Simons Island and that beautiful place called Epworth by the Sea. The excitement is because I know that I will be able to draw closer to God. This connection has been made possible because of the various events and programs that I have attended over the years. As the former superintendent, Rev. Dr. Charles Adams, commented each time he talked about Epworth by the Sea, Epworth by the Sea is a great place to be!

I attended some of these programs for continuing education as a pastor, spending many hours in classrooms or one of the auditoriums for training. Other programs provided me some time to enjoy the campus and the surrounding communities of St. Simons and Brunswick.

Driving onto the campus, you realize that you are approaching a special place as you pass under moss-covered live oaks. Rolling the windows down, you realize that the hustle and bustle of the world is drowned out by the wind blowing gently through those trees and the birds singing. Then you see itthe main gate welcoming you to the sacred ground called Epworth by the Sea!

On each visit, my excitement grows as I see friends from over the years who are there, and as I participate in the event for which I am there. Over the last few times that I visited Epworth, I also explored the various monuments and plaques located all over the campus. I noticed that there were several places where I could stop for a time to contemplate whatever was on my mind. On each visit, I used different places to pray and meditate. I sensed Gods presence each time. But, more important than this sense of divine presence, I sensed God speaking directly to me and the situations that I found myself in.

I felt that I was being moved toward writing this book, but I had other tasks on my plate. Being a United Methodist pastor, I discounted the urge to write because I really did not have time to write another book.

Well, I was wrong. When Rev. Dr. Craig Rickard said that I ought to write this book, my reaction was, How did he know about this thought I had about an Epworth prayer book? When Rev. Wayne Racz walked over to our book-signing table at one of our annual conferences, Craig mentioned this project to him. He said, That would be a great idea! That moment was when this book was born in earnest!