“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!…”
When CSBC Executive Director Pete Ramirez first voiced a God-sized vision to reach two percent of California’s population for Christ (a ten-year endeavor now known as Reaching California), task forces formed, sub-goals emerged, and statewide listening sessions began. Early on, it became clear that no strategic effort could advance without sustained, statewide prayer. Although the fiscal year was already underway with no funding allocated, Ramirez asked Francis Chung, CSBC’s Missions Initiative Team Leader, to craft a prayer campaign that would undergird the 2% goal.
With a humble beginning and a few volunteers, a plan was developed for three prayer events in three locations across the state in 2025. No one could have known exactly if, or how, the Lord would move, but those on the prayer team had an expectant faith.
Francis Chung was chief among them. “When God’s people pray, the extraordinary happens. In fact, the uncommon occurs regularly when God is in the equation, and God is present!” said Chung.
On December 7, during CSBC’s December staff week, Chung reported that the original plan for three unfunded gatherings ultimately became thirteen separate prayer events, and each was financially supported by local churches and partner ministries eager to see prayer take root statewide.
Highlights included:
- 3 Ascent Prayer Summits (Ontario, Milpitas, Shasta)
- 7 localized prayer events (California City, Bakersfield, Fresno (x2), Milpitas (x2), and Los Angeles)
- 3 Transforming Weekend church-based trainings (Malibu, Long Beach, and Placerville)
- And 1 Prayer Cohort was launched in November
In total, more than 450 participants engaged in a CSBC prayer event in 2025, and over 350 written resources were distributed to local pastors and churches.
“We praise God for what He has accomplished with the hopes that revival will soon commence,” Chung told the CSBC staff, noting tangible signs of spiritual renewal among California church leaders.
He reminded the team that while ministries benefit from strong planning, experience, and financial resources, these alone cannot produce lasting spiritual fruit. Transformative stories, such as reconciled relationships, renewed unity, and healing among pastors, reflect what happens when God’s people abide deeply in Christ.
“In separate incidents, pastors have approached me, often with tears because God healed a rift between themselves and other pastors. A heavy burden was lifted as pastors in conflict approached their brother; faults and wrongs were confessed; and forgiveness was asked and given. It is a vivid picture of Psalm 133 being lived out.”
[“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, As on Aaron’s beard, The oil which ran down upon the edge of his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for the Lord commanded the blessing there—life forever”]
The outcomes of CSBC’s inaugural Year of Prayer have been, in Chung’s words, “powerful and wonderful and central to the ten-year vision.” He emphasized that the campaign’s development has been strengthened by counsel from outside prayer leaders, including The 6:4 Fellowship’s Daniel and Dennis Henderson, Nathan Lino, and Bill Elliff, as well as CSBC’s California-based team of Gil De La Rosa, Grant Bennett, and Ramiah Lazo.
Plans for Year of Prayer 2026 are already underway, with new resources being designed to help pastors deepen their personal prayer lives as well as cultivate prayer-focused congregations. The upcoming year will feature:
- Prayer summits with the focus on Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-based prayer,
- Prayer events where participants were led into the Presence of God,
- Church-based training based on the Lord’s Prayer, emphasizing the motive and method of praying,
- Pastoral Cohorts to help pastors maintain a Presence-Centered Life while fostering a vibrant culture of prayer in their churches.
“Our hope is that in 2026 and beyond, God will continue this incredible momentum so that more believers will cry out to God,” encouraged Chung. “As my good friend Bill Elliff eloquently concludes, ‘We must have His nearness – daily, hourly – to function properly. Our most significant failures come when we forget this and pridefully try to operate on our own. With this truth in mind, my hope is that California Southern Baptist will be a body that prays at all times and for all peoples without intermission!”
For churches interested in hosting a prayer event in 2026, visit https://csbc.com/year-of-prayer/ or contact Beverly Regensberg at bregensberg@csbc.com.
