1998 Summit
Presbyterian Minister: "I appreciated the space to meet with my Father. An unrushed opportunity to open myself, again, to His gentle probing of my spirit. The separation from family and ministry gave me His opportunity to be refreshed in Him by His Word and His Spirit. Opportunity, too, to catch up with His heart for me, my family and His church. All this in the context of community, as He ministered through His Body - my brothers in Christ and co-workers in the Gospel."

Church of Christ pastor: "I came to the Prayer Summit with a heavy and sad heart due to personal and ministry pressures. I left with a fresh joy and confidence to lead and to generally enjoy life. I praise the God of grace who met my need."

Uniting Church pastor: "The Prayer Summit for me was a time of openness before the Lord in unity with my brother Christians. In our time together I was allowed and encouraged to face my inner-most struggles and fears and to define more strongly my relationship to Jesus, my calling to ministry and my self-worth as a child of God. I was also able to examine my relationships with my wife and family, my congregation and other Christians. Overall it was a time to draw near to God, wait on Him and allow Him to do His work of grace in me."

Anglican minister: "It was so good to step aside from ministry for a few days, to just spend unhurried time with other Christian leaders, and with God. We have prayed, we've read, we've talked, we've listened, we've confessed and we've affirmed. But most of all, we've shared together in worship of our Lord, Jesus."

Anglican minister: "Though I was a little tentative about what to expect on a Prayer Summit, I have been very richly blessed. Praising God, reading scripture, praying together, and then praying for individuals (including myself being prayed for) has been a very renewing experience. The joy and unity and trust that developed between brother Christians from varied denominational backgrounds was a taste of heaven. God willing, I'll be back, with some others! Renewing, revitalising, re-forcussing in Jesus Christ - and in being a child of God - together with other brother Christians has been a great joy."


1999 Summit:
I found this Summit to be a great blessing! The refreshing focus was on relationships. My relationship with my God was enriched, renewed, enforced, strengthened, encouraged. My relationship with my wife and children renewed. My relationship with my church people was encouraged. My heart was strengthened. My desire to preach the Word of God to them strengthened. My relationship with my fellow ministers was really, really strengthened. I felt a real unity and bond no matter who they are or where they are from. I felt a real openness which has really blessed me. I pray the friendships I have made will continue.

As I looked at the invitation for the prayer summit, I considered how I could go for four days. The Lord spoke clearly to me, that more is achieved by prayer than can ever be really seen or appreciated. After this special time, I am fully rested in the spirit, refreshed in the spirit and encouraged greatly by the Lord. To pray and worship with brothers who are committed to see Illawarra turned around by Jesus, it has been very encouraging to really see the calibre of men and women who are sent to the Illawarra. I have a greater expectancy than before, that unity is achievable between the different church families.

The Prayer Summit is a bit like a necessary trip to the dentist - in anticipation every thing else takes priority and in reflection, not only is it a great relief but it's benefit is long lasting. I still find it hard to conceive that the Spirit of God could set the agenda for a meeting of Pastors and Christian Leaders - yet in reflection the hand of God on the four days of the Summit is most obvious and unmistakable.

The Summit was not so much my time with God as His time with me. Time + space + truth + love + community combining to open my heart to His heart. He did His deep probing and penetrating ministry by His Word and Spirit. He rebuked, He corrected, He humbled and He affirmed me. And He knitted me into my brothers' lives. God is answering the prayer of His Son (John 17) in heartfelt and tangible ways.

I am sure I will look back on these days as a watershed in my personal relationship, my corporate relationship with my brothers in the Illawarra and my ministry in the Lord. I found it refreshing, relaxed, sensitive to individual needs. It was a wonderful relaxing time away from ministry and family, a time to be still before the Lord in prayer and to let Him work on me to learn to trust my brothers in the Lord gathered there, to open up, to be honest and to find spiritual refreshing from the Lord. At first I had my reservations. I felt free to allow myself to struggle with these reservations and deal with my fears and frustrations. After two days I felt ready to worship our God, to be honest with my brothers, to work through differences in prayer and loving counsel, and I never lost the truth I hold dearly that I felt my brothers hadn't or haven't grasped. I still hold my doctrinal truths dear. I've lost nothing, but gained fifteen deep, loving, trusting relationships in the Lord. It was frightening at first, but wonderful at last.


2000 Summit:
It is a great time to be alone with God. A time dedicated to prayer and petition. A time to come away from all the hassles of office work and share fellowship with fellow ministers in our area.
This Prayer Summit is significant in my journey with the Lord because of the deep unity with men who have Jesus and His Kingdom as their priority and focus. I have gained strength and clarity in God's calling for my life and ministry and wish to continue in this Christ-centred, Bible-based, Spirit-led ministry. With appreciation to God and dear brothers in Christ.

A time to sit at the Lord's feet and be ministered to by Him. It was also good to share deep hurts and allow the Lord's servants to pray over those issues. A time of rest and refreshment in the Lord.

It was great to take time out and focus on prayer, praise and God's Word. The added benefit of getting to know leaders from other churches is a real bonus. While I know nothing of eternal benefit can or will be achieved without prayer, business tends to squeeze out that which is most important in my being effective in the Lord's service. I praise God for uniquely gifting David to pastor me, encourage me in making time to pray, and I know my life, my family, my ministry and relationship within the wider church is greatly enhanced by these few days of focussing on God - what a great investment of time! See you next year!

This has been my third Summit. The personal and corporate progression over the three years has been very significant. Personally, I have enjoyed the space and time to slow down enough to hear God. Corporately, we have found a deepening unity in the worship of God and in His encouragement to walk in greater dependence on Him and His Word.

This, the third Pastors' Prayer Summit, has been a great blessing where God has drawn us further together in unity, in prayer, purpose and praise. I look forward to what God will do in us and with us as we meet next year. Jesus' prayer in John 17 about unity and joy was experienced in many ways.

It's been so good to get away again and focus in listening to God, praying for each other and praying for God's work in the Illawarra. I go home refreshed and re-fired to let the light of Jesus shine and proclaim His Word.

It's my second Summit and this year has been even a greater and more refreshing time than last year's, which was very good. I feel very encouraged, refreshed, strengthened and have a greater confidence in my fellow brothers who are serving the Lord in the Illawarra. What stands out for me is that everyone has a real heart to see God move and bless this area. I feel it is a real honour to be working alongside of strong committed brothers in the Lord.

2002 Summit
I thank the Lord for this time to be with Him and His servants to encourage and be encouraged in Him as we seek to lift Jesus up in the Illawarra.

To be at the Summit meant that I was accepted by other pastors in a non-judging fellowship - also, expanding my vision of what God wants to do in the world. "The Earth is the Lord's and everything in it!" (Psalm 24)

It's good to get to know other ministries from the Illawarra who have a heart for the City. To see how God used different giftings to unfold His ways at the Summit. It's great to get to know others and what God has called each one to do.

The Summit has refreshed my own spiritual life and vision for the local church. My vision has been significantly enlarged to see the possibility of God transforming the Illawarra by praying and working together with people of one heart and mind whom God has brought together. It has been awesome to see God moving to bring forth spiritual leadership.

I have been in Wollongong serving in the local church with a dream to reach the city with the Gospel. Over the last 30 years I have been involved and also helped organise many citywide events. The Prayer Summit was one of the greatest citywide prayer events I have ever attended. Totally awesome! Jesus Christ was glorified in the servant leadership. The gracious, humble men and women of God who have a heart for the city are a beautiful example of the scripture "preferring one another in love". Wollongong is destined to become a city for God. The Prayer Summit will accelerate this process. Prayer changes things. The Prayer Summit was a 'mountaintop experience' for me.

This Summit has been a movement forward in ministers breaking down barriers between each other - seeking forgiveness and looking to Christ to go ahead together in brotherly love - to honour one another. This was followed by a day and half of freedom as we sang to the Lord, prayed, read God's Word - and supported each other. The confirming of citywide ministry of the whole church was so encouraging.

2003 Summit
Prayer Summit is a holy mountain experience that you get to share with fellow soldiers. A time of revelation and rest! A time of God finding and fun!

Another great time - a very real sense of unity. Thank you, David, for your faith and commitment. A different time having a spoken agenda - some positive, especially on Wednesday afternoon, the opening up of the urgency of the church to move, as an army, into our society to minister to those in our society - having a deep sense of unity as we do this.

Thanks, Lord, for such an encouraging time again with You and Your people. Another step forward!
Enjoyed the week. It's great to belong to the Body of Christ and fellowship with other pastors.
Enjoyed getting to know the other guys in person. The sharing times where they spoke of their lives was good. Getting a vision - even if glimpses of - of working together, ministry together.

Being able to pour out my feelings about the Church crisis; and be prayed for; receive a confirming call to be strong; and to realise that, what is going on in the church is a battle for all churches.

This was a special time for me when God showed me that, through the love and prayers of the body of Christ, His touch upon my life has lifted burdens and refreshed me with a clearer focus and love for Christ and the Church.

A time of encouragement - certainly an awareness of not being alone; a time of excitement - catching hold of a fresh vision of what will be; Times of worship great; The Prayer Summit was a God send last year in the midst of my experience of being in the wilderness. I am sensing that I am coming out of that wilderness, and this year's Prayer Summit has given me a greater confidence that my appointment to the 'West Gate' of the city is not an accident.

Brilliant - praying, laughing, eating, crying, walking in the bush alone. Walking with fellow ministers, stirring, wrestling, having fun. We hugged Jesus and we were Jesus to each other. All this because we love the Illawarra and God loves us. Praise our Father in heaven.

God is continuing to bind us together as His co-workers, partners in ministry. And God continues to build His character, compassion and heart for the perishing into us. The Summit this year was a place of refreshing joy, clarified vision and empowered authority - all flowing out of the unity we found humbled together before the cross.