This year GCC has the privilege of holding the fort in Penang for the “Run for the Nation 2010” (also known simply as RunNat), a prayer run event, uniting churches from all over Penang to come together as one body of Christ to intercede for Penang island and for the nation as believers run through the city and streets. Last year GCC had the opportunity to participate in the event and truly, it was a blessing to be able to be united with other churches and to speak of God’s blessings upon our beloved country. This year, God has challenged GCC to not just participate in RunNat, but to anchor it for Penang!

In total, we had four main routes charted out, 132 runners and 30 team managers with the participation of 9 churches! Statistically speaking, the numbers have grown as compared to last year. In fact, we had an extra route this year to accommodate the encouraging participation from different churches. All glory to God! After much preparation and planning had been done, came the day of the actual event – 22nd May 2010!

As mentioned above, the RunNat Penang Committee came up with four main routes, each charting a 44km distance. For each main route, 11 teams are assigned to run a distance of 4km respectively and as they run from their checkpoint to the next they are to pray, handing over the prayer card, which also worked as a baton, to the following team until the entire route is completed. The first team to take off started at 5am in the morning and in all, RunNat managed to cover at least 80-90% of Penang Island. The whole idea is to saturate Penang Island with prayer, to open up the floodgate of God’s blessings upon our city and nation!

GCC sent 2 teams this year and being assigned to run the hills of Balik Pulau, it was a physical challenge for the participants! Kenny, Partibhan, Josephine, Clarene and Glen along with Poh Sim weren’t deterred even though it was a challenging route to run. Along the way, there was a minor accident that happened amongst our team. In the process of picking up the team, Poh Sim unknowingly drove her car into a small ditch. Thank God that it was only a minor accident and turns out, many passers-by stopped to help Poh Sim and team to get the car out of the ditch. We were truly protected and blessed! All glory to God.

While the first team began at 5 in the morning, the last team finished at 10.30am upon which, everybody gathered back at Reservoir Garden Baptist Church for the corporate closing prayer. With many different churches congregating as one at the closing prayer, it was truly an assurance that it was God’s divine appointment. As churches and participants come together to pray, there was a strong sense of unity in the hall and it truly reminded all of us of the significance of unity in the body of Christ. The early church, such as that depicted in Acts 2:42, speaks of a fellowship that is one in Christ. As different pastors led the congregation to pray in the different prayer points, believers voiced out in unison, interceding for the nation.

RunNat reminded all of us of the race that has been laid out for us in Christ. As we run, we run in the new spirit in which Christ has given us, running not for ourselves but for Christ himself. Let’s continue to run like a champion, run to make Him famous.