The attention of the Every Nation world turns to Cape Town, South Africa as it hosts the Every Nation’s Go Conference, held every three years, from October 5–7, 2023. Over 4,000 delegates are expected to descend worldwide at the Cape Town International Convention Center. There are currently 30 Every Nation churches in South Africa.

While the Every Nation conference will take on the atmosphere of a global family reunion, there is much tension in the nation.

Decades after the end of Apartheid, South Africa continues to struggle with the blight of racism. Being the most industrialized economy in the region, many job hunters from the surrounding African nations move here in search of employment. With the 7.7% white minority still controlling much of the economy and an unemployment rate upwards of 30%, tensions are high among the local black South Africans who feel the immigrants are getting jobs that are supposed to be theirs. The poverty rate is at a staggering 55%.

Furthermore, the economy is expected to shrink this year due to an energy crisis. Years of mismanagement of the state-owned Eskom, the nation’s electricity public utility, has led to daily blackouts of up to 12 hours a day. Businesses have suffered as a result. This crisis is expected to last until 2025 and it is expected to take 5 years before the daily blackouts are fully eliminated.

All of these will come to a head at the 2024 national elections. The ruling African National Congress (ANC), in power since 1994, looks particularly weakened by these crises leading to next year’s elections. This is a crucial tipping point for the nation – a possible fuel to a fire. 

The Bible refers to the Church in Matthew 5:14 as the light of the world and a city on a hill. As Every Nation holds its 3-day world conference, may the surrounding community see and experience the genuine love, fellowship, and witness of the global family of churches. Pray for divine appointments between locals and guests. Our Every Nation churches in Cape Town have a long history of social responsibility dating back to the struggle against Apartheid. Pray for new doors to open towards serving the community in this time of great need.

Prayer Points:

1. Lift up Go 2023 in prayer. Pray for all visa applications of delegates to be approved and for traveling mercies. Cover all the details and logistics in prayer. Ask God to speak through every conference speaker so that His word to Every Nation would clearly come through the preachers. Above all, pray for the presence of God to be all throughout the conference.
2. Intercede for a spirit of love and unity to put an end to the spirit of racism that has burdened Africa for centuries. Release a spirit of forgiveness, love, and mercy throughout the land. Pray for the people to celebrate racial diversity rather than resist it.
3. Ask God for wisdom for the energy sector to solve the power crisis. Pray for the economy to rebound so that poverty and unemployment can be brought under control.

To learn more about the current situation in South Africa, you can read the resources through the links below:

• South Africa’s Operation Dudula vigilantes usher in new wave of xenophobia

• Why South Africa’s Electricity Crisis Is At The Heart Of Its Problems

• South Africa’s power crisis will continue until 2025 – and blackouts will take 5 years to phase out

• South Africa load-shedding: The roots of Eskom’s power problem

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Every Nation is a global family of churches and campus ministries, of which Victory is a founding member.

We are called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). This is the reason we value world missions as a church and persistently pray for the nations.