Deb Chen has been burning the midnight oil to prepare The Ephesus Code DVD for its launch at Synod today, but the work has been worthwhile for the video producer and marketing manager.
"It's exciting being part of a project seeking to unite us in prayer for the mission that we should all have as Christians," Ms Chen says.
The Ephesus Code will pick up where 40 Days with the Risen Lord left off by encouraging Sydney Anglicans to unite in prayer for the Diocesan mission.
Bishop of Wollongong, Reg Piper who authored The Ephesus Code prayer journal hopes the project will unite Sydney Anglicans in praying for mission across the Diocese and throughout the world.
"The Ephesus code is a prayer journal which links what happened in the church of Ephesus and the way that great revival occurred around that church to our particular mission this century," he says.
"If we're going to conduct a mission in the Diocese of Sydney, we want it to be Bible informed and Spirit led."
The journal will cover the 40 day period from Easter to Ascension in 2006 and will include daily readings and prayers as well as accompanying Bible study and sermon material.
"This is an opportunity for us to be together in thinking about the mission, thinking about prayer and how we should call upon God for his spirit," Bishop Piper says.
"We ought to think in terms of expanding our churches and planting new churches, how we think about training people for ministry and how we think about reforming the culture."
The Ephesus Code will incorporate Bible readings from Acts, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy and Revelation. Bishop Piper says the church of Ephesus has great relevance to Sydney Anglicans today.
"It's amazing that the church at Ephesus 2000 years ago is so relevant to our church and mission today. The same issues of spiritual renewal, planting and multiplying churches and training people are all found in documents concerning the church at Ephesus."
Rector of St Peter's, Campbelltown, the Rev Peter Stavert says almost every member of his church was involved in doing the 40 Days prayer journal last year.
"We really enjoyed it earlier this year. We had just about everybody doing it," he says.
"We sold 250 prayer journals. That's 250 families and 25 bible study groups getting involved. Our sermon series were on those topics too."
Mr Stavert says his church is still benefiting from the outcomes of running the 40 Days program.
"The outcomes were greater prayerfulness, a sense of needing to pray together as a church family and a greater sense of unity both within the parish and towards diocesan mission."
Mr Stavert says St Peter's will definitely take up The Ephesus Code program next year and hopes it will continue reform and renewal within the church.
"We have just under 600 people on a Sunday and I presume we'll all be apart of it," he says.
"The outcome I would love to see is prayerfulness. Our members are good at gathering for dinners and Bible studies but actually gathering for sheer prayer would be a terrific outcome."
