The AIIAS community was blessed by the Week of Spiritual Emphasis featuring the theme, “Dangerous Prayers,” designed to enhance the attendees’ walk of faith. Guest speaker, Dr. Andrea Trusty King, the director of communications and media for the Southeastern California Conference (SECC) of Seventh-day Adventists in California, delivered this series of faith-filled messages from January 22-27, 2024.
Dr. King’s messages centered on the power of praying “dangerous prayers”—prayers that are completely supported by a faith so profound that they cannot be left unheard. King’s messages addressed questions relating to spirituality, urging the AIIAS community to develop a deeper relationship with Christ.
King stressed the importance of taking steps toward a forward-focused life. Her messages consisted of a collection of prayer reminders for opening up to a strengthened relationship with God. She encouraged the community to pray boldly, pray for blessings, pray through a waiting process, pray for those that persecute and do wrong, pray for ministry and purpose, and pray for God’s leading to where He calls one to go. King called her listeners to an inner quest for God’s transformation. She drew inspiration from the stories of faithful Bible characters, who, despite the most difficult circumstances, continued to praise the Lord and follow in His footsteps.
During each meeting, King recounted experiences of individuals who navigated life’s storms. Her lessons focused on what Christ can do for those who put their faith in Him. The testimonies highlighted God’s purpose in the lives of those who sought Him. She also emphasized that the Holy Spirit moves through our testimonies, so they must be shared with others. King expanded on these thoughts, noting that applying faith with the Word of God can improve situations, especially with the intervention of the Holy Spirit. She addressed the importance of developing persistent faith instead of anticipating immediate answers to requests, believing that God can shift situations and fulfill His promises.
The messages were warmly responded to by the AIIAS community as listeners applied what they heard to their personal needs. Members expressed that the topics “speak directly to the heart”, that the “uplifting messages taught me how to pray dangerous prayers”, and that they provided “practical applications to make an effort to connect with God”.
Dr. King spoke twice daily at morning and evening sessions beginning Monday (22nd), and culminating the week with a powerful sermon on Sabbath (27th). At the Divine Service on Sabbath, AIIAS President Ginger Ketting-Weller encouraged the congregation to learn the cultural ways of African-American churches, responding enthusiastically to the speaker with Amens and Hallelujahs as a customary way of urging the speaker forward in preaching the Word with greater power. She also announced that during the week that Dr. Andrea King was speaking at AIIAS, she was named to a new appointment as the vice president of Black Ministries for Southeastern California Conference.
The meetings were streamed, gathering online viewers from Colombia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Namibia, Taiwan, Tonga, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the USA. They are now archived in a playlist which can be found at this link.
