The Port Huron REstatement
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"The Sixties were born at a particular time and place: June, 1962, the AFL-CIO camp at Port Huron, Michigan... Though most Americans have never heard of the proceedings at Port Huron, they were crucial, for the authentic spirit of Sixties radicalism issued there. That spirit spread and evolved afterwards, but its later malignant stages, including its violence, were implicit in its birth... SDS and the Port Huron Statement did not create the temper of the Sixties out of nothing. They coalesced the restless discontents of their generation... it was the most widely circulated document of the Left in that decade, brought SDS to national prominence, and its notions became the common currency of the New Left. The New Left is important because it is still with us in the guise of modern liberalism. What was composed at Port Huron, therefore, is a guide to today’s cultural and political debacles." - Former Solicitor General, Robert Bork in Slouching Towards Gomorrah
Hear the REstatement story!
A Synopsis
My name is Joe Sazyc. I have been musing for the last several years why God sent my wife Jeanne and me to Port Huron back in 2016. I have always ministered in highly strategic areas. But Port Huron?
During my time here, I found out that a very historic event happened in this area. In 1962 the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), led by U of M graduate student Tom Hayden, felt that they needed to deal with racial and economic injustices in the midst of a very materialistic time and culture. They met just outside Port Huron and composed The Port Huron Statement. It became the manifesto for their movement ...and for a huge segment of future influencers. Students in that movement became the future professors and leaders in all aspects of society, influencing generations of other students and culture as a whole. I believe we're seeing the full unfolding of that statement manifesting in our government and culture today.
Their motive was noble - justice, especially in the area of racial justice. It was much needed then. It is still needed today. And the issue is at the very center of our cultural debate today. I believe God is bringing it to the forefront for a purpose. Care for the poor and economic justice was and is an issue worthy of attention as well. However, justice movements without Jesus at the center often lead to gross injustice. While one group may gain a measure justice, it often happens at the expense of another group. There are economic injustices in the world. There are racial injustices. And the most vulnerable, the unborn, are facing what may be the most horrifying injustice in human history.
Our church always starts our year with a week of prayer. Usually, I come to prayer with an agenda. We'll pray through our vision or mission statement. But last year I felt very strongly that I needed to spend the week getting God's agenda. And boy did I get one! One evening during this week of prayer, as I called those with me to mourn before the Lord (something we don't know how to do very well). As I lay on the floor, I suddenly received what I can only describe as a high speed "download!" I felt the Lord saying that he wanted a Port Huron REstatement. And on the matter of a moment, my agenda for the next 18 months came to me in a closed vision. This REstatement is actually about a year-long "statement" involving night and day prayer, as Ephesians 3:10 says, "to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities, and powers in the heavenly places." Accompanying that, there will be conferences, revival meetings, a symposium of leaders that will compose a document, and things I don't know yet. It will commence from mid June of 2021 until mid June of 2012 - the 60th anniversary of the Port Huron Statement
A REstatement means two things: 1. affirming things that were right in the original statement. 2. Revising and correcting things that were not right. There is a lot that is not right that is happening in our culture today that only a true move of God can correct.
The vision, theme, goal, mission of The Port Huron REstatement -- Jesus, Justice, Revival!.
- One of the clearest things I saw was that night and day prayer needs to be established in Port Huron. A little Prayer Chapel we created in our church was to become a night and day house of prayer with weekly expressions happening in several key Port Huron churches as well. I see churches, youth groups, college groups, etc... coming to lead worship and pray for justice and revival, day after day, night after night. I see "strike teams" coming from various prayer ministries around the country coming here to worship and pray. God is moving upon other churches in our city to host a prayer movement as well
- I believe a massive solemn assembly/national gathering should take place here. I am praying that a national Christian leader will catch the vision for such an event.
- I see conferences being held with speakers who can address the theme of Jesus, Justice, Revival.
- I see one or more national campus ministries holding a symposium on the topic of Jesus, Justice, Revival, featuring some of the top Christian intellectuals in America
- I see several series of revival meetings with a genuine revivalists.
A little background on me. Back in the 80s & 90s, I led Chi Alpha at the U of M for 9 years. Chi Alpha is campus ministry. with chapters across the nation. We became a large group and a national internship program for Chi Alpha. I then pastored churches for many years and traveled as an itinerant teacher for several years. During those years, I established houses of prayer in Ann Arbor and Dearborn. In 2015, I was asked to become the Area Director for Chi Alpha for Metro Detroit, but while travelling and raising support for my mission, God changed my mission. I came to speak at a little church which did not have a pastor, kitty-corner from a small community college. That's when I heard the call here. It was only years later that I realized the prophetic significance of this territory.
College students changed the world in 1962, My hope is that today's college students will be at the center of this "REstatement." We will need an army of young people from around the whole region, state and nation to be equipped and inspired by Generals in the faith who understand what needs to happen in America. Please pray with me as I am talking to many local, regional, and national leaders in strategic ministries across our land.
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A brief summary and call to the Port Huron REstatement
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Here's a link to the original Port Huron Statement - (WARNING! It is not an easy read! A video summary is below)
http://www.progressivefox.com/misc_documents/PortHuronStatement.pdf
To see a draft of the REstatement, go to
https://therestatement.weebly.com/
A link to our first Port Huron Statement Steering Team Zoom call. Powerful insights!
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/wymMjX_cvkuWyOPKTIf-OW7WRkmZQGPsEwQVKaqvfQLU5eEuPITfM1A5nsKj3lBF.pooXBT-twCqHrkrd?startTime=161231168000o
A link to our first Port Huron Statement Steering Team Zoom call. Powerful insights!
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/wymMjX_cvkuWyOPKTIf-OW7WRkmZQGPsEwQVKaqvfQLU5eEuPITfM1A5nsKj3lBF.pooXBT-twCqHrkrd?startTime=161231168000o
God's design for spiritual vitality involved the assembling of his people for appointed times. King Hezekiah of Judah brought a revival to Israel by calling the people to commemorate Passover for the first time in a long time. In this story, we see a pattern on how to call people to gather, and what do once they're gathered. The goal: widespread awakening!
WOW! What a conference!
Videos of this powerful conference can be found at
https://therestatement.weebly.com/media.html