Prayer, according to Hope Fellowship’s mission statement, is central to the life of the church. That being the case, the Thursday morning prayer group has continued without a break throughout the summer as it has from its inception.
Each week I wonder who will attend. It is summer after all, and people are coming and going all the time. But every Thursday up to six people have shown up. And last week there were eight of us! God is so good!!
What happens during our time together in the prayer room? We spend six hours on our knees facing Jerusalem, burning incense and speaking in foreign tongues. Just kidding.
We begin, at 9:30 a.m., by chatting about our lives. We voice our worries, we joke and laugh, we mention personal prayer requests and we share reasons to praise God. As the conversation continues, we list prayer concerns for our church family, for the broader community and for the world.
We enjoy each other’s company and love to talk, so we have to remind ourselves to actually get around to praying. After someone starts with some opening words of praise and thanksgiving, we take turns bringing our petitions to God in Jesus’ name. Sometimes a participant will choose to remain silent the whole time, and let others pray. It doesn’t matter. People are free to pray openly or silently; to pray briefly or at length.
At 10:30 a.m., one of us closes. We honour the time so that people will return knowing that their one hour commitment will be respected. I’m convinced that this common understanding about the time has protected this weekly prayer time at the church since Hope Fellowship began twelve years ago! Interestingly, three days ago one of our participants actually brought a new wall clock for the prayer room, underscoring the fact that we will continue to respect people’s time.
Long ago, the apostle Paul told the Christians in Thessalonica to “be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” In this Bible verse, prayer is in the centre, flanked by joy and gratitude. That tells us that the key to a joyful, thankful life is praying continually.
“Praying continually” does not mean spending every moment of your life with your hands folded and your eyes closed. That would make it hard to keep the car on the road and put supper on the table. It does suggest, however, that we can spontaneously talk to God whenever we wish, while also setting aside regular, continual opportunities for intentional prayer times.
For me, one of those “regular, continual opportunities” is the Thursday morning prayer time with others. In fact, it has become a key building block in my personal prayer life that makes me anticipate Thursday mornings. I think you would look forward to this weekly prayer time, too, if you joined us. Why don’t you, if this time slot works for you? It would certainly make you feel more connected at Hope Fellowship.
Of course, if another time would work better for you and others, you could start another prayer group in the prayer room. I dare say that others would join you if only an alternative prayer time was also offered in the evening or on the weekend.
- Pastor Peter
Each week I wonder who will attend. It is summer after all, and people are coming and going all the time. But every Thursday up to six people have shown up. And last week there were eight of us! God is so good!!
What happens during our time together in the prayer room? We spend six hours on our knees facing Jerusalem, burning incense and speaking in foreign tongues. Just kidding.
We begin, at 9:30 a.m., by chatting about our lives. We voice our worries, we joke and laugh, we mention personal prayer requests and we share reasons to praise God. As the conversation continues, we list prayer concerns for our church family, for the broader community and for the world.
We enjoy each other’s company and love to talk, so we have to remind ourselves to actually get around to praying. After someone starts with some opening words of praise and thanksgiving, we take turns bringing our petitions to God in Jesus’ name. Sometimes a participant will choose to remain silent the whole time, and let others pray. It doesn’t matter. People are free to pray openly or silently; to pray briefly or at length.
At 10:30 a.m., one of us closes. We honour the time so that people will return knowing that their one hour commitment will be respected. I’m convinced that this common understanding about the time has protected this weekly prayer time at the church since Hope Fellowship began twelve years ago! Interestingly, three days ago one of our participants actually brought a new wall clock for the prayer room, underscoring the fact that we will continue to respect people’s time.
Long ago, the apostle Paul told the Christians in Thessalonica to “be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” In this Bible verse, prayer is in the centre, flanked by joy and gratitude. That tells us that the key to a joyful, thankful life is praying continually.
“Praying continually” does not mean spending every moment of your life with your hands folded and your eyes closed. That would make it hard to keep the car on the road and put supper on the table. It does suggest, however, that we can spontaneously talk to God whenever we wish, while also setting aside regular, continual opportunities for intentional prayer times.
For me, one of those “regular, continual opportunities” is the Thursday morning prayer time with others. In fact, it has become a key building block in my personal prayer life that makes me anticipate Thursday mornings. I think you would look forward to this weekly prayer time, too, if you joined us. Why don’t you, if this time slot works for you? It would certainly make you feel more connected at Hope Fellowship.
Of course, if another time would work better for you and others, you could start another prayer group in the prayer room. I dare say that others would join you if only an alternative prayer time was also offered in the evening or on the weekend.
- Pastor Peter
P.S. Speaking of evening prayer times: This fall, from Monday, September 12 to Friday, September 16, the entire church is invited to come together for one hour of prayer each night from 7-8 p.m. Plan now to attend at least one of those nights to help us start the new church year in the best possible way – by praying for God’s blessing on the year ahead.
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