Praying Together

By Rev. John E. Schmidt

Prayer changes lives. I believe this is especially true for group prayer. In part, that is because in gathering together to pray, we get the encouragement and accountability to be praying as we should. It is also because Jesus has said there is a special power and presence of God when we pray together:

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:19-20)

Moving people toward Christ, where we live, work and play ~ this is the core of what it means to be a "Church without Walls." To live this way fully, will mean more than simply remembering the names of our neighbors and mowing our yards. It will mean learning to care for our neighbors, to care for our community's schools, to serve the poor, the abused and the homeless, and to give our time to seek the peace and purity of our city. Equipping ourselves for this kind of servant lifestyle will take a deep work of God in our lives. We can't just decide to be different and then see it effortlessly happen. It will take some work and the first way to work at this, is to pray.

How do we pray more together without it being an unrealistic burden? I think a critical place to begin to pray more is in our existing small groups. These are the people who are getting to know us well. These are the people most able to care about what happens and who can rejoice with us when we see God answer! If you don't spend significant time praying for one another in your group time, try structuring your time to provide a few minutes to lift one another up in prayer. (You can use the ACTS model of prayer if it helps.)

There are special opportunities for corporate prayer during the week as well. On Wednesdays, we have two prayer meetings at present. One of these, the Morning Prayer Group, meets at 10:15 am in Covenant. At 7:00 pm, the Wednesday Night Prayer Group meets in the Chapel. You are welcome to join either group to pray about the world, the church, and the specific needs of people in our community. And on the second Saturday of every month, if you are up early, you can try the Men's Prayer Breakfast at 7:30 am! In addition, watch for new prayer meetings that will begin in the fall.

For example, consider spending a night in prayer at Central. On Friday, September 23rd, at 7:00 pm, we will have an All-Night Prayer Vigil beginning with an hour especially designed for children and families. Following that we will sing, pray in large and smaller groups, read the scriptures together, and even take a prayer walk around the church campus. We will ask God to move us forward in this journey of becoming the church he calls us to be. We will end the vigil with breakfast together at 7:00 am Saturday. Come for part of the evening, or come for all. It will be a wonderful experience of seeking God together.