LeaderLines: Small-Group Prayer Times

Our church is a praying church.

In our Connection Campaign 3 years ago, we collected around 1200 prayer requests from our community. We’re gearing up for another Connection Campaign in September, and I look forward to connecting our community with God’s care and power through prayer. While that campaign is underway, I’ll bring a series of Sunday morning messages on prayer.

As a partner in leadership with me, you can make sure that prayer remains the priority in our church. One way is by looking for ways to organize times of prayer for our people.

I asked Jim Sessions, a teacher in our Adult-5 department, to explain their practice of prayer. I think you’ll find it inspiring. Here’s Jim—

Dear Pastor,

You asked me to write about our department’s special prayer times when one of our members faces a critical battle.

When one of department's members face a critical battle, usually a health issue, we invite the members of our department and any others especially close to the person we are praying for, to come to our home one evening for a time of prayer and encouragement.

When Dred Simmons faced surgery to help him fight his pancreatic cancer we gathered around him and Mae. Recently we joined hearts and hands for Bill and Susie Miller as Bill began a long series of radiation treatments for prostate cancer.

We have some wonderful folks in our group who pour theirs hearts out to the Lord for our brothers and sisters. Many of them lead in prayer.

When we meet to pray, I may make a pot of coffee, but it is not a social gathering. We focus on reaching into the heart our Lord on behalf of our brothers and sisters. We use a lot of Kleenex.

Some people are not comfortable with this kind of activity and we respect that. I always ask the person we pray for if they would like to have a group prayer time.

I hope this gives you a true sense of what we do, or try to do.

Jim

Thanks, Jim! Our Adult-5 department is blessed with a collection of leaders who, like Jim, make sure to keep prayer paramount.

What can you do in your own group, class, or department to connect our people to the care and power of God?

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