Why You Should Prayerwalk with Us

by Tom Goodman

On Saturday October 3, from 8-10 a.m., we’ll treat you to breakfast tacos and give you an assigned area to prayer-walk.

Prayer-what?

“Prayerwalking” is the simple act of walking through a neighborhood and silently praying for the residents. It’s a low-profile event, since the goal is to be on the scene without making one. There’s no knocking on doors, and we don’t pray aloud “standing on the street corners to be seen by others” (Matthew 6:5). Prayerwalking is a simple stroll through the neighborhood—but with profound purpose. As we walk, we silently speak to the Lord of Hosts:

“Awaken the residents of this apartment complex to their need of you.”

“Bless the people on this street.”

“Help city leaders and school leaders make good decisions for this neighborhood.”

“Make our church your instrument to reach this very block.”

“What is my role in making sure this house hears your gospel?”

We can prayerwalk solo, but it’s more fun by twos or threes. So, on October 3, we’ll encourage you to go out in (very small) groups to fulfill your assignments. We’ll give you maps marked with a mile of residential streets. If you can’t do a mile, walk what you can. If you can walk more than a mile, take more map assignments.

Why actually get out with these map assignments and walk? Couldn’t we just sit at the church building and pray over these maps? Any praying is better than no praying, of course. But in my own prayerwalking I’ve found something interesting takes place. I start noticing things about the neighborhood that I would never notice from a map. And since I’m walking past only one or two houses in the time it would take me to pray for several miles of roads on a map, I have more time to think about what I should pray for. I’m more likely to sense Christ’s heart for the neighborhood when I actually walk through it than when I just pray over it on a map.

My goal is to cover 25 miles of neighborhood streets on October 3. That will require about 30 people in two-person teams taking on 1-to-2 mile assignments. So, tell us you’re coming by registering at www.Hillcrest.Church/PrayerWalk. If you need childcare for kinder and under, note your child care needs when you register.

First-Sunday Fellowship. Bring a covered dish to the Multipurpose Center at 5:30pm on Sunday, October 4. There will be no HILL classes that night. Join us for food and fellowship and hear from Dr. Jim Richards, executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.