24 7 Prayer Room
Thankyou to everyone who came to the week of Prayer Oct 2011... another huge Success
At St Barts we are exploring different ways of worship.
A 24-7 Prayer room is a way to have a close connection with God.
In July 2010 We attempted to pray around the clock for two days.
By having one hour slots, people could commit themselves to "pass the baton" to the next Pray-er and keep a chain of prayer going for 48 hours.
In August we had "Another 48 hours", again, more people interested and requesting more.
The Weekend was a great sucess with people wanting more!
In September 2010 the Parish of Penn came together to Pray 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week!!!
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“I just wish I could have been there for more of the time.” “I had a brilliant amazing time. Just fab! Everyone needs to try this!” “Beautiful room, a sense of peace and presence there that is indescribable. More soon pls. “ “Just lovely. my hour at midnight was wonderful” “What an awesome place. You only have to step inside and you will know how true my statement is”
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Here is a little explanation of what its all about...
How do you pray to God in your everyday life?
Prehaps you feel God is with you as you listen to music, Pop, Rock or Classical.
Maybe you enjoy painting or a craft of some kind that lets you find that moment of calmness with God.
Do you like to dance and sing with your music or write down your thoughts?
Sometimes, Sundays with a large congregation can feel impersonal.
A 24-7 Prayer room lets you be creative and allow you to "Be Yourself" you can talk with God and tell him how things really are in your life.
Let go of your frustrations, offer prayers for your family and friends or simply praise God!
Many people find Answers to their prayers and leave the room with a new positive direction.
Does this sound like something you might like?
Imagine... One simple prayer left in the room by you , can be seen by others after you, and their thoughts carried over hour after hour for days, Praying to God on your behalf!
Prayers are answered. Give it a try.
Below are a couple of articles from St Bart's members about the 24-7 experience which gives a good idea of what a Prayer room looks and feels like.
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“Hi 24/7er's This email was quickly passed on amongst the 24/7 team and it became apparent that quite a few of us had been asked when 24/7 was coming back, many of them children. The 24/7 Prayer room last year was a huge success with people from the parish occupying the space in relay through the night for a whole week! It would be fantastic if you could help by signing up for an “hours slot” or more to keep the room occupied, by doing this you are simply maintaining a chain of prayer. The signup sheets will be in the doorway of St Bart’s Church for the proceeding days and the current Days list outside the Prayer Room in the Church Hall Lounge. The most repeated comment that people make when leaving the prayer room is “That hour flew by” and then quickly sign up for some more One to One time with God. Time is a strange thing. It can go quickly, slowly, time can be a healer. There’s a time for work and play and a time for worship and prayer. More information at www.stbarts.org.uk/24_7.php |
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My 48 Hours by Jane Cook
I heard so many great things about the first Weekend of prayer that I felt drawn to take part in it the next time. I signed up with a friend for to one hour initially, but it turned out to be my main base for the next 48 hours!
The opening service on the Friday night was very moving. A small group of people shared together thoughts, prayers and worship songs, and I found myself staying on for another hour soaking up the atmosphere.
 I turned up for my allotted session the next morning and the room was very lively with lots of people coming and going and taking part in all the activities around the room, I got busy exploring but centred most of my time around the healing tree – the more people I prayed for the more I thought to add! As I left after the hour I felt that I hadn’t had enough time so I signed up for a late night session.That night truly was amazing; I arrived at 11pm, with a friend. We put on some music and I settled down to do some drawing. Over the next three hours we sang, and talked and read, and sang some more….it felt truly awesome and I really didn’t want to go home. It really felt like God was in the room with us inspiring and guiding us.
 After Sunday service I went back to the room. This was the first time I had been on my own and I spent a very peaceful hour crafting the armour of God! I returned to the room for the final time for the closing service and spent the hour praising God with a wonderful group of people and really felt close to the Lord as I left.
Before this weekend I imagined the room as just a quiet space to reflect and pray, and I was a little intimidated by this, having only recently returned to the church. I was not confident in my ability to fill an hour with the Lord, but my experience in the prayer room was just so inspiring. It filled me with the confidence to continue to pray at home, something which I had very rarely done before and left me with an awesome feeling of peace and security in my faith. I have even spoken to others around me who do not go to church about the experience and about how I feel knowing that God is with me – not something I would have done before.
I am so excited about the week long event and cannot wait to see what emotions and thoughts this brings to me and to others that use the room. For those that are unsure or intimidated, don’t be. The room can be what you want it to be, a quiet space, a noisy space, an arty space, a reflective space – there is something for everyone and everyone will be welcomed by the Lord.
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Red Moon Rising: 24-7 Prayer by Matt Wragg
A few weeks ago a recommendation about a book was made to me, It's a paperback called "Red Moon Rising", it’s not a Russian Spy Thriller but the true story of a man called Pete Grieg, who whilst on holiday travelling across Europe was inspired by the tale of a community of Moravians in Herrnhut Germany, who started praying one summer's day in 1727 and didn't stop for more than 100 years.
Back home in Chichester, Pete challenged his friends to pray around the clock for a month. Surprisingly, one month quickly turned into three with people queuing up for night time slots (apparently the best time to do some serious praying!) Many of the prayers had good outcomes and a few Invited non Church goers found their faith for the first time. Visitors took the idea to their own local Churches which triggered a chain of events motivating people not only to create prayer rooms in the surrounding area but across the world!
The idea of 24 hour prayer groups isn’t new, so what makes this idea so attractive and work so well?
I had a text from a friend on Friday morning to say "24-7 prayer room in town tonight, do you want to come?" Not wanting to miss the real experience of the story I was now gripped by, I agreed.
In Wolverhampton City centre, the pounding music from the bars and clubs echoed off the high walls as we walked down a side ally to St Peters House. we had pre booked an an evening slot, and whilst the revellers were enjoying the social scene, My friend and I were shown a very different type of venue. In the darkness of the warm night, we pressed the intercom buzzer. A cheery voice crackled across the speaker “Hello who is it?” A brief reply from us and a short wait later the large door opened. We were warmly welcomed and after a hike up the stairs were shown to a flat on the third floor. After a brief explanation of where things were (kitchen, toilets) we were invited into the Prayer room.
A sign by the door to this upper room said "Please remove your shoes for this is holy ground" The room was
 softly lit by small lights and furnished with the odd bean bag and cushions. A table with a simple cross made an effective Alter and a respectful nod from its occupants gave gravity to this hallowed environment. A section of wall had been prepared from floor to ceiling in plain paper so prayer in the form of words or pictures could be expressed from the heart using coloured pens and paints. The wall at this time in the week was covered with thoughts and feelings and I was moved by reading some of the prayers, statements and pleas made by visitors to this room and I felt a real sense of people connecting with God in this spiritual setting.
It was a clever idea; everyone is an individual and has a unique way of being close to God. Some immerse themselves painting others sculpt, read, write, dance or sit and meditate. Everyone likes different styles of music from classical to rock and pop. Whatever your taste you could take your Mp3 player and listen to what uplifts and inspires you and offer your creative prayers to God.
I wrote some names on the wall knowing that others after me would think on them and offer a prayer... just imagine, with days to go someone would be praying for these people all day every day!
Having not bought a book with me I picked up a bible that was left on a table and settled myself down for an hour. A man was busy painting, a girl nearby was listening to her own music and another was reading. Some good Rock gospel music was being played in the background and I was instantly at ease in these unfamiliar surroundings.
I was drawn to a passage in the bible where Jesus is telling us how to pray,
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. "
It seemed to have a particular relevance to what was going on here in this room, an intimate one to one conversation with God, a chance to reach out express problems and give praise. The passage reminded me of another quote-
“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
For many people their only form of worship is a Sunday service, but this was church too, a gathering of a small group of people with the same common focus, Jesus Christ and an honesty and passion for God. Everyone could be themselves, to express their innermost thoughts in a way that best suited them.
We stayed well over an hour and reluctantly left for home. There was something so right about that evening, my thoughts and prayers for my friends, family that night had some real power in them and I know they were heard.
If you ever get the chance to experience an hour or two in a 24-7 prayer room I would highly recommend it, the atmosphere had a raw energy to it and expectancy that any prayer asked would be gracefully listened to and granted.
The book is a great read. It follows Pete who feels he is being led by God to do something but can’t quite work it out. However through “coincidence”, events slot into place and he and his friends get pulled across the world to help set up prayer rooms. It’s a true adventure telling how, with a little faith; direct prayer in this way can make miraculous life changes and guide people into Christianity. It’s also not shy to tell of the heartaches as this story wasn’t without upsets but does suggests reasons why prayer isn’t always answered.
For those who feel inspired or lead by God to be doing something, I’ll leave you with a quote from the Film the Matrix but used in the book Red Moon Rising.
“Where we go to from here is up to you.”
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