There is nothing wrong with having different centres of worship, each providing a specific need for those who attend. Many have individual types of praise songs, some offer a Sunday School for children, some have prayer meetings and Bible study, many have mid-week activities aimed at the community. One way in which the churches might all work together is to hold a twenty-four hour prayer vigil.
Many towns have problems in the modern world. Children without supervision, teenagers with nothing constructive to do, neighbours who never speak to each other, broken homes, lack of money and work. These are some of the concerns that people face and many of them will never step inside a church building. But churches can still address these issues through united prayer for their community. A sustained vigil over 24 hours is a powerful show of unity.
The Power of Prayer
Christians of different denominations are usually united by many of their beliefs. At the heart of most churches is prayer, whether in small meetings, during the service, or by individuals at home. Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer as a response to their request (Luke 11:1-4) and there are many instances in the Bible where believers are exhorted to pray:
Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” And according to 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, the religious should, “Pray without ceasing, in everything giving thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
It is easy for Christians to feel overwhelmed with the world’s problems, even when the church is engaged in prayer times and the majority of members believe that God hears their prayers. Most churches can give only limited prayer time to the needs of its locality. Some churches have found that a 24-hour prayer vigil can be an effective solution which can be put into practice occasionally, if enough people are willing to participate.
Twenty-Four Hour Prayer Vigil
Over a period of twenty-four hours, different local churches can join forces and come together for a prayer vigil specifically for their local town or community. A good idea is to start it in the evening, say around 8:00 p.m., and continue until the next evening, ending at 8:00 p.m. This would allow the twenty-four hours to culminate in a praise service.
The event needs good organisation, with someone taking overall charge to ensure the whole twenty-four hours are covered safely, especially overnight. Usually one of the church buildings is chosen as a venue and it is best to have one with several rooms that can be available for use. The twenty-four hours should be broken into one-hour sessions and each church allows people to choose an hour in which they can commit to being at the venue to pray. It doesn’t matter if there several people in any one hour, as long as every single hour is covered.
Using Different Rooms and Areas for Prayer
It is fun to make the venue conducive to prayer by having different areas or rooms set aside. Members from the different churches could be given access to the prayer building before the twenty-four hour vigil, each being responsible for how an area is set out and what to include in the way of visual aids. People can then choose where to sit on the day. A large lounge can be divided into several areas. The following are some ideas:
- Place a large silver foil cross on the floor where people can light a tea candle to put on the cross with the written name of the person for whom they are praying;
- Arrange a large map of the town on the wall, with individual areas marked out. Place seats in front of it for people to focus on and pray about specific streets and houses;
- Create an arrangement of stones and a candle in a corner and place one chair in front of it to remind people that Jesus is their rock and focus;
- Let prayer requests be put on a table and set chairs around it for people to pray;
- A small room could be set aside as a sanctuary for meditative prayer. One corner could be arranged with a running water feature, tiny figures in attitudes of prayer or reflection, plants and stones and a Bible, and;
- Place reflective posters around the walls.
Children and Young People Praying
Children love to be involved in church activities and this is a good way to teach them about prayer, especially through churches praying together over a period of 24 hours. One strategy is to ask the youngsters to think of people or things they would like to pray about. Then, provide an area where the children can draw and colour in pictures of their prayer requests.
Organizers can also set aside an area with a music centre where young people can play one of the meditative CDs provided as a background to their prayer.
Praying Together as a Town
One of the best things about this idea is that people from all the different local churches can mix together throughout the twenty-four hours of a prayer vigil, while sharing Christian faith, and praying in a meaningful manner for the whole town.
In Matthew 18:20, Jesus promised that, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I will be in the midst of them.”
There is no doubt that churches coming together for a concentrated prayer vigil over a 24-hour period can make a huge difference to their local community. With all the problems that modern society face, a sustained prayer vigil is a positive way of addressing those concerns, knowing that God answers prayer. When a local community sees that churches are praying for them in this way, they might believe that many people actually care about them.
Rosemary Gemmell - Professional freelance writer of published short stories and articles in the UK, US and online. Author of historical romance and ...
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