by Fred May

When: Every 2nd and 4th Thursday from 7pm to 8:30pm
Where: Church Sanctuary

This past fall Jim Hundley, Ryan Kildoo, and I joined together to start a Thursday night prayer meeting centered on the praise, honor, and worship of God. We felt the leading of the Holy Spirit to move forward and use this as a way to build up the body of Christ-- teaching people how to pray and forms of prayers-- as well as edification of the body.

What is it?

A weekly gathering to give praise, thanks, love and honor to Jesus Christ and God our Father. It is not a discussion club, therapy session, or time for counseling. We come to give our full attention to God and present personal prayers and petitions to Him with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is open to all who attend or visit Redeemer as well as the community at large. We encourage people to come with their concerns, petitions and all those who feel weak and heavy laden. We stand on the verses in James 5:13-16 (ESV) which say;

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Many people are uncomfortable with praying out loud or when they feel compelled to say something in a group. This time is set up for you to come and quietly pray, alone or with a small group, in a setting that is peaceful and holy, but supportive. We meet in the sanctuary of Redeemer which we prepare specifically for our special contemplative use. People are free to come and go quietly during the prayer time and we will be diligent to try and end it at 8:30 PM.

What Happens?

The structure, or shape, of the meeting:

• Gathering song to start

• Scripture reading and a short teaching on prayer (this varies)

• The opening prayer

• Time of praise and worship

• Prayer requests made publicly or to individuals or leaders

• Small prayer groups (2-3) or individual prayer time

• Allowance for time for the operation of the gifts of the Spirit

If you have any more questions about the Prayer Sessions, please don't hesitate to ask!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13