- Intercessory Prayer Ministry -
“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” Acts 1:14
In a book by Terry Teykl, he describes how after Jesus was resurrected, he appeared to the disciples in the Upper Room. Jesus’ last command to them was to “stay in the city until you have been clothed with the power on high. (Luke 24:49) In other words, his mandate to them before they went out to spread the news of His resurrection, was to hold a prayer meeting and to do nothing but pray. There was to be no preaching, no teaching, no going over the budget, no organizing , and no setting of goals. All they were to do was pray. What restraint this must have taken for these excited disciples to stay put and not rush out into the world. The Upper Room was their center for focused prayer. People were coming and going around the clock with their prayers. The people were a diverse lot with varying degrees of spiritual maturity, but they all wanted the same thing in prayer. The early church knew if they were to succeed, it would be through prayer and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Why do we need an Intercessory Prayer Ministry at Atmore FUMC?We need one so that we, too, can focus our prayers and become a church guided by the Holy Spirit. We need a place to pray for people suffering, to pray for our community, for our nation & its leaders and for the world. A place of intentional prayer in preparation for our church’s mission. A place to record the results of our answered prayers. A quiet, comfortable place for us to be alone with God. As I read somewhere recently, “Prayer is to inhale the breath of God.” We need a place where the Holy Spirit can breathe upon us.
Share one hour of your week to intentionally pray for people experiencing illness, job loss, a broken relationship or other personal crisis, for our church & its mission, and for the world around us. Volunteers will pray for requests collected by staff and individuals and write notes of hope and support. The parlor will serve as our “Upper Room”, and a list of all requests will be provided there. The room will be open for prayer Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 9-12 & 1-3, Wednesday 9-12, 1-3, 5-7, Friday 9-12 and Sunday 9-11. Sign up is essential, so that each volunteer has the time & the privacy to pray during their assigned hour. Contact Jan Marsh to volunteer for one hour per week for a six week period. Training will be provided.
Let's make prayer a priority in our church in 2012.
Jan
