A couple of years ago an Austin pastor named Trey became burdened for how to pray for the city every minute of every day. He knew their medium sized church probably couldn't take on the task by themselves but he wondered if others might help.
So he pulled together a meeting of community pastors and prayer leaders to see what they could do better together than separately.
And they soon put together a schedule asking each church to commit to finding people to pray one day per month for 30 or 60 minutes a day. The goal was to get each church to cover 24 hours from midnight to midnight.
And while they didn't stock each month completely in the first go around, today the city of Austin, its churches and our country are being prayed for every moment of every day. Our church didn't participate right away but within the year we too got on board. One of the beauties is that my church now has 40-50 people who are praying passionately each month in a way they had not prayed before.
Each month a couple of days before our prayer day, I send them an updated prayer list of praise and items for our church, city and country. Some of those items are the same every month but we add current items - i.e. the primary elections or storm-hit cities, etc. - for prayer as well.
Praying twenty-four hours means people are also praying during the middle of the night or long after they would normally be in bed. Others are taking time on their lunch hours or during meal times at home.
The obvious need is that churches in a city must be committed to work together and this could not have happened if our leaders were not making an intentional effort to share resources and ministries. Austin now has an annual Good Friday service together with thousands in attendance. Key pastors are meeting regularly to develop strategies for impacting the city. Counselors and caregivers from churches are now meeting to share their hearts, resources and ideas. Prayer has made a difference.
What about your city? Think about starting to bring people together by praying. And making 24/7 prayer a goal is a pretty good place to start.
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The Church of Jesus Christ at Ravenswood WV began with two local pastors meeting weekly in prayer with the desire to "love one another as Christ loves us" to effect and lead our congregations and city toward our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Church of Jesus Christ at Ravenswood is not a particular building housing a local congregation, but rather God’s people that often assemble for unified, harmonious prayer.
Ravenswood WV is a small city with a population of approximately 4000 and located about 50 miles north of the state’s capitol city of Charleston. The church history of our city is steeped rich in tradition and Gospel fervor. Through the years however, it seems that an independent and exclusive spirit has subsequently developed. In some cases, there are heart rending stories, whether in conscious effort or not, where a local congregation esteems themselves as holding the “only” correct Biblical, Gospel interpretation and worship expression, thereby yielding a tendency to look down upon or even condemn other congregations.
Our prayer focus is to repent of any possible past harms within His Body in our city and to correctly align with the High Priestly prayer of Jesus (John 17:21, 22). Together, with those that will allow themselves to pray with us, we offer up to our Heavenly Father a concerto of prayer. Harmonizing (united), fervent, prayer. We believe this prayer voice undergirds the distinct Gospel call to our congregations and city.
Pastors moving to Ravenswood to assume charge of one of our local congregations typically want to know upon first introductions, "when will we get together for prayer". As we pray together on a consistent basis, our Lord Jesus Christ begins in us a purposeful fellowship with each other into deep experiences with Him. Additionally, compassionately praying together is a source of strength that extends the love of God into our congregations (1 John 4:20).
What are outcomes that we have witnessed in Ravenswood through authentic prayer assembly? Here are a few....
1. A more compassionate spirit and attitude within each congregation and among congregations that includes combined local congregational worship.
2. A city government that recognizes local pastors more connected, inviting them to be involved in prayer for city leadership decisions.
3. City schools inviting pastors to come to their school, be a presence, and bless their schools, students, and staff.
4. City businesses inviting pastors to come to their establishments to pray and bless the business.
We are compassionately praying for local pastors that do not yet participate in the prayer gatherings. Even though all of the pastors that we have invited to prayer agree that praying together is the right thing to do, they also confess that they feel not at liberty to be with us; which we receive as an honest, heart felt confession. Regardless, we love and pray for those wonderful pastors and their congregations that they will bring many souls to Christ in their unique Gospel presentation and expression.
The Church of Jesus Christ in Ravenswood, WV Covenant:
Let each local congregation of Jesus Christ show encouragement and love toward each other, respecting one another's displays of excellent worship and Gospel teaching, and allowing our community to be touched by this connection (conjunction), so that we are the "admirable conjunction of diverse excellences’", the Church of Jesus Christ in Ravenswood, WV.
Approximately 250 years ago, Jonathan Edwards made a statement that gives description to the unity (harmony) of the church by stating that the Church through Christ is the "admirable conjunction of diverse excellences’."
May this pray, through God's admirable Love, conjunct diverse Christian assemblies and form its excellence into one body. It is in so doing, that the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts and the outcome immeasurable.
Honored to pray and serve with you,
Pastor Chris Skeens
The Church of Jesus Christ at Ravenswood, WV
The Building 7 Ministries represents the multi-faceted church of Jesus Christ serving our community through multi-functional abilities specifically to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before God” (Micah 3:8).