Corps Prayer Co-ordinator Guide

Communication

Corps Prayer Co-ordinator Resources/ ideas Guide

There are huge numbers of Territorial, Divisional, Corps and Ecumenical Prayer Events that happen all across the Territory. Information can be obtained from: • •

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Many Divisions have a newsletter of events, and it may be useful to get a copy.

Join any divisional prayer email/facebook/telephone/mailing networks as well as the territorial Prayer Network email list to receive information about Territorial events and training opportunities.

Join any local Christian networks to find out about local prayer concerns and issues. Your Divisional Prayer Co-ordinator or other local Corps may have more information.

Information can then be passed onwards by: •

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Informing sharing and supporting Divisional & Territorial Prayer Events: putting posters on the Corps noticeboard, encouraging people who would benefit, letting people know about events that are going on in your area. Adding prayer events to newsletters or notices.

Communicating Corps prayer needs to Pray-ers in your Corps; perhaps using a monthly or weekly prayer diary or email/phone prayer chain.

Communicating answers to prayer is important, it’s always encouraging to hear when prayers are answered.

Thank you, This guide is not an exhaustive list, it has been inspired by questions asked by Salvation Army pray-ers across the UK&I, and the answers that were given at our training sessions.

Please feel free to email/write with stories of ideas that have worked, answers to prayer, successes, solutions to common problems, in order that they may be passed on and that we can encourage each other.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16

All Bible references from the NIV

As a Prayer Network our aim is to: •

Maintain a cover of prayer

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Build a community of intercessors

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Equip Salvationists to pray

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Train people to pray

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Champion the cause of prayer

We invite you to support us, in this ministry...

Raising the profile: Be excited!

Engaging the Community in Prayer

Prayer is an amazing privilege. God has opened His door and invited us to enter His presence with our petitions, Hebrews 4:16. It is His promise to us, that He will hear us when we call, Jeremiah 33:3. And, He promises to answer our prayers, as we pray in tune with His heart, 1 John 5:14-15.

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We often describe mission as coming out of praying, but the Bible makes it clear: Prayer IS mission.

When Peter was taken away to jail, the early church’s response was to drop everything and pray, earnestly and passionately. As a result, Peter was released. Acts 12:5-7

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What we class as a hopeless situation in our human strength, God has the power to completely transform, but only if we pray.

Praise God: Thank Him for who He is, what He has done and how He has blessed you. Make praise part of your regular times of prayer. Use scripture to thank Him for His promises.

Encouragement: Answers to prayer happen, many of us have seen miracles, and know it is possible, but it is so easy to forget. Perhaps have a Corps book for answered prayer for everyone to read, or a Corps noticeboard of praise, petitions and answers. Cultivate a habit of regularly sharing testimonies.

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People are surprisingly open to being prayed for. Advertise your willingness to pray for local people, into situations in their lives. The key is to offer.

Who uses your building during the week—are there opportunities for a prayer space/prayer book/prayer shoebox or another opportunity for them to pray?

Examine opportunities to join or lead an ecumenical community prayer meeting.

How aware are you of the needs of your community, and how can you pray into those needs.

Prayer walking Prayer Walking is a specific prayer activity that involves walking through a particular area, building, street or place whilst praying. Prayers are offered whilst moving and/or whilst stopped, for a short time at a particular spot, generating prayers that are specific to that location.

The immediacy of the location can offer a way of listening more deeply to God, to the heart of God and what God’s concerns for this place might be. It enables us to look at the place from a new perspective, often taking more time, and praying God’s blessing, rather than rushing, or seeing it from our limited human viewpoint.

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The first step in prayer walking is to listen to what God is saying.

Then to look and think about the people who might occupy or pass through this place.

Be aware of the activities that occur in and around the place and the effects these activities have on the area.

Balance prayers of thanksgiving and praise as well as prayers of asking

There are records of larger answers to prayer, which are great for being excited about what could happen if we ask for the impossible:

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The Hebridean Revival, along with many other revivals were birthed out of prayer.

Great revivals began often with a few, dedicated intercessors, consistently meeting together to meet with God. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVaUY3WGBmA http://www.revival-library.org/leadership/ra_prayer.php

Prayer Walking with The Salvation Army Flag More evangelistic, more recognisable. For more information: www.facebook.com/PrayerWalkingWithTheSalvationArmyFlag

Open doors: A charity which prays for the persecuted church, with amazing, miraculous results, what could happen for us if we start to earnestly pray?

Recognise the potential in your Corps • •

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It is more important that we pray than we worry about getting it ‘right’ We need to promote and enable a culture where people can just ‘get up and pray’, where I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus people will pray for each other right there and Christ and by the love of the then, and where all activities of the Corps are covered in prayer.

Spirit, to join me in my Everyone is anointed, this isn’t just for the struggle by praying to supposed super-spiritual people: as believers God for me. we all have an equal ability to cry out to God. Romans 15:30

Unanswered Prayer We do not always receive the answers that we want. God loves us, but it is His Kingdom, not ours. He longs to give us good things, but sometimes getting what we ask for would have consequences that would harm us. Sometimes it seems there is no reason why we do not get the answers we long for.

God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer: Pete Greig.

Hearing God •

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Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10

Listen to God, take time not just to talk at Him, but to listen for His reply. Use senses, use your imagination.

Read the Bible, learn to recognise His voice. God never contradicts Himself, everything He says will fit with His word.

When sitting listening to God, or in prayer—the first thought you get is often the word of God, the second thought that comes straight after is often from us, test the words against God’s word.

• Try asking for words and scripture for other people. God knows what each of us need to hear, He wants to The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4

Responding to God Learning Scripture—When Jesus was tempted in Matthew 4, he used Scripture to fight. We need to also learn to use Scripture to fight. We need to write verses down, keep them in a notebook or on us, memorise verses, pray into situations, and read God’s word to better hear his voice.

Journaling– Keeping a Prayer journal can be really useful, to deepen your understanding of your relationship with God in prayer. Be honest with God, record your prayer and any answers.

Proclamation: See prayer walking, but also involves open air ministry, praying blessing over the community. Or reading God’s word out loud over a place.

Fasting –’When you fast’ Jesus assumed that we would all fast, and whether for a short time, a day, a few days, whether from food, or from other habits that take over our lives (TV, facebook) and gives us an opportunity to use this time to seek God. It causes us to rely upon Him, highlights our weakness, puts Him in His rightful place.

Joint prayer and fasting days at weekends are extremely powerful, a sign from the whole Corps, that together they call upon God, that as a group we submit to His will.

Prayer Room/Space: Create a prayer room, or a prayer space in your Corps building/ hall. Be creative, use scripture, give opportunities for people to connect with God through a variety of creative resources.

Action: Ask God to show you ways to make your prayers a reality, you may be the answer to your own prayer.

He said to them, “When you pray, say:“‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom comeK” Luke 11:2

Make Prayer part of Corps life • • •

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Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them.

Matthew 19:13

Have times/people who regularly pray for your officer.

If Jesus made prayer an essential part of his life, how much more do we need it.

Encourage people to pray for each other. Not just by putting names on the prayer list, but praying for the people in front of you there and then.

Pray for small things, include God in the everyday decisions, because he cares about us.

It’s our responsibility to And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of model the fact we need prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. to be disciplined about prayer when excitement Ephesians 6:18 is not there.

Create a Prayer Rhythm A rhythm of prayer has been described as the punctuation marks that divides the sentences of our week. Establishing a rhythm of prayer affects all of our lives, it brings order, shape and focus. It helps us encourage each other. It forces us to pray in all situations.

In Jesus’ day, the Jews submitted to a simple rhythm of prayer in the Synagogue.

And the early church too, would also split the day up with regular prayer.

Building on the current foundations of praying at the beginning Pray continually, of each meeting, practice and council, a possible rhythm may 1 Thessalonians 5:17 include: • Regular personal prayer at set times, for example setting phone alarms daily at 12-noon to pray the Lord’s Prayer, alone or with whoever’s around. Join with The Salvation Army daily rhythm, using Prayer Matters or The General’s call to prayer.

• Once a week/month/bimonthly Corps prayer. Perhaps meeting weekly praying together using liturgy/creative prayer or a set structure. Maybe including prayer emails/The Generals Thursday morning worldwide prayer meeting, or a monthly Saturday morning breakfast and prayer.

• Hold yearly/half-yearly weeks/weekends of 24-7 Prayer.

• Use an email list/phone chain to share news and resources and to communicate prayer requests Other Christian traditions describe this rhythm as the ‘Daily Office’—a daily responsibility, a reminder that we need discipline to stay focused. A structure that encourages us to lift up the work of our Corps, no matter what else is going on to But Jesus often withdrew to lonely distract us. places and prayed.

Luke 5:16

24/7 Prayer

Resources Available from THQ • Fast Forward: A resource for prayer and fasting.

• Prayer Matters: Published three times a year, it shares prayer needs and requests from around the Territory and the world, alongside areas for personal reflection and growth.

• I’ll Fight: Praying for social injustice • Prophecy resource • Email distribution list: • Need weekly prayer resources? Join our emailing list and weekly prayer news will be delivered straight to your inbox, available to everybody.

• Prayer Room resources: please email us at THQ, and we can see if we have anything that we could forward you. E.g. resources for praying for your officer.

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On the web: • www.24-7prayer.com • www.hopetogether.org.uk/Groups/131792/HOPE/Prayer/Prayer.aspx • www.prayerrequests.co.uk/CreativePrayer.html • www.creativeprayer.com • www.prayerforparliament.com • www.trypraying.org • www.prayermagazine.net • www.prayforschools.org

www.24-7prayer.com/prayer/motivatingpeopletopray

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

John 14:12

Training There are many Divisional events and training days organised by various people across the division, please get in touch with your Divisional Prayer Co-ordinator.

As the territorial Prayer Network we also offer a variety of training weekends, days and resources. Our aim is to build, motivate and encourage people to be able to develop prayer within their Corps. The training is open to anyone in The Salvation Army who would find it useful. Please contact us for more information. These include:

Prayer Gatherings Freedom in Christ Leader Training Prayer School

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Prayer Warfare Training Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

24-7 Prayer is an international, interdenominational movement of prayer, mission and justice that began with a single, studentled prayer month in 1999 and has spread into over 100 nations.

Since then the global 24-7 Prayer meeting has continued unbroken, impacting locations as diverse as the US Naval Academy, a German punk festival, war-zones and underground churches.

This prayer meeting has started new initiatives, communities and ministries particularly focusing on the poor, marginalised, students and those outside the normal expressions of church.

Participating groups only need a venue in which to establish a night-and-day prayer meeting. Each day is split into one-hour shifts, covered by one or more people, filling anything from a weekend to many weeks with unbroken prayer and worship.

• The rules are minimal, however it is best if the place of prayer is as creative and accessible as possible. There are many ideas on the web or by talking to experienced people for example your Divisional Prayer Co-ordinator.

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• Recommended reading: Red Moon Rising, or visit the 24-7 prayer website.

• The Prayer week works best if you link up with local churches, it is always easier to fill slots with more people involved.

• Don’t worry about the overnight slots, it is OK for people to pray at home, it’s easier for people to pray in a specified room but not essential. Otherwise speak to your Youth Leader or DYO about involving younger Corps members in overnight praying.

An hour seems an eternity to spend in personal prayer, but once people have tried it, they mostly find an hour is not nearly long enough.

If you get the first few days of the week filled first, then once the week gets going, people often are enthusiastic to come back for a second hour later in the week.

There are many different ways of praying, many creative ideas that people have triedK check out the 24-7 website for some ideas, or email/phone us at the Prayer Network.

Advertise it! If no-one in the local churches, or nearby Corps knows about it, then they won’t be able to sign up to pray or support you.

Normal meetings for the youth, adult and family ministries or music sections, can become prayer sessions, automatically covering many evening or daytime slots.