Last weekend we ran a Pop-Up Prayer Room out of a church in the central area of the city. We gathered a bunch of prayer types from within our PCC community (all from different churches) and took turns praying over a 24 hours period in a smaller room in the church. We ran it Friday 8pm through Saturday 8pm.
It was an awesome time for everyone to have personal, set-apart time with God and many people walked away from the experience with a renewed interest in participating with prayer rooms. God stirred our hearts afresh for Him and for working together to see more prayer rooms established in the city.
There is something so very powerful, transcendent and transformative about a prayer room. A beautiful exchange takes place as we meet intentionally with God. We all have our own personal relationship with the Lord and our "prayer times" may look differently. All good stuff. But every time I've entered a prayer room, I sense a difference. A heavy desire rises up within me to linger there. The room seems thick with potential of encountering God. The atmosphere of a prayer room is tangibly different from praying at my house or in corporate gatherings. Less distractions. More focus. Maybe because it's been set apart for Him... and in unity others gather and take turns to pray in that space... creating this ongoing atmosphere dedicated to Him.
The heart behind the temporary prayer room was not only to pray for the upcoming DEEP, the city and for others. It was also an opportunity to show people how a prayer room can function. A pop-up version is low-commitment and gives others an idea of what it takes to get one functioning. It gives people a taste and peaks an interest. We've found that sometimes people need to experience something before they catch the vision. We are looking forward to working together to follow God's lead in what a city-wide prayer room could look like here in Christchurch.
To read up on how to start your own Pop-Up Prayer Room, go here.