April 28, 1999

Prayer strategy might start with one person
___By Dan Martin
___Texas Baptist Communications
___HOUSTON--In encouraging churches to establish a prayer strategy, Bonnie Franklin recited the quote that "missions moves forward on the knees of prayer."
___Franklin, of Stanton, told participants at the Beyond These Walls/Missions in the 21st Century conference that a church prayer strategy can start with one person--"a prayer coordinator, one who is called out of the congregation because they feel the necessity of prayer."
___The former Woman's Missionary Union officer said churches can establish more intensive prayer efforts. For example, a special projects prayer team is especially helpful, particularly when members of the congregation are engaged in some special activity like a mission trip.
___She told of taking a mission trip to Japan during the Olympics and how meaningful it was to know that at a certain time each day, members of the church were praying for her as she participated in missions activities.
___Other components of a church prayer strategy include enlistment of prayer warriors for special events, like vacation Bible school, she said. Still other ideas include having prayer services, prayer emphases in church program organizations like Sunday school, discipleship training, youth and children's groups, deacons, choir and committees.
___Prayer cells and prayer chains are effective in incorporating prayer into congregations and making prayer a strategy for missions and evangelism, she added.
___Prayer also can be incorporated into the church through prayer meals, special prayer times, missionary moments in worship services and prayer retreats, she added.
___Franklin "threw out" some words for her conference participants to consider as they think about prayer:
___ Faith. Pray in faith, believing.
___ Continuity. Do it on a regular basis.
___ Commitment. Do it regularly.
___ Sincerity. "You can fool some of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool God any of the time," she said.
___ Awareness. If you don't know there is a need, you don't know to pray for it.
___ Perseverance. Keep on keeping on.
___ In God's will. Make his desire the desire of your heart.
___ In the power of the Holy Spirit. Allow the Spirit to lead you.
___ Involvement. "Sometimes God uses us to answer our own prayer," she said.
___

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