quanah_prayer_90803

Posted: 9/5/03

Quanah women find prayer really changes things

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

QUANAH–Prayer changes the way Christians view their communities, according to members at First Baptist Church of Quanah. It helped folks at this North Texas farming community see a multitude of people who need Jesus.

About 15 church members, mostly women, started gathering in several small groups several years ago to pray for non-Christians in their community. Through the groups' efforts, more members began to realize how many people in the town of 3,000 were not believers.

That helped them see the people they encountered on the street corner or grocery store as people needing a relationship with Jesus Christ, said Charlotte Young, the pastor's wife, who started the first prayer group. “It made us aware that there are people all around us … that may be good people, but they don't have a relationship with Jesus.”

This keener awareness motivated members to share their faith with people they interact with on a regular basis, said Pastor Clint Young. “Praying for lost people changes the way you act.”

Ultimately, the women of the church became focused on reaching their town for Christ through relationships. They engaged people regularly in spiritual conversations and followed up on needs, as they learned to do through the Women Reaching Texas materials produced by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

“We're relational, so we don't want to upset anybody,” Mrs. Young said. “Most women look at evangelism as confrontational, that you're putting someone on the spot.”

But the Women Reaching Texas curriculum “equipped me and many other women to share without confronting,” she added.

The combination of prayer and intentional evangelism proved effective. After praying for more than a year, the women noticed people for whom they had been praying entering the church. Those newcomers soon were baptized and became involved in ministry.

Amy Butts, a member of the first prayer group, vividly recalls when her sister-in-law committed her life to Christ, calling it an “amazing experience.” She said she believes the conversion was the direct result of persistent prayer.

“I believe completely in praying for the lost,” she said. “It works.”

The process of prayer and building relationships works better in a small town than quick bursts of evangelism not built around relationships, the pastor reported. “It has changed the focus to a relational approach rather than a salesman approach.”

Mrs. Young said she continues to be amazed as the prayer groups carry on and people come to know Christ.

“People are open if we're willing to share our faith,” she emphasized. “We've seen such answers to prayer. It's been awesome.”