Prayer After Worship
Each week after Sunday morning worship members of our dedicated prayer team are available to pray with you and for you. Whether you are celebrating joys, seeking comfort and healing, or lifting up gratitude, our prayer team is there to pray for you.
Every Sunday during the Welcoming and Announcements part of service there is a statement, “Prayer After Worship will be available after service today. Two team members will pray with you and your prayers will remain in confidence. The Prayer Room is located to your right then down the stairs.” What does that even mean?
Prayer after Worship is a quiet ministry that started at ACC 30 years ago (thank you, Lynn Hughes and Charlie Wright). Most team members serve 1-2 Sundays a month, for approximately 15-20 minutes each time. A Prayer After Worship team consists of a Greeter and 2 Pray-ers, one male and one female. The Greeter may be male or female..
A Guest seeking prayer will be met by the Greeter standing to the left of the landing of the first set of stairs. The Greeter will ask if you would like prayer, introduce themselves and ask the Guest’s name. He or she brings the Guest into the Peter Bollier Conference Room (aka the Prayer Room) and introduces all parties by first name. The Greeter then exits, shutting the door behind themselves.
The Greeter remains outside the Prayer Room in case there is another Guest requesting prayer. If so, the Greeter will visit with Guest 2 and at an appropriate interval, knock on the door to alert the Pray-ers of another Guest.
Meanwhile, in the Prayer Room, the Pray-ers and Guest are getting comfortably seated and may engage in small talk. People come for prayer for any number of reasons. Perhaps concern for their health or the health of a loved one, the death of a loved one, financial or employment concerns, being moved by something in worship, a desire to thank and praise God for something wonderful – a child, grandchild, restored health, family celebration, or for some other reason I haven’t mentioned.
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The Prayer Team does not counsel or troubleshoot. They lift the prayer request to God. Before doing so, one of the Pray-ers will ask the Guest if they want to hold hands and if the Guest would like to pray aloud after the Prayer Team prays. Whatever the Guest chooses is the right answer. Once these details are settled the Pray-ers will pray aloud, one followed by the other. If the Guest indicates a desire to also pray aloud, the Guest is typically the last to pray.
At the conclusion of prayer, there may be small talk. This can also be a time to mention helpful resources. For example, I may mention the One Stop Career Centers for someone struggling with employment issues or Walk and Wonder for someone who may be lonely.
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Prayer After Worship is offered every Sunday after service throughout the year. This ministry does not have a summer break.
If you have ever considered visiting Prayer After Worship but were unsure of what to expect, hopefully this article answers your questions. Your prayers, no matter how big or small, will lovingly be lifted up to God and held in confidence.