Prayer
What is 24-7 Prayer?
Is a meeting across many nations and Christian traditions. Participating groups pledge to pray 24 hours a day in a fixed location. Over ten years ago in 1999, in Chichester, England a student led prayer meeting ignited a movement which has become a continuous, unbroken 24/7 global initiative of prayer. People old and young are engaging in prayer, finding passion for God's presence, a rise in faith and answers to prayer bringing new life to Churches around the world.
On June 9, 2006, the Salvation Army Eastern Territory joined the adventure with 365 days of non-stop prayer. The year had great impact on the territory. The prayer emphasis continued through the Rhythms’ of Prayer, inviting individuals, groups and corps to carry on and persevere in engaging with brothers and sisters around the globe in unbroken prayer.
Once again, we invite Eastern Territory Salvationists to engage in 365 days of non-stop prayer in every corps, adult rehabilitation center, institution, camp and center by signing up to commit to pray for one, 24 hour period. Let’s join again with the 24-7 movement, seeking to prioritize Christ's two greatest commandments: to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30).
The aim of the 24/7 movement is to pray and work for reconciliation at three levels: spiritually - where there is broken relationship with God, socially - where there is broken relationship between people, and environmentally - where there is broken relationship with our world. 24-7 Prayer exists, therefore, 'to reconcile the world to God through Jesus Christ'. We seek to do this by mobilizing the Church in prayer, mission and justice.
How does 24-7 Prayer work in practice?
Register now, sign up your corps or group for a time of prayer. For this year, all periods are 24 hours, beginning at 6:00 p.m. and concluding the following day at 6:00 p.m. Individuals are welcome to pray, or you may organize your own day of prayer with others.
Why 24-7 Prayer? (Taken from 24/7 site)
24-7 Prayer rooms have marked many of the greatest epochs in the growth of the Christian faith:
- The church was born in a 24-7 prayer room in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and it was said of them 'they all joined together constantly in prayer' (Acts 1:14)
- Early Christianity was incubated by the monsatic prayer centers of the Desert Fathers, the Celtic communities of Northern Europe, and eventually the Benedictine and other orders.
- In the 18th century a Moravian community, under the leadership of Count Zinzendorf, prayed night-and-day for more than a hundred years, thereby launching the great missionary thrust of the Reformation. One of their converts was John Wesley, founder of Methodism.
- In the 20th century a multi-racial 24-7 prayer room in Los Angeles sparked the Pentecostal and charismatic movements bringing spiritual renewal to nearly 500 million people today.
24-7 Prayer is one of the greatest things we've ever experienced,
Alex Hughes, former Territorial Commander of the Salvation Army
