I recall being in a Sunday evening service at the little rural church we were attending many years ago.  In the middle of the service, a frantic mother burst into the meeting crying for prayer for her teenage daughter that had just been critically injured in a car accident.  This family did not attend our church, but this desperate woman reached for help from a body of believers where the lights were on.

What a privilege it was to be there for her.

I have often thought about this incident.  How awesome it would be to have a place in Union County, known as a place of prayer, where the lights are always on!

Another inspiration is my beloved friend Meyer Lewis.  Meyer has farmed in Union County for many, many years.  In the 1950s he heard about the Hebrides revival and the stories of that revival caught his imagination to the point where he longed for a similar outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Union County.  He has been faithfully praying for revival ever since.  In the roughly 30 years that I have known Meyer, nearly every conversation has quickly turned to revival in Union County.  We have prayed together for revival many times.  Meyer believed that if God did it there, in response to the prayers of a few people, could He not do it here as well?

We are dedicating A Place to Pray to carry on the intercessory legacy of Myer Lewis who has prayed for revival in Union County for over 50 years.  He may see Jesus before he sees the revival that he has faithfully prayed for.  I know he won’t mind.  But in that sense, he will be joining the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, of whom it is said:  These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.  Hebrews 11:39-40

Our Purpose

The purpose of A Place To Pray is very simple:  To provide a dedicated place for prayer to Father God in the name of Jesus Christ in Union County.  It’s that simple.  Our homes are busy.  Our work-places are busy.  Even our churches are busy.  We want to invest more time in personal prayer and intercession, but finding a place free of distractions can be very difficult.  Our purpose is to provide such a place in Union County.

Schedule

Our goal is to be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Initially, we will have a limited schedule which we will keep posted here on the web site and in the prayer room.

We plan to open the prayer room on a limited schedule in November, 2011.

Format

There really isn’t a fixed format.  We just want to provide a place for you to come and pray as the Lord leads you.  However, we do offer a number of aids and guidelines:

• There are 7 intercessory prayer stations around the prayer room.  If you’d like, you can “pray around the room” to intercede with us for the focus areas represented by the prayer stations.
  • Union County — To pray for revival, our schools, EOU, our economy, and our local government leaders.
  • Oregon and Nation — To pray for the Church in Oregon and America and our state and national leaders.
  • The World — To pray for world evangelism, missions, religious freedom and the nations.
  • Israel — Obeying the command to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”, praying that the Jewish people would receive their Messiah.
  • Local Churches — Praying for the blessing of God on our local churches, for their health and vitality.
  • Isaiah 58 — Praying for justice, including poverty, the persecuted Church, human trafficking, and the ending of abortion in the United States and around the world.
  • Personal Prayer Needs — People can post personal prayer requests at this station.
• There will be cork board at each prayer station where you are encouraged to post newspaper clippings and words that the Lord gives you that are relevant to the station’s focus.
• The daily schedule will be broken into roughly 2hr blocks with different styles of music (or no music), prayer focus, etc.  We hope to tailor these to the preferences of those who attend at those times.  Of course you’re welcome to come at any time for any amount of time.
• The prayer room will be staffed during the time that it is open.  The staff who are there are trusted and will be happy to pray for you if you need personal prayer.
• You may worship and pray in any way you like, but we ask that you honor others who are present by not being a distraction.
• We ask that you not meet for prayer in large groups.  We feel that to do so risks creating an environment that is not welcoming to others who may want to come in and pray.

Affiliations

AplaceToPray.org is not formally affiliated with any other ministry.  The founders’ home church is Faith Center in La Grande.  We welcome anyone to join us for prayer.