By Andrea Cress of the prayer team
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Nestled in the center of these three commands, penned by the Apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonica, is the exhortation to “pray continually.” While this may seem like an unrealistic expectation in the midst of our busy and distracted lives, once we recognize that constant prayer is God’s desire for every believer, we will be more motivated to strive toward that goal. Oakwood’s Prayer Team has been commissioned by the elders to provide resources and opportunities to help the Oakwood family grow in prayer. During the month of May, we implemented several prayer initiatives. Below is a recap:
- Weekly Prayer Focus: Each week the prayer team publishes a scripture-based prayer request for use in your individual and/or community group prayer times. These can be found in the worship program, Oakwood Update (weekly email sent from the church office), Facebook page, and slides on the TV in the lobby and Worship Center.
- Prayer Endeavor for the Oakwood Family: During the week of May 5, a team of individuals were recruited to pray for every family listed in the church directory. Postcards were sent to encourage each family that someone had interceded for them.
- 24/7 Prayer for the Elders: The elder’s retreat on May 16-17 focused on seeking God’s guidance for Oakwood’s Vision 2030. Numerous individuals supported the elders during this retreat by committing to pray at a specific time during the 24-hour time blocks.
- Worship and Prayer Gathering: In collaboration with the Celebration Arts Team, the congregation met together in the Worship Center on a Friday evening, May 31, to offer songs and prayers to God. The Prayer Wall was introduced to the congregation at this time.
- Prayer Wall in the Worship Center: In collaboration with the Visual Arts Team, an area of the Worship Center has been set aside as a visual display designed to encourage our church family to be ”devoted to pray, to be watchful and to be thankful” (Col 4:2). This is an ongoing effort. Individuals are encouraged to write the suggested types of prayers (ACTS – adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication) on provided tags and hang them on the wall.
It is our hope that this list of prayer initiatives from the past month will inform and encourage you to participate in future events. Please contact any member of our prayer team with questions and comments.
The Prayer Team (Andrea Cress, Terri Johnson, Eileen Rexroad, and Kelsey Weyand)