REVIVAL EVANGELISM

PRAYER STATIONS

PRAYER STATIONS IN BUENOS AIRES

Around the city some 177 tables were set up, "Prayer Stations" manned by a minimum of 3 people from 10 am to 5 pm. Strategically placed in different locations around the city, people were invited to stop by and share a need they might have and be prayed for. God moved in a great way during this time as other Christians simultaneously gathered in churches to pray and intercede for those at the Prayer Stations.

The result was more than we could even imagine, as people stopped to ask questions, pick up tracts, be prayed for, and many, to give their lives to Christ! One church alone had 799 people saved at their Prayer Stations, not counting those who had been prayed for but didn't leave their names and addresses! Over 2000 people gave their lives to Christ that day, thousands more were prayed for, and 104,000 tracts given out.

Preparations are already underway for our next city-wide outreach, December 24th. Our goal is to reach out into not only the city proper, but Greater Buenos Aires as well, with a total population of 15 million, involving the greatest number of churches possible, placing 2000 Prayer Stations around the city.

God is moving and we're excited to be a part of it!! The opposition of the enemy is great, but God is so much greater! Thank you for the key part you as a church family have played in enabling me to be here! Your love, prayers and financial support have meant so much. Lots of love to you all!

Source: CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH of Alamogordo -  ccchurch@zianet.com - www.ccc3.org/world_missions2.htm

        
India

Lines at prayer stations

Christians in Chennai (Madras) have set up 'prayer stations' at crossroads, where they invite people of all classes to come for prayer. Schoolchildren, businessmen, rickshaw drivers and the sick all come. Schoolchildren regularly wait in line for prayer that God would bless them for their studies. "Don't pray for me," said Saravanna, one young schoolboy, "pray for my father, mother and sister."
Source: Dawn Friday Fax - Rev. A. Vasantaraj, Church Growth, tel. +91-44-8255372; e-mail: cgai@vsnl.com

PRAYER STATIONS IN NEW YORK

Spiritual Healing in New York: Youth With a Mission World Vision Responds to Sept. 11 through the American Families Assistance FundSM
		World Vision has given Youth With a Mission's (YWAM) Metro New York office $20,000 to aid their crisis counseling ministry to the people of New York City. The money will fund 25 prayer stations and a command center to be set up in Midtown Manhattan. The stations are Christian literature tables marked with large red banners overhead, offering prayer on the streets of New York. They stand out on New York sidewalks like lighthouses on a clear night. As many as 200 people man these stations each day. The strategy is simple: Concerned Christians offer to pray for the felt needs of passersby.
Nick Savaco, YWAM's Metro New York director, says the need is great. A psychological and spiritual wound came with the fall of the Twin Towers. Nick realized that the greatest need was for prayer. "We kept getting calls from churches, all over the country, asking what they could do," says Nick. "We prayed, and we felt that God was telling us to use what was in our hands." What YWAM had in their hands were tables, banners, and equipment for five prayer stations. They strategically deployed them around the city, but five wasn't enough. Prayer station volunteers found that New Yorkers by the dozens wanted to talk about where they were on Sept. 11. They wanted help dealing with it. The prayer stations were open to anyone who wanted to stop by. Much of YWAM's comfort went out to those ordinary work-a-day New Yorkers who have to go on with their lives thinking, it could happen again. There are a lot of New Yorkers to comfort. Sharon Flores, a YWAM volunteer at a prayer station near Ground Zero, says that the workers who have to pass by the clean-up site everyday have a hard time dealing with what happened. "A subway manager came up to me and asked for prayer. She was having trouble sleeping," explains Sharon. "She said she goes home after work and is so horrified by what happened and all of the changes she has to make. She had to force herself to rest because all of her workers are looking to her to lead them. So we prayed together." At the stations, cripsly dressed stock brokers weep on the shoulders of volunteers as they pray together. Indian-Americans come and talk about the ways they are eyed with suspicion as they walk down the street. Many of the clean-up workers near Ground Zero stop by after their shift, using the station for catharsis. "This is worse than Vietnam," a gray-templed steel worker lamented. "I think I have shell shock times 10." It is hard to calculate the benefits of such an ad hoc ministry. But if numbers can give an understanding of what YWAM has been able to accomplish, they have given the city of New York hope. By the dozens, office workers, policemen, rescue workers, Muslims, businessmen, tourists, and many other kinds of people stop by the prayer stations everyday. Nick estimates that the volunteers have prayed for more than 10,000 in just the first three weeks of the outreach. Source:  Reyn Cabinte, World Vision New York  www.worldvision.org/worldvision/wvususfo.nsf/stable/metro_ny_YWAM

Youth with Mission has been operating Prayer Stations at Ground Zero since 9/11, praying for the felt needs of people on the street. With an increased number of prayer stations - by demands - they are hoping to receive more NYC based prayer warriors from Monday to Saturday.

Opportunity #1: Pray with people at Ground Zero
Commitment: Flexible. Minimum one day from 10am to 4pm
Requirement: A 30-minute orientation
Contact: Tom Scarner 212-768-3100 or nyoutreach@ywam-ny.com

Source Revival42day News  www.inthenameofjesus.org
Reproduction is permitted as long as acknowledgement remains intact with the text.

Street Intercession Exploding by the Editors at ReligionToday

May 28, 1999

Prayer station ministry "is exploding"

"Prayer stations" on city sidewalks are proving to be highly effective. Christians who set them up say they are amazed at the positive reactions of passers-by.

...The idea is simple: a portable table with a "prayer station" banner is placed on a busy sidewalk and staffed by Christians who accommodate anyone who asks for prayer. Other Christians stand 30 yards away on both sides of the station and hand out flyers describing what prayer can do for them.

...Christians in New York City have prayed with shoppers outside department stores, commuters at subway stops, tourists, and the homeless. An outreach in the city over New Year's Eve (see link #1 below) resulted in 1,800 prayers and decisions by 200 people to become a Christian, Nick Savoca, New York City director of Youth With A Mission, said.

...Evangelists in a growing number of cities have prayed with strangers and led hundreds to become Christians, including Buddhists, Jews, and agnostics, he said. Other groups reportedly are starting similar ministries because of the success of prayer stations. College students on some campuses are using the idea.

...The prayer station ministry" is exploding," Savoca told Religion Today. He said he had never seen anything as effective in his 30 years in ministry. "We are overwhelmed by the blessing." Responding to demand, the group mails manuals to those who want to establish a station in their city. Two hundred have been sent to churches in the United States, Canada, Britain, and the Netherlands, and to missionaries in South America and Asia.

..."We are inundated with requests," Savoca said. "We are struggling to meet the demand with our small staff." YWAM has built prayer stations, complete with a banner, for 30 churches and has orders for 20 more.

...The manual describes how to conduct a successful prayer station and "prevent disappointment," Savoca said. Common pitfalls include appearing to be unprofessional, such as "setting up two beach chairs and waiting" passively, he said. "It doesn't work." Volunteers sometimes need to be assertive and speak up to passers-by "in a nice way." A prayer station ministry is "too important to do half-way. Souls are at stake." Volunteers often wear uniform clothing clearly indicating their connection with the prayer station.

...Prayer is disarming, Savoca said. Many passers-by are touched that someone cares enough about them to reach out, he said. Volunteers listen as people reveal their needs, such as problems with jobs, families, or health. This creates a bond that may lead to a discussion about Christ. Addresses and phone numbers of local churches are available for those who are interested.

..."When people's needs are met, they open up their hearts," Savoca said. "Most people deeply respect prayer. They want prayer." About 10% of those who request prayer make a commitment to become a Christian, he said.

...Prayer "eliminates long-winded and fruitless theological debates with atheists and others," Willy Bobe, assistant pastor at Manhattan Bible Church in New York City, told Religion Today. Prayer "attracts people who want to know God. These people believe in God and need help." Bobe described prayer stations as "by far the most effective evangelism tool I have used in my 26 years of ministry. I have been involved with almost every other form of evangelism: mass evangelism, street evangelism, tract evangelism -- you name it and I have done it."

Source: www.ReligionToday.com. 

-----------
RELATED LINKS: 1: http://www.religiontoday.com/Archive/FeatureStory/view.cgi?file=19980105.s1.html

Source: In the Name of Jesus Ministries;  www.inthenameofjesus.org
Reproduction is permitted as long as acknowledgement remains intact with the text.