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Sweet Hour of Prayer

Discussion in '2003 Archive' started by Carolyn Dee, Aug 30, 2003.

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  1. Carolyn Dee

    Carolyn Dee New Member

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    Hello. Am a bit new in here and have yet to see a thread devoted to talking about the Wednesday night prayer meetings. What do they mean to you?

    Lately, I view my weekly one-hour prayer meetings as a retreat and solace from the evil world. I go, sit, pray and listen quietly. We sing but lately I just sit...and listen...and allow myself to be bathed in the words and piano-playing. We have a flutist and her accompaniment along with the piano puts me in heaven. I am able to feel myself unwind and literally relax in Christ's palms. It is a moment of what heaven must be like, no cares or worries.

    And then it ends. Until next week. [​IMG]
     
    #1 Carolyn Dee, Aug 30, 2003
  2. following-Him

    following-Him Active Member

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    That sounds lovely Teatime. Unfortunately our prayer meetings are very poorly attended. Is yours well attended, I would imagine it would be.

    Blessings
    [​IMG]
     
    #2 following-Him, Aug 30, 2003
  3. Gina B

    Gina B Active Member

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    Ours isn't really a prayer meeting, more of just a meeting. At our old one the attendance was the same as on Sundays and we really just gave out the prayer requests then got on our knees and PRAYED ourselves, followed by someone leading us in prayer to end the night. That ended when the pastor left though.
    At this one, we give any requests that need to be added, read letters from missionaries, and do a little study. Right now it's "The Purpose Filled Life". The attendance is much lower than on Sundays, but seems to be growing lately. [​IMG]
    I like Wednesday nights, it's more personal and more in depth, feels more like fellowship than Sundays do.
    Gina
     
    #3 Gina B, Aug 30, 2003
  4. Carolyn Dee

    Carolyn Dee New Member

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    Hello FollowingHim: you may not surprised to hear that attendance is much lower on Wednesday nights than Sunday morning/evening. I'm not sure why (other than not desiring to assemble). I would say an average of 80 are in attendance for Sunday AM while the Wed prayer service sees maybe 25. I wonder if it is "par for course" that Baptists churches see less attendance on Wed nights than Sunday. Input from all, please.

    And I shouldn't let my ears get tickled when a preacher once said "Those that come to the prayer meetings on Wednesday nights are hard core! They are serious Christians! They love the Lord and they prove it!"!!! It makes me blush a bit.

    My church is what I call an inner-city church. It's not rich in money but I believe it is rich in his precious Spirit. I quit an apostate denomination (not Baptist) for this lowly-seeming jewel and cannot imagine being anywhere else.

    It humbles me to see that some members are very godly, lowly in heart, seeing others through their pain and need. My Pastor is not beyond publicly kneeling and prostrating himself.

    It is not perfect but it is next to heaven. [​IMG]
     
    #4 Carolyn Dee, Aug 30, 2003
  5. dianetavegia

    dianetavegia Guest

    Our Wednesday night prayer meeting consists of both a short sermon and then a prayer time with a printed out list and names called out to be added.

    Myself and about 40 others are working with children. There's also a separate Bible study for youth and youth workers in the basement area. There are about 60 in attendance for that!

    I think that Wednesday nights are not as well attended because so many work and with service starting pretty early, many cannot get home, eat supper, help the children with school work and make it to services. Our prayer meeting begins at 6:30.

    Diane
     
    #5 dianetavegia, Aug 30, 2003
  6. Carolyn Dee

    Carolyn Dee New Member

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    Hello Gina - yeah, my prayer meetings sometimes are a little bit of everything: study, requests and praying (usually by individuals, with Pastor closing at the end). The first twenty minutes are spent in good ol' Baptist singing to the rafters (with all the windows open so the neighbors know that God is still around) and the next twenty minutes might be spent in hearing Pastor encouraging or teaching the Word and the final twenty minutes in verbal prayer.

    Sometimes I think the Lord resents being boxed into a set time slot every week!!! It's a bit sad when our lives and schedules must be so set that a schedule must be strictly observed. But I fondly recall a most unusual prayer meeting where the Lord was palpably present and among everyone in my group. Perhaps not everyone sensed Him but I did. The meeting went on longer than usual and I had the sense that the Lord was actually pleased at being "allowed" to sit with us longer than usual! I mentioned this to my dear Pastor and from that time forward he encouraged everyone to pray beyond the limit to as long as we wanted.

    Who is man that he should dare to limit the Lord! :eek:
     
    #6 Carolyn Dee, Aug 30, 2003
  7. Trotter

    Trotter <img src =/6412.jpg>

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    I remember Wed. night meetings that were about prayer, but that was long ago. A church I used to attend used Wed. night as an indepth Bible study, followed by prayer. Now, Wed. night involves a Scripture reading with a little comentary, and testimonies. Can't have it all, it seems.

    In Christ,
    Trotter
     
    #7 Trotter, Aug 30, 2003
  8. I Am Blessed 24

    I Am Blessed 24 Active Member

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    Hi Teatime and welcome to the BB. You should go to "Welcome to BaptistBoard" Forum, at the top of the main page, and introduce yourself so we can all welcome you!

    Our Wednesday nights are not attended as well as Sundays either. We have prayer time and a short sermon. Sometimes a business meeting.

    Blessings,
    §ue
     
    #8 I Am Blessed 24, Aug 31, 2003
  9. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    I read about a study that showed that in Southern Baptist churches about 33% of those on the church membership roll show up for the Sunday morning service, then about 12% of those on the membership roll show up for the Sunday evening service, and then about 4% of those on the membership roll show up for the Wednesday evening service.

    Which means if a Southern Baptist church has 1200 names on its membership roll, about 400 attend Sunday morning, about 133 attend on Sunday evening, and about 44 show up on Wednesday evening - on average.
     
    #9 KenH, Aug 31, 2003
  10. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    Prayer meeting started out as "cottage prayer meetings" in homes around the various neighborhoods.

    Sadly, some preachers wanted another time to shear the sheep another time, so turned this into a "church service" with emphasis on preaching and not on prayer.

    Many historic ifb churches have co-opted Prayer Meeting now for Awana or children and have only a group of grannies praying.

    I would opt to go back to the old ways of the 1800's and have small groups meet in a home to pray. Period. Maybe a song or two, but certainly NOT another preaching time to glorify the worm.
     
    #10 Dr. Bob, Aug 31, 2003
  11. computerjunkie

    computerjunkie New Member

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    Well, Dr. Bob, I probably wouldn't put it quite as "succinctly" as you did, but that's what has happened to our Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting also. We have AWANA, along with adult discipleship classes on Wednesday nights. So the Prayer Meeting is mostly senior adults.

    And if our pastor even "hints" about doing something a little different (like him not having to preach), boy do they squawk!!! I can hear them now, "But we've ALWAYS done it this way." (Unlike your example, he does NOT want to preach on Wed. nights. He's getting ready to start preaching 4 times on Sunday, so he'd like to make Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting just that...a PRAYER Meeting.)
     
    #11 computerjunkie, Aug 31, 2003
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