God has given us this amazing gift of prayer, he made it possible through Jesus for us to come to him and talk to him. It is an awesome privilege but one that God intended to be used and it is open and available, anytime, anywhere. Through prayer we can to tap into the almighty power of the Creator of the universe. Therefore at Encounter we highly value the role that prayer has to play in our ministry on Friday nights and also in our lives throughout the week!

At Encounter we focus on three different aspects of prayer:

First of all it is vital that prayer is the driving force behind Encounter, therefore when planning and preparing for it prayer should be the first thing we do. It is important to bring everything about Encounter to God in prayer and put him in charge of everything that’s done and every decision that’s made. We want to be praying big prayers and expecting even bigger answers!

At Encounter we have prayer response areas with a few different focuses. The purpose of the areas is to provide places were people can spend time with God, with visual aids and interactive items to focus their thoughts and prayers. Also if singing is not your thing then you can worship God by responding to Him in a way that works for you. It is our desire that everyone who comes encounters God in someway, and responds by truly worshipping him, the prayer response areas are just a part of this.

The other aspect of prayer we focus on is prayer ministry. This involves having somebody pray with you for some area of your life. It could be that you need direction or guidance, maybe you need comforted, or you need God's help with something you are struggling with. Often in these times its hard to find the words to say to God and so getting someone to pray with you can be a really helpful, encouraging and freeing experience. The prayer ministry team will to be available for you, whenever you need it - to share in your worries, problems and decisions. After all we know that nothing is too small or too big for our God to handle.

What we really want to see at Encounter is that the whole night is one big conversation with our father in heaven and that in everything we do we are aware of His presence amongst us. It is also our desire at Encounter that people become aware of God's presence in their everyday lives and recognize that prayer and worship are a way of life.

Sarah Crothers
Prayer Co-ordinator