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Encouraging Prayer:                                                 Planning a Prayer Event

As told by Rini Roach

Have you ever felt led to host a prayer event in your church or community, but didn't know how to go about the planning process?  The following testimony to the glory of God tells the process of planning that was followed by Camino Real Christian Fellowship (CRCF) in San Antonio, Texas.  It is our hope that these ideas may help to encourage you to serve the Lord by offering a prayer event in your church. 

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Fervent prayer and waiting on God were key factors in the planning process.  The Lord gave Rini the details and she shares them with us --

 "I don't know how it happened. The only credit goes to God.  Around January I heard the Lord say 'Prayer Seminar twice a year' to me.  He said it twice and said 'it will be easy or it will not be'.  At this point I found that I agreed totally and felt He had given me faith for it. There was no doubt as to it coming to pass - did not know how but it (the Seminar) would happen.

When I told Nita Lopez she hit me with all the questions I had no answers for --  when? how? what are we teaching on? where?  All I could say was -- I don't know and all I know is -- God said.

We started recruiting people to pray over it. Praying and asking God to tell us what to do.  The next thing that happened was-- on a Saturday morning as I was waking up I heard these details: Saturday all day 8am to 4pm, one hour lunch, $10 at the door. Keep it simple.  I felt that God was still in control. Every one still praying."

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The Lord provided all that was needed for the seminar, including the training for leadership.  Rini and Nita were able to attend a leaders training seminar several months before the CRCF prayer seminar.  The next steps -

"We reminded all our intercessors to keep on praying for the prayer seminar to come to pass.  We chose a date, met twice before the prayer seminar to encourage, talk, pray for and with one another. It was very much needed as you know the enemy does not like to be excluded out of anything. So the times we got together we bound him up and praised our God for His great mercy and grace that would lead us through.

And he did. God gave us an outline and material to follow. God being God gave each one that taught the ability to include other material and personal experiences to make their teaching unique.  God also provided an inexpensive booklet on fasting and prayer, a booklet on how to pray with confidence that we gave to each participant.

We provided a small breakfast and lunch which was served by our hostess with the mostess.  There were 16 people in attendance, which was more than I expected since God had said if 6 or 20 show up it does not matter you just do what I tell you, I assumed it would likely be just 6.  One intercessor (Nita's sister) felt God sent her to come and pray for us on site with insight. She did!

It was an awesome time for all. Our worship team from church gave their Saturday up in support of our 1st Prayer Seminar by CRCF. They ushered in God's presence anointing and refreshed us with worship throughout the day.  To my amazement I never felt fearful or doubtful. God spoke it into existence and it was so."

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Is the Lord leading you to offer a prayer event in  your church?  CRCF held it's first prayer seminar in June 2003.  Rini Roach, Nita Lopez, and others began to pray about what God would have them do in January 2003, six months before the prayer seminar.  The Lord led them each step of the planning process and the Lord will also lead and guide you.  If you have any questions or would like any help with ideas about how to plan a prayer event, contact -

Rini Roach at  rini@mycaminoreal.com or

Nita Lopez at  nita@mycaminoreal.com

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Rini Roach and Nita Lopez are prayer warriors who serve the Lord at Camino Real Christian Fellowship Church in San Antonio, Texas.  They are prayer partners in the ELCA Prayer Network and they pray for the prayer requests that come through the www.prayingchurch.org web site.