IF:Pray Field Guide, Bayou City

IF:Pray Hosts –

As you are finalizing and fleshing out the details of your IF:Pray gathering, we know it is helpful to hear what others are doing. Below you will find a very detailed outline from Tracy Page, an IF:Local Leader in the Houston area.

Additionally, you can download the timeline for IF:Gathering’s IF:Pray program as an example.

Please hear this- Keep it simple. Our tendency is to over think and over complicate events like these. What Tracy suggests below is above and beyond what we could ask or imagine. The vision for what we’re doing is for each of your to surrender in obedience to God in whatever small or big ways. Success does not look like a high attendance number, a beautiful venue, or representation of every church in your area. Success looks like taking initiative for God’s glory and for the good of others and letting Him do the rest! Every gathering looks different, so we hope you feel the freedom in that and in putting together a simple night of prayer.

The Venue

We will be arranging the chairs in groups- like smaller living room setting- but still facing the platform. We have planned on putting the platform area in the middle of the room to create an even more intimate area to gather around.

The Four Calls to Prayer

PRAYERS ONE to THREE~
Call to Offer Our Gratitude
We will be using a simple “tree” and strips of fabric. As the ladies are led through the scripture reading and the calls to give glory and thanks to God, they will have the opportunity to tie those ribbons to the tree as a visual representation.

Call to Pray for God’s Church and His People
There will be maps of our city and surrounding areas displayed on a light table. There will be a way for the ladies to identify what areas they are focusing prayer on so that we can make sure the entire area is covered. We are fortunate to have a light table but simple city maps can be used as well by laying them out on tables with markers and labels to write in your home, your church or really any place you feel led to pray for in your community.

Call to Pray for the World
We will have many many votive candles for this station labeled with various areas of the world. As each area is prayed for the ladies will light the candle representing that area. (again so we can see the “coverage” of all in prayer).

Call to Unity and Love
We will return to our seats all together and pray together for this piece. The Call to Unity will be done as a whole in unison…meaning everyone will be together.

Basic Outline of the Evening

• Welcome
• Worship
• Instructions
• Prayers 1-3
• Prayer 4- A Call to Unity
• Communion*
• Closing

*Communion will be done as follows- We will have fresh baked bread served with wine and juice. (a gluten free bread station will be available also) Communion stations will be placed around the venue and served by our host church ladies.

The Pretty Details

We get to take advantage of having a really cool photo booth that will be decorated with a few simple things that represent the evening. We figured a little goofy after a long day would help the ladies relax and connect.

Each lady will be given a prayer guide, a welcome card, a prayer need card and bookmark in a parchment bag.
Each bag will be labeled with a different colored scripture sticker that will also divide the ladies up into their station groups. Our hope is to take the ladies into a safe place to connect with new friends and create a KINDRED among them so that more IF: TABLE’s will come out of these new found connections.

The welcome card will be given to them to fill out and for us to keep so that we can create a master list so that more connections can happen.

The prayer cards can be dropped in baskets that we will have placed around the venue. The leaders will them divide them up and pray over the individual needs.

Decorating will be kept to a minimum-
Mason jars with fresh flowers, branches, etc…
Framed scriptures and candles.

In each “living area” we will have a “coffee table” with very simple décor. Again, small jars of flowers, scriptures and pretties.

Want to share ideas or plans you that you have for your IF:Pray? Leave them in the comments section below.