Unique Room Sparks Renewed Interest in Prayer

LEE’S SUMMIT, MO (January 5, 2005) - Most congregations would tell you that they are a "praying church," but in recent months, Deerbrook Covenant Church and pastor Gary Schmitz have seen prayer become a 24/7 operation within the walls of its building.

Deerbrook Covenant had a group of people build a prayer room and parishioners and others in the community have come to this room to pray at all hours of the day. Not only is the Covenant congregation of 550 praying, but so are other churches that have sent groups to pray corporately at various times. The elaborate setup and creative artwork and elements are components that have made the prayer room a spiritual beacon of light in Lee's Summit.

"Churches from around the community are beginning to send people to pray," said David Benedict, associate superintendent of the Midwest Conference. "Small groups have prayed together, young people come, seniors pray and so do leadership teams. I know I was deeply moved by what I saw."

Schmitz said that the church experienced a transition period during the past year. Beginning in August, before initiating the prayer room, he preached a sermon series about God's desire to dwell among His people. The sermon text came from Exodus 25:8, which discusses various tabernacles and the importance of prayer in the temple. He encouraged parishioners to keep prayer simple and focus on being with God.

Schmitz told Benedict that he has been captivated by the connection between the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination and the Moravians, a group of people who started a 24/7 prayer movement in the 1700s and experienced a spiritual awakening as a result. Schmitz also said that he has been inspired more recently by a movement originally started by a pastor in the United Kingdom in the 1990s that has spread to all parts of the world. He believed that this phenomenon could impact his area in a similarly powerful way.

The 24/7 prayer room was only intended to last two weeks, but when so many people became interested, he decided that the prayer room should remain open for a longer period. Many people have told Schmitz that their prayer room experiences have helped them pray more naturally. Many who never thought they could pray 10 consecutive minutes have found that they can pray for more than an hour – and be much more comfortable being alone with God for extended periods.

"There was an overwhelming response," said Schmitz. "People immediately filled up our time slots and some couldn't even get on the list. But as we added more weeks, we heard many stories of marriages being saved and people being spiritually restored."

There are unique features of the 12-by-20-foot prayer room, which once served as a storage area. A wall was removed and four quadrants were constructed to provide a sort of world map – prayers internationally, nationally, locally and for individuals needing Christ. There's a paper shredder for symbolizing the shredding of our sins (see accompanying photo). A sign on the shredder reads: "Ask God about the things He might want to change in your life. Write them down. Ask forgiveness . . . shred the list . . ."

There's a giant rustic cross (about six feet high) that is a focal point and there is carpeting by the cross so people can fall prostrate and pray. There's a symbolic Wailing Wall to which individuals can tack their prayers. Prayer journals are offered to people to write their needs to God and to cry out to him. A graffiti wall section allows people to express their feelings through artwork, poems and phrases. Schmitz calls it "the fingerprints of the community."

Many people have become involved in the day-to-day operation of the prayer room. Some serve eight-hour shifts to oversee the room. Others secure commitments to fill the various time slots for prayer. Schmitz says the church will close the room for a season to re-evaluate how to better use the ministry. But he hopes that many more churches can see how prayer has transformed his congregation and community through this unique room.

"There are probably seven churches creating prayer rooms as a result of seeing what we've done," says Schmitz. "But this is definitely not our doing. It's been God working through us."

Started in 1995, Deerbrook Covenant is located in a city of nearly 80,000 people near Kansas City. A more detailed look will appear in an article in a future issue of The Covenant Companion and will be available at that time in the online overview of the Companion.

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