Prayer

ECB desires for prayer to be “the first work” – it comes before, during and after all things. It is the fuel of following and obeying Christ. It is the path to life in the Holy Spirit. By prayer Christians learn the heart of God, discern their own hearts and connect to the world in which Jesus is always working.

At ECB we believe that prayer must be foundational in everything that we do. There are many avenues for prayer at ECB including 8:00am Sunday pre-service prayer, intercessory prayer teams that pray during the Word portion of our worship services, Wednesday prayer and fasting each week, mid day prayer gatherings and our House of Prayer once a month. Whether you have known Jesus for decades or just for a short period of time, because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, your prayers are heard in heavenly places! So let us ‘always pray and never give up’!  (Luke 18:1-8) And may ECB be a community of faith that is found to be faithful in prayer! (Romans 12:12) If you are interested in joining the Intercessory Prayer Ministry at ECB, or if you have any questions and need more information, please contact [email protected].

Each Sunday morning beginning at 8:00am until approximately 8:40am, in the Main Sanctuary at ECB, there is an ‘unstructured’ prayer gathering. This allows those participating to come as they are able and leave when they must if they have other responsibilities on Sunday mornings. Some who participate pray as they walk in and out of the isles of chairs, others might sit and pray the Word, others might kneel. Although the format of the prayer time is unstructured (the worship team is also practicing at this time), the focus of the prayer time is not. We gather during this time to ask God to prepare the hearts of His people to receive the Word and for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that brings repentance. We have been using Psalm 51 as a starting point in this time of prayer. After praying in and through the Sanctuary, intercessors are invited to come to the front of the Sanctuary and be part of praying over the worship team and pastors in preparation for the morning of ministry.

An intercessor is someone who instead of praying for personal needs or desires, chooses to come before God on behalf of another individual or group of people, or even entire nations – and prays on their behalf. Jesus is our intercessor, who set aside His equality with God in order to bear the needs and sins of the world, and is now at the right hand of the throne of God. He lives to intercede for us! (Hebrews 7:25)

At ECB we are learning to pray the Word of God together, for one another, our community of faith, and the world for which Jesus died. One of the ways that we put this into practice is through ‘prayer teams’ that meet during the celebration service time each Sunday. Each team prays during one Sunday service, every four to five weeks. The team is in the service for the beginning worship portion, and then exits the sanctuary and prays together in a designated location during the Word portion of the service. As the community of faith is sitting under the teaching of the Word, intercessors are praying that the Holy Spirit will water the seed of the Word in the  hearts of His people, that spiritual fruit will be produced, and  that we will be changed into the likeness of Jesus!

Intercessors also have the opportunity to participate in ministering to people who come forward for prayer at the end of our services. However, this is not a requirement to be an intercessor. If you are interested in joining this Intercessory Prayer Ministry at ECB, or if you have any questions and need more information, please contact [email protected]. You will be asked to give a brief faith story before being placed on a prayer team. Being part of a prayer team is a wonderful way to grow in the discipline of prayer!

Wednesdays have been set-aside by the ECB faith community as a day of prayer and fasting for the ministries of our fellowship and to ask God for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit among us. Whether or not you have signed-up to participate in this prayer initiative, you are invited to join in praying and fasting during one or all meals, or from something that is important to you.

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7; Mark 11:17)

Join us from 7:30-9:00 p.m. in Sanctuary 1, every first Wednesday of each month, and be a part of building the foundation of prayer here at ECB! Whether you have known Jesus for many years or only a few days, let us seek His face and pray into His purposes, together.