Resourcing  Churches, Schools and the Community

How Red Moon Rising by Pete Greig has blessed the Churches in Shepton Mallet, Somerset

Churches Together in Shepton Mallet 24 Hour Prayer Room

 

Sue Crisfield writes

 

Last summer I read the book Red Moon Rising by Pete Greig and Dave Roberts and felt really inspired to start an ecumenical prayer room in Shepton. I bought several copies and gave them to people in all the different Churches.

 

I would heartily recommend that you read the book.

 

I know that God is calling us to pray for our town and that the only way to do this is ecumenically. We started the Prayer Room last November with 24 hours, then 48 hours over the New Year; then a week in January followed by a week over Easter. There is a representative from all the Churches in the town on the planning group.

 

The theme for each Prayer Room has been different but we always have a Wailing Wall and a Praise Wall with lots of lining paper and pens for people to write their prayers and praise. We have a large cross to focus on and a quiet room for private prayer.

 

Once you arrive, God's peace is evident and some people spend many hours praying and resting in Him. Many people who felt that it was not "their thing" have been surprised that it is and have returned again and again.

 

There is a rota for people to sign up to for 1 hour slots to cover the 24 hour periods, although people can just drop in when they can. Several times I have gone to the Prayer Room when there has been no names on the rota to find 8 people there! We think that during Holy Week over 120 people came in to pray including pupils from local schools who have really enjoyed the interactive nature of the prayer and have felt the peace and calm.

 

What next, well we would love this to be more open to everyone in the town and for prayer requests to come in. We feel that this is the start of something amazing in Shepton, reaching out with God's accepting love. We have had various ideas regarding the future, such as having dept counselling (Christians Against Poverty), perhaps a food store, clothing bank - somewhere that the town people can come for practical help.

 

The next Prayer Room is planned for 8 May for 10 days with Pentecost Sunday in the middle.

 

We have definitely felt a difference to the spiritual atmosphere in the town since we started the Prayer Room, especially within the relationships between Christians from all of the six Churches here. There is a greater sense of unity and a genuine willingness to work together to serve our town and bring God's love to everyone here.

 

 

Want to know more then you can email Sue by clicking here info@lighthousewells.com

 

 

 

 

The Lighthouse is much more than a bookshop.

The Lighthouse is also a ministry 

 

For many years the Lighthouse has been a gateway to the Churches for people who find it difficult to walk into a church building. For those who, for one reason or another, don't go to church and yet seek Christian company, resources and prayer, the Lighthouse has been a place of fellowship and Christian contact.

 

What does the Bible say about gateways? Basically, gate or gateway represents a structure closing and enclosing a large opening through a wall or a barrier through which people and things pass to an enclosed area. The 'gates' of ancient cities sometimes enclosed city squares or were immediately in front of squares (2 Chron. 32:6). The entry way (2 Chron. 23:15) could be secured with heavy doors that were attached to firmly embedded pillars and reinforced by bars (Judg. 16:3 cf. Psa. 147:13, Neh. 3:3) Palaces could be citadels with strongly fortified 'gates' large enough to have rooms over them. During siege, such rooms housed warriors. It was such a room into which David climbed and wept over the death of his son Absalom (2 Sam. 18:33). 'Gates' had rooms to house guards (Ezek. 40:7). The rooms bordering the 'gates' could also be used to store siege supplies(Neh. 12:25)

 

The Lighthouse a gateway, a storehouse?

 

What next?

 

A small team has been brought together by the Lord to share in the future of the Lighthouse and we feel that more will come. After much prayer and reflection we feel that we are being called to expand the ministry of the lighthouse in Wells.

 

What follows is some of the results of our prayers and thoughts, and the areas in which we feel that the Lord maybe asking us to work and we hope to start some of them within the next few weeks.

 

Scripture

 

Micah 6:8

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (NIV)

 

Isaiah 62:10

Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. (NIV)

 

Hesed

 

The Hebrew word for loving kindness - the consistent, ever-faithful, relentless, constanly-pursuing, lavish, extravagant, unrestrained, furious love of our Father God!

 

The Lighthouse to come.

 

Bring in the harvest

Open the Storehouse to bring in His lost

Open the Storehouse to let the resources out

 

Cafe and Christian Store Plus:

 Prayer rooms, meeting rooms, studio, training rooms, counseling rooms, office

 

24/7 Prayer Room

Free debt counseling - Christians against Poverty

Solicitor Surgeries - free legal advice

Clothing Bank

Toy library

Art/craft - free expressions

Street Pastors

Internet Cafe

Time swap - Time Banks UK

Soup and Hot Chocolate free at 11:00pm

 

If the Lord has been putting similar thoughts on your heart, and this excites you, then we would love to hear from you, or if you would like to know what is happening, then please get in touch.

 

Email kay@lighthousewells.com