Alpha Friends

Every year a thrilling invitation goes out to the nation to come and explore the really big issues of life on an Alpha course. Underpinning the national advertising campaign and making courses happen is an army of volunteers.

Just as the real power behind the advertising campaign is the army of volunteers, so the real power behind the success of the Alpha course is an army of prayer warriors who understand that behind the humorous talks, the pasta suppers and the cartoon illustrations is a real spiritual battle for hearts and minds.

Here are some ideas gathered from across the UK and from our experiences at Holy Trinity Brompton whilst praying for Alpha. If you have any prayer ideas that you have used on an Alpha course, we would love to hear about it and share it with others.

Alpha Invitation Prayer & Worship Meeting

The month of September has been marked in the annual Alpha calendar as a time to specifically engage in praying for our community and local Alpha courses. This is a great opportunity to join with other churches and organisations in your area in prayer and worship. Please click on the links below to download the relevant resources.

Prayer Meetings

“Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them – Matthew 18: 19

The first Christians knew that prayer meetings are exciting and we don’t think anything has changed! On one occasion the room in which they were meeting shook with the power of their prayers. On another occasion Peter was miraculously rescued from prison by their prayers. Jesus had told them that when they came together in His name he would attend and that when they agreed together in His name, He would hear their prayers and perform miracles. No wonder the instinct of the early church, whenever they faced trials, was simply to raise their voices together in prayer.

Our weekly prayer meeting at HTB Brompton Road runs from 7-8am on a Tuesday morning and is the basic building block of our corporate prayer life as a church. One of our aims for these meetings is to ensure that they are never ever boring! We do this in four ways:

1. by breaking the hour down into short ‘bite-size’ sections,

2. by deploying different models and styles of prayer throughout (see Prayer guide)

3. by focusing on different issues: personal, local, national, global

4. by blending worship and space for prophetic input in with the prayers too.

The Alpha Prayer guide which explains six different models of prayer and an example prayer meeting agenda can be downloaded at the bottom of the page.

24-7 Prayer

24-7 Prayer is one of the most exciting and creative expressions of prayer at HTB. We arrange regular seasons of 24-7 (night and day) prayer in a specially decorated room on site. People sign to take an hour long shift in the prayer room, and we thereby fill days and even weeks with nonstop intercession and praise. One of these seasons always coincides with the Alpha initiative. In September 2011 the congregation will be coming together to pray continuously for the Alpha Invitation and the autumn Alpha courses. To learn more about 24-7 Prayer follow the link.

Kingdom Come: United Kingdom (KC: UK) – Four nations, one year of 24-7 prayer

In 2012 we are inviting all 7000 Alpha churches in the UK to come together for an unbroken year of prayer throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, filling the Olympic year with unprecedented intercession for the nation.

Why not sign up your church for a day or week of 24-7 prayer? For more information email prayer@htb.org.uk
 

Prayer Networks

Some people just aren’t able to attend weekly prayer meetings due to work or family commitments. When we surveyed the HTB congregations three years ago we discovered that many people wanted to grow in prayer and were keen to be given prayer requests too. What was particularly interesting was the discovery that the number of people expressing a hunger for prayer was more than four times higher than the number attending the weekly prayer meeting.

So how do you involve the people who are unable to attend prayer meetings in praying for your course? One way is to set up a Prayer Network. Three years ago at HTB we launched a prayer network called PrayerForce. The network is made up of people who have a heart for prayer and are committed to praying for everything which goes on at HTB and Alpha. To guide their prayers each month we send them: - a monthly calendar of upcoming events - regular confidential prayer alerts via email or text

In return for their commitment to pray we try to help them grow in their own prayer lives by arranging occasional quiet day retreats, arranging teaching events and sending out a newsletter which includes quotes, testimonies of answered prayer, and extracts from helpful books.

One of the great things about the PrayerForce model is that it can work in a very small church where there might be just 3 people with a heart for prayer, or in a large church where there may be many hundreds.

Prayer and Fasting

Twice a year (between our biannual ‘Vision Sunday’ and ‘Gift Sunday’) we call the church to a day of prayer and fasting. It is a way of coming together as a community to focus our prayers on the vision and ministries God has given us. The day begins with our regular Tuesday prayer meeting from 7-8am and concludes twelve hours later, from 7-8pm with a prayer concert led by Tim Hughes and Pete Greig. After this event, everyone is encouraged to go and break their fast in groups, perhaps in one of the nearby restaurants.

Fasting humbles us and brings us to an awareness of our need of God. It renews the sense of balance and priority in our walk with God. It heightens our spiritual sensitivity and clears the channels of communication with God. It hits at our deep-seated selfishness and strengthens our self control. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what you desire. Rather, it is simply forcing yourself to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision, and wisdom you need.

Why not hold a day of prayer and fasting in the lead up to your Alpha course? It’s a great way to bring your church together united in praying for your Alpha course and the guests who will attend.

Here are just a few other ideas that you could use to encourage people to pray throughout the course:

- Organise/ Become part of a prayer intercession group that prays on the same evening as the course
- Create a prayer timetable where people can pray wherever they are at certain times of the day
- Allocate weeks throughout the course when certain house groups pray for the course
- Encourage the youth group to pray creatively for the course
- Create prayer bookmarks/ cards that people can take away
 

Always ensure that when praying for or requesting prayer for someone on the course that guest confidentiality and sensitivity is maintained.

If you have any questions about prayer and Alpha, please feel free to contact one of our Alpha Prayer Advisers or the Alpha UK office on 020 7052 0495:

Sophie Chapman, Lincolnshire Team chapmansophie@aol.com
Isobel Mead, Monmouthshire Team i.mead@yahoo.co.uk
Robert Taylor, Northamptonshire Team robert_taylor1@btconnect.com
Rebecca Taylor, Northamptonshire Team rebecca_taylor1@btconnect.com

Prior to the beginning of the September course one of the highlights for me is our 'Refresh for Alpha' Evening. Run either separately or alongside training seminars this is when we ask all the local churches who are running Alpha to come together with us to Worship God and Pray for one another prior to getting going. This is a fantastic evening, placing the focus firmly on Christ, and moving out in power from Him united together in the fellowship of faith.

Sophie Chapman, Licolnshire