Small Group Prayer Night

Our small group is made up of four couples.  We all knew each other fairly well before, so have made an easy transition to being a bunch that enjoys our weekly time together.  We had talked about wanting to do a prayer night together, when our time wasn't filled with visiting and eating and watching a teaching video and discussing it and prayer, but simply prayer (...and food and visiting).

I wanted to share with you what we did; it's a great experience, doesn't take much to put together, and is a very worthwhile addition to what your small group does together.

We started with visiting and getting our coffees while everyone arrived and got the kids settled with the sitter, then met all together for a few instructions and an opening prayer.  We moved into a time of personal confession, getting our hearts right before God before we moved into praying for all the other areas.  As each one finished that, they moved on to the stations set up around the house.  We had two of our 8 missing, and with 7 stations, there was always a free one to move to, even though most were set up to allow more than one to be there. 

Each station was for a different area of life that we should be praying for.  We had:

• Children
• Marriages
• Church
• Family & Friends (including work relationships)
• Stress
• Current Events
• World (Global Church and World Governments)

 Most stations had lists of "How to pray for..." that I found online.  The world station had a big atlas, and the current events station was at our computer, open to news sites.  The friends & family lists were mind maps I made using a free site online.

We came back together for our last half hour, and had a time of communion together.  Our teaching video last week was on communion and left us thinking we should do that together; this was the perfect timing and setting.  We had a loaf and juice and talked about what it represents and why we gather together - it was very casual, but very real - and then we kept eating of the small feast we had spread on the table.

It was a very good night.  Everyone seemed quite positive about the experience and want to do it again, even setting it up exactly the same.  I do have a few ideas to expand or tweak it, but they're right - it doesn't have to be re-invented each time.  I have done prayer rooms that had more hand-on involvement, but this way worked well for this type of group.  We may invite others to join us next time we do it, and we would be willing to set it up at the church for the whole church to participate at some point. 

I hope this sparks a desire in you to share a time like this with friends, and gives you an idea of how to go about it.