You scored as Emergent/Postmodern, You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.
The Abbey is an engine room driving God’s purposes forward. Some people describe us as a “Gen-X monastery” because of the youth vibe and similarities with the ancient Celtic monastic movements. Although we fall way short of those radical prayer communities, we do find ourselves gathering to do many of the same things. The heart is the same but the clothes are new.
“The monasteries of Celtic Christianity were where things happened! These were a combination of commune, retreat, house mission station, hotel hospital, school, university, arts and Abbey for the local community – a place not only of spiritual energy but also of hospitality, learning and cultural exchange.”
The Abbey is an initiative seeking to establish a praying community.
Vision:
To raise up a new generation of radical worshipers to change the destiny of their world through a lifestyle of prayer.
The Values
1.Radical OBEDIENCE to the Holy Spirit
Like Jesus, we seek to do what we see the Father doing. We acknowledge his right to break our rules and offend our sensibilities.
(John 5:19; Psalm 127:1; John 3:8)
2.RELATIONAL
We are a community of friends with shared vision and values, driven by friendship rather than function
(John 15:14-15; Luke 10:1-22; 1 Peter 4:7-11; 1 John 4:7-12)
3.INDIGENOUS
We respect, value and honor cultural diversity
(Revelation 7:9-10; Daniel 1; 1 Corinthians 9:20-21)
4.INCLUSIVE
We work with anyone sharing our vision and values, regardless of race, age, gender or church background. We build unity and enjoy diversity
(Colossians 3:11; Ephesians 4:3-6)
5.LIKE JESUS
We seek to be like Jesus in the way we do what we do. For us, the means do not necessarily justify the ends.
(2 Cor 3:16-18)
6.DEEPLY ROOTED
We are committed to growth in maturity rather than size (Psalm 1:1-3)
7.CREATIVE and INNOVATIVE
We embrace God-inspired creativity as integral to authentic expressions of prayer
(Exodus 35:30-35; Genesis 1:1-2; Psalm 45:1; Proverbs 8:22-31)
8.JUSTICE
We will pursue justice and freedom from oppression for humanity and the created world
(Isaiah 61; Luke 4:18-19; Romans 8:19-21; Isaiah 58)
9.STEWARDSHIP
We take responsibility for ourselves, those around us and the things God has entrusted to us
(Matthew 25:14-30; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
10.SACRIFICIAL
We believe that a lifestyle of prayer is costly at every level. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5; 1 John 3:16-18; Romans 12:1-2)
11.CELEBRATORY
We believe that Jesus came to bring life to the full and that we have a Christian duty to celebrate all that is good. Fun and laughter are central to Prayer Rooms and we do not need to justify these
(Genesis 1:31; Psalm 24:1; Matthew 11:19; John 10:10)
12.SIMPLE
We are a network of like-minded people, not some new slick organization. In character we are wild and unpolished – passionate about developing people rather than our own profile
(Psalm 116:6; Luke 10:3-5; John 3:8)
Who I'd like to meet: We passionately believe in the connection between prayer, creativity and missions.
The keys that define The Abbey are:-
1.Continuous prayer (1 Thes. 5:17). By having different stations/focuses around a room, for example, a place for worship, thanksgiving, prayer for the lost, your community and the Nations, it becomes a place to meet with the Lord and so should reflect something of who God is.
2.Creativity, like music,dance,poetry,painting and sculpture(Ex35:30-35, Ps. 150)
3.Serving the poor, we partner with local projects to minister to the poor (Is. 58:6-7).
4.Community outreaches (1 Pet. 4:7-8).
5.Missions: prayer mobilizes effective missions, and makes the person praying more sensitive to the needs of those who don’t know Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20).
We are a visually stimulated generation so we believe a prayer experience in The Abbey will be an inspiration to all, and will give glory to God.
Goal:To equip young people to learn about prayer by giving them an opportunity to pray.
Introduction to the practical stuff:
- The Abbey is for groups who know that God is calling them to pray… but are bad at it! This will take normal, disorganized people and teach them to pray – by praying.
- The Abbey is particularly focused on young people (the church family’s missing generation) but anyone of any age can join in.
Keep it simple
God asks us to PRAY and he asks us to OBEY.
We get so complicated with our conferences, books and theories. Jesus comes along and says ”Come” and “Go”.
‘Come’ and hang out, come and pray………………
Then ‘Go’ and make a difference………………………
Step 1: First key - Continuous prayer
(a) How long do we go for:
- 24-7-365
- This is meant to be a challenge, so don’t be too cautious in your planning.
- You may see The Abbey as a part of the bigger picture of your church/community
(b) Why do we need a place of prayer:
-The Holy Spirit can fill a place as well as a person (Acts 2:2)
-The sense of God’s presence after many hours of prayer makes prayer easier and the time pass much quicker. (One hour feels like ten minutes, where-as at home often ten minutes feels like an hour). The ancient Celts called it “thin places” where the veil between heaven and earth becomes so fine that prayer is easier.
- Our culture is looking for holy places – location of sanctuary and spirituality.
- Evangelistically The Abbey is excellent. People who don’t want to be preached at may still like to be prayed for.
- Creative and unusual environments can be highly conductive to prayer. They pray non-verbally, posting artwork, poetry and graffiti on the wall.
-It provides accountability. If you don’t turn up people will notice.
- A shared location provides a strong sense of being part of a community carrying each other’s burdens as well as celebrating breakthroughs together.
(c) Where are we located:
- Accessibility:- we are located at 900 Leonard St. NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504
- Size:- Its big enough for groups and yet small enough to get in a prayer closet and be alone with God.
- Security:- is provided 24-7-365 there will always be at least two people in the building
- Facilities:- We have restrooms and water fountains accessible to The Abbey
- Noise/Disturbance:- No need to worry about being too loud.
(d) What should it look like:
-There are no rules – Use your imagination to create a prayer that glorify God and help people meet Him.
-Cleanliness next to Godliness
-since we use candles there is a fire extinguisher at hand.
Atmosphere:
-Lighting. We use different lights that create the right atmosphere for instance fairy lights, various disco lights, colored bulbs, candles, dark room lights and UV lights.
-Flooring. We Use different materials on the floor, cloth, sand, polystyrene, packaging material, matting, carpet tiles or straw as this can totally change the whole dynamic of The Abbey.
-Materials. We leave lots of materials that people can use to make things like cloth, clay, paints, paper, wallpaper paste, staple gun, stapler, scissors, string, ribbons, egg boxes, used bottles, pieces of driftwood, buckets with sand, seeds, water, stones.
-Video. We have a video of Grand Rapids so people can pray as they see the images.
It’s up to you to discover and explore what is possible, so, no more ideas from this side, but please share yours with us again.
Places of Prayer and theme Walls:
-Repentance and forgiveness – Our approach to God’s throne should always start with repentance and forgiveness. God’s word says that only those with clean hands and pure hearts may come into His presence (Ps. 24:4.) Repentance is not to say you are sorry, it is to admit that you were wrong. We need to forgive, for Jesus himself said that He could only forgive us as we forgive others. (Matt 6:14-15).
We have created a place for purification of personal sin.
Use the cross sit down – “at the feet of Jesus”.
You can use the “sin bin”, a paper shredder for shredding sins written on paper at the foot of the cross.
Also use the bowl of water for washing your hands, symbolic of clean hands.
Bread and wine are provided for holy communion.
-Holy spaces - Just being in His presence, being in awe of God. Only sit and listen to what God wants to say (make notes). Pray the Word.
-Use the “commitment box” in this area.
( No one will open this box, the commitment is to God.)
-There are areas where people can wash each other’s feet and break bread.
- Praise and worship - A place for creative music, song and dance as an expression of praise to God.
The Walls -
-1) A “Welcome Wall” – Put up the themes and aims, vision and values near the door, with visual introduction.
-A 30-second audio or video recording, welcoming people will help them to focus.
-A sign-up sheet to reserve one-hour shifts and phone number of the responsible person.
2) A “Wailing Wall” to post personal prayer requests, a bit like the Jews do, wedging their heart-cries on scraps of paper between the bricks of the old temple in Jerusalem.
Clothes peg prayer: Write names of non-Christian friends, family and work/school colleagues on squares of colored paper, use the clothes pins to put them on the wall, or hang them on the wire or string. As you put yours up, pray for one already hanging.
3) A “Worship Wall”. This is for prayers of wonder and praise. Using three different focal points:
(a)Thank you Wall – use shapes of colored paper, write thank you notes, stick them to the wall.
(b)God is……Wall – Use the names of God to exalt Him and give him praise. Think about the character of God and what that means to us. Use sheets of paper to express what you experience. Consider what God has done in your life, match that to a Name.
(c)Promises Wall - use scripture of the promises of God, write them on pebbles, pray them and stack them in a basket or in a glass bowl. Thank God for his faithfulness.
4)A “Reality Wall” - Pray for your school/campus, community, church, city, province and country. Also pray for leaders. Put up all the information you can find.
Newspaper clippings work very well. Cut them out, stick them on the wall where it fits the focus, and pray.
5) Creativity Wall – If you are going to pray with all your energy, words alone aren’t gonna be enough. We need to see a release of poetry, symbolism, dance, song, sculpture, paintings, graffiti, sounds, lighting effects and smells if we are to truly express our worship and intercession to God.
This should be a place where we want everybody to feel safe to release what God has downloaded in their lives to help us and others draw closer to God. Paper, pencils, markers, paint, etc. are available. Stick artwork to the wall, others will be inspired.
6) Nations Wall – Pray for the nations, featuring a world map, newspaper clippings, political and social details of specific nations. Pray for missionaries known to you.
The Share book:
-A book for questions – Answers must be scripture based, and must be given promptly
-A book for prayer requests – If this is used, pray through the requests.
-A book for testimonies – Answers to prayer and life changing events.
Step 2 – Preparing people.
- “The two essential conditions for revival are prayer and unity.”
Unity breaks down barriers faster than any other, it carries authority across a region. If we want to be spiritually effective, unity with a common heart is vital. Satan uses division and disunity as a major strategy for defending the stolen territory he has gained.
- In many ways, preparing people to pray is the most important job of all. The point is that this is a space for people to hang out with their heavenly Father, a place of intimacy and transformation.
- You are Encouraged to share stories of answered prayer in order to build faith.
- A season of fasting is also encouraged. (It could even only be from chocolate, TV or certain foods).
- Let people pray how they want to. Some kneel quietly, some shout and yell.
This is something historic you are doing here.
- The best context for launching into prayer is worship.
