Ministries
Pray Lubbock Ministry Team Prayer
Retreats
In addition to the prayer time at
each monthly meeting, at times it is beneficial for the Ministry
Team to retreat
for prolonged and concentrated prayer.
These are times to pray for specific inspiration
regarding the direction of Pray Lubbock and its ministry
team members. The
first of these semi-annual retreats was held in October
1999. One
retreat per year is overnight and away from Lubbock, the
other is closer to Lubbock and is contained in one day.
The Lord sets the agenda as we are led to pray.
Pray Lubbock Office Operations
Pray Lubbock maintains an office for
the purpose of conducting the business aspects of this
ministry. Planning meetings,
prayer meetings, maintaining prayer and community
information, correspondence, bookkeeping, production of
publicity pieces and production of events take place here.
This office suite was first leased in March 1999.
Currently, the director and administrative assistant
are in the office on a part-time basis.
Web
Site: praylubbock.com
Our web site is a great tool of
communication for pastors, intercessors, lighthouses, and
other interested parties.
It contains
announcements, training materials, prayer information, links
to other prayer-oriented sites and an on-line e-prayer
center. praylubbock.com
was placed on the Internet in March 1999.
Pastors Fellowship Luncheons
The monthly pastors fellowship
luncheon is the primary vehicle for pastors
of the city to visit, relax, and deepen relationships with
one another. Following mealtime fellowship, a brief portion of the vision
of Pray Lubbock is shared, keeping pastors current and
focused on the supremacy of prayer.
This activity began in August of 1999.
During summer months, these luncheons take place in
restaurants close to the Prayer Tower.
During the other months, various congregations host
these gatherings allowing pastors to get acquainted with one
another’s ministry facilities.
Pastors Prayer/Relational Groups
These groups are designed to nurture peer-to-peer relationships and prayer support of the pastors across the
city. Pastors
prayer/relational groups include from 5-10 pastors.
The agenda for their monthly meetings is to pray for
each other and get to know each other better.
These small groups were formed in the fall of 1999.
Pastors Prayer Shields
Pray Lubbock
provides teaching, resources, and motivations for pastors in our city to
establish prayer shields around them.
We are encouraging each pastor to have a smaller
circle of trusted friends to pray daily for the pastor.
We are also suggesting that pastors have 31 other
people who will pray and fast one day per month for the
pastor. This
initiative began in May of 2000.
This endeavor is under the supervision of the Pray
Lubbock Ministry Team.
Pastors Prayer Summits
Pastors prayer summits provide the opportunity for pastors of all denominational backgrounds to come
together at a location outside the city for the purpose of
relation building; prayer for one-another, for each
other’s congregations and for the city as a whole;
and for receiving instruction and guidance in prayer. These summits currently occur twice per year. They began as
an annual event in 1996.
Typical location is Floydada Baptist Encampment for
overnight summits and various locations for one-day summits.
These events are under the supervision of the Pray
Lubbock Ministry Team.
Pastors' Intercessors
Intercessors
attend the Third Wednesday prayer meeting in order to pray
for the pastors who gather together for prayer.
Lighthouse
of Prayer Project
Pray Lubbock, in conjunction with
local pastors, oversees the initiative called Lighthouses of
Prayer in and around Lubbock.
The goal of this project is to insure that every
person in our city is covered in prayer by name, when
possible, on a weekly basis. This currently involves 1,250 lighthouses from 35
congregations in Lubbock. More than twice this many are
needed to cover our city.
This is an ongoing project which began in March 1999.
The actual prayer activity takes place in
neighborhoods all over our city.
Pray Tech
Pray Tech is a microcosm of Pray
Lubbock. This
is an attempt to apply our goal of prayer to this
particularly large segment of our city.
Plans include covering students, faculty and staff of Texas Tech University with
prayer. This
began in March 1999 and entered into a new phase in July
2000. Prayer
groups take place on campus and at university ministry
locations as well as on an individual basis.
Prayer Tower Usage
The primary reason that we office in
the Metro Tower is the availability of the conference
room on the 19th floor.
As a tenant of the building, we have free access to
this room that is a strategic
place for city-focused prayer. We
also use this for conferences
and other training events.
The Pray Lubbock office coordinates the scheduling of
various congregations, youth groups, and other prayer events
in this room. These
types of events began in April 1999 and take place in the
conference room, right next door to the Pray Lubbock office.
Pastors Newsletter
The Pray Lubbock Pastors Newsletter
is the primary
communication tool for Pray Lubbock.
With a current circulation of 285, this monthly
publication keeps pastors abreast of the prayer
opportunities and initiatives of Pray Lubbock.
The first issue of this publication was June 1999.
This publication originates from the Pray Lubbock
office.
Pastors Monthly Prayer Meetings
The pastors
of the city gather monthly for the purpose of praying for
one another as well as exercising their obligation and
privilege as shepherds of the city to pray for the community
as a whole. Prayers
are lifted up for schools, congregations, government and
civic leaders, law-enforcement personnel, families,
marriages, homeless, financial conditions, etc.
This activity has been in existence since 1995.
These prayer meetings take place in the conference
room of the Metro Tower, right next door to the Pray Lubbock
office.
Pastor and Spouse Lunch
Typically on the third
Wednesday of December, our prayer meeting includes
spouses of pastors, and we facilitate a Christmas
lunch. This is a great opportunity for pastor
to deepen their relationships with other pastors in
the city.
Day of Prayer and Fasting for
Lubbock
In conjunction with the City
Council and Mayor, and the Lubbock County
Commissioners and County Judge, Pray Lubbock has
issued several calls so prayer and fasting for
common needs in our city.
Global Day of Prayer
Pray Lubbock circulates
information about this global movement for prayer
which culminates on Pentecost Sunday each year.
It is preceded by 10 days of prayer and is followed
by 90 days of service to the community.
Seek God for the City
For several years, Pray
Lubbock has promoted this prayer initiative which
covers every aspect of our city in a 40-day prayer
guide, published new each year by WayMakers.
The forty day period leads up to Palm Sunday.
LISD Board Meeting Prayer
Pray Lubbock cooperates with
the LISD Superintendant's office to provide a pastor
to open each monthly board meeting with prayer.
Worship Leaders Fellowship
Worship leaders in the city
have gathered, usually around specific events and
provided worship leadership for city-wide events.
In the process, they have prayed for one another,
learned from each other, and enjoyed fellowship
together.
Youth Pastors Network
The youth pastors in the city
have been organized in various ways and around
city-wide events such as See You at the Pole, Clash,
and Hot Hearts. They have been involved in
weekly prayer meetings and month relational
meetings.
911 Prayer Service
In 2001 and the following 4
years, Pray Lubbock facilitated a annual prayer
service focusing on protection of our country and
our community.
National Day of Prayer
The National Day of Prayer is an
event with a one half-century history in this country. Pray
Lubbock cooperates with the local chairwoman for Shirley
Dobson’s National Day of Prayer organization in the production
of this event. On
the first Thursday of May, there is a community gathering
for prayer for our community, our country and our leaders.
This event has been in Lubbock for eight years.
Pray Lubbock has been involved since 1999.
This event occurs at the Lubbock courthouse yard.
Vision-casting/Preaching/Teaching
The director of Pray Lubbock is periodically invited to preach
and teach at various local congregations.
These opportunities allow members of congregations to
catch the vision for Pray Lubbock.
These engagements began in 1999.
These events are typically at congregations in
Lubbock.
Consultation with Other Like-minded City
Efforts
From time to time, members of the Pray
Lubbock Ministry Team (and other Lubbock pastors closely
associated) will respond to requests for help and
information from other cities.
This help includes consultations
via visits, phone, correspondence, resource sharing and
making presentations at conferences and gatherings.
The purpose of these contacts is to give glory to God
for what He has done in Lubbock and to encourage others to
seek His blessing upon their community.
These encounters began shortly after Pray Lubbock
became a visible entity in 1999. Consultations range from across the state of Texas to across
the country.
Previous Prayer Initiatives:
"Pray, Lubbock!" Radio Ministry
Pray Lubbock hosted a radio program
called "Pray, Lubbock!" for four years. It was a 30
minute live prayer program dedicated to praying for the
needs of our city a it's citizens. When the opportunity
arises, we plan to reinstate this program.
Cover the Kids
The Cover the Kids Prayer Rally
involved the whole
community coming together at a neutral location for the
purpose of praying protection and peace over students,
teachers, administration and parents of public, private and
home schools in our community.
Pastors from all over the city lead the prayers, as
the gathered congregation prays for the people around them.
This annual event began at the beginning of the
1999-2000 school year.
Now, instead of a city-wide event, we encourage
congregations to set aside prayer time in one of their
services at the beginning of the school year to pray for
students, teachers, staff and the protection of their
campuses.
The Passion Movie Prayer Center
Coordinated with the release
of Mel Gibson's, The Passion, Pray Lubbock
facilitated and operated a Prayer Center adjacent to
the TinselTown parking lot. We staffed the
center so that people were praying for those who
came to see the movie. Intercessors were
available to visit with movie-goers who needed to
talk after watching the movie.
Palm Sunday Triumphal Entry
This event celebrates the day
when a whole city (Jerusalem) welcomed and honored
Jesus as King over the city. Pray Lubbock has
sponsored three such events and looks forward
to reinstating this Christ-centered gathering.
Lighthouse
Rallies
From time to time,
we call together the lighthouses of prayer for the purpose
of encouragement and
training.
Activities range from relation building and praying for one
another to being encouraged by an outside speaker.
These events began in March 1999 and are periodically
scheduled.
These events typically utilize the facilities of larger
congregations in our city.
These rallies are under the supervision of the Pray
Lubbock Ministry Team.
|