Now seems like a good time to do a Citytakers write-up.  What was it all about? Where did it come from and where is it going?

It just so happens that the launch of this online effort co-insides with a seminar I’m doing next week at Bethany on Prayer in the context of the local church.  I think a little history will help me gather my thoughts together.

I apologise for some of me-me overtones this brief. The story of Citytakers is tied into my own journey, so a little of my life and experience is necessary. I hope sharing my own experience will spark ideas in others.

The beginnings

It all started about 5-6yrs ago with the coming together of a number different streams of thought and history.

The church I was attending at the time (and still attend) was looking for something new in the prayer meeting arena.  Prayer had been a passion of mine for a number of years, since my time as a Student in Manchester.

The beginnings of Prayer Ministry

My first summer as a Student was spent helping to organise a mission that was planned for the Autumn.

Through most of that first year I’d been part of The Christian Union Evangelism Committee.  My brief: Running of Apologetics sessions in local bars under the title Question-it?

I felt sure that I’d found my niche; despite very shy beginnings I’d gained a lot of confidence and was hungry to see God use me in reaching the world.  Being part of a mission team seemed logical and I would of course head-up the Apologetics sessions.

God had different ideas and fortunately I was listening (it would be nice if we could say that all the time!).  In my heart I knew God wanted me to head-up the prayer ministry.  If you’ve worked with me in a church setting, then this probably seems like a perfectly logical choice; at the time it was completely random.  I’d found my niche, I was good at it.

During that first year, I’d made a kind of project out of studying Revival.  I wanted to know how it worked and why.

I myself had been powerfully touched through the Pensacola Revival and as the saying goes, “If you’re born in Revival you can’t live anywhere else”.  God had cleaned me up and made me into a completely new person through Pensacola; I wanted to know how this could be ignited elsewhere.

I’d read loads of books about previous revivals and had especially sought out the ones written by people at the time (rather than the post-revival analysis or history books).   One thing had been increasing clear, each revival was proceeded by fervent prayer.  Other factors seem to applied to some revivals; however, the common thread was prayer.  Not the sort of praying I was accustomed to either.

Prayer and Manchester

The next few years were almost entirely focused around prayer and prayer co-ordinating.  The role as Mission Prayer Co-ordinator was obviously a success (given that it was God’s idea).  Despite my misgivings, God came through for me in the most remarkable ways, doing things that I was too incapable to do myself.

I ended-up as Prayer Co-ordination for the CU.  This went really well and I was supported by a team of people who put my prayer life to shame, it was an honour to work with them.

During this time, my prayer life and concepts of how people should come together to pray evolved.  I’d grown-up in a small Pentecostal church, which has been a great foundation to my Spiritual life; however, some things I never got.  The missionary prayer meeting and church days of prayer and fasting, just seemed like an alien concept. Some of those meetings were good but most lacked something; a sense of real Faith.

It wasn’t that the people in them were doing anything wrong, they were in fact far more spiritual than me.  I was a young person struggling in my walk with God; they were mainly old, loved Jesus very much and had proved him through-out life.  I may never know how much their prayers changed the course of my life.

The problem was that I’m a creative person and the whole head between knees while different people prayed around the world; well, it wasn’t me.  The truth is, I fell asleep in many of those meetings.

A better shape

I discovered a new shape; I discovered that I actually loved prayer; it wasn’t what I thought it was.  It was vibrant and exciting; it changed the course of history and released real power.  Prayer wasn’t falling asleep time or some kind of desperate effort.

What changed?

  • I learned how to do prayer meetings where everyone prayed at-once.  Thank you, South Korea for setting people like myself free from the bondage of church pew and wooden-chair
  • I learned to pray specific instead of “Bless’em & touch’em prayers”.
  • I learned boldness in my prayers; which is more inspiring to others you are praying with.
  • I learned that I was one of those people who didn’t like sitting still.  So I started to walk about and pace as I prayed to keep myself focused.  I hadn’t realised that this was okay.
  • I learned to bless specifically.  To pray blessings over people.
  • I learned how to loose as well as bind!  I often wonder how much more we’d see released through prayer if we started loosing things instead of binding all the time.

The journey of discovery for me was one that we all did together.  It was a real move of God among a whole group of us.  We started a 24-7 prayer room and at one stage we prayed for weeks around the clock.  I specifically remember walking into Fallowfield, Manchester one evening and feeling the presence of God as I approached the prayer room.  I remember people getting healed in some of our meetings while they worshipped; no-one touched them, it was the move of the Holy Spirit.

NB: I’m not suggesting any of this was unique or that it was the first time it’d happened.  I was a young Christian, it was new for me and I don’t remember people teaching us these things; it just happened.

Citytakers prayer meetings

Back in Middlesbrough, my hometown we launched Citytakers.  The name was stolen from a fantastic ministry tape by Gordon and Rachel Hickson, called City Taking Prayer.  If anyone has a copy of that tape (or even better an MP3),  I’d love to listen to it again.

I’ll do an article on Contemporary Prayer Meetings soon and how they looked for us.  The bare-bones through, was a lead prayer meeting with PowerPoints, music, TV screens, soft sofas, café tables, doughnuts, percolated coffee and charged atmosphere of praying for Middlesbrough.

I think that church taking responsibility for the city is important.  It no good when we pray parochial prayers that focus solely on our own church and its vision.  God wants to heal our land as well as grow our congregations (ie. do both).

Apologies

Sorry, if you’ve read all that to be faced with an article that sort of fizzles-out.  I want to write a number of articles about prayer and mission. I’ve learned that unless the two are coupled together we make little progress. I’d also, like to get some guests to pen wisdom and experience that I don’t have.

Citytakers ran it’s course but I firmly believe it is in God’s heart to see it reborn, for it to inspire others to prayer and for it be coupled with mission.

I see the concept repeated in different locations. I see the sharing of ideas as well. I’m not entirely sure of the full scope and purpose but it feels like God’s wants this. God is the God of surprises, so…

I’m also looking to farm out blog space to other ministries under the Citytakers domain; partly to fund my Internet costs and maybe one-day release me from my day-job into mission based ministry.  I am after-all also a programmer that wishes to use his skills to advance God’s Kingdom.

Prayer

If you want to pray for me:

  • Pray that I catch God’s heart and flow where He is going rather than pursuing my own vanity or self-interest.  What I mean is that, a blog can become self-promotional; that isn’t what this should be about!
  • Pray that I’ll be inspired to write things that spark ideas in others.

Lastly, if you want me to pray for you, send me and email and I’ll add it to my list.