The next Prayers of Blessing for Ballymena will take place Midtown Makers Studio & Shop, 51-53 Church Street, Ballymena, BT43 6DD on Friday 6th July 2018. This monthly service will run from 12.45pm-1.30pm.
Ballymena House of Prayer representative, Jonathan Leakey, has written the following article for The Church Page explaining the change of venue.
“As you will no doubt know Midtown Makers Studio & Shop isn’t a church. We are delighted and grateful to be able to hold our July gathering here, to worship God and pray for the town and area. We will be using a meeting room at the rear of the Studio and Shop. Our prayer focus will be for the business sector and especially retail, which has been facing ongoing challenges since the downturn in 2008.
This isn’t the first time Ballymena House of Prayer has held inter-denominational prayer in non-religious settings. Since our launch in 2010 we have held prayer gatherings in three different schools in the town, as well as a prayer gathering to pray for the work of the PSNI in the Ballymena police station.
Nor is it the first time we have prayed for the town centre shops and retail sector from a retail venue. We have done this twice before from an empty retail outlet.
Why are we doing this? Well, we believe prayer can and should happen in any place, at any time and that anyone and everyone can pray. God designed us to communicate with Him!
Why the retail sector? We all know that our commercial and business sectors in Ballymena, as well as right across Northern Ireland and beyond have taken massive hits since the economic recession of 2008. We are by no means out of this slump and God invites His people, and all people, to come before Him on behalf of the land. God’s Word, the Bible, tells us that God Himself wants us to pray for the city in which we live; he wishes to bless the work of our hands, our economy and prosper us as we follow His ways:
He it is who gives the ability to create wealth: “But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
He pours out His Holy Spirit on artisans and craftsmen: “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel … and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills — to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.” (Exodus 35)
He invites us to pray for the healing of the land in times of hardship and setback: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
He urges us to seek the prosperity of the cities and communities we live in: “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:7).
All are welcome to attend!”
Prayers of Blessing for Ballymena at Midtown Makers Studio & Shop | Friday 6th July 2018 from 12:45pm-1:30pm.
Find Ballymena House of Prayer of Facebook here.
