A small group of people gathered in a living room 13 years ago. They prayed to God to build His Church. They prayed for disciples to be multiplied. They prayed for the Spirit to move and save. God answered and launched Citylight Church. Today, Citylight is part of a family of 19 churches and growing. What began in a living room all those years ago is still true for our church today. We pray first and always.
Charles Spurgeon, a 19th century preacher, said prayer was the "engine" of the church, the "slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence," and the "breath of the soul." On Sunday mornings at Spurgeon’s church, in a hot and dark boiler room, people gathered and prayed. Located in the basement, the boiler room was the power and source of energy for the church building. Spurgeon knew that the Church’s source of power was prayer to the Almighty. Whenever Spurgeon was asked the secret of his ministry he always replied, “My people pray for me.”
With this conviction and shared belief, Citylight launched The Boiler Room serving teams. The Boiler Room is a space at both locations where God’s people gather and pray during each service time.
Each location’s team has a leader. Bob and Judy DeFord lead the West team.
When asked about the Boiler Room, they said,
“The boiler room prayer ministry is really just a ministry of praying for the church during the church service. It might sound a little daunting to pray during the whole church service, but instructions for the prayer time are provided, including a list of what to pray for in the church service, in the church ministries, and for the church’s missionaries. And there is freedom to concentrate on those ministries in the church you might be passionate about, or for people you personally know in the church.”
The DeFords are thankful to serve the Church through the Boiler Room serving team. Prayer has been a constant in their life. They have experienced the power of prayer personally. They know firsthand that God hears and saves and moves with prayer.
“At our previous church, there was a similar ministry,” the DeFords shared. “We prayed during the service for the service. We also grew up in a small church where prayer was a big part. There were weekly prayer meetings for about an hour. We asked God for big things. We got used to praying as something you just did. We both developed a love and appreciation for prayer. Prayer, for us, is greater worship than singing a song. Serving on the Boiler Room team has reinvigorated our prayer times together at home. We now try to have a daily prayer time together each morning. Prayer exercises a muscle to use and trains it.”
“We’ve also prayed for people and saw salvation,” the DeFords continued describing prayer in their lives. “We also prayed and didn’t see change. We believe the Bible, and it teaches to pray. God has his own timetable. We still pray. Sometimes we don’t see it in our family, or the church, but the answer is still prayer. For the service on Sundays, we pray for people to feel welcome, the Spirit to move in them, for people to come to know Him. We pray for the pastors, for protection and unity, for balance in their lives and family. We pray for each of the Sunday morning ministries. For all the volunteers and for those we don’t know or see.”
All are invited to serve on the Boiler Room teams. City Groups, families, and singles of all ages are invited and even if it’s a few times, or once, each year. The DeFords concluded,
“Not every gathering is manned by a prayer group, but if just 100 people or couples volunteered one Sunday per year, each service would be fully staffed. Think of what God might do through those prayers!”
If you would like to join the Boiler Room team, fill out the Boiler Room Interest Form.