Love Fort Wayne Podcast
The Love Fort Wayne podcast amplifies the stories of everyday people who are loving and leading in Northeast Indiana to spark imagination, root inspiration, and ignite transformation.
Love Fort Wayne Podcast
The Power of Prayer | Strengthening Community Bonds with Chris Norman and Michelle Adams
When Chris Norman and Michelle Adams joined us, we discovered the heartbeat of Fort Wayne's spiritual life—a city being reshaped by the quiet, yet powerful force of prayer. Chris, a long-standing member of Grace Gathering, and Michelle, a former dental industry professional turned PrayerWorks administrator, share their poignant narratives, inviting us all to witness the communal metamorphosis taking place. Through their experiences, we grasp how the dedication to prayer is not only transforming individual lives, but also fostering a unity across our city that mirrors Jesus’s vision for a connected and loving community.
This discussion transcends mere storytelling, as we explore the tangible ways prayer has strengthened the bonds within our community. From Officer Cody's initiative that brought Bible study into the police department to the woman who found solace in our prayer room amid marital strife, these are real-life affirmations of the spiritual renaissance blossoming in Fort Wayne. These narratives not only warm the heart but also serve as a beacon of light for those seeking evidence of prayer's impact on both personal growth and communal support.
Yet, prayer is a journey, and like any journey, there are both peaks and valleys. Reflecting on the importance of embracing our limitations and leaning into God's grace. We also delve into the practical ways our listeners can engage with PrayerWorks, emphasizing how every act of service, whether leading worship, hosting, or giving financially, is vital to the lifeblood of our spiritual community. Join us for an episode that promises to enrich your soul and offer new perspectives on the transformative power of prayer in action.
We're excited to launch season three of the Love Fort Wayne podcast. The Love Fort Wayne podcast connects the stories of leadership happening in Northeast Indiana to imagine, inspire and ignite transformation in leaders, 20 to 25 minutes at a time. I'm Jeff King, ceo and Executive Director of Love Fort Wayne. At Love Fort Wayne, we know that the pillars of a flourishing community are its schools, its leaders, churches and families. Join us as we learn from leaders across the region on how to not just lead but love our city, mitch. We're back for another episode of the Love for a Way podcast.
Speaker 2:Here we are.
Speaker 1:Why did you laugh at?
Speaker 3:that I was trying to mix up the introduction a little bit, it's just a joy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a joy, isn't it? We've had a couple good months of podcasts and a great 2024 of episodes so far, and so thank you for tuning in and thank you for listening in. We're excited because we have some of our co-laborers with Love Fort Wayne here with us. Chris Norman is here. Team leader from Grace Gathering. Hey, Chris, thank you for joining us. And Michelle Adams, my friend man, if you've been down to PrayerWorks, you've seen Michelle before. You've heard her voice. She's probably prayed for you. She's the administrator. She really is the director and coordinator of all the ministry and outreach that's happening down at PrayerWorks.
Speaker 1:So, Michelle, we're glad you're with us as well, yeah, so we're going to talk about prayer, right?
Speaker 2:on brand. Let's do it.
Speaker 1:What do you think Right on brand? Let's do it. What do you think Right on brand? So we just want we always love to start our podcast off with introduction, but not just a normal introduction, but also just a little bit about your stories and how the Lord has brought you to this point. And so, michelle, I'm going to start with you. Can you just introduce yourself and just tell the audience a little bit more about yourself?
Speaker 3:Yes, thanks, jeff. So my name is Michelle, I am the administrator at PrayerWorks, and a quick little funny story of how I ended up there. I was in the dental industry for 25 years, loved it, thought that's where I would end my days. But when God has a different plan for you, he has a different plan for you. So about six months before PrayerWorks opened, god was just tugging on my heart telling me he wanted me to do something else. I wasn't sure what that was and I just thought what is it that I enjoy doing? And I enjoy praying for people I just always have.
Speaker 3:So what you do when you're searching for something besides going to God, you go to Google. So I Googled jobs where I could pray for people, and the video for the Time Is Now came up for Pray Fort Wayne, yep. So I'm like what is this? I haven't heard anything like about prayer works or this prayer room. So I watched it and actually recognized Chris Norman and I thought, oh my, I know Chris.
Speaker 3:So I reached out to Chris and I was like hey, chris, I saw that you're having this prayer room and I didn't know if you were hiring anyone for that. And he's like not right now. And I was like, oh darn, okay. A few months later he reached out and he's like you know what we are hiring? We're looking for someone to administrate the room. So, long story short, I ended up. Luckily enough, they decided to choose me, and I have the pleasure of being able to be a part of something wonderful every day that's in the city, to be able to do what I enjoy doing what I feel like God has gifted me with, and that is praying for people, for loving people, for being able to be in a space where you can be with him every day and be with the community every day and just spread encouragement.
Speaker 1:So good. Thank you so much, yeah, chris.
Speaker 4:Well, yeah, I'm just so blessed by michelle and she is just the perfect person, uh, for for that role, um, in our city and at prayer works. Yeah, so I um. I grew up in michigan, um, and, uh, after going to college and seminary, um came to Fort Wayne for what I thought was my first assignment. It's been my only assignment, so been at Grace Gathering. This is year 30. Wow, if you can believe it.
Speaker 2:You don't look like it. That hair just ain't right. I'm coveting. I'm sitting over here looking at that hair.
Speaker 4:So it's been amazing to be in this city and to see what God has done is doing. I feel incredibly honored and humbled to be a part of just this community and the church of Fort Wayne and, yeah, just really really grateful.
Speaker 1:You know, with folks that maybe aren't familiar with PrayerWorks, can you just share a little bit about the history? It's such a powerful story and I never get tired of hearing it, so can you just share with folks again that maybe aren't familiar with how PrayerWorks came to be, how it all happened?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:If it were a devotional, I think we'd call it. The Holy Spirit went whoosh, that's right, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean, you know the legacy of prayer in Fort Wayne is decades and centuries old and certainly, as we think about, in the last maybe 20, 30 years of the church in Fort Wayne, the amount of people who've prayed for this city and this community, and the initiatives even of the last ten years by Love Fort Wayne and the monthly prayer gatherings at Muriel Center, the intercessors that we have in Fort Wayne that have been interceding, standing in the gap for our city for decades for a move of God, and being connected with a lot of that and knowing the heart and the desire to see a place that's dedicated in this in the city for 24 7 prayer, all that prayer kind of culminating in, you know, the GLS August of 2021 at Blackhawk Ministries. During a break, some people would say I received a vision. I would say I had a just strong prompting that didn't expect and that prompting was what if there was a 24-7 prayer room in Electric Works? Didn't even know really what Electric Works was. It wasn't even open, it was still under construction.
Speaker 4:So during that little break I emailed, went on the website and went to the contact page, said hey, we're going to have 50 to 100 churches and organizations host a prayer 24-7 prayer room. We're going to pay for it and we're going to lead it and let me know. You know what the process was, and I expected a you know, a return email within an hour, being very excited. Then nothing came. Nothing came Two hours later. Nothing came Three hours later nothing ever came.
Speaker 4:So. But then we got connected and began hearing that you know the desire for a 24-7 prayer room, hearing that you know the desire for a 24-7 prayer room. Even years prior there was visions about the GE place. I mean, 10 years prior, the Intercessors having a vision looking over the skies of just of Fort Wayne and looking at GE building, and so, anyway, that kind of culminated into having some discussions with the developers at Electric Works and that went through a process where we finally got the answer and the answer was no.
Speaker 4:And then that was a time of perseverance for a lot of us praying and then in November of 2021, which is about three months later, we got the answer yes. Of 2021, which is about three months later, we got the answer yes. And then it kind of from there just took off with a lot of the Love Fort Wayne leaders like Mike Packnett and many of them just helping establish an opportunity to see if we get the financing for it, and Ken Seip and others and we started meeting with leaders and organizations and God provided in miraculous ways. And then over the course of 2022, it was meeting with pastors and churches and by the time we opened the prayer room in January of 2023, the first 100 days, we did have, I think, 80 churches and organizations represented, and then since then, it's been over 100. And so, yeah, it's been just absolutely incredible, wow.
Speaker 2:God's vision, followed by his pro-vision.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man.
Speaker 2:I prayed there one afternoon and God blew a couple through the door and they started asking questions and they were from out of town and he was prompting them to possibly start a business in Fort Wayne and they wanted to pray that God would honor that because they felt that he was leading them and it was so cool. That's just one, yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean it's such a great segue.
Speaker 1:I mean we could probably spend the podcast telling stories about what happens in the space, and even maybe not what happens in the space all the time, but where God laid a seed that others started to water outside of this space. And, michelle, I'm jealous because you get a chance to see and hear a lot of those. Can you add to the one that Mitch just shared? What are some stories that have really stood out to you about what you get a chance to see every day in the room?
Speaker 3:Sure, yes, it is. It is just an honor to be there and see what God is doing just every day and in everyday people, through everyday people. One is a lady and she was praying on where she should move to and come and do her life, and God showed her Fort Wayne, indiana, and she was praying for a place her name is Linda that would have a 24-7 prayer room and that was before PrayerWorks was opened. And it sounds like, oh, that's a simple story, but Linda is from the Philippines.
Speaker 3:She had never heard of Fort Wayne Indiana and she was praying and with her church, and that is what God revealed to her to come to Fort Wayne Indiana because there would be a 24-7 prayer room here for her. And since then she now is a teacher at Southside High School.
Speaker 1:She has worship nights there she is pouring into those kids.
Speaker 3:And that is a seed that God planted halfway around the world to bring Linda here to bless her with a prayer room. She comes in Friday and Saturday nights for a couple hours with her son. They pray, they host the room and she is just bringing the kids, the inner city kids, here in Fort Wayne, to know him and to love him.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that.
Speaker 4:Chris, you got one I know you do yeah, I mean, you know, I think of Officer Cody comes to mind An amazing story. You know an officer, a Fort Wayne officer, pulling up to the building and noticing a parked car in front of Electric Works there, someone that kind of looked hunched over in the driver's seat coming up and tapping on the window. And the guy rolls down the window and says I'm praying, and Officer Cody thinking, yeah, right.
Speaker 4:I've seen this before, thinking that you know something's going on there, runs his license and everything and says everything, checks out. He says, well, I'm here praying, it was 2 in the morning. He said I'm here actually getting ready to meet my prayer partner and we have a shift, a two-hour shift, in the prayer room. And so, anyway, he runs the report and it clears, and so he releases them or whatever, and the officer comes back an hour later and comes to the door and says, hey, can I do some of my reports? And Amar, who was the one that was interacting with him, let him in and let him upstairs. And he did some of his reports and came downstairs and said, hey, I would like prayer if you guys would be willing to pray him and his partner. And right there, ammar began to pray for him and Officer Cody was just praying for some issues of stress and things he was dealing with.
Speaker 4:And I talked with Officer Cody like two months later he's telling me the story. He said I had such an encounter with God in the prayer room I had never been in there. I had such an encounter with God that to this day, the freedom I have from the stress I was experiencing is so tangible and since then he comes to the prayer room regularly. We have other officers, there's a real prayer focus, especially for the Night Watch folks, that our police department would have a move of God that our first responders I mean. Just praying for the city means we're praying for everyone in the city and various people have different visions of who they want to pray for different subgroups, and so we're just seeing just a movement of the spirit.
Speaker 4:Even among you know, people like police officers and others that are coming into the prayer room Love it.
Speaker 3:And planting that seed.
Speaker 4:Sorry going on that and.
Speaker 3:Officer Cody has started a Bible study for the police department as well, absolutely, that's right.
Speaker 2:I bet you have a lot more stories. Can you share another one? Share another one, okay.
Speaker 3:It's a little bit different kind of story, but there's been a young lady who has been coming in the room a lot because she's having some really big struggles in her marriage.
Speaker 3:So you know, and when people kind of come in there regularly and again I'm blessed to be in there, I get to know them and pray with them and see them every day.
Speaker 3:So she comes, just soaks in God, spends a lot of time crying just because of what she's going through, and so she was visiting that room today just kind of pouring out to God, kind of pouring out her heart. And another lady happened to come in the room too who was also in a state of distress and sat in a chair and just started weeping. And the lady who comes in there regularly so she's not a host just saw that and got up from her spot and went over to this other guest and just put her arms around her and hugged her and cried with her and just prayed with her. So it's not even just we have hosts who are in the room all the time to be there to pray for people, but it's even just the people coming and seeking God, loving others while they are there too. You just see the community and God just bringing everyone's hearts together in there.
Speaker 1:It's so beautiful.
Speaker 2:How about the stories on the outside, like the unity that's taken place, the amount of churches, uh, volunteers I run, I'll run into people and we just start talking. I found out that they volunteered for a time. What's it been like on the outside?
Speaker 4:yeah, yeah, I mean the, the the level of engagement by youth groups um worship. I mean the I don't know how many worship leaders from. I mean probably what 40 different worship leaders from different churches around the rotation Because we have bookends from 7 to 8 am and 7 to 8 pm every day of worship Monday through Friday.
Speaker 4:Monday through Friday of worship, and so you through friday of worship, and so you know, having 40, 50 worship leaders from all these different churches. I was just with a group, uh, yesterday, um meeting with some some worship leaders, and they said, yeah, we were, we we led worship at the prayer room today. I had no idea, um, but the, you know, the, the pastors, um, the different prayer leaders from different churches, it really is a. You know, we all have an identity with regard to being sons and daughters, and it's an individual identity that God's given us, but he's also given us a collective identity, and the collective identity means that we're praying on behalf of the place that God's placed us in, whether that's the place where we work, the place that we worship or the city that we live in. And you know, we have a collective identity in Fort Wayne, or we have a collective identity in the region, and to be able to come together across denominations or across churches, or across businesses, or across nonprofits or schools or youth groups Even college groups are- coming in.
Speaker 4:Grace College.
Speaker 4:Indiana, Wesleyan, Taylor, St Francis all these different groups coming in. I'll just give you one other quick story, mitch. So two or three weeks ago we had a group of 20 young adults that were there for an hour and about midway through that hour I looked across the room and I saw the 20 young adults probably a third of them prostrate on the ground on their face, several of them kneeling, several of them journaling, some praying over the maps. And I just looked across the room and I thought, oh my gosh, this is exactly what God's doing among us, and it's not just in the prayer room. It's being multiplied into other arenas, like Michelle was saying at Southside High School, other prayer rooms in different churches. So it's not about the room per se there is something special about it but it's the multiplication of prayer and the collective identity that we're a part of something together, such a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1:You know, it's a perfect segue to, and we spend a lot of time together. So our hearts align in so much of this. And you know, chris, I'll start with you, if you, if you want to answer this. It's. I feel like we're seeing the John, the prayer of Jesus in John 17, more manifest in our city. You know, a few months back we were talking to Eric Wood and we were. We were talking about also John 13, that command, that, that command I would say it again to love one another. We're seeing that start to become more manifest. We're making that agreement with it. All that said is how important is prayer to both those things, the more manifest of our oneness and also that obedience to love one another. How important is prayer to that and how has prayer led us to living in that out more in this day?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean I think of Jeremiah, jeremiah 29, 7, as Jeremiah is talking to basically the exiles who've been taken out of their homeland and are in Babylon, and he says you know, basically I want you to, I want you to seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I've carried you into exile. It's not your homeland, you're foreigners. I want you to seek the peace and prosperity of the city and I want you to pray for it, because if the city's blessed, everyone's blessed. And as we think about praying for our city, for the peace and prosperity of Fort Wayne and the region and beyond, being able to do that collectively, together, brings us unity. So when we think about the church, we all have different doctrinal preferences and different histories and backgrounds, but when we're praying for the peace and prosperity of the city, it crosses all thresholds. And as we think about the peace and prosperity of the kingdom of Jesus and just what God's doing among his church, I think that's probably been one of the biggest blessings of the prayer room that I have personally thinking about. John 17, as Jesus is interceding for us, and the reason why he's interceding for us is because if it was already there, he wouldn't need to pray for us. But even there, with the apostles and the disciples arguing and bickering, and he's praying that they would be unified, it's the same prayer for today that we would be unified so that the world will see and know. And I just think there's a prophetic witness that's taking place in Fort Wayne, based on the legacy of the giants that have gone before us and the giants who are among us today and the generation that he's raising up today, for a prophetic witness that God is among us, that he's bringing us together. We're seeking the peace and prosperity of every aspect of our community, every aspect of our city, and we have the opportunity to participate together through the power and mystery of prayer and to do it together as one family.
Speaker 4:And I'll just say, lastly, the biggest surprise for me is how this has been expressed in the Protestant Catholic environment. I would say I didn't see that coming, and when we were meeting with pastors and leaders in 2022, I met with Father Dan from St Vincent's and I had no idea of the passion and the heart for prayer he had in the 24-7 prayer chapel that St Vincent's has and St Jude's has had in our city, going all the way back to the 80s. Actually that's the first 24-7 prayer adoration chapel, going all the way back to the 80s. Actually that's the first 24-7 prayer adoration chapel and I just came away with like wow, maybe there's an opportunity to actually see Protestants and Catholics who are following Jesus, who believe and worship Jesus, pray together and be unified together or at least pursue unity together together or at least pursue unity together. And that's been one of the amazing kind of expansions of the prayer room.
Speaker 4:And now the Common Table series is a forum that's promoting dialogue between Protestants and Catholics. We just had one two or three weeks ago 150 in the room, half Protestant, half Catholic, dialoguing together. How can we be one and pursue unity around pursuing Jesus? It's just been amazing to see the John 17 expressions. Yeah, it's beautiful.
Speaker 2:What's your personal prayer lives like? Like I know we've just been talking and you'll say that you were like on a prayer walk. How do you integrate prayer into all of your lives personally?
Speaker 3:walk. How do you integrate prayer into all of your lives? Personally, Mine, I would say, is an ongoing conversation with God all day long. Just, you know, getting up in the morning honestly like saying, good morning, Thank you that this is a new day. I'm like, oh, these are the things that are going on today. God Please be with me for this or this. You know what's going on and that's, and I think, kind of going just what stuck out with me with what Chris said. You know, about the giants praying. I also want to add those who are going to be giants, because in the prayer room we have hosts like who are new Christians, who want to be a part of that, who are learning more about God, who are starting to pray about that. But we also have intercessors, like Daisy, who have been praying for most of her life.
Speaker 3:So she's a seasoned prayer warrior Daisy, Gina.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, Gina, thank you, yes, I mean Deborah, all of them, but God's using.
Speaker 3:Like, there's the collective of the city, but the city is made up of individuals and it's each of those individuals coming and giving their time. And I am blessed that when I'm in the prayer room to be able to pray for other people, that is where I get strengthened as well, and I don't even realize it. I would say there is a mom in yesterday hosting for their church, and whenever a new host comes in we pray them in and kind of talked about what she needed prayer for. So she started praying for her and when I was done she was crying and she's like how did you know exactly what was in my heart and exactly what I was needing to hear? And I'm like, oh, that's not me, I take no credit, you know, but it's just. I tell her. I'm like this is just God's way of saying he hears you, he knows what you need and he does you know. So it's just.
Speaker 3:And I mean, oh, I am the administrator of the prayer room, but I am not saying that I'm up here, but I am just a normal person who has struggles every day to who you know but knows that prayer is the foundation of that, that God is the foundation of that, that if you are struggling, it's okay and that's what the prayer room says. It is okay to come in and say I am really struggling today because he wants to do that, and when we're weak he is strong. So in this first year of pioneering something brand new, he has been very, very strong, because there have been times when I have had no idea what I am doing but he just asked us to show up.
Speaker 2:Yep. So that's what yeah, chris, how about, as a pastor, your rhythms of prayer?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, I mean, I have rhythms of prayer with our leaders together, so we pray together every Tuesday and Thursday. It's part of our rhythm together as a team, and I have prayers with my wife and regularly. As far as myself, I typically pray the Lord's Prayer almost every morning and I think the Lord's Prayer is kind of a framework for me and the way I usually start my prayer is God, thank you so much for loving me as my dad. Before I do anything right today or before I do anything wrong, I just thank you for your unconditional love. And I start that prayer and I actually often say it out loud because I need to hear it.
Speaker 4:My spirit needs to hear it every single day that God loves me, he's proud of me, he's my dad and this is the way Jesus taught us to pray our Father. And then you know right from there you're holy and I revere you. And I was on a run earlier this morning and I was praying the Lord's Prayer and I just began to sing Holy, holy, holy. So just moving throughout the movement of the Lord's Prayer is my go-to kind of private devotional prayer rhythm and sometimes I get through Our Father in Heaven. Holy is your Name, and I start praying your Kingdom Come. And I start praying. I pray kingdom come would would be in my mind and in my heart in my life. I pray your kingdom will come on earth.
Speaker 4:It is in heaven and my wife and I go to my kids and then I go to my extended family and then I go to my church family and then I go to our city and sometimes I never even get off of that. You know that part of the prayer. And then other times, and sometimes I never even get off of that part of the prayer and then other times maybe it's protect me or this is my daily bread. You've given me what I need today. That was one of the areas of focus for me this morning. I'm thinking about okay, I have all these things that I'm trying to accomplish. Thank you that you give me what I need today.
Speaker 1:You give me my daily bread.
Speaker 4:And that was kind of the area of focus for me this morning in my own prayer life. So the Lord's prayer has just been just so helpful, and obviously this is what Jesus taught, how he taught us to pray. So, yeah, it's a blessing, thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you. You know, I think, mitch, the disciples were seeing Jesus in his prayer life and they asked him a lot of things. But the one thing they asked him specifically is do you teach us how to pray? And I can only imagine how many times they saw him go. He's doing all these things that only God himself, as he is, could do. And they see him go. And then he'd come and he'd go and they said teach us how to pray. And I think that's a beautiful imagery that you've given us, oh, and they said teach us how to pray.
Speaker 4:And I think that's a beautiful, you know imagery that you've given us and an example. And you never really feel like you pray enough. No, I mean, I never feel like I'm spirit-led enough. I never feel like I'm dependent enough, and so part of the reason why I pray Lord, thank you that you love me unconditionally is because I often feel like I'm not measuring up. And you know, I think a lot of us often feel that way.
Speaker 4:Like oh, you know, I just I don't think I'm doing enough or I don't think I'm devoted enough or I don't think, and the reality is is that we're never doing enough, that's right. We're never praying enough, and it's not about that. God meets us. His grace and mercy is the overflow and I just have to remind myself because I just get so off track and move into performance so easy. And then you know, if I'm not trying to seek the Lord in prayer, then I'm doing it in my own strength. And I know the warning signs that I'm trying to do things in my own strength and I see those warning signs and they just remind me look, you need to be, just rest in. You know the grace of the Lord.
Speaker 1:I love that. Thank you guys, both for your examples and sharing a little bit about your prayer rhythm. Because we are as, michelle you said, we're God's people, but we're everyday people, we're human, we're not him. And so these rhythms of prayer, but also understanding that we can never feel, we always feel like, often feel like we don't get it right or we're not doing enough. Yet God meets us where we are and we can praise him for that. I love that. So, as we kind of wind down our time here, I want to ask a couple of things for folks to be more aware of how they can be involved at PrayerWorks, because there's a need, it's an outreach, it's a ministry and we need folks that could serve or maybe give of their time or give of their treasure. So, michelle, can you give us a couple of practical ways how folks can maybe, if they feel their heart's on mission and they want to serve, or some folks that want to give of their time or treasure, how can they be involved at PrayerWorks?
Speaker 3:Yes, so we're always looking for more hosts at the room and really it's pretty simple If you love Jesus and you love people, this is just a great place for you to be. What hosting at PrayerWorks would be is greeting visitors when they come in, kind of asking what brings them there and offering to pray for them. And the nice thing is, when you're there, if there aren't guests in the room at that time you get to take your time spending it with the Lord, whether it's bringing a devotional in with you reading the Bible. So really it is about purposeful prayer. You know this is time that you set aside to be with God and for kind of like. How Mitch said when that couple came in, he has divine appointments for people who are in that room and there are things that you have been through in your life that can help someone else, and what God is doing at PrayerWorks is he is bringing those people in there. So I kind of call it the it just so happened room, because people are in there and they're like it just so happened that this person came in and it just happens every day there and they're like it just so happened that this person came in and it just happens every day. So if you have even just two hours a week where you are like I would like to come in and help hosts, we're looking for that.
Speaker 3:Also, churches and organizations if you would like to sign up as a church or organization to host the prayer room for a day, you'd have two people from your church or a group. Sometimes men's ministries, women's ministries, youth groups come in and want to host. A whole day is eight in the morning till 10 at night, or we have half days, from eight in the morning till three or three to 10. As Chris mentioned earlier, we have worship every morning, every night, monday through Friday, so that's 40 hours of worship a week. So if you're someone who loves to lead worship, please contact us as well. You can go to our website and those are a few ways that you can get involved. Also, financially, we are a nonprofit. So if you would like to, if you don't have time but you would like to give your talents, you can also go to our website and donate. It'd be very appreciated.
Speaker 1:Yeah, PrayerWorksFW.
Speaker 3:Yes, PrayerWorksFWcom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right, and if you can't reach that, go to LoveFortWaynecom click, donate and you will be able to give of your treasure to the PrayerWorks ministry, and we need that. We don't have to be ashamed of asking for that, because we know where it's going. It's going back towards the ministry.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I mean it's not underwritten by one church or denomination, it is the city's Yep, that's right. It is our community's prayer room, and so everyone chipping in individuals, churches, organizations, everyone chipping in some makes a big difference. I mean we have 400, on average, people coming through the prayer room every week. That's right on average people coming through the prayer room every week. That's right, and so there's a lot of involvement and engagement, and this is our prayer room together.
Speaker 1:That's right. That's right, and we want to thank you guys for just joining us for this episode and just a great encouragement, reminder for us to be a people of prayer and how it's the foundation of all things and the movements that we've seen in our city and there have been, and we're on the cusp of one, we're in the middle of one right now All those movements happen with prayer as the first, as the foundation, and so I just want to encourage those of you who are listening that have tuned into this episode to try to get it perfect. Just submit yourself to that posture of prayer. God's on the move, um, it's a beautiful invitation that he gives to us every single day. Uh, and hopefully the stories of testimony, uh, have really encouraged you, uh, about what's happening in our city.
Speaker 4:And I just want to say we, we could never have done this without Love Fort Wayne, um, and so I just love Fort Wayne, is is just. Is being used by God in our city in so many different ways, and PrayerWorks is one of them, one of many, but this prayer room would not exist apart from Love Fort Wayne. And so thank you, jeff and Mitch, your heart and so many leaders on the Love Fort Wayne board, and we're so blessed as a city to have so many leaders and have an organization like Love Fort Wayne doing so many amazing things in our community.
Speaker 2:So we just want to say thank you, so much Thank you, and you're bringing the 24-7 prayer conference to Fort Wayne. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:So Pete Gregg, which leads 24-7 Prayer International, has written many books on prayer from the UK, started a 24-7 prayer ministry in 1999, same time that International House of Prayer started in Kansas City in 1999, 24-7 prayer and has spread into dozens and dozens and dozens of countries all over the world. They have a national gathering once a year. This last year it was in Colorado Springs. Michelle and I and a few others were there. It was incredible, all these amazing leaders that are leading prayer movements all over the country. This year it's going to be in San Francisco October of this year. And so we approached them and said could Fort Wayne be a location that we would be able to be connected to that national gathering? And so they are making Fort Wayne the very first of what we hope to be many over the years, of an opportunity for us to connect together for this, what will be our first kind of annual prayer conference that we'll have for our city and connected to 24-7 prayer.
Speaker 4:And these amazing I mean Pete Gregg will be speaking, rich Valotas will be speaking, john Tyson, I mean all these amazing authors and leaders will be, and we'll have an opportunity to hear all those leaders in our prayer conference here in Fort Wayne.
Speaker 1:We're super pumped about that as well. This is super pumped, so we we will um, we'll have some more information. We'll attach the information as it as it gets closer. We're just a few months away for folks to be able to get connected to it and how to register If you're not already. It's going to be such an awesome opportunity and cool time for us to come together again as the church of Fort Wayne, not only to pray and worship together, be equipped in prayer as well as the city. So stay tuned for that. Look for the notes in the podcast of how you can get registered for that portion of what's going to end up being an amazing week the 24-7 prayer conference happening here in Fort Wayne. So, michelle, thank you so much, my friend and Chris, my brother. We appreciate you guys so much. Again. We pray that this episode has been a blessing to you and we will catch you next time on the love Fort Wayne podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for joining us this month. We drop a new episode the first Monday of every month. Love Fort Wayne has some amazing episodes coming up. You don't want to miss a single one, so subscribe today, wherever you are listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please like, share and leave a review. We want to share your thoughts and comments with listeners on future episodes. Thanks again for joining us today. Join us next time, as we hear from leaders that don't just lead but love our city.
