The Return of the Magnificent Rock Thurrock Prayer
 Last Friday evening (2 September), Grays Baptist Church hosted the first Rock Thurrock Prayer gathering after the summer holidays.
Pastor Colin Baker, who is also the Rock Thurrock core team leader, took an oblique approach to the evening by having prayer stations around the auditorium, a ‘menu’, and some barely audible ambient ‘muzak’ wafting around the place.
The prayer stations were for:
- FM419 - the youth training event taking place at Grays URC this coming Friday evening and all day Saturday
- A Celebration of Hope - the adult-oriented outreach at Thurrock Civic Hall on Friday 23 September featuring Will Graham, Shell Perris, The Gathering Band and local singer Debbie Spice, with Colin compering
- Rock Thurrock: The Events - the outreach to young people at Thurrock Civic Hall on Saturday 24 September and Sunday 25 September featuring Will Graham, Shell Perris, ‘Soldier’, Thurrock’s own DJ Gbenga, and bands LZ7, Empire Nation and Beautiful Remnant
- Velocity - the follow-up course for new converts taking place during October and November
- The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA)
- The Rock Thurrock Core Team
Colin wrote in the introduction of the ‘Prayer Menu’ for the evening:
Welcome to our prayer gathering.
After the summer break we are now picking up speed towards some of the most exciting events in the life of the church here in Thurrock. Every prayer gathering has taken on its own distinctive shape and this is no different.
 Tonight we are stripping it all back to allow you to be led by the Lord in how you pray and what you pray.
This menu will provide you with the key areas for prayer that the core team have identified, but please feel free to add some notes in the prayer areas so that others may join with you as the Lord has led.
So, most of the evening will be individual prayers but from time-to-time you may wish to get into small groups to pray.
The menu included tick boxes to check off the items prayed for. (Go to the bottom of this article to see the menu.)
Here are just some of the prayers and words on post-it notes left at the various stations, which can use to aid you in your own prayers for the final stages of the project:
FM419
- Church young people to be stirred up, challenged, blessed, filled with the Spirit and sent out in power.
- “FOLLOW ME...” Father, may the young people who attend church attend to JESUS. May they not be church-goers, but they who GO FOR (& IN) JESUS. Bless this event with BIG QUANTITY and HIGH QUALITY. In Jesus’ name.
- Gideon. Thank you for 300 young people attending FM419.
A Celebration of Hope
- I pray for apathetic Christians and churches that when prompted by you they will make the right choices - to become involved and tell others of the love of Jesus.
- Father I pray WILL does YOUR WILL! May he speak YOUR WORDS & not just the words he always says. May WILL be filled & energised by your HOLY SPIRIT - may WILL experience something NEW & UNIQUE for himself that night. & may he be anointed to be the MOUTHPIECE OF YOUR SALVATION, the HARVESTER of many souls. In Jesus’ name.
- I pray that loyal church goers would be inspired & challenged in their walk with God and be blessed with new assurance.
- May your priest(s), Lord God, be clothed with salvation, may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.
Rock Thurrock: The Events
- 12 Spies - Lord said 1. Rock Thurrock; 2. Have breakfast for the tribes; 3. Try Unite 30/31; 4. It is good with plenty of fruit; 5. Go ahead, it can be done; 6. People said, ‘We are like grasshoppers!’; 7. Lord said, ‘Because you have followed me wholeheartedly, you will enter the land - Father is in this.
- Wake up! Revelation 3:2
 Rise up! Next generation and take your place - worshipping warriors arise! The vision is Jesus and this will come to pass. It is the longing of creation, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God. This is the time of the new thing (Isaiah 43:19).- Lord, save them from their distress, ring them out of their darkenss and break away their chains. Cause them to live. Thanks for your unfailing love. Amen. Psalm 107:13-15.
- Raise up oh Lord a Josiah generation - rediscovering that which was lost, reapplying that which is found... Transforming Thurrock!
- Everything illuminated becomes light (Eph. 5:13). Wake up sleepers, arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you (Eph. 5:14).
- Young people arise from your darkness and live as children of light! (Eph. 5:8.)
- Dear God, I prayer for the Rock Thurrock event that every young person who doesn’t believe in you will open up their hearts to receive from you. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Velocity
- VELOCITY = LOVE CITY
- Father, I pray VELOCITY will not be about SPEED but be about DIRECTION, MOMENTUM & IRRESISTIBLE FORCE. For You are THE WAY, You give THE WEIGHT, and You provide THE POWER to live. Awaken those you have awoken to your ABUNDANT LIFE, LIFE TO THE FULL, A BETTER LIFE THAN THEY COULD EVER DREAM OF. In Jesus’ name.
The Core Team and the BGEA
- Thanks Father for the Team. Thanks for their obedience and willingness. Holy Spirit visit them anew and refresh them in these last days coming up to Rock Thurrock. Cause faith to rise, empower them to move and do things, speak out that even they themselves will be amazed. Your Kingdom come in them, Your will be done in them on earth as it is in heaven.
- For Will & all the trans-Atlantic contributors; that the Spirit would tune them in to Thurrock’s wavelength!
- and... finally, a Venn diaprayer!
Frank Gaisie, Rock Thurrock's Prayer coordinator, got this scripture, and texted it to Colin and Tim Harrold:
Hear the word of the Lord to us @ Rock Thurrock - Isaiah 66:8b-9 - "For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the wonb? saith my God." Amen Maranatha.
Tim had just written the following words:
How can a baby know its time for it's birth?
It cannot say maybe nor say no to this earth.
We do not choose to live, but Life we can choose;
A Way we can give is give ourself away - lose.
Tim replied to Frank's text with this poem and the words: DIVINE INEVITABILITY!
More Rock Thurrock Prayer events taking place over the autumn period:
September
Friday 16 - Saturday 17 - Rock Thurrock "21-1" at Stanford Boiler Room 1pm to 1pm
Wednesday 21 - Prayer Walk around Civic Hall 7.30pm - gather on steps
Friday 23, Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 - to pray for Celebration of Hope and Rock Thurrock Civic Hall Events while the events are happening (details to follow) - TEAM REQUIRED!
Friday 30 - thanksgiving event for Civic Hall events (inc. celebration) VENUE REQUIRED!
October
Friday 7 - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses - to be led by young people at Aveley Christian Centre
Friday 14 - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses at Christ City Church (formerly Open Door)
Friday 21 - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses at Linford Methodist Church
Saturday 22 - TRANSFORM! Thurrock Day of Prayer at Hassenbrook School, Stanford-le-Hope
Friday 28 - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses Corringham Baptist Church
November
Friday 4 - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses VENUE REQUIRED!
Friday 11 - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses at Aveley Christian Centre
Friday 18 - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses West Thurrock Chapel
Sunday 20 - Transformation Thurrock Prayer (as part of the East Thurrock United Service) at St Margaret's, Stanford-le-Hope (this will include prayer for Rock Thurrock)
Friday 25 - thanksgiving event for end of Rock Thurrock project (inc. celebration) VENUE REQUIRED!
Prayer Team and Stewards required for the Celebration of Hope and Rock Thurrock main events.
- Please contact Frank Gaisie on 07 950 599 383 or destinychapel@gmail.com if you'd like to join the prayer team.
- Please contact Roy Edworthy on 077 91 895 364 or mr.ed@blueyonder.co.uk if you'd like to be a steward.
Below, the Rock Thurrock Prayer gathering's 'menu' as conceived and designed by Colin. The top shows the outer side (so the RT logo is on the front and the TT logo on the back), and the below it is the inner side - it was on A4 paper folded in three.
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