by David Fawcett 

The prayer time for the September 14 food pantry blessed all who participated in ministering to those in need.

We had 21 people come through for prayer, including children. And we had seven on hand for prayer: Scott Reichert, John Wilson, David Lee, Kat Zwingle, Carol Updike, myself and Shelley Lingamfelter. 

Three regulars got things started Saturday. One of them is expecting a baby in December. Kat, who has developed a good rapport with this young woman, had a baby blanket from the Dorcas Ministry ready to give her.

God was good as always to give each of the prayer warriors the time to talk to each person without feeling rushed. In particular was the time Scott Reichert and John Wilson spent with one woman. After Elizabeth Munzert told her that was prayer was available, the woman inched toward the door leading into the sanctuary. She hesitated going in, but clearly the Holy Spirit was pushing her forward as she started to well up with tears. I met her at the door and welcomed her in, where Scott and John then proceeded to listen and speak with her for at least 20 minutes, maybe longer.

The woman was struggling with pride. This was her first time coming to the food pantry and she couldn’t believe her life was at a point where she needed to accept food. She is a believer, but didn’t have a home church. So John and Scott encouraged her to consider All Saints’ if she felt so led. Most importantly, they emphasized the need to connect with a church somewhere. For me, this moment served as a reminder that these prayer sessions are never about how many come through. If this woman was the only one to come through for prayer that day, it was still time well spent.

I prayed for a family of four (mom, dad, two kids), who came to the United States six months ago from Nicaragua after the government seized their home. The father had come to the food pantry before and received prayer. He said he was so blessed by that experience that he encouraged his wife to come this time as well for prayer. As an added bonus, the father even offered to translate for someone who came in behind him for prayer.  

As things wrapped up, God provided another reminder: I’m on God’s time, not mine. It was noon and officially the food pantry was closed. I figured my commitment was done. But after dropping off the prayer team box back in the office, I returned to the sanctuary where a young father and his two boys wanted prayer.

In my flesh, I’m thinking, I need to get going. In my spirit, though, I knew I needed to not only pray for them but pray with the right attitude. Thank you, Lord, for that conviction.