By Kathy Wilcox
With the opening of the new Family Life Center (the gym in the old Sanctuary), the Prayer Room (Vineyard of Prayer) is being relocated to a closet in the east hallway of the Lower Commons. A closet? Yes, but don’t despair; it’s actually Scriptural!
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ” (Matthew 6:6, NIV). Jesus spoke of the “room” for prayer, and it can also be translated “closet” (KJV) or “a secret place.” This word was originally used for a storeroom and has the same root word as the word “to cut” or “divide.” This may have referred to a sectioned-off corner of the large family room where supplies were kept and a person could be alone. The word eventually came to mean any place of privacy. But the “supply room” also spiritually speaks to the storehouse of God’s resources available to us through personal prayer. Therefore, Arborlawn’s Vineyard of Prayer will be a supply room - a prayer closet - where God will bring out His storehouse of resources in response to our prayers. Amen!
The Prayer Room committee is currently working to make this small space very God-glorifying and peaceful. We are grateful that God has sent gifted artisans to help create a worshipful and holy space. Lisa Voight, the artist who painted the scenes in the Children’s Area, will begin work on the Prayer Room this week. She will create an illusion of spaciousness, as she paints a mural of a window overlooking a vineyard, rolling terraces, and mountains. Imagine praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. In addition, John Reed and Kay Cornelius are crafting a wooden altar with a kneeler, a small table, and book shelves. Also, Shirley Watkins is sewing a beautiful cushion for the kneeler. We will keep you posted on progress. The Vineyard of Prayer should completed by mid-summer. We will then have a dedication or consecration service, as well as a commissioning of our Prayer Team members.
To God be the glory for making Arborlawn a House and people of prayer!
Photo Update: Here's a view of the mural as of Wednesday, May 23:
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