I believe that this is the most important committee. It should be the first committee to be activated so that they can begin praying for selection of the other committee members as well as all of the planning and preparation decisions. They should also be the last committee to finish their work so that they can be praying for those working on the Follow-up committee as well as any who made a commitment during the event.
This is one of those committees where “more is better” when deciding on how many members to recruit for the team. Each member should be given a list of things to pray for and should be willing to commit to praying as often as possible. The committee may want to meet periodically to pray together as a group. At your first committee meeting you should discuss and decide about frequency of meetings and the number and timing of any prayer vigils you want to hold.
You should consider scheduling one to three prayer vigils. If you have only one the best time would be between two weeks and two days prior to the event. A second opportunity would be during that time when committees are being formed and planning has begun. A third opportunity would be after the event but before the Follow-up Committee (if you have one) begins its work.
Each prayer vigil can be as long as is appropriate for the number of people willing to participate. Depending on the size of your committee and the length of your vigil(s) you may want to recruit additional people for the prayer vigil(s) who are not members of the Prayer Committee. Typically you would recruit people for specific date/time slots so that you can have someone scheduled to be praying throughout the vigil.
You will need to decide where to hold your vigil(s). You can ask people to commit to praying wherever they are during their time slot or you can hold it at a specific location (such as the church). If you hold it in a specific location, that can add an element of accountability to the process. However, if your vigil extends to times when the facility is not normally open you may need contingency plans for how to lock and unlock the building if someone can’t be there for their full scheduled time. You can also used mixed locations by having people come and pray at the church during those times that it is normally open and pray at home when it is not.
Below is a list of suggested prayer items. Feel free to modify it as needed for your specific challenges or opportunities. Share your list with each member of your Prayer Committee and each person on your prayer vigil(s).
Suggested Prayer Items
Committee Chairpersons: Pray that God would guide the selections of these persons, grant them wisdom in their leadership decisions, and help them be highly effective in the things they need to do.
Committee Members: Pray that these persons would be able to function harmoniously as a team, be able to focus on and complete their specific tasks in a timely manner, and bring many new and effective ideas to their group.
Venue: Pray for the facilities where the event is going to be held. That the heating/air conditioning systems function well as needed, the electrical systems would be stable and uninterrupted during the event, and that those attending would be safely and securely served during the event.
Set Up: Pray that those preparing the venue for this event would be able to anticipate the needs of those attending and properly prepare everything well.
Weather: Pray for good weather during the event so that more people would be willing to come.
Advertising: Pray that the advertising efforts would be highly effective so that as many people as possible would hear about the event in time so they can plan to attend.
Invitations: Pray that many church members would be willing to extend personal invitations to their friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors. Pray that God would touch the hearts of those invited so many will come.
Attendance: Pray that God would bring the maximum number of people that the venue can safely accommodate. Also pray that the Holy Spirit would be at work in the hearts of all who attend encouraging them to commit to growing closer to the Lord.
Evangelist: Pray that God would help me prepare effectively, stay healthy, and be led by the Holy Spirit throughout the event.
Counselors: If you are providing counselors for the event, pray that these people would be led by the Holy Spirit, listen attentively to any who want to talk, and provide the best possible care and help to those who need it.
Refreshments: If you are offering refreshments or a meal following the event, pray that those preparing it would do well, that there would be plenty for all who attend, and that the spirit of the event would continue into the refreshment time.
Child Care: If you are offering child care, pray for those who will be providing that service that they would be able to provide the best possible care and that each child in their care would be kept safe and healthy.
Transportation: If you are offering transportation services, pray that those driving and their riders would be kept safe and that all appointments could be on time.
Clean Up: Pray that those responsible for cleaning up the venue after the event would have plenty of help and find their tasks joyful.
Follow Up: If you have a Follow-up Committee, pray for the people on that committee that they would be able to easily contact everyone who made a commitment, that they would be able to encourage each person to continue in their commitment, and that they would be effective in providing additional resources where needed.
Those who will make or have made a commitment: Pray for each person who makes a commitment during the event that the Holy Spirit would encourage them in their commitment and the each commitment would bear fruit in a noticeable way.
Thanksgiving: In each prayer include significant times of thanking God for answering our prayers. We may not immediately see His answers but we know He is faithful and will answer all of our prayers.