The next 15 weeks are going to be a workshop, or practicum, on prayer and intercession. This is how it will work:

Each week one of the leadership team will introduce a topic (or prayer target or the week). We will all focus on that prayer target during the week and pray for it. The leadership core member will share a little bit about the topic and offer an opening prayer.. this introduction will come out on Mondays of each week and the core members will take turns introducing the weeks' prayer target from a topic that God has put on their heart for the week.

Now it is time for you to pick up the ball and run with it during the week. We encourage you to post your prayers and build on one another's prayers. You are also encouraged to post discussion to the prayer-school list about the topic/area we are targeting for intercession that week.

If someone says something or prays something that sparks something in you, please post a prayer (or discussion) on it. The goal is to come together corporately and build on one another's prayers.. allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us. You may post several prayers during the week, you are not limited to just one prayer.

Let me give an example of how a week might go:

Let's say the week's prayer target is for young unwed mothers. The opening prayer asks for God's grace and mercy on these teenagers who suddenly find themselves pregnant.. that they would come to know God and receive His grace and forgiveness and that they become committed to the Lord and learn how to walk through their situation in a manner that would please Him, that their hearts be filled with His peace and that God provides their needs.

Then you pray that the Lord would work in their families.. that the unwed mom's parents and family would love and support and help them rather than condemn them or drive them away.

Then someone prays for those who are just finding out that they are pregnant.. that they will have the courage and fortitude to carry the child to full term rather than taking the easy out by having an abortion.

Now that prayer sparks something in you and you find yourself praying that God will touch those teenage girls who had previously found themselves pregnant, had abortions and now were consumed with guilt and such.. that they could come to know Jesus as their personal savior and receive His forgiveness and love..

About then, someone reads the prayer about families supporting their daughters when they become unwed mothers, remembers how unsupportive they had been when their daughter had become pregnant, so that the girl left home... and prays a prayer of repentence.

A 24 year old reads the prayer of repentence and remembers how she'd had an abortion before she came to the Lord and prays a prayer of repentence for that.

About then, someone rereads the opening prayer and is sparked to pray for God's financial provision for the unwed teen mothers.. money for prenatal care, that God would supply them with safe places to live, etc.

That prayer sparks someone else to pray for unwed mothes who have older children now.. 6 and 7 year olds.. that God would move in their lives and families and bring His glory into it. That the Lord would supply their needs, give her a job that will be adequate to pay the bills, supply babysitters while the mother works.

That leads someone else to pray that God will begin to work in the fathers hearts.. that the fathers will begin to desire to see their children, help take care of them, want to marry the mothers and become a Godly family, etc..

.. and so on.. the prayers spark things in each other as the Lord leads (or quickens things to you), and we build on one another's prayers. Each person prays a small part, but God's heart is expresed through all of the prayers until the week's prayer target is "prayed through".

Please refer to the guidelines section for more info.

These next 15 weeks should be powerful and exciting. We encourage you to press in to God and to stretch in your prayer. Let's see what powerful things God does in our midst as we seek His face and pray together. Please be advised that it is our goal to record the prayer topic introduction and the student responses on our www page, so your responses will probably appear on the www page as part of the "Prayer Practicum" teaching series.

-- the prayer-school leadership core.