From Barn to Prayer Room: a Conversion Story

Published: May 6th, 2010

“The Prayer Room is alive and changing and growing and full of God’s presence... I can’t explain it” says Amy Kohley a “very new Christian” who recently pioneered 24-7 Prayer in an old barn for members of Glen Ellyn Bible Church near Chicago. But before they could pray in God’s presence, Amy had to learn to use a mitre saw. And before that she had to read a certain little red book.

It all began last November when the Worship Director at Amy's church happened to lend her a copy of Red Moon Rising. “I read it that night and was immediately in his face the next day 'we need a prayer room here! Why don’t we have one? We need this for our congregation, for our young people, for our community!'”

I am a very new Christian and really not very good at praying but I was convinced that God was telling me to organise a Prayer Room

Amy ordered the 24-7 Prayer Manual, bought more books to pass out to church prayer warriors and started looking for a place to build a prayer room.

Long story short: we have an old garage/barn in our backyard and I kept going up those stairs in the freezing cold staring at all our junk we were just storing and thought 'this could be the perfect Prayer Room.' So many reasons why it wouldn’t and shouldn’t work, but God seemed to address all concerns and I was convinced He would provide when I needed it.

So in the middle of winter I went to work, clearly out of my mind. I knew anyone who saw what I was doing would think I was crazy, yet God was with me the entire time. I went online and figured how to insulate, found a book on home re-modeling, borrowed a mitre saw and framed the walls. I finally had to enlist some help because I couldn’t carry the drywall up the stairs by myself. This entire process was so amazing. I trusted God and put together a hasty Holy Week opening. It was last minute and I knew we needed to get the word out more and have more time for people to sign up but we jumped in head first and somehow God made it work, against all the odds!

 

It was just like the book said. My neighbours kept calling it the Upper Room and as I prayed up there on Good Friday, the story of Jesus going to the upper room kept coming into my readings and prayers. So the ‘Upper Room’ it is and it is now registered on this website!

So thank you, thank you 24-7 Prayer for what you do and for sharing it with the rest of us. I can’t wait to see what God will bring next.
All for His Glory!

You can order your copy of Red Moon Rising or 24-7 Prayer Manual through our online shop.

Pete Greig is a founding champion of the 24-7 movement and Director of Prayer for Holy Trinity Brompton, in London. He and his family live in Guildford, England, where they are actively engaged with establishing a new missional (‘Boiler Room’) community. Pete’s books include 'Red Moon Rising', 'The Vision and The Vow' and 'God on Mute'.

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