12 Week’s of Prayer for Building Use

The following is a list of twelve prompts, one for each week to help  you to pray about St. Timothy’s buildings and how they are used. It will be helpful to have a notebook that you can refer to during this year. The notebook can be used to write down specific questions that you have for God, as well as any thing  you hear or feel during your prayer time. It’s a great way to keep track of what you’ve asked God and how God has answered. Other than week’s 1, 11 & 12 these prompts may he used in any order during the twelve weeks.

1. While you are at church, take some time to wander into all the spaces. Pray a simple blessing over each new space you enter (God, may your Spirit fill this space). Then take a moment to note what you see, hear, smell, feel, and even taste. When you’re done, write down any thoughts that came to you while doing this prayer walk.
2. Look at the bulletin or church calendar and pray for all the groups that gather in our building during times that aren’t Sunday morning worship. Pick one to learn more about or even attend one of their gatherings. When you’re done praying for the groups that meet in our building, write down any group that stands out to you as specifically engaging in the same work as St. Timothy’s congregation.
3. St. Timothy gathers in people’s homes occasionally. Do a prayer walk around your own home, blessing each room. Imagine for a moment a way that your space could be used to love and serve your neighbor. Write down thoughts and ideas that come up during your prayer time, even if those thoughts are “I don’t want other people here.”
4. Get a blank piece of paper and a pen or pencil. As best you can, draw an outline of the floor plan for St. Timothy. Don’t worry about being accurate, just draw what you remember or feel. Now compare that to the actual floor plan (see below). Which spaces did you make bigger or smaller than they are? Are these spaces important to you or do you rarely encounter them? Spend some time talking with God about your drawing. Write down any thing that you hear during your prayer.
5. Make a list of all the ways you can think of that the buildings of St. Timothy could be used. Set a timer for 5 minutes and just write the entire time. Let yourself dream as big as you like. After five minutes, ask God to let you imagine what St. Timothy would be like if those uses for the building came to pass. Write down in your prayer pad the ones that excite you as well as the ones that scare you.
6. On a day other than Sunday, go into the sanctuary. Sit somewhere that’s not your normal seat. Just be in that space and listen. Before you go back to your normal workaday world, write down anything that comes to mind while you’re in the sanctuary.
7. If the weather permits, walk on the sidewalks and parking lots around the church. As you wander outside the church, what sort of things do you see? What areas are you curious to explore further? As you go into those spaces, invite God to show you what He sees in that space. Write down what you discover.
8. The South Room has had many uses over the years. Take some time and sit in that space and pray, remembering all the different ways it has served St. Timothy. Offer a prayer of  thanksgiving and then listen for awhile. If any new ideas come to you about that space, write them down.
9. As you come to church, once you turn into the drive way, notice what you see, hear, smell, feel, even taste. Continue these observations as you leave your vehicle and walk to the front door, enter, and walk in until you’re greeted by someone. What things make you feel welcomed, what things do you try to ignore because they bother you? Don’t try to fix anything, just lift those things up to God in prayer and ask God to show you how others might encounter those same things. Write down any thing that stands out during your prayer time.
10. Our Fellowship Hall and kitchen are some of the most used spaces at St. Timothy. In addition to being a gathering space for St. Timothy members, it is used and requested by many groups and individuals from the community. Think back about all the ways you have enjoyed that space. Spend time with God imagining what it might be like for people who are not a part of the St. Timothy community to have that same joy. Write down one way that we might be able to make that happen.
11. Once again, wander around all the spaces at the church, inside and out. Pray your simple blessing over them again (God, may your Spirit fill this space). Notice if anything differs from the last time you did this prayer walk. Notice what you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. Ask God to show you what you need to be aware of. Write down any thing that jumps out as different from the first time.
12. Gather all the ideas and thoughts and questions that you’ve been collecting during these last 12 weeks. Do you see any connections or themes that have been consistent in your discernment? After looking over words written after your prayer times, what’s one word that would describe the buildings of St. Timothy? What’s one thing from your notes that excites you and you would be willing to help make happen at St. Timothy? Share some of these ideas with other people at the church and see what similarities you discover.