On a rainy evening recently I joined a potluck and prayer meeting held in a home in an American city. I arrived on time and thought the date must have been changed because I was the only guest. But over the next 30 minutes some singles and couples arrived. Food gradually appeared and was set on the dining table.

The host prayed for the meal and invited us to get dinner. Some of the food was of an ethnic variety. Some was simple, like crackers and cheese. We sat around the living room and chatted while eating.

Then the host read a psalm, and invited each person to share an update or prayer request. Since there were by now over 20 people in the circle, the sharing took some time. We paused after every three or four people to pray for the needs that were shared.

Tweet This  Mission prayer cells like this are held in cities around the U.S. That’s encouraging! #NearFrontiersTREK

The unique thing about this group is that they all had a common burden for a particular unreached people group living in their area. Some of them worked or volunteered with a resettlement agency. Others worked with different agencies or churches.  A few had decades of experience with this people group overseas; others were very new to this ministry.

I was amazed and encouraged by how many people from this people group they knew by name. Several had met the same people. One young wife had pharmacy training and asked us to pray for a day of free immunizations coming up. Two single women were trained in midwifery and had a house where they served women in this community.

Some wild dreams for ministry were shared. One was the vision of raising enough money for a church or agency to purchase an entire apartment complex to provide affordable housing for refugees who, despite working, are being priced out of the market. Another idea was to supply camel milk because it is a traditional (but unavailable) part of the diet of this group.

Do you know of a group like this in your city?

Tweet This  You could start such a mission prayer cell with your friends. Become a #John4activist. http://www.nearfrontiers.org/?p=297