Pray Lubbock Milestones in the First Ten Years

(Current commentary - This full page ad in the A-J was the product of the pastors who had been praying together, attending prayer summits together, and sensing that God was up to a new thing in Lubbock. This was the first time this pastoral prayer movement was called "Pray Lubbock.")

This movement's first public appearance was a full-page advertisement in the Avalanche-Journal on November 29, 1998. Thirty signatures from senior pastors and churches of Lubbock surrounded a declaration. It continues to be the heartbeat of everything associated with Pray Lubbock. It reads:

"With this statement, we, who represent various Christian fellowships in our city, publicly confess that we have failed to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ toward one another in ways in which our community has been able to see. We purpose to turn from the practices and attitudes that have brought this failure about and commit ourselves to pray and to work together to create an atmosphere for revival in our city. It is our deep desire that each one in our community might know, by our love, that a relationship with Jesus Christ is the solution to all of our needs. We invite our community to watch for the proofs of what we say as we show all of Lubbock ... how we love one another."

Who dared to sign it?

Larry Brooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community Baptist Church

Rick Burkhalter . . . . . . . . . . . . .St. Matthew United Methodist

Steven Campbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Agape United Methodist

Charles Carman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Raintree Christian Church

Bracken Christian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Church on the Go

Bill Couch . . . . . . . . . . . .LakeRidge United Methodist Church

Paul Cunningham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Westminster Presbyterian

John Donnerberg . . . . . . . . . . . . .First Church of the Nazarene

Mark and Deborah Elvers . . . . . . . . . . . . .Salvation Ministries

Jim Gerlt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Indiana Avenue Baptist Church

Douglas Hale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vandelia Church of Christ

Ricky Honea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College Heights Baptist Church

Andy Hurst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Tech Wesley Foundation

Gary D. Kirksey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Trinity Church

Tom Lakey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .First Assembly of God

D. L. Lowrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . First Baptist Church

Eddie Marcum . . . . . . . . . . .First United Methodist, Wolfforth

Dick McCreight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Life Family Center

Tom Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . .St. Luke's United Methodist Church

Ed Peckham . . . . . . . . . . . Lubbock Canyon United Methodist

Rodney Plunket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Broadway Church of Christ

Thomas and Linda Sawyer .Grace Christian Fellowship Center

Mike Schafer . . . . . . . . . .Aldersgate United Methodist Church

Gary Scoggins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cathedral of Praise

Chris Sutton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Calvary Baptist Church

Mel Swoyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shepherd King Lutheran Church

Bob Veach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Christ Fellowship

Jackie White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Church on the Rock

Chuck Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . Live Oak Community Church

David L. Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Southcrest Baptist Church

Using these men and women, God launched this ministry to increase and intensify prayer for our city and to unify the family of God so that others would be drawn into a living relationship with His Son, Jesus.

Milestone #2 - The pastors act on their good intentions.

March 5, 1999 - Alice Patterson, then Director of Pray Texas, Gave an Account of Pray Lubbock's Lighthouse Launch...

(Current commentary - the first cooperative effort of these pastor was to launch the lighthouse of prayer movement in Lubbock - an initiative to enlist praying Christians to constantly pray and care for the neighbors on their block. During February of 1998, 17 pastors were preaching about the same thing - how their congregation can have an impact on the city by committing to pray for their neighbors! This was a visible demonstration of the new commitment to pray and work together. The commitment to pray was tremendous, but the gathering of these many churches together to commission the lighthouses was unprecedented as Alice Patterson gave the following observer's account.)

"The Lord is moving in powerful ways across the state as pastors intentionally cross denominational and racial barriers to reach their communities for Christ. Lubbock is a shining example.

On March 5 over 1,000 people from at least 23 congregations gathered for worship and prayer and to commission 1,060 Lighthouses of Prayer to pray for their neighbors with two objectives: to make Jesus famous in Lubbock and to make it hard to go to hell from their city. My husband, John, and I sat at the back of the comfortably full auditorium of Broadway Church of Christ that evening and joined the church of Lubbock in praise to God and prayer for the city. Several things stand out in my mind.

First was the awesome worship. Chill bumps tingle up and down my spine as I think about the melodious sound of voices lifted in acapella harmony, singing "Revive us again, fill each heart with Thy love. May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. Hallelujah, Thine the glory. Hallelujah, Amen! Hallelujah, Thine the glory, revive us again." The Lord's prayer in John 17: 21 "that they may all be one even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me" was being answered before our very eyes. We experienced "the blessing" that He promises to command when brethren dwell together in unity (Psalm 133: 3).

Second was the obvious love and deference shown by the pastors. There were no introductions. The pastors did not even mention the names of their congregations! Many had a part on the platform, but everything was focused on the Lord and reaching the lost.

Third was the obvious participation of different ethnic congregations. It was a mostly Anglo crowd, but there were key Hispanic and Black pastors who were there with their congregations. It was a beginning... a powerful beginning.

Lubbock is a beautiful example of the body of Christ intentionally joining together to reach a city. When I was watching, I kept thinking of the word "pure". And not only has the Lord given the pastors of Lubbock clear direction in their own city, but I heard them offering to share with other pastors in the region. That was very exciting for me. There are two places on the web that you can check out what is happening in Lubbock. The first is their web site, which is under construction at www.PrayLubbock.com. The second is a two step process of connecting at www.church-life.com then clicking on ministries under Pray Lubbock. You will be blessed."

Milestone #3 - Prayer meetings begin in the "Prayer Tower"

Wednesday, May 19, 1999 – The First Pastors Prayer Meeting convenes in the Metro “Prayer” Tower

(Current Commentary - Monthly prayer meetings have always been a staple of the pastors who have assembled themselves around the name “Pray Lubbock.” This was a commitment to pray together was made at one of the first pastors prayer summits. These prayer meetings occurred in churches across the city hosted by willing pastors until May 19, 1999, when the pastors had their first experience praying at the “Prayer Tower.” Here is an excerpt Steve Doles’ Doctoral Ministry Focus Paper explaining the Lord’s leading to this place…)

In 1998, a cell group my family was involved in was studying Terry Teykl’s book Acts 29: Blueprint for Prayer. On one of the evenings, we were discussing unique ways to pray for a city. The suggestion was made in the book that in order to get a unique perspective on your city, we should consider finding an overlook point – perhaps a hill or mountain peak that gives us a bird-eye view – a high place from which to pray. Everyone in the cell group laughed at this suggestion knowing Lubbock’s plains – except for person. She worked in the Metro Tower – the tallest building in Lubbock and said, “The Metro Tower is the high place in Lubbock. There is a really good view of the city up there.”

A few weeks later, after confirmations in prayer, I made an appointment with the manager and toured the building. I discovered that there were several office suites available for rent - in fact, the office right next to the conference room was available. As a tenant, we would have use of the conference room on the 19^th floor at no charge. After a weekend of prayer, I called the Metro Tower manager and asked him to draw up the lease and call me when it was ready to sign.

At the next Saturday prayer meeting, we shared with the city-focused intercessors the plans to rent the office space in the Metro Tower. We mentioned the monthly rent and before that prayer meeting was over, many of the intercessors pledged at least $10 per month for the next year, immediately creating funds for rent. We also learned more about the Metro Tower from these intercessors. The building was originally called the “Great Plains Life Building” with that knowledge, intercessors began praying that this building would become known for the eternal life that springs forth from the prayers offered in that place.

The excitement about this building grew in that meeting. Another intercessor shared a dream that she had had years ago. She remembered riding an elevator to the top floor of a tall building downtown and eating at the restaurant there with her husband. In the dream the Lord spoke to her very clearly that she was to take off her shoes because the place where she was sitting was holy. This dream caused another wave of prayers that the Lord would do in our day what He has intended and foretold from days past.

This building, built in the 50’s, struck by a tornado in 1970 which heavily damaged it resulting in being condemned for ten years. Visitors can still stand outside the southwest corner of the building, and “eyeball” the twisted structure as you look up the 20 floors! But, in the 80’s the building was reinforced, repaired and reopened for rental as office space. This gave even more fuel to the intercessors’ prayer that the building, although nearly destroyed by the tornado has been preserved for this Kingdom assignment!

After this confirmation from the intercessors, and before I was part of the Pray Lubbock leadership, I met with representatives of the Pray Lubbock leaders and proposed establishing this prayer center. My vision meshed with theirs. I asked for permission to call my office and website “Pray Lubbock.” I invited all of the Pray Lubbock leaders to hold their next meeting in the 19^th floor conference in April 1999 for the first time and from that point on, Pray Lubbock has enveloped pastors of the city, intercessors of the city, citywide prayer initiatives with the Metro Tower as home.

At the conclusion of the April 1999 pastors prayer meeting, the host pastor asked the typical question, "Who would like to host the prayer meeting in May?" I offered the Pray Lubbock conference room. We met at the Metro Tower for the first time on May 19, 1999 and at the end of the meeting it was clear that we should meet there regularly. The pastors were drawn to this unique vantage point for prayer.