Focus on Prayer:

an article by The Common Thread

February 2000

College students banding together weekly at 4 am for prayers

Children gathering every weekday morning lifting up the needs of the nations

Gatherings of intercessors from multiple congregations

Walking the streets of Richmond, asking for God’s mercy on every place and person

Prayer rooms in local congregations

All night prayer watches sprinkled throughout the city

There is no doubt about it . . . God is stirring His people in Richmond to PRAY.

Since Richmond’s inception, God has had His eye on this city. His desire is for Richmond to be a city of righteousness . . . a city that cries for the lost . . . a city desperate for the Kingdom of God to be established within its boundaries. From the planting of the cross on Mayo Island in 1607, through the ashes of the civil war and Richmond’s subsequent rebuilding, God has sown the seeds of revival and woven the threads of destiny that are waiting to be released. We live at a crucial time, and only by responding to God’s call to intimate, fervent fellowship and prayer, in a spirit of humility under the authority of God’s Word, will we see Richmond transition into its next phase – true biblical unity.

We believe that the Lord is calling together His captains of fifties, hundreds, and thousands (Dt. 1:9-15). Through these pastors and ministry leaders the Lord wants to rally the troops He has placed in this city and challenge them to look at Richmond a different way. Instead of only focusing on individual ministry calls, we must step back, see the other captains, move into relational unity, and recognize each other’s gifts and place on the wall (cf. Neh. 4:6-14). The result will be the corporate “Church of Richmond” finding her voice “as one man” (Judges 20:1-11), which cannot be defeated by the enemy.

In just the last few years, several ministries have developed that provide platforms for unity and service at various ministerial levels. This list is by no means exhaustive, but includes those who have begun to link together relationally and are committed to seeing God’s purposes established through corporate efforts.

An Umbrella: The Common Thread

Whereas CMU is an umbrella for ministry activity in general, bridging the gap between prayer and action, The Common Thread: Richmond Intercessors coordinates and connects various prayer ministries. It connects pastors, congregational prayer leaders, worshippers, and intercessors for the sake of a more sustained unified prayer effort fueled by greater communication and coordinated prayer gatherings. The Common Thread publishes Richmond Intercessors, a newsletter providing inspirational articles, information on areas of the city requiring special prayer, prayer strategies, and insight for the Richmond area. It has also initiated an email network for pastors and prayer warriors to quickly disseminate prayer needs on a citywide/statewide level. Current plans include the establishment of a 24-hour/7 days a week worship and prayer center staffed and supported by the cooperative efforts of the Church in Richmond.