The Priority of Prayer
Acts 16:25-26, Matthew 7:7-11
Preacher: Belita Mitchell

Photo by Glenn Riegel Annual Conference moderator Belita Mitchell preaches for Sunday morning worship. She is pastor of First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa.

Prayer should be our standard operating procedure
"A prayerless church is a declining church,” warned Belita Mitchell, moderator of the 121st recorded annual meeting of the Church of the Brethren, and pastor of First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa. Focusing on the need for active prayer in all aspects of a believer’s life, Mitchell reminded the congregation that, “Prayer is God’s ordained plan for the life of the believer and the life of the church.”

In a sermon constantly interrupted by applause and amens, Mitchell challenged her listeners not simply to say to a hurting believer that they would pray for them, but to stop and pray together at that moment. Prayer should be “standard operating procedure” for the people of God, she said.

Confessing that at one time she “was not always a woman of prayer,” she added, “That was before I came to myself. Without an active, growing relationship with the Lord Jesus, I would never have peace. I cried out to God. He heard my cry. He taught me how to pray.”

After using the Lord’s Prayer as an example to the church, she reminded the congregation that Matthew 7 states without equivocation that we if ask we will receive, seeking will lead to finding, and knocking will open doors. “There is no possibility of failure,” she said. “If prayer does not change things, it will certainly change you.”

Worship included a drama based on Acts 16:16-34 under the direction of A. Lee Kinsey, the pastor of Mill Creek Church of the Brethren.

--Frank Ramirez

Photo by Glenn Riegel Worshippers connect in prayer.

Photo by Glenn Riegel Children enjoyed special packets of worship activities prepared by the Congregational Life Teams of the General Board.

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