[42] Celebrate and Set off!

Our discernment journey has reached a very significant place. The end of the prologue. Now chapter 1 is set to begin. Tonight  was our end of term party, our graduation, our celebration. Both an ending and yet only the beginning!

We started by sharing a lovely hot meal cooked for us by Kathy to say THANK YOU for all that people have given up in order to go on this journey. For the commitment, consistency and giving to it that each one has done.

Final Status report (and puddings)

Next we had our final status report. (whilst enjoying some lovely trifle, cheesecake, fresh fruit salad etc). 

We have established the infrastructure for starting off. Others will now be able to join us:

• We have the minimum number of hosts in place for the Drop-In prayer sessions on the first day. It is OK for others to sign up and join them. 

• The prayer rota sign-up process is all live. Direct people to http://sohop.org/get-involved/ and they can follow the links from there.

• Everyone who joins the prayer rota will get a copy of the Prayer Room Briefing Sheet which has the essential information for getting in and out of the building.

• In the prayer room there will be:

  • the Prayer Room Log which is the place for all practical info like who is on the rota for the coming 24 hours. 

  • the Prayer Journal which is the place for keeping a journal hour by hour about what we have prayed for and what the Holy Spirit has been revealing to us etc.

  • the Prayer Room Phone (07881 602062 ) - each week we will add to this the numbers of the people coming to pray. When you arrive at the prayer room it is locked so you have to phone through to be let in.

  • and SoHOP @ 286 - The Manual which details everything about how the prayer room works (or it will do after we have run through things a few times!

Focus on starting

It is remarkable to see how quickly things have come together, but as we talked practicalities it became apparent that now we must not lose our focus on PRAYER. We must maintain focus on our rhythms of prayer, the topics for prayer, and indeed, now more than ever, we are to build slowly and wisely. God's word to us has very much been focus on starting. So it would be OK to begin without setting up anything special in the sacred space. Because as we build the momentum in prayer we will listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying and discern what to do. Our creative stations etc will grow and develop as we pray "Lord teach us to pray".

That said, we realised that there will be creative prayer stations we create for New Year's Eve that can then be taken to the sacred space to help us begin.

Celebrating and marking the milestone

Next we went back to our celebrating. We taped a piece of paper on each person's back and went around writing words of encouragement on each other. At times it was like the conga with long lines of people writing on the back of the person in front. We were describing the good things that we have discovered in each other. We were recognising God's workmanship and beauty in one another.

We also wrote words of encouragement for those who could not be with us that evening.

As the the words had all been written we found ourselves sitting in a circle and we held hands quietly. There were many words that maybe could be said, but we received God's blessing as we felt the last 42 weeks of meeting together rising up in celebration of what has happened with us as a community on our journey.

Finally we blessed and prayed for 2 of our number who are moving on. We did this by speaking out words of blessing, gifts from God that we felt He was giving them or that we were asking for. Again, it was wonderful to do this together and to feel God's presence with us.

Finally, the grace

This closing prayer felt very real to us:

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

and the love of God

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

be with us all, evermore, AMEN.