By Mark Pasko
I would suggest that you try the Prayer Table. The Prayer Table are tables set up at two locations in the vicinity of Christ Church in Schenectady from 9:30 to 10:30 on Saturday mornings. It has been manned by Torre Bissell for more than ten years and has been an extraordinary source of blessings to both Torre and those in the neighborhood. The method is simple. One asks whoever is walking or biking by if they would like prayer. If yes, we ask what their first name is and what they would like to pray about. We write down their first names and prayer request, pray for them, and tell them that we will continue to pray for them during the coming week. We also give them a small Cross for them to wear as a remembrance that they are cared about and that the Lord is walking with them. That is all there is to it! Torre has handed out approximately 100 crosses per month by manning a table for only one hour per week! Imagine what would happen with two tables or more! Imagine how many souls would be reached if the tables were set up for more than one hour per week! Imagine what would happen if the Tables are set up at other locations!
When I first heard about the Table a year ago I said I didn't want to do it. I felt both too unspiritual and had too many fears of feeling foolish or being hurt in some way. A month ago the Lord began giving me the impulse to grow and push against my boundaries of fear. I've done this now for four weeks in addition to one week at a Table at the City Mission of Schenectady. It was both easy and wonderful! Believe it or not many, if not most, people who pass by respond favorably to our asking if they would like prayer. They seem genuinely happy to unburden themselves for a couple of minutes and have a friendly arm on their shoulder praying up their strength to advance in their walk with God while fighting the hard battle on the inner city streets. You will pray with many young people, many not fully dressed for the weather, who want to pray for their families, their mental health, their sobriety, their lives in general. You will get a bit of a feeling of what it is like to be in an inner city neighborhood and not in the suburbs. All have been courteous and polite, even those that refused prayer. And with minimal practice, it gets easier and the Lord will reward your efforts to counteract your fears by allowing you to help minister to the orphan, the widow, the lonely, the troubled; all those whom the Lord seeks as his special loved ones! You will be blessed way beyond the time and effort you expend.
Right now we have about five persons sitting at tables. If you would like to observe how it is done and pray with others who will take the lead, please call Torre Bissell at 374-5305 or just show up at Christ Church at 9:30 on any Saturday morning. I promise you that you will be amazed and blessed. You will also realize, like me, that many of your fears are boogie men-- not real. You may find a new calling for your life as the Lord gives you the privilege of serving Him in the least of His brothers and sisters. You never know what other doors the Lord will open for you.
