We are living in perilous times. The world community is in an uproar of mounting tension. Terrorism has struck fear in the hearts of the nations. Uncertainty is on every side. National and world calamities are at an all time high. Wars and rumors of wars are a daily threat. Global floods, famines and earthquakes are growing more frequent and intense. The earth is in trouble!

American society – like never before – is living in a time of great emotional and physical stress. Crimes of the century are now weekly events. Growing atrocities such as murder, gang violence, child abduction, rape, and suicides plague our communities. Our nation is unraveling before our eyes. People desperately seek a safe place in which to turn.

This can be the church's finest hour. In the midst of these dark times, it is the mandate of the church to shine the light of hope in Jesus Christ. Stop & Pray Community Outreach was birthed to meet the challenge. Stop & Pray is a way for every member of the church to join together and reach out tangibly to his/her community. It is a prophetic model of prayer evangelism that can be tailored to work in any neighborhood.

History has proven that when tragedy strikes a neighborhood, people will come together and pray. Calamity has a way of bringing down dividing walls and crises will oftentimes override personal differences. In order to cope with a crisis many communities conduct candle light prayer vigils. The church cannot wait until tragedy strikes to come together and pray.

People are open to prayer because there is great duress in their lives. Stop & Pray is a proactive outreach that offers the community a solution – the hope of the gospel and the power of prayer. It demonstrates the love of Christ in action by our willingness to lay our lives down and come out of the “four walls” of a building structure to engage people where they live.

Stop & Pray Community Outreach is an evangelistic outreach offering prayer and salvation in an atmosphere of continuous worship. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6, “...in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Stop & Pray is designed to bring together area pastors and ministry leaders that believe in the power of prayer. It is a powerful witness to a local community when area leaders in good standing work together for a common cause.

The intent of the outreach is to provide a safe harbor – a place for the community to bring their prayer needs. Evangelism teams and large signs along a designated street or highway direct people to a safe haven to bring their troubles and hurts. As proven by the outreach, given the opportunity people will stop & pray.

A large tent is set up specifically with continuous praise and worship music played by several alternating local bands. There is also a separate tent for privacy set up specifically for those that wish to pray with a prayer partner. People who drive in and stop to pray are given cold bottled water, symbolic of giving a cup of cold water to the weary travelers of this life (Matt. 10:42) .

On hand are intercessors in a different location (usually in the church building) that pray over prayer requests people eagerly give to the street volunteers or drop off at the event site. Everyone who asks is assured that their need receives prayer. Jesus desires that if we come to Him, He offers hope in the form of hearing our prayers.

For over 20 years we have been actively participating in bringing the hope of the Gospel to those at home and abroad through music, missions and world evangelism. By experience, Stop & Pray has proven to be a working example of effective evangelism in the hour in which we live.

The Lord will honor His word when the body of Christ comes together to lift up His name and be sensitive to the cries of the hurting. When we obey, He draws them to Himself (John 12:32 ; Is. 50:4) . We believe Stop & Pray Community Outreach is a prophetic model for the body of Christ today to replicate around the nation to reach this generation. It is a very non-threatening outreach. The entire church can participate together – both young and old in various levels – and be used in reaching their community. We are encouraging every pastor and ministry leader to take the model and tailor it to reach their specific area.