Rev. 5:8 ‘The prayers of the saints are like golden bowls full of incense’; Isaiah 62:6-7 ‘On your wall O Jerusalem (Bristol) I have posted watchmen: All day and all night they will never keep silent… Nehemiah 1:6 ‘let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying day and night…2:17 let us rebuild the wall of ‘Bristol’ and we will no longer be in disgrace….

PRAYER GUIDELINES: OUTREACHES: SOCIAL ACTION: BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL: THE CHURCH IN BRISTOL: SOUTH BRISTOL: NEIGHBOURHOOD AND GEOGRAPHIC PRAYER GROUPS: WATCHMEN ON THE WALL - DEVOTIONAL: DATES FOR PRAYER MEETINGS - JAN/FEB: BUILDING THE WALL: RETURN TO MAIN SITE PRAYER GUIDELINES: Get settled into God’s Presence; Start with Praise and adoration; Be focussed on Him and his Word; Repent and get right with God and others; Thank God for answered Prayer; Plead the Blood of Jesus over yourself and family and put on the Spiritual Armour as in Ephesians 6 and ask for Humility; Pray as you are guided by the Holy Spirit. Expand the topics chosen and be specific in your prayers. PRAY for VISION IN BRISTOL for 2001 - Proverbs 29:18 'Where there is no visio, the people perish - AV'; 'Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint'NIV; 'A nation without God's guidance is a nation without order'.

As we start a new year we all need fresh vision from God for our lives just as the church, our leaders, Christian organisations, our city, our businesses, education, the Health service, Social Services, the Police and every aspect of our society does. It is said VISION is what is lacking in leadership today right across the board, particularly in the city council. Perhaps consumerism has stolen creativity. Pray for Godly vision to be given to all these important aspects of Bristol; Especially for Christian Leaders. Pray for faith and perseverance for them to follow the God-given visions through. Historically Bristol has had many visionaries e.g. George Muller and the orphanages; …. Brunel with the SS Great Britain, GWR and Suspension Bridge; Samuel Plimsoll etc. Pray that God will once again raise up men and women of VISION to bring transformation to the lives of those in Bristol and further afield. Pray into being the scripture from Joel 2: : ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people; Your sons and daughters will prophesy; Your old men will dream dreams; Your young men will see visions’

Ask God to remind you of the visions he has given you which you have not yet fulfilled and pray them into being; Also take time to wait upon the Lord and ask Him to give you fresh vision for 2001 – for you personally, for your walk with the Lord; for your family; for your church; for your local community; for your work; for dreams for Bristol. PRAY for the fulfilment of Visions for Prayer in the city e.g. for the Bristol City football ground to be filled with praying Christians; for all slots on the Prayer Wall to be filled; for a 365 days a year 24-7 prayer meetings- - For an increased Presence of God + REVIVAL type anointing to be poured out on all Christian gatherings in the city. – At our December Prayer Wall meeting we experienced this – the presence of God was so intense that we could have worshipped & prayed all night. - 24-7 Prayer is where a group or church books a Prayer room/venue for a set time ie. A week and slots are filled by praying people 24 hours a day. Pray for all churches in Bristol to catch a vision for Prayer and to unite regularly together praying for their own localities & the city. See venues overpage.

OUTREACHES: Is. 52:7 ‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news. -Pray for all new Alpha courses starting up and for all Christians to have non-Christian friends to take along. -Pray for all Christians to be supported and effective witnesses in their places of work whether in business, in the NHS, in Education, in Social Services, in the Police force etc.

-For all Evangelists to be encouraged and supported by churches and for new ones to be trained and raised up - SCHOOLS: Pray for all Xtian schools workers to be creative, effective & spirit-filled in their witness & communication of the gospel. Pray for support and well-being of these workers. - Pray for Christian teachers, head teachers and school governors to be empowered and used by God in reaching school kids with Christian morals and witness.

- YOUTH MINISTRIES: Pray for the Youth leaders – for inspiration, for support – - CHRISTIAN YOUTH: Pray they will be motivated, inspired & equipped to reach peers. BISC – Bristol International Students Centre – effective in communicating the gospel to the overseas students and for new direction of BISC

SOCIAL ACTION: Is 53:5 ‘the punishment that brought us peace was upon him & by his wounds we are healed’ -HOPE HOUSE PROJECT: In March a house will open in Lockleaze to provide a discipleship home for ex-Ashfield offenders who have made a commitment to Christ – Pray for Silas Crawley, Greg Downes and the new Project worker and the ongoing prison work at Horfield, Ashfield and Leyhill prisons.

- Crisis Centre: - Pray for Dirk the interim Coffee shop manager and Anne White who will take over in March; Pray also for the shop to be manned every day and evening and for the director Paul Hazleden and for the provision of a bigger building which could be the expansion of the existing one. - POLICE – pray for their safety & for effectiveness of them in combating crime & also for Adopt a Cop - For the provision of a Christian Community /Discipleship House for recovering Addicts in the city - For the multiplication of visits and Christian care for the Elderly, especially for those in OAP Homes

- For ministries to poor and marginalised to be resourced sufficiently with supported staff, volunteers, finances, buildings, skills, mercy and love, examples PRAISE GOD FOR ANSWERED PRAYERS: Crisis Centre Ministries have made much progress in terms of additional volunteers & new vision

BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL: - For their Decision-making and for a wise and honest distribution of their resources and finances, particularly of the huge sums generated by the Bristol Airport sale. For them to show positive support and acceptance of Christian based projects – for your MP and councillor House to pray for your neighbours. For Christian MPs and councillors are Valerie Davey, Anne White (Cabot), Jim White, Clare Cooke (Henbury),…for God to work through all other politicians The CHURCH in BRISTOL - For a Spirit of Repentance and for the Presence of God to come upon all churches in the city. Continue to pray for UNITY between churches - Psalm 133, John 17:1:20-26

FOR SOUTH BRISTOL Pray for Withywood Ecumenical church who are building a new church & community centre. Pray for additional help (ideally 12 volunteers) for the increased numbers of unaccompanied & needy children who attend. Also for the elderly members to adapt to the changes.Take link to see prayer request in full NEIGHBOURHOOD and GEOGRAPHIC PRAYER GROUPS The Prayer Wall Team would like to encourage watchmen to think and pray about the neighbourhoods in which they live and to get a list of people who live in your streets from the Council electoral role. Pray for the Spirit of God to impact & saturate your area to reduce crime, violence, abuse & sin -Pray for your own locality and issues (local news papers might help) - Think about Prayer Walking your area

LOCAL GROUPS WHICH EXIST known to us, please let us know of others: Shirehampton – contact – Gillian Minogue on tel: 9380757 Longwell Green – contact – Geraldine on tel: 9603480; mob: 07774 175640 7pm to 9pm – Sunday evenings Brislington/Knowle – Carmel Christian Centre, Wells Rd tel: – every Friday 8-10pm

W atchmen on the Wall - PRAYER FOR BRISTOL DEVOTIONAL The focus is on Revival and upon waiting upon the Lord for a fresh and more powerful outpouring of God’s Spirit and Presence such as few of us have yet experienced. When the disciples waited together upon the Lord in the Upper Room in Acts 1, Jesus said to them: ‘ You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you .. and you will be witnesses in Jerusalem … and to the ends of the Earth. Many intercessors believe that at this time God is calling his people and the church to pray corporately together to receive a new power from on high. Imagine what might happen if all the Christians from the different churches in your area prayed together and waited for the Lord to come ? Unknown Transformation might occur for both the saved and unsaved. Yonghi Cho ( pastor of the largest church in Korea) says: ‘No man can schedule a revival, for God alone is the giver of life. But … when the ‘fullness of time’ has come and prayer ascends from a few earnest hearts, then history teaches it is time for the tide of revival to sweep in once more.’ Confession of sin is key – George Verwer says ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit’ and if we grasp brokenness, keep short accounts with God, we need never drift spiritually, since we are in pursuit of daily personal revival. The bible shows that God responds to pleading repentant people as with Moses, Jonah, Amos, Daniel, Jeremiah etc. confirmed by 2 Chronicles 7:14 . Luke 12:49 Jesus said ‘I have come to start a fire on this earth, how I wish it were blazing right now. Ask for His compassionate yearning for lost, sinful, dying humanity. God designed His church to be a Lifeboat Station and not a comfortable Yacht Club as we have made it. We need to confess and repent of lukewarmness. Jesus wants to see the reward of his suffering coming through us. Fervent prayer, like an acute hunger, builds up answers like an underground river, unseen, until it breaks the surface and comes like a pent up flood. We need to be praying for God to fill us and our churches with His Holy Spirit in a way that he did revivalists like Evan Roberts and Charles Finney: ‘In the evening of the same day I received overwhelming baptisms of the Holy Ghost, that went through me, as it seemed to me, body and soul. I immediately found myself endued with such power from on high that a few words dropped here and there to individuals were the means of their immediate conversions. My words seemed to fasten like barbed arrows in the souls of men. They cut like a sword. They broke the heart like a hammer. ..Oftentimes a word dropped without my remembering it would fasten conviction, and often result in almost immediate conversion. ‘ When he found that God’s power left him he would set apart a day for prayer and fasting and said:‘After humbing myself, and crying out for help, the power would return upon me with all its freshness. …When Christians humble them-selves and consecrate their all afresh to Christ, and ask for this power .. the work of conversion will go on, till whole communities and regions of country are converted to Christ. – Some the above are Abridged notes from Chris Squire.

DATES FOR PRAYER MEETINGS FOR January and February where VISION can be sought: 24-7 Prayer venues at which anyone can attend: 7th to 14th February –at Almondsbury, Severn Ridge - contact: …..tel: 01454 613305 11th to 17th February at Christ the Rock, Yate tel: 01454 326395 14th to 21st. February at Mullers, Cotham Park Rd – contact:Tim Dobson tel: 9245001 or Ruth tel:9030552

MONTHLY PRAYER WALL MEETING: - Feedback and Corporate Intercession for Bristol at 8pm to 9.45pm at The ELMGROVE Centre, SMALL HALL REDLAND RD, REDLAND next to Living Wells leisure centre on Monday FEB 5th, MAR 5th, APRIL 2nd etc.You can pick up your monthly Prayer Guide here.

EA PRAY FOR BRISTOL – Tuesday 6th February at Cairns Rd Baptist Church, Cairns Rd, Redland Leaders Prayer Meeting – Mondays at Pip n’Jay 12.45 to 14.00 – contact Stephen Abbott tel: 9779270 EA Leaders Prayer meeting with National EA Prayer secretary Jane Holloway –7.30pm at Emmanuel Chapel, Henbury – one topic will be Networking Prayer groups in Bristol

BUILDING OF THE PRAYER WALL Share details of the Prayer Wall with your Church Prayer Leader/co-ordinator and others with a heart for Prayer. Please contact us with any prayer requests for concerns and projects in Bristol. Pray for other prayer initiatives to be multiplied across the city and for a Bristol prayer network to be set up The longer term vision for the Bristol Prayer Network is for a city wide House of Prayer.