FAQ:



What is the aim of 24-7 prayer?

The 24-7 Prayer movement is a global, non-stop prayer meeting that began in 1999 amongst the young people of Revelation church in Chichester, England. It has spread into more than ninety nations and most Christian denominations, giving birth to mission and justice initiatives around the globe. Thanks to an innovative approach to spirituality and culture, 24-7 Prayer has captured the attention of even the secular world!  Don't misunderstant, though!  24-7 is not a radical discovery or a program. In fact it's the oldest, simplest idea there is... that we were made to walk in intimate, unbroken friendship with God. 24-7 is just a way of getting as many people as possible to lock themselves in a room with God for an hour and see what happens. Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment is to love God. That really is the very heartbeat of the movement. 24-7 Prayer exists to transform society and turn the tide in our culture.  Maybe it will start with you!  Participating groups simply find a venue in which to establish a night-and-day prayer vigil by splitting each day into one-hour shifts, thus filling anything from a weekend to many years with an unbroken chorus of prayer and worship.



How does 24-7 work at Marysville First United Methodist Church?

Marysville FUMC is excited about our 24-7 prayer events!  We have 24-7 prayer vigils scheduled throughout the year.  Prayer times are divided into one hour time slots and participants are invited to pray in our COMPLETELY PRIVATE dedicated "prayer room" that is located just off the sanctuary. The room is set up for both the traditional minded as well as those who pray "outside the box".  The room is interactively designed to challenge people to experience prayer in new ways and invite participants into a sacred place of prayer with God. People who come and pray and prayer captains who sign up for prayer shifts often speak of the blessings the Holy Spirit pours out in the time spent in the prayer room or watching the transformation in prayers who come and go.  And, speaking of time...time passes so quickly in this room.  An hour often feels like 20 minutes.  Maybe you better sign up for 2 hours!  You surely wouldn't regret it. 


How do I sign up for 24-7 prayer online?

To begin, just click the Sign Up link in the top right .  A simple registration process on this website is required in order to book a prayer slot.  When you create an account, you can both sign up and edit your slots as needed.  Try it now!  We think you'll be pleased with how easy the process is.  When you have registered for an account, then click on the Prayer Dates link  http://prayer.marysvillefumc.org/prayer_dates  and choose your date(s) to pray or to be a prayer captain or both!  Persons wishing to sign up for prayer captain slots can submit an administrative request for approval to be a prayer captain and cover a shift of 6 hours!  Marysville FUMC policy is that only members of Marysville FUMC can serve as prayer captains.   Both pray-ers and prayer captains can opt to receive auto-email reminders 24 hours in advance of a booked slot by clicking on the send auto reminders box during registration.  



Why do members of Marysville FUMC have to be "approved" to serve as a prayer captains?

This policy is in place to protect user information and does not have anything to do with "measuring up" to be a prayer captain.  The current policy is to allow any adult Marysville FUMC member to register to be a prayer captain.   Prayer captain slots are administratively "approved" by the Marysville FUMC prayer committee so that prayer captains can see the contact information of those persons who have signed up to pray during their six hour shift. After each prayer event, prayer captains are automatically "deleted" from the archived history of the prayer event so that the user information is no longer available to those prayer captains from that specific shift.  At the next event, prayer captains will simply select the time shift they prefer for that event and the process will begin anew.


Is my user information kept private?

Yes, other users will not have access to your personal contact information.  Your contact information is asked for so that prayer captains can communicate with the persons praying during their shift if need be.  Prayer captains will only see the contact information of those persons signed up to pray within their shift rather than seeing all contact information for all shifts.  This eliminates confusion and further protects user privacy.  Your contact information is kept on the Marysville FUMC Server and is not shared for any purpose other than to send reminders or communicate with you about your prayer slot.     Other users will only be be able to see the information you put into the tell us about yourself area.  If you don't have anything you want to share with others about yourself, simply leave this field blank.



Will the physical prayer sign-up 'board' at church still be used? 

Yes, the board will still be used for sign-ups at church during gatherings for fellowship, worship, events or classes. 


How often will the board and the internet be synchronized?

Both will be updated and synchronized on Wednesday and Sunday evenings beginning four weeks before each 24-7 prayer event.  The week of the 24-7 prayer event, the board and internet site will be updated daily and sometimes twice daily.  To protect the privacy of those signing up on the board, a standard "PRAYER WARRIOR" name will be used to indicate slots already taken.  Prayer captains will still have access to the contact information of the persons praying by consulting the prayer board at the church or you can contact  Tony and/or Caryn Dalton who will be handling this synchronization process.  Please understand that the information available will be as of Wednesday or Sunday pm, whichever is closest to the time of your inquiry.  Caryn and Tony can be reached at the Prayer Committee email address prayer@marysvillefumc.org  or Tony can be reached on his cell # 614-464-7968.    


What if I don't want to create an account and prefer to use the board only? 

This is still an available option!  We do encourage everyone that can sign up online for an account do so.  We believe signing up online is more convenient and more efficient for all involved.  If a person has signed up on the "board" but not online, the online sign-up calendar will show that time slot as reserved  by "Prayer Warrior" and there will not be any specific contact information available online.  Tony and Caryn Dalton can assist prayer captains with that information as of Wednesday pm and Sunday pm.  Caryn and Tony can be reached at the Prayer Committee email address  prayer@marysvillefumc.org  or Tony can be reached on his cell # @ 614-464-7968.


What happens if people sign up for duplicate slots? 

What a wonderful problem to have! When and if that happens, we will contact both persons to see who has the most flexibility to choose another slot.  We recognize there are still people who sign up at the church because they do not use computers or go online.  Thank you in advance for your patience and grace with this situation and again, what a wonderful problem to have! 


What are the benefits of creating an account and signing up online vs. at the prayer board?

       There are several benefits!  To name just a few.....

If I have suggestions for or questions about this FAQ and for the 24-7 ministry at Marysville FUMC.  Who do I contact? 

You may contact the prayer committee at prayer@marysvillefumc.org.   
Thank you & God Bless!