As far back as I can remember, I admired people who prayed. Prayer has always represented a faith and belief in the power of God that I’ve wanted to see in my own life.
For the past two years, I’ve led a small group with my husband called “The Group That is Small.” It’s been a self-fulfilling prophecy of who we’ve become, as we are down to a group of six faithful members after others have moved away geographically. However, we are looking to grow. Realizing there must be a better name for who we are that could also include where we are wanting to grow, I began reflecting on who we are and what we do well.
Three factors have contributed to our group’s strong core - honesty, trust, and prayer, with prayer being the true glue that has held us together. Without prayer, we are simply good friends. However, when you are good friends who step into each other’s lives in prayer, you also step into their lives in heart, spirit, and mind.
Our small home group has grown to become a strong people of prayer, regardless of the seasons we are walking through. In our group, we have seen marriages, break-ups, new jobs, new careers, big moves, calls to ministry, struggles with doubt, and so much more. Every time we pray for one another, we remind ourselves we are not alone, and we are reminded that the spirit of God is near.
We pray for one another in a unique way. Each week, we spend a few minutes writing the most pressing things in our lives on index cards, along with our name and the date. Those cards are then collected and redistributed to the group members so everyone has a mix of other people’s cards, and sometimes some of their own (always a good reminder to present your own burdens chiefly to God!). We then spend time in the quiet praying over every card from the night. We pray for the concerns mentioned in the stack in our hands, and then we always pass our cards counter-clockwise. We remember to pass counter-clockwise because gathering as believers and praying is counter-cultural! When our original stack of cards returns to us, we close out our time of prayer and continue on with our lesson for the evening. Everyone leaves with a stack of cards for continued prayer.
It’s become a beautiful reminder of community and the power of prayer as I rediscover prayer cards from a year ago in the glove compartment of my car, my desk drawer, or as a bookmark for that book I’ve been meaning to finish reading. These cards serve as tangible representations of prayers and the heart of our small group.
So, after much reflection, it seems fitting to redub our group “The Group that Prays.” If you are interested in visiting or joining a small group, we would love to have you! Please reach out: hhanzel21@gmail.com.
Meet the Author!
Haley Hanzel is an orchestra director, violinist, and community member at CRBC. She has taught violin for 17 years, and has been in the public school classroom for six. She and her husband, Aaron, met in one of CRBC's home groups, and have been married just over a year. Some of Haley's loves are her giant puppy dog Jack, all things coffee, and seeing the world.