Jose R. Alarcón – Aurora, Colorado … After a year of pause, the Drive Thru Prayer initiative is back at the Aurora First Seventh-day Adventist Church in Aurora, Colorado. Members and volunteers joined efforts March 29 to conduct the first of six drive-thru prayer events scheduled for this year, running from March to August.
This event aims to connect with the community while providing crucial prayers and intercession for those in need. Members and volunteers set up prayer stations under a canopy, giving away water, snacks, and Glow tracts bags. Another station provided homemade iced tea, popcorn, and other goodies.
“Each car that arrives at our parking lot brings a new set of opportunities to spread the Gospel and to witness about Jesus,” remarked Jose Alarcón, lead pastor at Aurora First Church, on the event. “Perhaps people are hesitant to come in and hear a sermon but are hungry to hear prayer on their behalf.”
The turnout for this first event was close to 10 cars. Many of the cars were full of people, however. Volunteer Dr. Sheela Marvin, an Adventist naturopathic doctor, literature evangelist, and member of Denver South Seventh-day Adventist Church, stated, “The Lord in His mercy brought in a few more cars with thirsting broken souls. One of the cars was filled with people who had lost their loved one just the day before, and they were able to receive comfort through prayers.”
Often, churches do not get involved in such a ministry due to the lack of gain, meaning no baptisms. However, the effect of prayer exceeds any numerical gain.
Alarcón commented, “The satisfaction of serving others and seeing the blessings of our Lord upon the people is overwhelming. E.M. Bounds stated, ‘Prayer is the contact of a living soul with God. God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.’ Andrew Murray added, ‘The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.’”
“That contribution he talks about is the privilege of supplying and calming the stresses of the world currently affecting and subjugating people under sin,” he continued. “James wrote, The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective in James 5:16, NIV. Dr. Marving added, ‘Everything happening around me showed me how much effort God puts into drawing lost souls to Him. On that day, the clouds looked angry as though there would be a heavy downpour. The devil wasn’t pleased, but the good Lord stretched forth His hand and didn’t allow it to rain until we packed up. We ended the day sharing testimonies and forming a circle to pray for those who attended the event.’”
Alarcón concluded with the words of God to King Solomon: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and PRAY and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chron 7:14 NIV).
Aurora First has scheduled the last Sabbath of the month to conduct the drive-thru prayer event. “We pray that other churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) will give this event a try,” Alarcón urges. “The spiritual benefits to themselves will outweigh any other benefit or burden. May the Lord bless every member and church in the RMC.”
—Jose R. Alarcón is the lead pastor at the Aurora First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos supplied.
