Prayer Ministries


of the


Duff Street United Methodist Church
Clarksburg, West Virginia

bar

"My House shall be called a House of Prayer."           Matthew 21:13

Prayer Room

What is a Prayer Room? It's a comfortable private room in the church where members can come to pray for concerns of the congregation, our ministries, the neighborhood, and missions.

Why do we need a Prayer Room -- Can't we all just pray at home? Certainly we can all pray at home...but the Prayer Room provides a quiet place to get away from your busy life to pray. It helps you ignore the phone, TV, computer, and other modern hindrances to prayer time.

What is the Value of a Prayer Room? A prayer room ministry:

  • Calls forth the intercessory gifts of church members and greatly increase the prayer efforts of the church
  • Gives tremendous prayer support to church ministries and leaders
  • undergirds every aspect of the church's prayer life.
A prayer room ministry is to the church what the heart is to the body.

Prayers & Squares -- It's about prayer not the quilt!

Prayer Quilts

     In August, Rev. Amy Shanholtzer, pastor of the Duff Street United Methodist Church in Clarksburg, attended a meeting in San Diego. While there, she had the opportunity to hear about a new prayer ministry. Amy wrote an e-mail to some church members about her experience.

     “They had this book (Fabric of Faith: A Guide to the Prayer Quilt Ministry by Kimberly Winston) at the church I attended today. I didn't get one because it's so beautiful, I didn't want to crush it in my luggage on the way home. It describes a model of prayer quilts that this church uses.

      I experienced the blessing of the prayer quilts today in worship. The church prayed for the persons to whom the quilts were to be given in worship during the joys and concerns. Then, the quilts were placed in the gathering space outside the sanctuary for worshippers to tie knots in, to represent the prayers. Several in our group witnessed to the power of the quilts when they had been given them during their own difficulties.

There are three "rules" for the quilts:
     1. The recipient must want to receive the quilt - no surprises.
     2. The person is asked specifically what they would like to be prayed. The recipients words are used as a channel of grace, rather than the pray-er assuming what the pray-ee might want in prayer.
     3. The quilts are not for sale.

     It is a powerful ministry that allows everyone to participate. Everyone can pray and most people can tie a knot!”

     Anita Bowers, one of the recipients of the e-mail, led by her passion for prayer and quilting, ordered the book. Within two weeks, Duff Street UM Church registered as the 499th Chapter of “Prayers and Squares.” Anita wrote in the application. “We currently have a 44 year old woman that is in rehab after a stroke and a 58 year old man with fractured vertebrae in his neck that pinched a nerve. He is recovering after a neck operation. Both will need God's blanket of love and comfort over them for some time! Several members of the church are currently quilters and we thought this would demonstrate our love and concern for these individuals. “

     Two quilts were pieced and ready to be tied with prayers by the congregation on Sunday, September 3rd. A request for a third quilt has been received and is being made.

     Prayer is the purpose of this ministry. For further information, check the official website, http://www.prayerquilt.org/

     The organization's motto is: "It's not about the quilt; it's all about the prayers." At Duff Street, we want everyone to be involved in this ministry, "If you can't piece a quilt, you can tie a knot and pray."

Home/ Events / Children Ministries/ Choir / Dillingham Scholarship Application/ Historical Corner / Links to Other Websites/ Mission News/ Pastor's Page/ Real Place/ Service Members / Vacation Bible School / Vision, Mission & Values / Youth News/ United Methodist Women / What's New