“Almost 50 years of 24-hour month-long prayer”
When Apostle Dr. V.T. Williams founded the Jamaica Evangelistic Centre at 86e Waltham Park Road 52 years ago, he had a group of women around him who had committed themselves to persistent prayer for manifestation of the vision the LORD had laid on their pastor’s heart.
“This church was built on tenacious prayers,” said the current pastor, David Grant. “Every year, we have a month of prayer from March 19 to April 19; this has been going on from before I started attending this church 46 years ago. It is run by a group of women that we call ‘The Prayer Mothers,’ and persons who live overseas take time off every year to be a part of this staple event on the church’s calendar. Of course, men are in the ministry, but the core group consists of mainly women.”
Dedicated, fervent, and fiery were some of the words that came to mind as Pastor Grant described these women of Zion.
“The team, often referred to as ‘the Engine Room,’ manages all the operations during the month of prayer for 24 hours straight every day,” he explained. “The 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift is when most of the drama happens. This is when insane persons might walk in or be brought in for attention. There are numerous testimonies coming out of each year’s gathering—persons being healed, marriages restored, people experiencing spiritual growth…many, many blessings received.
“We thank God for the work that these committed intercessors covenant to put in each year, fasting and interceding for the people’s needs, fuelled by the engine of prayer.”
A PRAYER MOTHER’S EARLY YEARS
The prayer shifts that are fully observed by the headquarter church at Waltham Park Road, and to an equal or lesser extent at its other 17 branches island-wide, run from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
One of the core team members, Pastor Maureen Turnbull, took some time out after her 6 a.m. shift ended to share with Freedom Come Rain what prayer means to her and what a typical month of prayer is like for the team and church.
“From I was a small child, I loved to pray,” Pastor Turnbull explained. “I grew up in an Anglican church, and my parents would often say they didn’t understand me. I was quite different from my other siblings. I realised that God had his hand on my life from birth, as prayer was something I was always doing; everything I do begins and ends with prayer.
THE CORE TEAM AND PRAYER POINTS
“This core group of ladies has been together for over 20 years. I joined because I knew that this was my calling. Further, our Apostle Dr. V.T. Williams is a man given to prayer, so kudos to him for being the visionary that God would have used to set the pace for us to follow.”
In addition to Pastor Turnbull, the team comprises Pastor C. Cunningham, who has oversight for the ministry, while Minister V. Cunningham is the head prayer mother, with support coming from Minister S. Leslie and Pastor R. Ferron.
“As it comes around to March each year, people will take leave just to ensure they can spend uninterrupted time in prayer for the month. They’ve heard of the testimonies and experienced breakthroughs of their own, and they come each year to partake in what we call ‘our feast here on earth.’ It’s like a group of people just hungry to seek the face of God.”
Sister Turnbull explained that although she is assigned to the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift, she sometimes stays over with the next shift and tarries until the Holy Spirit permits her to go.
“Our main scriptures for this year are Psalm 51 and 3 John 2. Other than that and some prayer points that are positioned around the prayer room, we have no programme. ‘Enter with reverence unto God’ is written on the door of the room, and that’s what’s expected of everyone, including passersby who stop for prayers.
“We may go on our knees, lie prostrate, curl up in a corner, whatever, but we are praying as the Spirit leads.
“We pray for our nation—crime, accidents on the streets, salvation—and for other churches and nations. We pray against witches and warlocks, against ‘the strong man’s’ terrain. We pray for the young men in Jamaica, our political leaders, and the ministries of government; there is much ground to cover over the month,” she concluded.
SOME MEMORABLE RESULTS
Quadruple Trouble
Pastor Turnbull related that in this present season of prayer, one of her most outstanding experiences occurred in week 2. “A gentleman came in requesting prayer. He was a backslider; his house had been burned to the ground; and he was unemployed. Plus, his son had gone missing, so that was quadruple trouble right there.
“In prayer, you have to be very sensitive,” she warned. “You have to listen carefully to what the LORD is saying. When I was asked to pray for him, all I could hear the LORD instructing was, ‘Just give Me thanks.’ I turned to the gentleman and relayed the message: ‘The LORD said I am to pray and give Him thanks.’ I did just that, and at one point, I lifted up the basket of prayer requests that we had, and I just started thanking God.
“Let me tell you, it seemed foolish at the time, but God’s Word says in 1 Corinthians 1:27 that ‘He uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.’ The man returned the following day and said he had found a job. Glory hallelujah! And he is now back in church, worshipping God.
“Our Apostle V.T. Williams would often say, ‘Get what you can and can what you get. Send up your prayers,’ and that’s all that we do and wait on the LORD to respond.
“On the 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift, people tend to report that that’s the time they get their deliverance. They come in disturbed and leave in peace. The 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift is run by Minister V. Cunningham. There’s no shifting her from that shift; she has the eyes of an eagle and is a true servant in the Kingdom.”
The pastor’s voice grew emotional at this point. “Our team is really about 60 in number,” she softly said. “Some of the prayer mothers are now home-bound. They can’t come out like before, but they remain critical to the Engine Room’s operations. When they do get the chance to visit church, they head straight for the corner where we sit.
“We’re like family. The entire team is totally committed to the task, and so it is a joy to be a part of the group. We tarry together, and those who work on the prayer shifts during the month of prayer often remain for other shifts, depending on what is happening.”
Rambo Rendered Powerless
When asked about some of her most memorable moments during the month of prayer, Pastor Turnbull laughed: “They have been so numerous! I remember several years ago, a lady entered the prayer room during the 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift. She was well dressed, and while we were praying, she just started manifesting. She was twisting like a snake on the floor, and when we enquired her name, her voice was thunderous, like a man’s, as she responded, ‘Rambo!’
“When we asked the spirit ‘Rambo’ where he was from, he responded, ‘Africa.’ We tarried with her through that first day into the night and also through to the following night before we saw her breakthrough.
“She started visiting us and would return to several seasons of prayer until she eventually stopped. But sometime later, we ran into her in Clarendon, her home parish, and she was still ‘sweetly saved’ and delivered. Glory to God! The parable of the ten lepers in Luke 17 always comes to mind when I think of her. She was ‘the one who returned’ and who has remained strong in the faith.”
DEVELOP YOUR PRAYER LIFE
Pastor Turnbull lamented the fact that people don’t want to spend personal time in prayer. “They want the result, but they want someone else to pray for them.” Admittedly, while backup is sometimes needed to break strongholds, she encourages people to develop their own prayer relationship with the LORD.
“I believe God is summoning us back to that old-fashioned altar, where we come and wait, eager to hear from Him. We need to spend time in the Presence of God, time on the altar. If Jesus spent time praying, why can’t we?” She asked, as she trailed off into singing,Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer