Follow the Cones to Free Prayer

Valerie Beck was new to the leadership of the prayer ministry at Trinity Evangelical Free Church, Lakeville, MN. As she thought ahead to the National Day of Prayer, she prayed about how her church was to participate.

At the same time, she read an article in the newspaper about a church in Minneapolis that hosts drive-through prayer during every Lenten season. Karen Walhof of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd stands out in the bitter cold on a busy street at 7:00 a.m. every Wednesday during Lent, to offer prayer to anyone who drives by.

Beck loved the drive-through idea but thought she would rather wait until a warmer day in Minnesota! The National Day of Prayer in May seemed the perfect time to launch Trinity’s own drive-through prayer.

Volunteers set up traffic cones in the church’s parking lot from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. They also had a tent that people could drive under, hoping the tent would create even more interest from the street view. But when the wind knocked the tent over—and cars just pulled up between the cones—they knew the tent wasn’t necessary.

They created simple signs that said “Free Prayer” and stationed people along the roadside to hold the signs, smile, and wave at drivers. They also placed smaller signs along the roadway ahead of time with the date of upcoming prayer.

“Our signs were cost-effective—and they got the attention of drivers,” says Beck. “And when we waved at them, they often turned around and came back. Sometimes they were just curious, but we always asked if we could pray for them.”

The volunteers were careful to make it only about prayer, and did not promote the church unless asked about it. Beck says they discovered people preferred to stay in their cars. The barrier of the car door seemed to make drivers feel more comfortable in receiving prayer.

“We found the drive-through prayer created a safe place for people to ask for prayer from strangers and share prayer requests they wouldn’t have shared with anyone else,” observes Beck. “People just stopping for prayer can be a big step [for them]. Maybe they have never asked for prayer before. It’s a way of humbling themselves and acknowledging their need.”

The first year the drive-through prayer team prayed for 40 people. The second year, volunteers were eager to do it again, but they shortened the hours from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Most of the people who stopped were from the community, and many of them were in moments of great need. One woman had just left her attorney’s office after hearing her husband was filing for divorce. Another driver was just diagnosed with cancer. Still another woman was grieving for her husband who died of a heart attack just a week earlier.

One driver, who was a repeat customer, said, “I was waiting for this day for someone to pray with me!”

Beck would like to see other churches adopt the same concept and signage for drive-through prayer at their churches so that drivers will begin to recognize a prayer movement in their city. A template and printing source for the banner and signs are available by contacting vbeck@trinityefc.net.