Praying across the 32 counties of Ireland in 10 days
Ten short reflections and observations after leading prayer meetings in every county in Ireland
Who?
I’m part of an outreach/ evangelism ministry called Crown Jesus Ministries, which was established over 26 years ago. We have a heart to reach everyone on the island of Ireland with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Why?
I began reading ‘Prayer and the Coming Revival’ by Andrew Murray in March this year and was gripped by his challenging words below:
"We begin with the well-known words (Acts 1:14), "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” And then there follows: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. And the same day, there were added to them about three thousand souls.”
The great work of redemption had been accomplished. The Holy Spirit had been promised by Christ "not many days hence." He had sat down on His throne and received the Spirit from the Father. But all this was not enough. One thing more was needed: the ten days' united continued supplication of the disciples. It was intense, continued prayer that prepared the disciples' hearts, that opened the windows of heaven, that brought down the promised gift. As little as the power of the Spirit could be given without Christ sitting on the throne, could it descend without the disciples on the footstool of the throne? For all the ages, the law is laid down here, at the birth of the Church, that whatever else may be found on earth, the power of the Spirit must be prayed down from heaven.
The measure of believing, continued prayer, will be the measure of the Spirit's working in the Church.
Direct, definite, determined prayer is what we need… The whole ministry of the Spirit is governed by one great law: God must give, and we must ask. When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost with an unending flow, it was in response to prayer.”
Reading alongside Luke 11:9-13 (Ask, Seek, and Knock…how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask), I was challenged to action. At first, I considered 10 days of prayer alone, but it soon became clear that the Lord was pressing upon me to do something bigger across the Island.
How?
In response, I set off on a prayer adventure/pilgrimage: 32 prayer meetings, in the 32 counties of Ireland in 10 days between Ascension Day and Pentecost Sunday. (In the end, we had 36 prayer meetings.)
As I travelled from county to county, my goal was to encourage the church to pray and wait for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as the disciples did for 10 days after Jesus’ ascension.
The prayer meeting had three parts of concentrated time to pray:
- For a personal revival,
- For the churches in the county being visited,
- For God to heal and bless our land. This was concluded by gathering written prayers in each county on a large map.
Where?
On the 25th of April, we sent invitations to church leaders we knew across Ireland. With only six weeks' notice and during the Easter Holidays, I knew I had limited time to work on the logistics of time, travel, accommodation, etc.
The selection of churches/ministries was based on:
- Visiting churches we already had a strong relationship with,
- Churches/ministries we felt it would be good to encourage,
- Where the door opened first.
Below is the list and days:
Day 1, Thursday, May 29th
Armagh: Vibe Church 12-1.30pm
Tyrone: Liberty Church 4-5;30pm
Londonderry / Derry: Causeway Coast Vineyard 7:30pm-9pm
Day 2, Friday, May 30th
Donegal: Letterkenny, Genesis Project 7:30am
Fermanagh: The Stables 2pm
Monaghan: Shalom Church 7:30pm
Day 3 Saturday, May 31st
Cavan: New Beginnings Church, Bailieborough 10am
Leitrim: Roosky Community Church 2pm
Sligo: Sligo Methodist 7:30pm
Day 4 Sunday 1st June
Mayo: Amazing Grace Elim, Westport 11am
Roscommon: Light for the People Church 2pm
Longford: Chapel of Light (RCCG) 4pm
Offaly: Cornerstone 6:30pm
Galway: Athenry Gospel Hall 10pm
Day 5 Monday 2nd June
Galway: Athenry Mens prayer breakfast 8:45am
Clare: Shannon Christian Centre 12noon-1:30pm
Tipperary: Oasis Christian Fellowship 2:30pm
Tipperary Remar Rehabilitation 5pm
Limerick: River Church, (Prayer walk Harverys Quey) 7:30pm
Day 6 Tuesday 3rd June
Kerry: Miltown Town Hall 10am
Cork: The Haven Cafe 2:30pm
Waterford: Dungarvan Community Church 7pm
Day 7 Wednesday 4th June
Kilkenny: Kilkenny Community Church 1pm
Wexford: Wexford Christian Community Church 5pm
Carlow: Barrow Valley Church 7:30pm
Day 8 Thursday, 5th June
Laois: Portlaoise Life Church 10am
Kildare: The Bridge Church, Cellbridge 1pm
Wicklow: Corner Stone Church 7:30pm
Day 9 Friday 6th June
Dublin: Mannafest Ministries, 10am
Meath: Meath Christian Centre 3pm
Westmeath: Mullingar Presbyterian Church 7pm
Day 10 Saturday 7th June
Louth: Solid Rock Church (Church of God) 9:30am
Antrim: Ballymena Town Hall - Without Walls (Multi-church event) 12:30pm
Antrim: Toome - Multi-church event 2pm
Down: Journey Church, Downpatrick 7:30pm
Observations and reflections:
Firstly, this is not intended to be a piece of qualitative/quantitative research.
One prayer meeting in one county at 10am midweek should not be considered a reflection on the congregation’s prayer life, let alone the county.
That said, having prayed across the Island with over 1,000 people from a broad spectrum of Christians and connecting with over 60 church leaders, I hope you will find the following points encouraging:
- There is a beautiful unity flourishing across the land. Support for the project and the prayer meetings showed a united diversity of ages, cultures, and denominations. In some prayer meetings, as many as six or seven different denominations are represented. (Note: although you may not see Baptist, Church of Ireland and only one Presbyterian on the list of host churches, their congregations and leaders were present in many meetings.) In 2018, I felt the Lord giving me a picture of bees pollinating apple trees across Ireland. The word was clear: ‘the bees of my spirit are coming across this land, do not chase them from your garden, do not be afraid of giving pollen away or receiving something new; for in this way you will bear much fruit ‘- see Prophetic Picture for Ireland
- Pastors and leaders are working hard with a renewed focus on Evangelism and Prayer. I witnessed healthy, loving and caring leadership.
- I found all leaders at ease with me leading the meeting and not controlling the time, content, etc. There can be a few reasons for this, including the currency of trust already established with our ministry. Still, I believe the grander picture is of a leadership open to helping, collaborating, and partnering with others.
- God's people genuinely love and deeply care for this land. In almost every prayer meeting I witnessed people lying on the floor or kneeling in tears as they prayed for this land. Of course, tears are not a measure of someone's spirituality, but this highlights a deep sense of intercession and burning desire for God to pour out His Spirit in new ways.
- The Holy Spirit is moving in ways that are difficult to describe in words —both wild and gentle and unmistakably unsystematic. It's a powerful grace, as He moves as explosive dynamite in one place AND as a gentle dynamo in another. Again, I witnessed leadership and people at ease with this.
- This Irish / Northern Irish culture is increasingly receptive to the Gospel. I heard many good news reports of fresh expressions of outreach that effectively connect with their community. In most cases, these were small, community-based, and relational. Street evangelism (done ethically) is proving to be more effective than some might imagine.
- There is a significant need for church plants that are not constrained by historical religious practices but are vibrant, welcoming, Spirit-filled, and Gospel-centric. These fresh expressions must create space for the Holy Spirit to speak, embrace diversity, and remain faithful to core Christian values and principles, including marriage, identity, etc. Counties such as Kerry, Roscommon, and Offaly desperately need an injection of life-giving churches and investment into existing churches.
- Northern Ireland churches/ministries must be more responsible for sending money, staff, and resources into the Republic of Ireland.
- At every meeting, I read part of the story of the Brooklyn Tabernacle church and how Pastor Jim Cymbala built his church on the prayer meeting. On every occasion, this story resonated with God's people, and I do not doubt that a lasting impact will come from the inspiration for the Church to pray more.
- The map of Ireland covered with hundreds of prayers reminds everyone that he will answer as long as God's people continue to pray. 2 Chronicles 7:14 ‘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.’
I hope this report is helpful. If you would like to support Crown Jesus and our mandate to reach Ireland with the Gospel, you can do so via the donate button on our website.
Additionally, a poster of the finished map will be available to purchase via our website in the coming weeks. This map will inspire others to keep praying.
Mitch
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