How Can I Set Up a Prayer Vigil?

I am trying to find a prayer vigil guideline, and I can't seem to find one anywhere. Our church is having a 24-hour prayer vigil with members praying from their homes. The focus will be buying a church building (we are currently renting a warehouse). We are seeking God's will and wisdom in this. This is the first time I've done this, so I am a little lost. I am a fairly structured person, so I would like to have a format to follow. How can I put together an effective guide?
Janie

Janie,
Here are a few suggestions that I hope the Holy Spirit can use to give you the focus and format that He wants for this vigil.

• Ask each individual to pray as often as they can, BUT that each would select one of the 24 hours that they will devote completely to prayer.
• Provide a guide that divdes the hour into 6, 10-minute sections. Here is a suggested format:

Upward: 10 minutes of praise to God (give thanks that He has supplied all our needs in Christ).
Downward: prayers of confession, both personal and on behalf of the congregation (lack of faith, pride, divisiveness, etc.).
Inward: asking God to reveal His will through the desires of our hearts (God, make what You want, what we want).
Outward: pray for those the church hopes to serve by having a new facility.
Backward: give thanks for how God has blessed you and our church in the past (be specific).
Forward: tell the Lord we will follow Him into the future on whatever path He gives to us; we will obey and will see Him do great things.

• Attach several scripture references to each segment and ask the pray-ers to pray the Word back to God as part of their praying.
• Select a theme verse and suggest: “Recite this as our prayer throughout the day and evening (when it is not your hour to pray).”
• Print a simple journal page for everyone and ask them to take notes on what God says to them as they pray. Hold a mini-vigil several days later to pray together using the note pages as a launching point for our prayers

Hope that helps,

Phil