Praying in Groups with Prayer Sparks
Here are eight exercises for group prayer experiences using Prayer Sparks.
Pray and Pass Spread out some sparks on a table in the center of a room, and let each member of the group pick one. (If they want to exchange their first pick, that’s fine.) Have several minutes for everyone to pray, using the prompt they have selected. Then, have them pass their cards to their neighbors, so that everyone has a new card. Again, take a few minutes for everyone to pray with their new card. Repeat as often as seems helpful. Consider using songs between prayer sessions to give people a chance to pull back and reflect. Before closing, you might offer an opportunity for people to share their reflections of the prayer times, but without compulsion. (If you are going to open such space at the end, let people at the beginning that this is going to happen.)
Text Prompts Send your group a text each day with a picture of a prayer spark for the day.
Three to One Before entering into a time of shared prayer, have each participant draw three cards at random. They read these, and then select one, as they feel led, to spend time praying with for a few moments. In lieu of long comments or discussion, at the end simply ask participants to share which cards they drew, and which of the three they selected.
Take-Out Each person takes a card home for a week, and prays over the prompt for a period of time each day. Consider setting up a space in the group’s meeting space where they post the card when they return, maybe with a cork board and pins, and perhaps a post-it note about their reflections. When they return the card, they take another, until the group as a whole works through the whole deck! Consider encouraging each person to post on the group’s social media about their time with their prayer spark.
Simple Stations Take a few Sparks and use them to create a set of simple prayer stations. Spread out tables and chairs. At each seat, have a candle and a spark card, face down. Have each person sit at a station and pray with the card there, then rotate every five minutes or so.
Pair and Share Participants split into twos or threes, and each group picks a spark to pray over. After they do, have groups combine with another group or two, share their spark and their reflections about the prompt.
Prayer Journey Have the group go on a prayer walk or drive together. Give each participant a different spark to reflect with as they travel. If you want, shuffle and let participants draw new sparks at different checkpoints. Alternatively, just use a single spark for the whole group, and at the checkpoints have a person share a new spark with a reflection for the next stage of the prayer journey.
Spark Scribes Give each participant, or a group of participants, a handful of sparks, and an index card and some markers. Have them flip through the sparks to get a feel for how they work, and then have them create their own. What kind of Prayer Spark would they create for the group? Why is their Spark important?
Prayer Sparks can help cultivate the spiritual lives of groups and individuals. Order a set today!
