Sydney ministry leaders unveil the power source of their week
“Often we as The Salvation Army get so caught up in doing, and we get very busy in that place.”
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Most paid Salvation Army ministry leaders would admit that it is a real struggle to carve out significant time for prayer, contemplation and listening to God. But nine officers and faith leaders in south-west Sydney block out between two and four hours every Friday to come together to pray and hear from God, regardless of what is going on.
Seated in a makeshift circle in the Liverpool Corps hall are members of the South West Sydney Area Leadership team, along with the Corps Officers from Maroubra, located in nearby Sydney’s east. There’s no fanfare or strict structure, just a group of people who clearly know each other well. The joy of being together is palpable.
Rachel Gorringe, Ministry Assistant at Macquarie Fields Mission, shares about a recent youth camp at which many young people made first-time commitments or wanted ‘fresh fire’ from the Holy Spirit. Everyone in the room celebrates, and prayers of praise naturally begin to flow.
In the room are Major Lynden Spicer from South-West Sydney Salvos, Major Darren Kingston and Rachel Gorringe from Macquarie Fields Mission, Joel and Kianna Spicer from Liverpool Corps, Auxiliary-Lieutenants Katharine and Russell Brown from Fairfield Corps and Captain Jo and Lieutenant Keven Williams from Maroubra Corps.
Time seems to slow, and nothing else seems to matter as everyone enters in fluid prayer, prophecy and discernment.
“There’s not a Friday that’s gone by where we haven’t heard a bunch of stuff from God,” says Joel Spicer. “Some of it is not ‘instructional’; some of it is just showering us in love or giving us encouragement, or answer to prayer, or direction. When we receive from the Father, our ‘doing’ becomes easier and a lot more purposeful.”
Joel mentions that taking time out and intentionally saying ‘no’ to other ministry opportunities for those hours every Friday has significantly impacted the perceived workload demands of everyone who has gathered.
“Often, we in The Salvation Army get caught up in the ‘doing’ and we get very busy in that space. We have found that the ‘doing’ becomes a lot easier when we set aside time for regular, communal prayer and waiting on God. It has become easier and more satisfying! You are hearing God, interwoven in the ‘doing’.
“Seeking God doesn’t mean you have to stop and close off all the ‘doing’; it means you can receive more instruction from the Holy Spirit and revelation from the Holy Spirit as you go along.”
For those involved in Salvation Army ministry who look at their bulging calendars each week and can’t comprehend how they might fit in a few hours of focused prayer into the busyness, Joel’s encouragement is to take a step of faith, block out some time, and give it a go: “I really feel that it [meeting to pray for two hours every Friday] has enhanced what we do. I know that sometimes you look at something, and it doesn’t make sense in the ‘practical’ or ‘physical’. But in the ‘spiritual’, it makes perfect sense.”
Darren Kingston, a fellow participant from the south-west Sydney prayer cell, agrees.
“This has allowed us to stay in tune with God and his ways. You could be doing all different things, but you might be off track, and you might not be allowing God to speak to you … I find it makes ministry easier.”
And it’s not just their own ministries that God has been speaking to the prayer cell about – prophecies and words of encouragement for The Salvation Army as a whole have also been received.
An Army on its knees
In 2024, Territorial Commander Commissioner Miriam Gluyas exhorted The Salvation Army in Australia to be ‘an Army on our knees’, and these Salvos have responded to the call.
Joel says about a year ago, the group began to hear God saying, “This is not just for south-west Sydney; this is for everyone”. As a result, the prayer cell began to encourage and invite various Salvationists and people from other denominations to visit the group and experience the process and how the Holy Spirit moves.
Towards the end of last year, then NSW/ACT Divisional Commander Major Kim Haworth spoke with Joel about ways to encourage other Salvation Army mission leaders to set aside time for prayer in a similar manner.
The division had spent time hearing from Pastor Tania Harris, author of The Church Who Hears God’s Voice, and Kim’s heart was for each missional expression to be setting aside time to pray, listen and discern God’s will for the future of our Army. When she asked Joel to lead a prayer-cell initiative, it aligned with what God had already been revealing to the group.
“I wanted it to happen organically,” he said. “Not be another program that was forced upon people. God showed me a few people that I approached and invited them into our Friday space to see how it works and then support them as they look into what it might look like in their area.”
Joel says that making communal prayer and listening a priority five years ago has been the best ministry decision he’s ever made. He’s encouraging others to do the same.
To find out more about the South-West Sydney prayer cell or get support about creating a prayer cell in your area, contact Joel Spicer: joel.spicer@salvationarmy.org.au
