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ABOUT US
WHAT WE DO
Each week in our target areas, a Prayer Officer can be found patrolling their prayer beat. By walking the area throughout the week, and knocking on doors, the prayer officer is assured to find families in crisis with which he can minister through prayer and God’s Word, and also times of blessings with which he can rejoice with the family. One neighborhood has had over 50 visits to each home! (At that point you stop counting!)
When the prayer officer finds a family or individual in a time when they need prayer, he will write out a “Prayer Citation”, (or “Prayer Ticket”, as one youth jokingly said one day) and will make an official record of the prayer need. A signature of the resident is acquired by the officer and a copy of the prayer citation is left with the family for the purpose of encouragement and the other is brought back to Prayer Patrol Headquarters where it is prayed over, filed and prepared for follow through investigation. If the officer discovers an answer to prayer while on patrol, he investigates the details of the answered prayer and makes an official report of the investigation, and takes a picture of the resident if possible. Upon return to headquarters, the officer will file the report and it will be prepared to be published in a future prayer alert.
One of the primary objectives of the Prayer Patrol is to establish Bible studies, either in the home or one that is more community oriented, for example in a park or community building. In either case, the lead prayer officer endeavors to establish a biblical foundation with the family or individuals so that they might fully understand Christ’s redemptive work and rest in the finished work of Calvary.
These Bible studies are exciting to say the least because they can include residents from all types of Christian denominations, including Catholics. These neighbors bring many questions and opinions to our studies which can lead to some very ‘energetic’ discussions. Though discussions at the end of the service are encouraged, the objective of the lead prayer officer is to stay on task with the progression of Bible lessons in spite of the “rabbit trails” incited by inquisitive attendees.
To date, our Bible study with the most tenure is located in downtown Pomona, California in a gang controlled area. The study takes place in a public park and has seen as many as 35 attendees. There are several who are regular to this study and desire to know Christ. Most all who come are life-long Catholics who have responded to our regular delivery of The Alert, which is published in both English and Spanish, and also our prayer visits. Interestingly, there is a lady who lives in the area who did not wish to receive The Alert in the beginning because she was a strong Catholic and did not understand what it was. Once she understood that it was a record of answered prayer from her neighbors, she received it. Eventually, she asked us to come in and pray with her elderly mother. Recently, this same lady came to our service at the park and became very interested in our subject for the day. At the close of the service she wanted to know where to buy a Bible and what kind to get. She said she loved the Bible study and would start to attend regularly. Isn’t God good!
The Alert is a publication that was founded by Rev. Kurt A. Kennedy, Chief of Prayer Officers in June of 2005. The Alert is an official looking publication that contains stories of answered prayers from the actual residents in a given area. The story is the account given by the resident along with their picture. Also in The Alert, is a Bible lesson, a color page for children and usually and article on something practical for the family, from a biblical perspective. The Alert is published in English and Spanish and is delivered according to a pattern that The Prayer Patrol has established. In the first six months, it is delivered once a week, then once every two weeks. After nine months, it is slowed to once a month. This strategy has enabled The Prayer Patrol to gain entry to many homes in the first six months and then as we have a heavier presence in the homes, the delivery of The Alert can be slowed down.
Chief Kurt Kennedy writes The Alert and also translates it into Spanish. He then forwards the Spanish translation to our staff translators who correct any grammatical errors. Incidentally, our staff translators are a married couple that came from our neighborhood in downtown Pomona, California. They are David and Rosalba Cámara and have become valued team members.
- Front Door Prayer Service and Ministry
Though our services in the parks have seen many visitors, the bulk of ministry still takes place at the front door of the residents’ homes. While most claim some type of religious preference, many remain unchurched, therefore an outbound ministry is necessary to meet their spiritual needs.
To the Chief’s surprise, the response from the community concerning The Prayer Patrol has been overwhelmingly positive. Chief Kennedy has been stopped on the street many times for prayer and other counseling needs. Chief Kennedy has had prayer conversations with prostitutes, gang members, ex-convicts, preachers, those with dementia, and the list goes on. One time, while on a prayer visit in Beverly Hills, a lady thought he was connected with the City of Beverly Hills. When she found out he wasn’t, she was disappointed. She thought it was great that the City of Beverly Hills had sent out a Prayer Officer to bless the residents!
In every prayer visit, Chief Kennedy encourages the residents in the importance in attending a community Bible study. Nevertheless, many of the residents continue in their “vacuum” of not wanting to know their neighbors and not having a quality part of community, let alone a sub-community that wants to aggressively search the Bible for Christ. Though challenging, this does not lessen the importance of the biblical community known as the local church. Therefore, the objective of the lead prayer officer in any given neighborhood is to endeavor to bring these prospects together in corporal Bible study with the idea of establishing a local new testament Bible-believing/practicing church.
- The Community Bible Study
The first Bible study which was established, and currently serving as our model, is almost two years old. Because it is outdoors we are at the mercy of the elements and seasons. For these reasons, our time has changed somewhat over the last couple of years. In the summertime, we have our Sunday service at 10:30 A.M. because it is cooler. In the winter we change it to mid afternoon when it is warmer. When it rains, no one comes and we just go to their homes individually. In spite of these changes, our regulars remain faithful. These are folks who are purposed to know Christ. They bring their Bibles and search them during the study.
Another of our challenges have been loose running dogs in the park (including dog fights!), homeless transients, and not to forget, very loud Mexican dance music playing across the street! One time a little dog, which we have come to call “bravito”, which means “little brave one”, left his mark on all our guitars we had out ready to play! Oh boy! Another time the same little dog was chasing a pit bull and they stopped under the Chief’s feet and began to fight while he was preaching and had an audience of 20 plus! He waited until they stopped fighting and finished his lesson!
In the beginning we had no music, but eventually Chief Kennedy learned to play the guitar in “open G”. Now we have four guitars, a bass and an autoharp. It may not sound professional, but there are many involved in the music. The young people have come to realize that it is much more fun to play than to just sing. Now, we offer guitar lessons before each service to anyone in the community who wants to learn. You would be surprised at the amount of people who have been taught!
Chief Kennedy has been stopped in the park by several different residents on various occasions and has been told by them how much they appreciate the presence of the Prayer Patrol. One man told him, “I can tell when you guy show up, because the Holy Spirit shows up at the same time and there is a calm in the neighborhood!” Another neighbor said, “With all the gang activity here and the drug trade, we are sure glad our children can see a real missionary at work just across the street!” Frankly, the Chief is humbled by statements like these, for it is Christ who deserves all the glory. Interestingly, neither of these residents quotes comes to the study in the park. But the important thing is that they are watching and considering. It is amazing what God can do with a small thing!
As interest grew in the community about The Prayer Patrol, many inquired about becoming a “Prayer Officer”. Therefore, Chief Kennedy set in motion a training program that would equip an individual to be proficient in all necessary areas of service and ministry as a uniformed prayer officer. There are currently two men from the neighborhood that are in training. One of them is almost 80! Chief Kennedy’s 13 year old son is also in training. A local daycare in the area has even volunteered its facilities for training
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to evangelize the residents of a given area and in turn, train them to do the work of evangelism, first in their homes and then in other neighborhoods. We do this by inciting in them an interest in the things of God through the delivery of The Alert, which contains stories of answered prayers from among their neighbors. Then we motivate them to recognize their own personal need for Christ and then to search the scriptures in order to fully rest in the finished work of Christ on Calvary. This process is repeated as we train a family to go to a different neighborhood with a burden to reach those residents in the same manner.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
God’s Word
The Prayer Patrol uses the King James Bible as its official general issue for all Prayer Officers. We believe that God’s Word is inspired in the original scriptures and that the King James Version is God’s preserved word for the English speaking world.
God Himself
We believe in the triune nature of the Godhead; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe God is holy and separate from His creation. We believe God hates all sin and loves all sinners. We believe God is self sufficient and sovereign and needs nothing to remain eternal.
Christ
We believe Jesus Christ was born of a virgin and was God incarnate. We believe he was sinless but took all sin upon himself on the cross of Calvary. We believe he died and rose again on the third day and will return one day in His corporal body. We believe God judged, punished and forgave all sin through Christ and his shed blood on the cross and that this work has been completed once and for all. We believe Jesus Christ created the local church and has given it the privilege and responsibility of being autonomous and sovereign.
Christ’s Finished Work
We believe that Christ’s finished work is just that. Finished and complete. The payment for all sin has been made by God Himself using the blood of Christ and it needs no addition, subtraction or interpretation. All who come to rest in the finished work of Christ with no effort of their own, are born again by the Spirit of God.
Man
We believe that man is born as a descendant of Adam and is sinful and lost and in need of regeneration through the born again experience as performed only by the Holy Spirit.
The Local Church
We believe Christ instituted the Local New Testament Church. We believe and practice the authority of the New Testament Church and the leadership of the Bible believing Pastor.
The Work of Evangelism
We believe it is the responsibility of each born-again Christian to share the Good News of Christ with the lost person. It is their personal responsibility to bring that person to Christ, help them to understand the Scriptures and train them to repeat the process.
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