Interfaith prayer club builds community

By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

“It’s always nice to know that someone’s looking out for you and keeping you in their thoughts,” says Doris Fina, a resident at Ann’s Choice.

That was the idea behind the creation of the community’s Interfaith Prayer Chain two years ago. And the idea is going strong.

“It embraces all of us,” Fina says, who is the co-chair of the prayer chain. “Anyone that needs a prayer can contact us and we’ll call three people who calls three people, who calls three people,” she explains. “When it’s all said and done, there are a lot of prayers going on.”

A community through prayer
Cofounder of the network Ruth Yates estimates that after a request, people have almost 50 people praying for them.

Yates says, “It’s brought a community together with how people believe. It’s encouragement for everyone, even those who might not have a church.”

“It’s reassuring to know that others are praying for you,” Fina adds. “It’s so nice to hear the good results. It makes us very much a family here at Ann’s Choice. That’s really what it’s all about.”

Seeing results
Big or small, Yates says a request is never denied. “We take them all. And we encourage people to let us know what’s going on, because many members (in the chain) will keep on praying until they know the issue is resolved,” she says. “And we’ve seen some beautiful answers.”

Fina says the group averages about a request for a prayer each day. “Some days, it’s more than others, but we like to say, ‘When business is bad, things are going good.’