Softly played hymns fill the quiet room as light from a hand-painted window fills the lavender walls of the College Street Baptist Church prayer room.
The stained-glass window in the prayer room was created by a College Street member.The room has been in the making for a long time, says pastor Ken Ferrell.
“We are convinced that prayer is the greatest force in all the world,” said Ferrell. “And we wanted our people to have a beautiful place to pray. A place where they could come to in privacy and talk to God. A place where they could tell him all about their needs and concerns. We believe that prayers will make a difference in our lives and the lives of our loved ones.”
The members of the Newberry congregation built the room. One member, David Teseniar, hand-painted the room’s stained-glass window. The design in the center of the window is a cross with praying hands over it.
The room also has a built-in shelf holding angels and a CD player.
When worshipers walk through the door to the room, they will look down to find a paper shredder – or, as it is better known, a “sin shredder.” It is an ordinary paper shredder that can be purchased at any office supply store. An article from a Missouri pastor said that the shredder at his church has become an extraordinary channel for God’s grace in the congregation.
“Many people have shared with me about the freedom they have received from the Lord as they confessed their sins and symbolically destroyed them,” writes Gary Schmitz of Lee’s Summit, Missouri. “I’ve heard people say that they left the prayer room and made phone calls and visits to ask forgiveness of those they have offended. Marriages have been restored, and several people have experienced physical healings. Those who have used the sin shredder say they feel closer to God and desire to pray more and reach out to others.”
Ferrell adds he hopes the prayer room will remind those in his congregation and the community of the need to pray.
In addition to opening the prayer room, the church is also in the midst of holding 100 days of prayer and Ferrell is doing a sermon series on prayer.
Recently, the church officially began using the room for a 9:30 a.m. prayer time.
“Every Sunday morning, our deacons and their wives meet in our prayer room for a time of prayer for our children. We pray for the sick. We pray for the church. We pray for our lost loved ones. We pray for our town and our country. We pray for our President. We pray for the world situation. We pray for the leaders of our nation. We pray that our church will be a soul-winning church,” confides Ferrell.
“Our people are invited to come to the prayer room to pray at any time.”
The prayer room is open during Sunday services and by appointment. To visit the prayer room, call the church at 803-276-8403 or the parsonage at 803-276-6822.
(Reprinted with permission)
While nothing washes away sin but the blood of Jesus, the prayer room offers a symbolic shredder to help people shred their confessions.