Rick and Carolyn Messinger were looking for an idea to help revitalize Welsh Road Church (WRC) in Horsham, PA (formerly Maple Glen BFC) by focusing on outreach to the community. They were on the Outreach Team and had a meeting coming up that they needed an idea so they prayerfully went to the biggest source of ideas –the internet! On a Google search they found a large church in Arizona which held a Drive Through Prayer for their community. They researched the ins and outs of Drive Through Prayer and thought that they could do that, too!
Rick and Carolyn brought the idea to the Outreach Team and they thought it was a great idea. Then Church Planter AJ Miller held a special meeting for anyone interested to hear about Drive Through Prayer see who was interested in helping. explain the ministry to anyone from the congregation who was interested in hearing about it. From that meeting, four people were chosen to head up Drive Through Prayer: Debbie DelVecchio, William Daly, and John and Glenna Schlegel.
Debbie DelVecchio
When Debbie heard Rick and Carolyn’s idea about Drive Through Prayer, right away she said, “I’m going in, baby! I have no fear in talking to anyone!” Debbie describes herself as a loose cannon which can be a good thing when talking to new people.
Debbie DelVecchio attended Faith BFC in Harleysville for 33 years. When Pastor Andy Crossgrove presented the idea of revitalizing Welsh Road Church, right away she knew “I am going!” At that point she had been a widow for two years, so she felt free to leave her ties at Harleysville to help. She had already been praying for the congregation in Horsham for a long time and had felt a burden for the congregation there. She went through the planning meetings and trainings, transferred her membership, but she still felt the weight of her decision on the first Sunday she worshipped at WRC. She looked around, saw so few people, and thought, “what did I do?!” But she was quickly encouraged as she joined a few of the revitalization teams and saw the Lord at work in the church.
William Daly
William came to Welsh Road Church after attending Bethany BFC in Hatfield. He and his wife moved to Ambler about the same time that Welsh Road Church was building its revitalization plan. RJ James, an elder at Faith BFC in Harleysville which is the church that headed up the revitalization, came to Bethany BFC in Hatfield to explain the idea and ask for support. Although William and his wife did not jump in right away, they did attend a workday at WRC. After a time, the Lord impressed upon them that they were to join. They started attending almost at the beginning, just one month after the revitalization officially began.
William loves the family atmosphere of both Bethany and WRC. Church Planter AJ Miller chose William and the rest of the team based on their spiritual gifts inventory trusting that the Lord had gifted them all for leading this particular ministry.
John and Glenna Schlegel
John and Glenna had been worshipping at Faith BFC Harleysville for only two years when the church was putting together the revitalization team for WRC. Before that, they were in Spain as church planters for 20 plus years, so it was a no-brainer for them to join the revitalization team. “The beginnings of Welsh Road Church reminded me a lot of our last church plant in the north of Spain which had about 12-15 people,” said Glenna.
Planning Drive Through Prayer
Debbie, William, John, and Glenna came together to plan Drive Through Prayer and the logistics of the ministry. They watched some videos about how others do it and then they created guidelines. They decided to do it several times a year and always two days in a row. When they hold it on weekdays, it’s from 4-6pm and when it is on a Saturday, they do it in the morning. The 4-6pm time works because it doesn’t interfere with the dinner hour for people.
They also intentionally keep the focus on prayer. They don’t invite people to church or share the gospel unless the Lord leads the conversation in that direction. People came for prayer so that is what they focus on.
It takes a lot more people than just the leadership team to run the Drive Through Prayer. They usually have about 15 volunteers. Early in the week, they post signs that Drive Through Prayer will be happening. They also post a sign in Spanish since John and Glenna and another man from the church are fluent.
On the day of Drive Through Prayer, the volunteers arrive early to set out the traffic cones and the exit station. Then they gather for prayer before the event begins and to hand out the schedule of who will be stationed where. They have two shifts; volunteers switch stations halfway through to give everyone experience with all the aspects of the ministry. There are people inside praying during the two-hour event for everything that is happening outside. There are two people assigned to wave at cars driving by to attract attention. (Debbie likes this job!) There are people with bright vests directing traffic and people manning the exit station where there are gifts for people to take if they want them. The table has gospels of John, nice mugs with the church logo, and a card with a QR code with church information on it.
One man and one woman is at the ready at each prayer station. Their policy is for a man to pray with a man and a woman to pray with a woman. They only introduce themselves by their first name and they only ask the people for first names to keep things confidential.
At the end of the time, the volunteers put away the exit station, the traffic cones, then they gather for prayer once more with the specific requests from people that day.
The Ideal Church Property Set Up
All members of the leadership team acknowledge that Drive Through Prayer wouldn’t work for just any church, but their church has an ideal set up. “About 13,000 vehicles pass our church building every day,” said Glenna. “The flow of the parking lot is set up as a circle around the building. Cars enter one way, drive to the parking lot in the back of the church and then exit around the other side of the building. We set up orange traffic cones to indicate where people are to drive and then we have three stations set up in the back parking lot. Most of the time we have two stations and the third is for overflow.”
How God has Worked During Drive Through Prayer
This is the third year Welsh Road Church has hosted Drive Through Prayer. Debbie said, “The first year we have 75 total, the second year we had 100, and the most recent event this year we had 16 people in one day! That was a lot! It was especially encouraging because that was the second day we ran it. The first day John did a devotion from Habakkuk 3 pointing out where Habakkuk said ‘even if there are no grapes on the vine yet I will rejoice.’ That day we only had one person the whole time! So the Lord knew we would need John’s reminder! But the second day we had 16 and we were really rejoicing!”
So many kinds of people with all different needs have come through for prayer. Sometimes they are simple, sharing just one need, being prayed for, and then leaving all within five or ten minutes. Many people come through because they are grieving the death of a loved one. Some come in because their business is not doing well and they are having financial problems or they are having conflicts in their marriage or other family relationships. Debbie notes that some people are in despair. Glenna says, “There are so many needy people. They are hurting. We pray we would be the hands and feet of Jesus to them.”
Both William and Debbie noted that a lot of people who are Catholic come through. William comes from a Catholic background and has a special place in his heart for them. He knows they believe in God, but since the Catholic church lacks a prayer ministry for personal needs, he understands their need for this kind of prayer. “I try to encourage their faith and point them to Jesus since I know what it’s like to live that way.”
UPS drivers frequently drive by and honk and wave since they come from nearby Willow Grove which has a hub. One driver even came in for prayer.
One woman just requested to hear a prayer and didn’t give specific requests. She heard a prayer and left. One man didn’t even want to give his name but just asked for prayer for financial troubles. Sometimes people come again at subsequent Drive Through Prayer events.
Sometimes people want to talk more and the man and woman at the prayer station are ready to listen and sometimes will share the gospel of Jesus Christ or other truth about God if prompted by the Holy Spirit. Debbie remembers praying with teenagers and she wasn’t sure they were taking all of it seriously at first, but she felt the need to be more pointed and asked them if they knew the Lord and asked them to think about what direction their life was heading. She felt the Lord prompting her in the moment to be more direct in that case. The teens listened.
Glenna says, “It is a privilege to lift these people up the Lord.” William notes, “It is amazing to see how God matches up the person coming in for prayer with just the right person for them already at the ready at the prayer station. I see God’s hand at work in matching who is praying for who.”
One woman has started coming to the church after coming through Drive Through Prayer. A man who was prayed for called the church and talked to AJ reporting a positive answer to prayer. Another woman with an answer to prayer came through the Drive Through Prayer and wanted to talk to the woman who had prayed with her so they got her from inside where she was at the time so they could rejoice together about what the Lord had done.
After Dan Ruch, a church member who William described as a man with a “winsome character,” prayed with a man, William noted that people like Dan help others know that church isn’t scary. It’s filled with people like Dan who love and care for others and make them feel at ease.
God at Work in the People of Welsh Road Church
The Drive Through Prayer not only ministers to the people coming for prayer but to the people of the church as well. William says the church bonds together in the common project as they serve others. They have opportunity to talk with one another, fellowshipping with one another in the downtimes in a way that can’t happen on a Sunday morning.
Debbie says this is a way for people to really catch the spirit of evangelism, thinking of others and that they need the Lord. William said, “Praying with others at Drive Through Prayer has me conversing with others in a way that wouldn’t normally happen just walking down the sidewalk.”
Debbie says, “It’s been amazing to see the journey –it’s all the Lord’s leading! This is Spirit-led and directed. The people are so sold-out for Jesus!”
While participating in Drive Through Prayer might sounds intimidating at first, John Schlegel has a different point of view. “When people come to Drive Through Prayer, they have already made a choice that there is a God who answers prayer. We don’t need to convince anyone of that. This approach reminds me of the New Testament when Paul would go to synagogues first when he came to a new town. He was not starting from scratch. He was starting with people who already acknowledged God.” This mindset reminds the volunteers that God is already at work in the hearts of the people who come. Praying with people is participating in what God is already doing.
The Future of Drive Through Prayer and Welsh Road Church
The leadership team all talked enthusiastically about what God is doing in the lives of people who come for prayer and those who pray with them. Each one came to Welsh Road Church to be part of the revitalization and they have been blessed by seeing the Lord at work. Please continue to pray for Welsh Road Church, Church Planter AJ Miller and his wife, Stephanie, and the people of Horsham who still need to hear that Jesus Christ is offering the gift of eternal life.