Becoming a House of Prayer

A rural church in Arkansas that has been historically small has experienced tremendous growth after the congregation heeded the biblical call to become a house of prayer.

Scottsville Word of Life Assembly (SWLA) in Hector, with a population of approximately 421, had less than 50 attendees for years since it started in 1995.

However, AG evangelist Joe Oden came to the church 10 years ago and talked to the congregation about praying for and anointing their community, as well as getting outside the church's walls.

The congregation committed to walking around and praying for their community once a month and in the past 18 months have grown to nearly 300 regular attendees.

"We made our emphasis prayer,” explains Arnold Humphrey, 62, who has pastored SWLA from the beginning. “We became a praying church and voila. It took some time to get it into action, but here we are."

The congregation not only prays within the walls of the church, but they also pray over every mile of the county, even going to all of the county lines once a month and praying over them, states Tina Harris, 56, who has been attending the church for several months.

Debbie Young, 70, and her husband, Glen, have been attending Scottsville Word of Life AG for the past four months and state, “One of the reasons we were drawn here was the fact that they have been praying all over our county.” Young, an ordained minister who, along with her husband, has served in various churches over the years remarks, “We were so excited when we heard they were doing this, and we wanted to be a part of it. Prayer in the local church is so vital, and we heard that this church was putting a huge emphasis on prayer.”

“I was immediately struck with how they had such a burden for Pope County, and such a love for people,” says Mary Lillard, 45, who has been attending SWLA with her family since July. “I never felt like a stranger there. I immediately felt like family, and it felt like home. Since attending there, I have seen how everything they do is built on the foundation of prayer.”

Her husband, Colin Lillard, 55, agrees.

“I will never forget the first prayer meeting we attended,” he recalls. “We were asked to bring pictures or lists of names of our lost loved ones to be prayed over for salvation. As our group started to pray for lost souls, I saw that the list of my lost family members was already tear-stained.

“I saw people interceding over others' lost loved ones with such love like they were their own,” Lillard adds. “I've already seen so many miracles coming from those prayers. We have seen many people healed miraculously. Our adult son, Reagan, was saved and now also attends SWLA faithfully. I am so thankful God placed us in this church. Everything is founded on prayer, and everything is taught straight from the Word of God.”

William Lance Pendergraft, 58, and his wife, Regina, have been attending the church since 2012.

“About two years ago, our pastor developed a deep hunger to desire more than church as usual,” he recounts. “He decided we needed to pray, and he designated Sunday night services to be prayer services. What a difference prayer has made at SWLA. We are now sustaining a revival atmosphere in our services. Pastor's vision has reached past our community to our county and beyond.”

Regina Pendergraft, 55, adds, “We have seen our church growth explode, lives being restored, people being saved, miracles happening and to God be all the glory. I truly believe that God is honoring the sacrifice of prayer that is made at SWLA.”

The church's intentionality in prayer and commitment to reaching the community has changed the trajectory of the church.

Ronnie Morris, district superintendent of the Arkansas district of the Assemblies of God, has known Humphrey for more than 30 years.

“Arnold has always been focused on a genuine move of God,” he says. “The impact of this church has not happened overnight but has been a process over the years. As Arnold has grown and matured, so has the church.

“He is truly an Issachar--he knows the times and knows what to do,” Morris adds. “Arnold has learned to incorporate his church in concerted prayer and the results have been exponential, especially in transformed lives. It is safe to say that the community is not the same as it once was because of the ministries of Scottsville Word of Life.”

Humphrey, who is also a sectional presbyter of the Arkansas district of the Assemblies of God, echoes his point.

“God always intended for His house to be a house of prayer,” he says. “And we did pray, but until there was prayer made, nothing was changing. Our hearts began to burn for revival and change, so we began to seek the Lord consistently for revival and change. Once we started seeing things shift, we began to seek more intensely, and we began to see God more intensely. Everything changed when we got a hold of 'my house shall be called a house of prayer.' It's all we do.”

Eric Tiansay

Eric Tiansay has been a full-time journalist since 1993, writing articles for Christian media since 2000. He lives in central Florida, where he is an active member of an Assemblies of God church.