The Prayer Tent
This year the Prayer Tent ministry is taking another step forward for NAIDOC, the yearly cultural celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. On July 3rd the prayer warriors are off to Port Macquarie, Kempsy and Taree.
Since 2012 the Prayer Tent has been going to various events all over Australia. Last year the tent found themselves in Rockhampton and Emu Park for NAIDOC, witnessing the love of Christ through prayer, delivering beverages and free Bibles and booklets.
The purpose of the tent ministry has been clear from the beginning. Gaylene Ngalu, the founder of Prayer Tentz (the 'Z' in the ministry standing for Zillmere which is where the ministry began) tells of how everything just fell into place.
“It started when my pastor came up to me and told me ‘You're the opportunity God is looking for, pray about it.’ After prayer I felt God telling me to take a tent into NAIDOC in 2012. NAIDOC was two weeks away and I didn't have a tent or anything to bring. I didn't even know how to organize bringing a tent into NAIDOC. But someone gifted me with a tent out of the blue and I got all the help I needed setting it up.”
People enjoying the events
That was just the beginning. From the witness of the Prayer Tent in Brisbane and in Rockhampton last year, other tents are being raised up. This year other independent church groups are picking up the mantle after the example set by the Prayer Tentz in previous years.
Gaylene explains how this is all part of God’s plan:
“I believe that God wants to raise up tents all over Australia. Hopefully the next year after being at Port Macquarie, Kempsy and Taree the mantle will be passed and a tent ministry will go from there.”
If you would like to support this good work to the Indigenous people, for the first year the Prayer Tent is open to donations. You can find the bank details on www.prayertentz.com or PayPal prayertentz@outlook.com.
Bridget makes websites for various para-church ministries, is part of an Indigenous church and writes visual novels at www.christianvisualnovel.com.
Bridget Brenton’s previous articles may be viewed at
www.pressserviceinternational.org/bridget-brenton.html
Bridget Brenton from Brisbane has been for many years a young writer then an Over 31 writer and now a Panellist marking for the annual awards.