“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers.” (Acts 2:42)
Fifty members of the Cathedral Church of the Intercessor (Malverne, NY) who are members of Households of Prayer enjoyed supper and fellowship together with Archbishop Craig Bates, patriarch of the ICCEC, and other Intercessor clergy including Dean of the Cathedral Fr. Joe Ciccarello, Fr. Stephen Maloney, and Deacon Charles Bethany.
The Households of Prayer are small groups that meet in each others’ houses weekly for fellowship, worship, prayer, and Bible study. The Bible studies are written by Intercessor Deacon Jim Connolly and other Intercessor clergy, and then distributed in the form of booklets to the HOPs; about two hundred fifty Intecessor members are part of the HOPs. Each Bible study is accompanied by a DVD that includes the confession of sin, worship songs, suggested prayers, and short videos of Archbishop Bates presenting a teaching for each week’s Bible study.
At the gathering, Fr. Stephen Maloney, who heads the Households of Prayer, recapitulated the biblical principles behind the HOPs. Archbishop Bates remarked that a large statistical study had shown that the principal components of Christian maturity are scripture study, daily personal prayer, regular church fellowship, and regular small-group fellowship. The Household of Prayer members attending the supper were mostly HOP leaders. Many of them had been involved with the HOPs for at least fifteen years. They shared testimonies of the importance of the HOPs to their Christian growth, as well as the power of the close fellowship to help them through times of duress. Thanks be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
