On the cold Friday evening of January 18, 2013, nearly 800 people gathered in the warmth of the sanctuary at Urban Alliance network participant House of Resoration Church/Iglesia Casa de Restauracion (Hartford) for a special evening of unity called “One Unity: A Night of Intercession and Worship.”
Now in its third year, the idea for a night of unity through prayer and worship came from Pastor Miriam Torres of House of Restoration Church after she recognized that not only are there more than 50 churches just on Albany Avenue and Main Street in Hartford alone, but there are more than 250 churches throughout the city of Hartford. Through this realization came the recognition of the need for increased opportunities for unity.
“The vision I had for this service was that many churches in the beginning of the year enter into a 21-day fasting period, and I thought since so many churches enter into [this] fasting and prayer that it would be powerful, as if as the body of Christ, these churches would come together to have a night of prayer and worship. [Through] a concerted night of prayer and intercession, instead of everyone praying in their individual churches [they] would come together and be one,” said Pastor Torres.
While only a few churches participated in the past two years, Torres explained that this year 11 churches from Hartford, Newington, and even Springfield, Massachusetts, joined this effort for unity. Included in those were Urban Alliance network participants: The Citadel of Love (Hartford), Glory Chapel International Cathedral (Hartford), House of Praise and Worship/Casa de Adoracion y Alabanza (Hartford) and Bibleway Temple Nation (Hartford).
In the weeks leading up to the unity service, churches who participated had prayed for various topics, including family, education, government and media. At “One Unity,” leaders from participating churches came up to symbolically ‘close’ the prayers. The night also consisted of praise, worship and reflections that also spoke to the theme of “Ensanchar el Territorio,” which means to enlarge, widen, broaden and stretch the territory.
House of Restoration Church plans to hold a unity service each year, and the next is scheduled for January 17, 2014. A meeting will be held in the fall for churches who are interested in participating. If your church would like to be a part of next year’s unity service, please e-mail Pastor Sonia Gutierrez with your contact information by clicking here.
