The Power of Community: How the #prayer-requests Channel is Transforming Checkpoint Church

Discover the unique and uplifting ways members of the online community are lifting each other up through the power of prayer

Building Community Through Prayer

Many of you reading this article may be familiar with the concept of the “prayer chain” in the modern church: whether you experienced it through printed lists and landline phone calls or its more contemporary incarnation via email lists or WhatsApp threads, the idea is straightforward. People in your immediate (and sometimes extended) church community lift up you and your prayers, taking time out of their week to specifically put their intention on you and others in your community during times of prayer.

When looking at the #prayer-requests channel in our Discord, it’s an easy analogue for many folks to latch onto — it’s our digital church’s version of the “prayer chain.” While that’s very true on its surface, something is happening in this space that is wholly unique and is a large part of why, in recent months, we’ve seen a real resurgence in interest and activity in this part of our online church.

A Tangible Touch Point

First thing’s first — for many folks in our community, this is as tangible a touch point to the traditional “in-person church experience” as they get in our community. Many newcomers find their way here quickly to share about themselves, their struggles and concerns, their bright spots and praises. And in that way, we already see something positive happening. People flock to this space just as they would an open call prayer time, the “lift up in prayer” section of a welcome card in the pew, or hushed conversations during the post-worship social gathering. The opportunity to put your hopes, needs, and affirmations out there for others to see and hear. More than once, in times of excitement or when faced with personal struggles during the week, I’ve found myself instinctively opening up my Discord app to share them, finding a sense of peace and affirmation knowing that my people are with me in those moments.

Beyond One-Way Interaction

This alone is incredibly valuable to the people who share their prayers with the community. But what sets this channel apart and really makes it shine is that it’s not only a one-way interaction. Sharing in #prayer-requests is not simply lifting up a prayer and knowing inside yourself that it’s out there, that someone sees and knows it. There is a call and a response — emoji reactions of prayer hands, Checkpoint-purple hearts, hugs, tears of joy or laughter. Sometimes a few sentences (or even a few paragraphs) of someone’s shared testimony or reflection, offering words of encouragement and understanding. Not only knowing your prayer has been seen, but the feeling of “being seen” yourself by people who care, even if they may only know you by your username and profile picture.

This space has truly come into its own in recent months, evolving into something that represents so much more of the strength that exists in community. Several prayer concerns lifted up in this channel started receiving responses from individuals who took it upon themselves to not only react with emojis and encouragement, but to specifically call out how they would be carrying that prayer with them. Some used their phone’s notes and screenshot features to make their default background into a list of weekly prayer reminders: a list of usernames, real names, and specific focuses tied to each of them. Another, in response to prayer concerns I had shared after a particularly personally- and professionally-challenging week, offered that they wrote my prayer on a post-it, which they carried with them throughout the day. They even shared a picture from a moment on a prayer walk with the post-it in frame; a small gesture of kindness from them, but one that moved me to tears during a personal low, lifting me out of my funk and helping me move forward with renewed energy into the day.

Empowering Vulnerability

This #prayer-requests channel isn’t just a feature of the Checkpoint Church community. It’s something wholly intrinsic to the type of community that’s being built here. This is a space for vulnerability, to share one’s highest and lowest moments, the most intense and most mundane of our human experiences, and be washed over and refreshed by the outpouring of love from others like and unlike us. Moments of overwhelming compassion from a community and direct, impactful sharing from individuals reminds us that not only are we loved and that we matter, but that we are seen just as we are and still loved all the same.

Reminding Us We Matter

While you, reading this right now, may or may not have found yourself on our Discord server, perusing or posting a message in this #prayer-requests space, it’s important that you know something. You are a part of this community. You share in the wonderful gifts this space provides to people who might otherwise feel lost or forgotten by the Church, and as our Nerd Pastor so often reminds us: you, yes you, matter. Your presence here — the time you take to read this newsletter, watch a Nerdy Sermon, join in the chat on Twitch, or even just to lurk amongst the channels of our Discord — matters, and it makes the world a better place. 

So if you find yourself on our Discord, swing by #prayer-requests. Read what the people in your community are lifting up. Share some prayer hands and hearts. Maybe share a prayer of your own. Respond with your own shared experience and understanding. Hold those prayers in your heart as you go through your week. Find refreshment here, or be one of the many offering it to your siblings in Christ in this space.