Mission & Vision
Brocks Upper Room: Overview and Description of Activities
Mission Statement: Brocks Upper Room Inc. (BUR) assumes the belief that God partners with man through continuous prayer to bring about positive change in individuals, families and society (see 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Luke 18:7)
BUR Therefore seeks to:
- Bring healing and transformation to individuals, families and communities by facilitating continuous prayer and music initiatives
- Engage and train children, youth, adults and families in new expressions of continuous prayer through music and scriptures
- Help local churches and para-church organizations initiate new expressions of continuous prayer and music
Vision: Brock’s Upper Room is devoted to training the next generation in prophetic worship & prayer through music. To raise up worshiping families & teams of skilled ‘musicianaires’ who can go into dark places to train others and change the atmosphere, preparing the Highway for the great harvest and the Lord’s return.
Description of BUR Activities
BUR has 4 primary activities that are each in various levels of operation:
1) Weekly/monthly prayer services, 2) Training children in music for sustained prayer initiatives, 3) Developing products that facilitate continuous prayer & music initiatives and 4) Local and international outreach to churches & communities.
- Weekly/Monthly Prayer Services:
A) Activity Description: These prayer services have two basic formats, one is longer (2 to 6 hours) which we call the Watch of the Lord and the other is 1 to 2 hours which we call Family (harp and bowl) Team Prayer.
Watch of the Lord: The Watch of the Lord is an extended prayer meeting with a larger group—anywhere from 10 to 30 people. It begins with an individual or team leading in music to engage the group in praise & worship for approx 1 to 2 hours. As the group begins to worship God and sense the nearness of God, the worship leader opens the meeting for attendees to engage in spontaneous prayers (led by the Holy Spirit) based on the “direction or flow” of the themes that come during the worship. The prayers are usually accompanied by music and are always based in scripture. The themes include prayer for individuals, families, churches, communities and government (1 Tim 2:1-4). Family Harp & Bowl (H&B) Team Prayer: This prayer meeting format is usually smaller, ranging from 1 to 5 families. This is a team approach to prayer and consists of a prayer leader, worship leader and several singers or musicians. It is called harp and bowl based on Revelations 5:8 describing a heavenly model for prayer, which combines two elements—harp (representing worship & music) and bowl (representing prayer) in the same prayer activity. However, this H&B prayer format is more structured—prescribing an order of participation, alternating between prayer and music. This team approach makes it easy to sustain prayer for long periods and often results in unexpected, enjoyable expressions of prayer—all based on scripture. Our emphasis for this format is children and family. H&B Scriptural prayers may include themes such as: Divine protection (Ps 91), wisdom and insight (Eph 1:17), Divine strength (Eph 3:16), effective evangelism, biblical prosperity, good government (1 Tim 2:1-4), increased love, and greater discernment (Phil 1:9). Public Impact: Our goal is to develop and demonstrate team prayer models that are simple and modular, that can be duplicated by other families and groups and allow for multiple prayer teams to join together for continuous and fulfilling expressions of corporate prayer—whether at home, church or in community outreach settings.
- Training Children in Music for Sustained Prayer Initiatives:
A) Activity Description: Teaching primarily children and youth how to combine music and scripture for enjoyable and sustainable prayer. The training of music is inter-weaved with memorization of scripture for (harp & bowl) team prayer applications. Children and their families are taught in the established Suzuki method (learning a system of classical music by ear, similar to learning language). Children are taught in weekly master classes and group classes. This method combined with harp and bowl team prayer, allows for easy integration of scripture and moral excellence with high quality musical training. The training has three components: 1) Parent training, 2) Scripture memorization and 3) Musical instruction and memorization—through group (master) lessons and group classes.As the group (music) classes mature, they will offer outreach ministry performances for the community, such as homes, churches, nursing centers, hospitals and various public/private centers. Public Impact: Benefits to the public include the individual child, his/her family with a potential impact on the local, regional, national and international community. Children grow in their moral and skill development. Families are encouraged to function in a nurturing capacity with a view of reaching out to the community through their child’s music and prayer ministry. Stronger more functional families result in stronger communities. Regions, nations and cultures can be impacted for good by stronger individuals/families/communities.
- Developing Products that Facilitate Continuous Prayer and Music Initiatives:
A) Activity Description: BUR creates products that promote and help facilitate music and prayer. These products have 3 primary categories: 1.General Media which includes audio, video, literary and image resources, 2. Computer-based and Internet training resources and 3. Training devices/instruments that may include both media and computer-based training components.The BUR Production Studio and Resource Library has been formed to produce and share materials and media for inspiration and music/prayer training. Public Impact: There are 5 desired outcomes for these products: 1) Provide resources that inspire children & youth to pray, 2) Create resources that accelerate learning through motivation and increased skill through repetition and interactivity, 3) Further train children by engaging them in the co-creation of these products, 4) Provide resources for pastors, church prayer leaders and congregations—motivating and equipping them to creatively combine biblical prayers and music for continuous prayer in the local church and 5) Help to create a shared resource that facilitates churches and organizations networking together for city-wide continuous prayer/music initiatives.
- Outreach to Churches and Communities (At Home & Abroad):
A) Activity Description: BUR is partnering with local Christian churches by helping to inspire, equip and train pastors/leaders, worship & prayer teams, children, youth and congregations in continuous prayer/music initiatives— regionally, nationally and internationally. In 2005, BUR began outreach to local Christian churches (of all denominations), para-church groups and other organizations to help pastors and leaders initiate continuous harp and bowl (H&B) prayer with their existing people and resources. BUR continues to network with other pastors and leaders who desire to combine prayer teams and resources for short durations (Burns). BUR has ongoing relationship with local churches in the Northeast, Northwest, Midwest and Southeast, including Christian Retreat (Bradenton FL), New Beginnings Church (Middleburg FL), Sovereign Lord Fellowship (Winter Park FL), Calvary Assembly of God (Dade City FL), Zephyrhills UMC (FL), Leesburg Vineyard (FL), Longs Chapel UMC (Waynesville NC), New Covenant (New Orleans LA), Hudson Vineyard (North Bergen NJ), Love & Truth Church (Bergenfield NJ), Eastern Gate HOP (Cranford NJ), Eagle Valley Ministries (Libby, MT) and River Hills Fellowship (Chamberlain, SD). BUR continues to maintain relationships with on-going engagements during winter and summer outreach tours. In addition to local churches, BUR is beginning to partner with other social organizations such as nursing homes, hospitals, schools, community centers and businesses. Public Impact: As more H&B prayer teams are trained in local churches and organizations, they can mobilize for larger 2 to 3 day city-wide (burn) gatherings— possibly for special events and regional/national emergencies. International Outreach: BUR is in close relationship with churches and prayer ministries in Northwest Canada, Israel, Turkey, Cyprus, Malta, Gibraltar and Spain. BUR music and prayer ministry began with Israel in 2000 and continues international outreach to present.